High nitrates/ how to dose Red Sea no3:P.O.

[ChrisPadron13]

Hey guys, I have a 75 gallon I bought used. Sump, bubble magus c6. Just rocks, sand, fish. My nitrates were 160ppm at day one(api test kit), and that was after I had to make about 30-40 gallons of rodi(0 nitrates) and then I made 5-20-25g water changes. I can’t do too many water changes, I got my hands on the Red Sea NO3O4 and I can’t figure out how much I should dose. It says over 10ppm dose ‘3’ what does that mean ? Sump, tank, and skimmer included I have about 79 gallons of water. Few questions here as well
• Should I keep all this media in my sump: chemi pure, marine land bio rings, activated carbon, matrix/de•nitrate, fluval clearmax
•Should I change all my sand ?(that was most likely the cause for the spike)
•how much should I dose the Red Sea no3?!
**Ammonia and nitrite 0ppm**

 

[Daddy-o]

Hey,
Slow your roll! Your tank looks pretty new?

 

[ChrisPadron13]

Hey,
Slow your roll! Your tank looks pretty new?

I got it used, the guy said he had it running for about 2 years so it’s cycled. Nitrates raised because of the move(sand)

 

[Daddy-o]

Yup, things in this hobby take a little time. I would suggest holding off on the additives and let the tank run. Dont over feed your fish, skim really wet, and make sure your pumps are moving water at the surface of the tank.
Cheers! Mark

 

[Daddy-o]

Oh, I forgot... Grab a beer, watch the fish and NO stress

 

[Caseyoidae]

I’d wait too.There’s quite a bit to figure out id definitely read up on carbon dosing. Water changes and skimming should be good for now

 

[Daddy-o]

So a reef tank is basically a fish waste processing unit. Best is to let it run and get an idea of how efficient your set up is. With time you will figure out if you need to add things that will help keep your baseline nutrients where you want them. As your reef progresses and you add more fish and more food, you may have to increase your reefs ability to process more waste. There are all sorts of ways to do this. Increased flow, more rocks, chaeto, algae scrubbers, mangroves........ Adding corals will also help remove some nutrients from the water. At times you may also need to use chemicals and such to get your parameters back in line. I started with rock that was from another reef and started slow with a couple fish and minimal feeding. Now I have a ton of fish and coral and am able to feed 4 big meals a day.
Cheers! Mark

 

[LiamPM]

Id be questioning weather your tank has cycled or not to be honest. I understand you was told its been running for 2 years before purchase but that rock is not 2 years old.

A completed cycle is just the indication that bacteria is present to convert between the nitrogen cycle, most of this bacteria lives on the rock and media and unfortunately i cant see that rock as being 2 year old rock.

I imagine your tank is cycling so would wait out adding any chemical fixes just yet.

 

[rob s.]

i agree with all the other advice. Your rocks and sand look brand new and if it was up and running for 2 years there should be way more visual evidence of it running. I see nothing on your rocks and your sand bed has no division on the top layer down to the area your biological load should be clearly visible after 2 years. I'm fairly new but have learned a lot from this forum so i'd take the advice, let it run for at least a couple months and then see what may need to be brought back into balance depending on what you plan to keep in it. Have fun!