High nitrate...help

[Marinevrablic]

I have a nitrate problem. It's around 60. Got a new test kit and that's what it showed. The LFS I go to says it's fine. I don't think so because it's making my tank look brown now and my fish are acting weird. I have done 20% water changed for the last 3 days. My tank is a 60 gallon high with a 40 gallon sump/refugium. In the refugium I have cheato and mangroves. Just got the mangroves. I have a 1800 gallon return pump so eater flow mid to high is nice. Lower I have a wide spread power head to circulate. A hob with carbon. I don't know....my tank is 3 months. But my cheato doesn't seem to grow and turns brown also. Any help would be awesome......phosphate I have is at 1.5. I'm at a loss where I went wrong.

 

[twilliard]

It's not about what you did wrong. It's about understanding where no3 and po4 comes from.
High DOC'S and organic load reduces to no3 and po4

 

[Tahoe61]

You did not mention a skimmer?
What is your water source?
A nitrate level of 60 might affect sensitive stony corals, I doubt it will affect your fish.
A three month old tank is still in it's infancy, you might not have a significant biological filter, are your over feeding, over stocking?
A three month old tank that looks brown sounds like the common Diatom and Cyano cycles that some tanks experience, but if you do not get those values down you will have a significant algae issue.
Start looking into some Phosban, or similar products and check the nitrate and phosphates of your water source prior to the next wc.

 

[Marinevrablic]

You did not mention a skimmer?
What is your water source?
A nitrate level of 60 might affect sensitive stony corals, I doubt it will affect your fish.
A three month old tank is still in it's infancy, you might not have a significant biological filter, are your over feeding, over stocking?
A three month old tank that looks brown sounds like the common Diatom and Cyano cycles that some tanks experience, but if you do not get those values down you will have a significant algae issue.
Start looking into some Phosban, or similar products and check the nitrate and phosphates of your water source prior to the next wc.

Yes I have a skimmer and putting in work. I have 50 blue leg hermits 15 little snails and 4 turbos. A banded shrimp for my clean up crew. I have like 4 different algea going on in there. It's crazy. I'm hoping my refugium actually works.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

what they said. young tank. you should be in the pre Ugly phase, to be followed by the really ugly phase:)
belive it or not, you need the ugly phase.
is you return running 1800gph? you should be in the 500 to 700 range. if the return is too high the funk doesnt have time to settle in the sump.

 

[Marinevrablic]

what they said. young tank. you should be in the pre Ugly phase, to be followed by the really ugly phase:)
belive it or not, you need the ugly phase.
is you return running 1800gph? you should be in the 500 to 700 range. if the return is too high the funk doesnt have time to settle in the sump.

It's running at 600 gph.

 

[Brett H whitt]

you said cheato is turning brown. Is it dyeing off or does it have blown algae growing on it? If it’s just brown algae, then you can stir the cheato alga around and the brown algae will fall of easily. I purchased a 1lb tube of Cheato (12.00) from an online supplier and filled my sump with it. You can always remove some later or trim it off and sell it to the local pest shop.

Also, are you running a good grow light on the cheato, they need a good light for growth.

Might also slow down on your feeding overfeeding is easy to do. I feed mysis shrimp and algae sheets. I try to avoid pellet foods.

 

[Marinevrablic]

I feed then frozen krill. And algea sheets on a clip. Every other day

 

[Lasse]

Have you done a 20 % water change each day for three days? What was the nitrate readings before and after? What´s your phosphorus readings?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Bdog4u2]

I wouldn't worry to much i personally think people pay way to much attention to nitrates and never even test phosphates. Nitrates wont hurt fish until it gets really high, ive had them at over 180 before with no issues i just dosed vodka and it dropped to 10 in 4 weeks without a single water change then i added rowa phos with the occasional water change and and all is good but i still give it a shot of Smirnoff once a week

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Keep up your husbandry and let the tank mature. It's going to take time. The uglies will go away.

 

[Marinevrablic]

Have you done a 20 % water change each day for three days? What was the nitrate readings before and after? What´s your phosphorus readings?

Sincerely Lasse

Yes 20% everyday for the last 3 days cause I read to do that. I had a cappy test kit so I had inaccurate reading before. My phosphate right now is 1.5

 

[Marinevrablic]

So brown/dark prowl almost purple red/hair algae all over rocks and sand is the cycle?

 

[Bdog4u2]

Sounds like cyano i would keep sucking it out til tank stabilizes

 

[BoneXriffic]

About 9 more months and itll be a well oiled machine lol.

If it is algae growing on chaeto do not shake and clean it in tank.... take it out and use old water change water.....shaking it in the sump will cause a mad bloom fogging the whole tank.

These guys are right im at 1year 3 months or so and the ugly stage is still fresh in my memory....

 

[Marinevrablic]

Yea my sand is forming light golden brown...top rock is having bubbles with hair algae that's brown. One rock has little moss looking stuff that's green. One wall golden brown with hint of green on it.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea my sand is forming light golden brown...top rock is having bubbles with hair algae that's brown. One rock has little moss looking stuff that's green. One wall golden brown with hint of green on it.

yup, uglies stage one.:)
I just kept a toothbrish next to the tank honestly.

 

[Lasse]

Sorry - I missed your phosphate readings in post 1.

What do you use for testing nitrates and phosphorus? Are you using any nutrient limiting method?

If you repeat the water changes for a couple of days and take nitrate and phosphorus readings before and around 1 hour after the change. I think its important to be rather sure that the test results are reasonable. if you do a 20 % change - the result should lower with around 20% of the first reading.

To test nitrate in saltwater - it is a challenge.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[BoneXriffic]

yup, uglies stage one.:)
I just kept a toothbrish next to the tank honestly.

Or throw a sheet over it and tell people theres a dead body in it

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Or throw a sheet over it and tell people theres a dead body in it

Dang I didn't think of that. I printed a picture of someone else's tank and taped it to mine.