High Nitrates

Mustangtodd97 · Dec 13, 2017

I've had my reef tank going for a few months now. It is a 45 gallon in the wall tank. I have a reef octopus HOB skimmer and a DIY refugium. In the tank i have 6 small fish (1-2" each) 2 shrimp, cleaner crew, a long tentacle anemone, and about 20 small coals. All parameters look great, except my nitrates. I know this is fairly common in new tanks, and also due to a little over feeding perhaps (using hikari S pellet food). Nitates are between 30-40ppm tested w/ API kit. I would like to use an additive to lower them. Any recommendations for one? I ordered red sea NOPOX, but my phosphates are already at 0.00 (checked w/ Hanna). Also considering a bacteia additive with my next water change. Any thoughts on this? I know i can lower by doing several large water changes, but i'm try to avoid that if possible. Even if i did a 50% water change, it would only drop my nitrates to 15-20ppm. One more thing, any danger in dropping them too fast? Thanks for the help...

._Z_. · Dec 13, 2017

I’d recommend verifying the API test results with LFS or another test kit before doing anything.

SPR1968 · Dec 13, 2017

You very unlikely to have 0 phosphate as you feed etc.,(and you want it low anyway) and the Hanna has an error range of +/- 0.04ppm so I would start using NoPox as per the dosage instructions as it should start to work fairly quickly once the bacteria take hold.

You could do a few water changes as well as that always good husbandry and will help reduce them down as well but if your not keen....

NoPox works very well on Nitrate but not so well on phosphate, but at the moment you don’t have a phosphate issue.

The only thing with dropping them is that you may need to start feeding the corals as the levels reduce and probably when they get around Nitrate of 5-10ppm but there will be infinite numbers/opinions on the levels. But you don’t want the water to sterile or the corals will not be happy so get ready to use something like Red Sea Reef Energy A B which is very good.

When you start using NoPox just follow the dosage instructions for the total volume of actual water taking into account displacement and if your not sure, start at a lower dose and then increase it slowly.

mcarroll · Dec 13, 2017

Mustangtodd97 said:
One more thing, any danger in dropping them too fast? Thanks for the help...

Is there any danger in doing nothing?

Serious question.

If there is any danger in the scenario at all it's that your phosphates are so low.

If it was just down to your feeding levels (large for the age of the tank), one would think that P would be rising as well. And you see this in some tanks. If you're seeing zero PO4 and increasing levels of NO3 like your tank, then something isn't quite how you want it. N should be used in VAST quantities in a functioning reef tank.

On top of every other source of demand for PO4, the anemone places a huge draw on it. (I'd usually only recommend them for a mature tank or someone with prior experience, for what it's worth.)

If you were to add organic carbon to the tank in the shape it's in, a bacterial bloom would be triggered. (That's the idea, after all!)

The potential problem with that for anyone in your shoes is that bacteria can draw down available P to levels so low that effectively nothing else would have access to dissolved P.

If you know some of the things P are used for, then you know that this situation can lead directlyto things like dino outbreaks and coral death. In a tank this new under those circumstances, an outbreak of some kind of anti-social algae seems to be very likely. It seems like you have almost no algae growth – is that true?

I'm in favor of either doing nothing or possibly dosing a little phosphate fertilizer until you see the NO3 being consumed normally. This would be the most I could recommend doing. It might allow your NO3 to be naturally consumed and it won't hurt anything.

Continue to feed the tank well (don't over feed).

If you've rushed stocking a little (maybe) then take a good long break (at least months IMO) before adding any more fish.

Corals should not be limited...continue with a sensible plan for additions, if there are any left to add.

How are your pods and snails doing in this tank?

Mustangtodd97 · Dec 14, 2017

mcarroll said:
Is there any danger in doing nothing? Serious question.

If there is any danger in the scenario at all it's that your phosphates are so low.

If it was just down to your feeding levels (large for the age of the tank), one would think that P would be rising as well. And you see this in some tanks. If you're seeing zero PO4 and increasing levels of NO3 like your tank, then something isn't quite how you want it. N should be used in VAST quantities in a functioning reef tank.

On top of every other source of demand for PO4, the anemone places a huge draw on it. (I'd usually only recommend them for a mature tank or someone with prior experience, for what it's worth.)

If you were to add organic carbon to the tank in the shape it's in, a bacterial bloom would be triggered. (That's the idea, after all!)

The potential problem with that for anyone in your shoes is that bacteria can draw down available P to levels so low that effectively nothing else would have access to dissolved P.

If you know some of the things P are used for, then you know that this situation can lead directlyto things like dino outbreaks and coral death. In a tank this new under those circumstances, an outbreak of some kind of anti-social algae seems to be very likely. It seems like you have almost no algae growth – is that true?

I'm in favor of either doing nothing or possibly dosing a little phosphate fertilizer until you see the NO3 being consumed normally. This would be the most I could recommend doing. It might allow your NO3 to be naturally consumed and it won't hurt anything.

Continue to feed the tank well (don't over feed).

If you've rushed stocking a little (maybe) then take a good long break (at least months IMO) before adding any more fish.

Corals should not be limited...continue with a sensible plan for additions, if there are any left to add.

How are your pods and snails doing in this tank?

Snails seem just fine. Pods, I honestly have no idea (how and what do I check?). As far as fish go, I'm all set. No more fish. I plan to add more corals slowly, but not until I get my water parameters consistently good. I am aware the low (no) phosphates are also a major problem. I figured I'd fix the high nitrate issue first, (I have some acans that are looking brown and I think this is the cause), and then address the phosphates. If you have any suggestions on how to do that, I would love to hear them. I am a newbie, so and advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you!