I've decided I need to do something about nitrates. I know some folk are dead against it, and some, like me, have tanks that seem to thrive despite it. Yet I'd like them lower. I'd be thrilled with 10-20. I cannot get them lower, never have been able too, and they just climb higher. And it is all my tanks! Yes, I feed heavy with anthias (though down to one now and 1 wrasse) yet never see any excess detritus. Water changes do nothing, blowing rocks, blasting sand, nopox also nothing and I'm dosing 7-10 ml (when I remember). Have that chart on how much to dose per day, but don't want to upset the tanks. And is vinegar my best choice. Only the 125 has a sump and refugium. 66 & 40 gal are AIO so no fuge. And no sponges.
Two corals in my 66 gal might be objecting to the high nitrates. Not sure. They've been in for a good year and always fine..
Tank 1 66 gal AIO (Red Sea) 1.5 years old. Has always had high nitrates. Used to be 20-40, then 40-80 and now 40-160, even a day after a water change. I blow, blast etc. Take water from sump, removed sponges in the sump, etc. nada. Feed 3-4 times day. Frozen. Rinsed most of the time but not always so prob. why po4 a bit higher. Usually between 1-2 or it zeros out and I have to dose
Corals in this tank are doing great. One sedosa monti seems all of a sudden to be turning white at base on a few fingers. Reverse sunset turning brown from green yet still has polyps. Acro in this tank is doing good--good PE. So not sure it is the nitrate levels. Leathers big and beautiful, duncan hairy, and very little algae. Some on glass. A patch here or there I yank up from sand. Did pull up two hunks from rock work in back a few weeks ago. No algae just growing everywhere. Did see some growing where I had pulled it a few weeks ago. Not sure if it is just hair algae or bryopsis. If bryopsis, I'll fluconazle tank but it's not bad enough to do anything but watch and pull at the moment.
Fish: 2 blue chromis, 2 darwin clowns, 1 dispar anthia, 1 dragonet, 1 mandarin, 1 bangaii
1410 mg, 440 ca, 7.9 alk, .47 po4 (added phos guard back in), 8.4 ph Alk may be lower due dosing line empty. Fixed and will retest
Tank 2 125/30 gal sump 3 months old. Nitrates in the 20-40 and even 80
This tank started with dry rock, live in sump. Never went through an ugly stage, just a bit of algae that cuc keeps controlled and not much of that anymore. Coraline at around the 6 week mark. So far, the sps's (tenius & stylophora) doing good. Sedosa and reverse sunset doing okay, though the reverse sunset maybe not as good as in other tank. Not very many corals yet. Galaxia doing great, pagoda cup doing great. Zoas and micros okay. Did do a sump vacuum. Using socks but may stop. Refugium has lots of algae on one set of rocks and one monster sized hermit crab. will add more cuc here. Feed 2 x's day. Just spotted aiptasia in my pic so will add a shrimp.
Fish: Ruby Head Wrasse, Sleep Sand Sifting Goby, yellow tail damsel, 2 clowns
1420 mg, 380 ca, 7.7 alk, 160 NO3, .02 phos Took forever to get mag up in levels. working on alk
Tank 3 40 gal AIO Red Sea
Corals and pods with sand and live rock. Coral frag tank. Corals go here to see how they are doing. No fish. Will be adding shrimp for aiptasia. Do toss a few pellets in for the amphipods (sand bed crawls with them at night) and the one hermit in the sump. Will be setting up pod hotels so I can harvest.
1410 mg, 400 ca, 9.6 alk, 80 nitrates
Dosed 1.5 mil to the 66, 3 ml to the 125, .5 ml to the 40. Should I start this low, do for a few days and move up.
Pics of the 3 tanks
66 gal
125 gal
ugh, aiptasia. Shrimp here too....
40 gal
Two corals in my 66 gal might be objecting to the high nitrates. Not sure. They've been in for a good year and always fine..
Tank 1 66 gal AIO (Red Sea) 1.5 years old. Has always had high nitrates. Used to be 20-40, then 40-80 and now 40-160, even a day after a water change. I blow, blast etc. Take water from sump, removed sponges in the sump, etc. nada. Feed 3-4 times day. Frozen. Rinsed most of the time but not always so prob. why po4 a bit higher. Usually between 1-2 or it zeros out and I have to dose
Corals in this tank are doing great. One sedosa monti seems all of a sudden to be turning white at base on a few fingers. Reverse sunset turning brown from green yet still has polyps. Acro in this tank is doing good--good PE. So not sure it is the nitrate levels. Leathers big and beautiful, duncan hairy, and very little algae. Some on glass. A patch here or there I yank up from sand. Did pull up two hunks from rock work in back a few weeks ago. No algae just growing everywhere. Did see some growing where I had pulled it a few weeks ago. Not sure if it is just hair algae or bryopsis. If bryopsis, I'll fluconazle tank but it's not bad enough to do anything but watch and pull at the moment.
Fish: 2 blue chromis, 2 darwin clowns, 1 dispar anthia, 1 dragonet, 1 mandarin, 1 bangaii
1410 mg, 440 ca, 7.9 alk, .47 po4 (added phos guard back in), 8.4 ph Alk may be lower due dosing line empty. Fixed and will retest
Tank 2 125/30 gal sump 3 months old. Nitrates in the 20-40 and even 80
This tank started with dry rock, live in sump. Never went through an ugly stage, just a bit of algae that cuc keeps controlled and not much of that anymore. Coraline at around the 6 week mark. So far, the sps's (tenius & stylophora) doing good. Sedosa and reverse sunset doing okay, though the reverse sunset maybe not as good as in other tank. Not very many corals yet. Galaxia doing great, pagoda cup doing great. Zoas and micros okay. Did do a sump vacuum. Using socks but may stop. Refugium has lots of algae on one set of rocks and one monster sized hermit crab. will add more cuc here. Feed 2 x's day. Just spotted aiptasia in my pic so will add a shrimp.
Fish: Ruby Head Wrasse, Sleep Sand Sifting Goby, yellow tail damsel, 2 clowns
1420 mg, 380 ca, 7.7 alk, 160 NO3, .02 phos Took forever to get mag up in levels. working on alk
Tank 3 40 gal AIO Red Sea
Corals and pods with sand and live rock. Coral frag tank. Corals go here to see how they are doing. No fish. Will be adding shrimp for aiptasia. Do toss a few pellets in for the amphipods (sand bed crawls with them at night) and the one hermit in the sump. Will be setting up pod hotels so I can harvest.
1410 mg, 400 ca, 9.6 alk, 80 nitrates
Dosed 1.5 mil to the 66, 3 ml to the 125, .5 ml to the 40. Should I start this low, do for a few days and move up.
Pics of the 3 tanks
66 gal
125 gal
40 gal