Canister filter and very high nitrat after moving and dino treatment

[Pijamasfish]

Hi everybody I have a mix reef 29,5 gallons (112l) with canister filter AquaEl Ultramax 2000 and skimmer Tunze Comline 9004 and I have a problem with very high nitrats.
It was a period when PO4/NO3 was zero, it was my fault, because this is my second reef in my life. First reef was mix minireef 13 gallons with Seachem Tidal 110 HOB and skimmer Tunze Comline 9001 and this reef was ver succesful, but I looked for a bigger one. So I just bought a new aquarium, I didnt have place for sump, so I just decided to run some canister filter. Everything was ok , but about a few months later we moved out and I moved my tank to the new house. And here has began my problems and pain I tryed to do my best for corals, but I missed a half of corals, fish etc, because of all things, when you move tank and I still can not get rid of problems. High nitrats, high phosphat, algae, cyano, diatomes etc. I switched to another salt (BIG mistake), I used AF Probiotic Reef Salt (before I used TM Pro Reef Salt, but it was not available), I used AF Life Bio fil much. My NO3/PO4 was law. SPS and LPS was happy at least, mushroom and zoa was not so much happy, but algae and cyano was zero . And one day NO3/PO4 was 0 and I got dino, ostreopsis, it was 5 months ago. And now, after hard dino battle I got very high NO3, I think , it's over 100 (Salifert). PO4 0,04 - 0,05 (Hanna Phosphorus). I dose PO4, because it always wants to be zero. I lost all SPS for very short time, my LPS don't look like I want. I have 6 small fish also, feeding is one time pr day. What can I do? I have done 20% waterchange. There is no any sponge in canister filter, just Sera Seporax, Eheim Substrat Pro, AF Carbon. Prefilter is also present, I clean it 1 time per 2 weeks.
What can I do more? I have an algaereactor, new, but I dont know how to connect it with my canister filter(( Need help.
Also I was thinking, is it best to switch to another canister filter, Oase Biomaster 850? I heared that they are best and its more comfortable to take out prefilter there.

 

[therootcause]

Take a sample to your LFS or a friend who can test and confirm your results.

Test your new saltwater as well.

A 50% water change cuts your nitrates in half. You can do this several times in consecutive days to lower the nitrates quickly.

I see you have a pre filter, it needs to be rinsed out in tank water much more frequently.

Ad as much bio media as you possibly can.

 

[brandon429]

@Pijamasfish

post a full tank picture of your setup and we can tune it up here.

describe your move process please so we know the details

I read above: the problems started after the move. did you move over unrinsed sand from the prior reef tank setup

there is a sand rinse thread where for sixty pages/nine years/we have perfect control over moved reef tanks, so we want to deconstruct your move against that data set in order to fix it

 

[Pijamasfish]

@Pijamasfish

post a full tank picture of your setup and we can tune it up here.

describe your move process please so we know the details

I read above: the problems started after the move. did you move over unrinsed sand from the prior reef tank setup

there is a sand rinse thread where for sixty pages/nine years/we have perfect control over moved reef tanks, so we want to deconstruct your move against that data set in order to fix it

@Pijamasfish

post a full tank picture of your setup and we can tune it up here.

describe your move process please so we know the details

I read above: the problems started after the move. did you move over unrinsed sand from the prior reef tank setup

there is a sand rinse thread where for sixty pages/nine years/we have perfect control over moved reef tanks, so we want to deconstruct your move against that data set in order to fix it

 

[brandon429]

hey that's a really nice setup, worth $$ for sure

aged corals, wow, bigger than usual

did you rinse the sand when you transferred the system

it doesn't look bad...where are the loss areas in the pics

 

[Pijamasfish]

Here is my tank. Canister filter, skimmer Tunze Compline 9004, 2 circulation pumps, light is Reef Factory Flare Blue. I forgot also about dosing of Ca, Mg and Kh. Kh is stable 8,3. Ca is a little bit high, 480. Mg is always high, 1500, I don't know to reduce it, waterchange didn't help so much. So I don't dose Ca and Mg anymore, just KH. Salt is Aquaforest Reef Salt now, I switched ftom AF Probiotic Reef Salt after I got very lоw NO3/PO4 and got dino outbreak. I use Korallen Zucht Coral Snow also.
When I moved my tank, I removed all sand and used new sand later after moving. I used also 50% old water and mixed 50% fresh and added bacteries.

 

[brandon429]

that is a really nice setup!

 

[Pijamasfish]

hey that's a really nice setup, worth $$ for sure

aged corals, wow, bigger than usual

did you rinse the sand when you transferred the system

it doesn't look bad...where are the loss areas in the pics

I lost almost all my SPS LPS was bigger, when NO3 was not so high

 

[Pijamasfish]

I lost almost all my SPS LPS was bigger, when NO3 was not so high

Take a sample to your LFS or a friend who can test and confirm your results.

Test your new saltwater as well.

A 50% water change cuts your nitrates in half. You can do this several times in consecutive days to lower the nitrates quickly.

I see you have a pre filter, it needs to be rinsed out in tank water much more frequently.

Ad as much bio media as you possibly can.

Which biomedia is best? I was thinking about some biopellets, but Im afraid, that PO4 can be removed also. Or is it possible to use biopellets and add PO4 in the same time? Or it's best to use some Aquaforest Bio Fil or something?

 

[brandon429]

since the sand was clean we can rule out waste transferral/upwelling as the issue

next variable missing we use in the thread, when new sand is in the new tank: re ramping lights. on all jobs we reduced the lighting level in the new tank for ten days/slow ramp back up/ to prevent bleaching. if you didn't ramp the lights but started at the same power on the new tank that's my next bet for the cause. if the water changes were vastly different params combined with bright lighting that's an easy recipe for initial tissue loss

 

[Pijamasfish]

Here is my tank. Canister filter, skimmer Tunze Compline 9004, 2 circulation pumps, light is Reef Factory Flare Blue. I forgot also about dosing of Ca, Mg and Kh. Kh is stable 8,3. Ca is a little bit high, 480. Mg is always high, 1500, I don't know to reduce it, waterchange didn't help so much. So I don't dose Ca and Mg anymore, just KH. Salt is Aquaforest Reef Salt now, I switched ftom AF Probiotic Reef Salt after I got very lоw NO3/PO4 and got dino outbreak. I use Korallen Zucht Coral Snow also.
When I moved my tank, I removed all sand and used new sand later after moving. I used also 50% old water and mixed 50% fresh and added bacteries.

since the sand was clean we can rule out waste transferral/upwelling as the issue

next variable missing we use in the thread, when new sand is in the new tank: re ramping lights. on all jobs we reduced the lighting level in the new tank for ten days/slow ramp back up/ to prevent bleaching. if you didn't ramp the lights but started at the same power on the new tank that's my next bet for the cause. if the water changes were vastly different params combined with bright lighting that's an easy recipe for initial tissue loss

Oh I didnt think about light, forgot. Yes, I had very bright lighting before. It was one of the reason of dino/algae outbreak. Then I ordered a PARmeter and now lighting is only on 25% from 100% of power. Just my lighting is for bigger tank, so 25% is good enough now, on the top it's 250 PAR, around below and on the sand it's 80-150 PAR.