High Nitrate.. what to do

[Rxb09a]

Well my tank has been up and running for about a month so it is very new. Ammonia is 0 nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 50ppm. I know 50ppm is high but what is the ideal range? I added two clowns that have been in the tank almost a week now. I am doing 10% water changes once a week starting 2 weeks ago. I don’t see my nitrate dropping any. Do I need to do a bigger water change or dose something to bring it down to the ideal range?

 

[HiddenUser]

Since your tank is still very new and recently cycled, I would do a MUCH larger water change and test again. I don't know how large your tank is, but maybe a 50% water change, then give it a few hours or a day before you test again. If the test comes back the same, I might consider a different test kit.

For a fish only system 50ppm isnt a huge deal, but if you're going to be having a reef, most people try to have 5-10ppm and below.

You're to early in the game, IMO, to consider other methods of nitrate reduction outside of water changes.

 

[Brew12]

Well my tank has been up and running for about a month so it is very new. Ammonia is 0 nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 50ppm. I know 50ppm is high but what is the ideal range? I added two clowns that have been in the tank almost a week now. I am doing 10% water changes once a week starting 2 weeks ago. I don’t see my nitrate dropping any. Do I need to do a bigger water change or dose something to bring it down to the ideal range?

I feel the ideal nitrate range is 5ppm to 30ppm. Unless the 50ppm is causing a problem, I would give it time on a new tank.

I would also point out that a 10% water change should drop your nitrates from 50ppm to 45ppm which is likely not within the accuracy of your test kit.

 

[Rxb09a]

Since your tank is still very new and recently cycled, I would do a MUCH larger water change and test again. I don't know how large your tank is, but maybe a 50% water change, then give it a few hours or a day before you test again. If the test comes back the same, I might consider a different test kit.

For a fish only system 50ppm isnt a huge deal, but if you're going to be having a reef, most people try to have 5-10ppm and below.

You're to early in the game, IMO, to consider other methods of nitrate reduction outside of water changes.

I have a 32 gal biocube. So a larger water change should help. Is this anything that would hurt for it to wait a week or so? I am having to order more salt.

 

[jsker]

I agree with @ChukeeR and @Brew12 do a weekly water changes and let the system ride.

Six months down the road, I would look at siprox, matrex, zeovit, bif bio fil to using in the sump for nitrate control.

 

[8251reefer]

Nitrates won't drop much with such a small water change especially on a newly cycled tank. Depending on tank volume I would recommend at least a 30-40% water change and go from there which should reduce the Nitrates to a more manageable level, also don't feed your clown's too much, that will just lead to more Nitrates in the end. Depending on what the Nitrates level are after a few months you could consider carbon dosing (NO3.po4 -x, vinegar, vodka, sugar etc) but I would caution against it right now as it can have some nasty affects on your tank inhabitants if not done correctly.

 

[HiddenUser]

I have a 32 gal biocube. So a larger water change should help. Is this anything that would hurt for it to wait a week or so? I am having to order more salt.

Waiting a week at this point wouldn't be an issue if your only livestock is the clownfish. Once you get salt, maybe try changing 15 gallons of water, then give it half a day and test again. Might need to do a couple of these in a short span of time, but I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point as your only livestock is fish.