High Nitrates

[Yolofly]

Morning All,

I just recently upgraded from a 75 gal with 30g sump to a 150g with a 40 g sump. For this upgrade I bought new sand and use the water from the last tank( around 100 g) and add 50 g of RO water. Use the live rock as well (around 150 lbs.) . It has been a month already and in every test I have:
0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrite
8.0 ph
and 160 ppm of nitrates

I use an API kit, I know is not the best so I went with an sample to my lfs. They got the same results too. I did a water change yesterday of 50 gal.(RO) I went and tested my parameter again before I left to work, and nitrates still the same. I haven't check anything else. Only thing I'm adding now is prime.

What you think can be the problem? Just needs more time even though everything is in 0 except the nitrates?

 

[40g Nano]

You could add a fuge

 

[Yolofly]

You could add a fuge

I was thinking about that too. I'm going to buy chaeto today. It weird thou, I had never had any issues with nitrates before, 5 ppm tops but not 160ppm.

 

[KorD]

Wonder what changed in your system, and at those readings, that chaeto is going to GROW!
I have 40ppm, and my chaeto doubleEd in size in about 18 days

 

[mike550]

Agree with @KorD I think you need to figure out what caused your nitrate spike. What were the parameters in your old tank? Sand was new but where did you pick up the live rock?

 

[piranhaman00]

Are you just using RO?

Chaeto wont dent 160ppm NO3.

 

[40g Nano]

It will sure help

 

[40g Nano]

If there is a lot of it

 

[CivicS14]

just wondering, what are you phosphates sitting at with that high nitrates? if you are running a skimmer, have you thought about dosing nopox / vodka / vinegar?

 

[92Miata]

The fact that you did a 30ish percent water change and didn't see any difference in nitrates means you test kit results aren't particularly useful. Your nitrates are still probably very high - but the actual numbers are junk.

Still - the best way to handle super high nitrates are big (ger) water changes.

Have you checked your phosphates? A lot of biological processes need both nitrogen and phosphorus, and if phosphates are too low, they don't happen. Adding a ton of new aragonite sand can pull a lot of phosphate out of the water column.

 

[Yolofly]

@KorD I did a fuge in the old 75 galloon and the chaeto die because of the low nitrates in the system.
@mike550 the old tank was in
0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrates
8.2 ph
5 ppm nitrates last time I check.
live rock was in the 75g for 7 months before I change them too the new tank.

@piranhaman00 yes just RO water.

@CivicS14 I'm running skimmer and try the vodka dosing two weeks ago but no change. I will do a phos test today and add the parameter later.

@92Miata I will do a phos test today and add the results after work. I will wait another day and if I see no changes what you recommend in water change? 60%?

 

[KorD]

@KorD I did a fuge in the old 75 galloon and the chaeto die because of the low nitrates in the system.
@mike550 the old tank was in
0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrates
8.2 ph
5 ppm nitrates last time I check.
live rock was in the 75g for 7 months before I change them too the new tank.

@piranhaman00 yes just RO water.

@CivicS14 I'm running skimmer and try the vodka dosing two weeks ago but no change. I will do a phos test today and add the parameter later.

@92Miata I will do a phos test today and add the results after work. I will wait another day and if I see no changes what you recommend in water change? 60%?

The key to keeping the chaeto going is turn the skimmer off when you start getting 0 nitrates. The chaeto will ask as the skimmer.. well that’s what I have found.

Right now I’m working on growing out the chaeto and then dialing back the skimmer to let the chaeto do all the work. Guessing I have a few more months before I’m at that point

 

[Dan_P]

Morning All,

I just recently upgraded from a 75 gal with 30g sump to a 150g with a 40 g sump. For this upgrade I bought new sand and use the water from the last tank( around 100 g) and add 50 g of RO water. Use the live rock as well (around 150 lbs.) . It has been a month already and in every test I have:
0 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrite
8.0 ph
and 160 ppm of nitrates

I use an API kit, I know is not the best so I went with an sample to my lfs. They got the same results too. I did a water change yesterday of 50 gal.(RO) I went and tested my parameter again before I left to work, and nitrates still the same. I haven't check anything else. Only thing I'm adding now is prime.

What you think can be the problem? Just needs more time even though everything is in 0 except the nitrates?

How many fish are there?

When you scaled up the system, it appears you lost denitrification capacity and/or microorganisms that consumed ammonia. Now all the ammonia is going to NO3.

 

[Yolofly]

@Dan_P no fish right now.
I did a test for phos and have in API test result of 0.25 ppm

 

[Dan_P]

@Dan_P no fish right now.
I did a test for phos and have in API test result of 0.25 ppm

OK thanks.

I suppose the 0.25 ppmis not a “popular“ level, but how are the coral looking?

 

[Yolofly]

@Dan_P no corals in the tank right now. I have everything in my backup tank, but I bought a chromi yesterday, so far so good he is active and eating.

 

[Dan_P]

@Dan_P no corals in the tank right now. I have everything in my backup tank, but I bought a chromi yesterday, so far so good he is active and eating.

Oh wow, then I was off base in my thinking. The situation is old water, new sand, old rocks and 160 ppm NO3 by API.

The first thing I would do is dilute the tank water with new salt water or RODI before testing the nitrates. No kit can provide a good estimate of the nitrate concentration when the chart colors are so intense. Try diluting 1 mL of tank water with 9 mL of RODI or new salt water and then test for NO3. You may find the actual concentration is substantially different and change your mind about remediation methods.