High nitrates/ redo sump

[luffy]

Im having trouble with high nitartes and i think we need to change our sump, we only have a overhead filter and pads and thats really it, im thinking with water changes every week and changing the sump to this what do u think?

 

[exnisstech]

What are your levels and how old is the tank? I may be wrong but I thought matrix was nothing more than bio media similar to rock rubble.

 

[luffy]

What are your levels and how old is the tank? I may be wrong but I thought matrix was nothing more than bio media similar to rock rubble.

Couple months old and I haven’t had a chance to test everything else but my corals and anemones are dying but my porcupine puffer is perfect fine along with my sixline. Ph was low , i use the api test kit (i know its not the best) but yeah

 

[exnisstech]

Well if your not testing your guessing and that usually doesn't end well. TBH without info it sounds like maybe your moving too fast. Corals and nems and a porky sounds like a challenge in a newer tank. I recommend you maybe read up a bit. I would ignore pH as it really doesn't matter unless your chasing coral growth.

This is a good place to start

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[luffy]

Well if your not testing your guessing and that usually doesn't end well. TBH without info it sounds like maybe your moving too fast. Corals and nems and a porky sounds like a challenge in a newer tank. I recommend you maybe read up a bit. I would ignore pH as it really doesn't matter unless your chasing coral growth.

This is a good place to start

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

I tested nitrates and they werethats why im doing this different sump, i cant afford a skimmer so i think doing this way and rinsing my pads and my overhead filter pads and stuff will be good start to lowering my nitrates.



Ive had this tank for a couple months and the only thing ive had trouble were those corals, im also thinking of removing the dead corals so the nitrates wont continue to spike

 

[Naekuh]

Matrix does not get rid of nitrates.
Nitrates needs to be exported or absorbed by organics and then manually cultivated out of the system.
(IE Macro Algae)
Or you need to do water changes to remove them.
Hence why when u cycle the tank, after your cycle is complete, you do half the vol. in water change to flush out the nitrates you collected during cycle.

You are using Matrix for the wrong reason.

A Skimmer gets rid of nitrates because it removes the disolved organics in that nasty smelly black stuff, before it gets turn into nitrates.

I think your understanding of the entire biological cycle is confusing you.

It goes from Ammonia -> Nitrite -> Nitrate.
The bacteria A does the first... and then Anerobic Bacteria B does the second.... and then its absorbed by algae both good and bad by the last.

Also, im going to try to not be that guy, but that puffer is not going to help you at all in controlling nitrates as that puffer species itself is dirty and needs a much larger tank. Not to mention he will make sure you can NEVER put another snail / crab / shrimp in your tank ever again. So I'll end with this comment.

 

[luffy]

Matrix does not get rid of nitrates.
Nitrates needs to be exported or absorbed by organics and then manually cultivated out of the system.
(IE Macro Algae)
Or you need to do water changes to remove them.
Hence why when u cycle the tank, after your cycle is complete, you do half the vol. in water change to flush out the nitrates you collected during cycle.

You are using Matrix for the wrong reason.

A Skimmer gets rid of nitrates because it removes the disolved organics in that nasty smelly black stuff, before it gets turn into nitrates.

I think your understanding of the entire biological cycle is confusing you.

It goes from Ammonia -> Nitrite -> Nitrate.
The bacteria A does the first... and then Anerobic Bacteria B does the second.... and then its absorbed by algae both good and bad by the last.

Also, im going to try to not be that guy, but that puffer is not going to help you at all in controlling nitrates as that puffer species itself is dirty and needs a much larger tank. Not to mention he will make sure you can NEVER put another snail / crab / shrimp in your tank ever again. So I'll end with this comment.

Yeah i understand you, im going to start implementing 20 % (or 10 % im thinking 20 might be too hard but i dont think so) water change a week and i havent done much research on if matrix actually works, i have seen online that i helps but it takes a while for bacteria to actually settle and absorb nitrates to it and then i can clean it out and stuff, for as my idea on how i want me sump i wanted everyones opinion since a skimmer is too expensive and yes i need a bigger tank, for now this works for us and we have nassarius snails and crabs/hermit crabs in my tank and yea it is dirty but we have found a good diey that works for the puffer along with mot being super dirty when feeding (squid) im also just wanting to see people opinion on how i will do my sump and doing what im doing will help nitrates lower