High nitrates, everything else ok?

[Joffunswife]

Hello,

I have a 80gal mixed reef that is a year old. I run a skimmer and refugium (although that part is only a month old), also have a reef mat as back up and use filter floss in cups along with an inline UV. I have a reactor for rhowaphos etc if needed and keep a stock of carbon etc again to use if needed. I feed a pinch of pellets in the morning and a cube of frozen food in the evening. All is consumed within a minute and nothing is left on the sandbed.
All inhabitants are accounted for so I am sure there is no dead anything.

These are my phosphate, nitrate and alk results for the past week of so. I do regular 13-14 gallon water changes and have an ATO running RO. Ro is testing at 0 tds and I use Red Sea salt (blue).










All fish seem very happy and corals are beautiful bar my trumpets which are never happy.

I use Hanna checkers and double check with salifert when unsure.

I’m not sure what to do about the nitrate. I have tried using premixed salt from two different LFS incase it was mine but it’s made no difference.

Thanks all

 

[Gumbies R Us]

How much are you feeding? That can contribute to higher nitrates. Personally, if your tank looks fine, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are multiple people on here who have high nitrate tanks, but their inhabitants seem to like it.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

As long as you aren’t sky high on nitrates and zero phosphates or the opposite, you should be in good shape. I have a tank full of acros and keep my NO3 at 15-20 and PO4 at 0.1-0.12.

 

[Naso180!]

In my experience I look to the corals to tell me if something is wrong. My 180g reef runs crazy high N03. Its off the charts on Hanna and API. API goes to 100+. The easiest way to drop it is water changes. However in order to drop it significantly 20% multiple times wont help. 20% will only drop it by 20%, Then the next time 20 of that total No3. 50% will cut it by 50% ect. So larger changes are necessary to make a significant impact. Are you dosing Ammonia or anything other than food to cause the numbers your getting? But as mentioned if it ain't broken dont fix it. If the animals are doing well, no need to chase numbers. ;)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're current values are within my target range of 5-50 ppm, so I would not agonize over it, but water changes can help lower it if the tank is not too big.

Randy’s Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges

Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges by Randy Holmes-Farley Almost nothing in the world of reef aquarium chemistry causes as much discussion as selecting and maintaining ranges for nitrate and phosphate. Some aquarists want low targets, some want...

www.reef2reef.com

4. What targets seem reasonable? Of course, that depends on all the other factors at play, such as types of corals, availability of ammonia, particulate foods, etc. However, for a mature mixed reef, this would be how I personally would run it:

• Let nitrate float between 5 ppm and 50 ppm. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above 50 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by organic carbon dosing, turf or macroalgae, etc.
• Below 5 ppm, I’d begin to dose ammonia or feed more. The target level might drop lower if dosing ammonia, just like the heavy in/heavy out scenario where nitrate may not be as needed.
• Let phosphate float between about 0.06 ppm and 0.3 ppm. This range is higher than I’ve recommended in the past. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above about 0.3 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by turf or macroalgae, or a binder such as GFO or lanthanum (has its own risks to tangs). If a binder: GO SLOW. Turf and macroalgae will typically be slow enough.
• Below 0.06 ppm, I’d begin to dose sodium phosphate or feed more to get the level up.