High nitrates

[gabriel21946]

Hi all, I am almost about to give up on the hobby. I have tried everything possible to get nitrates low and just cannot. I have spent a lot just buying pax bellum, to clearwater algae scrubber to now running a bio pellet reactor and no luck. I've been running it for over 2 months now letting it settle in and still cannot get it lowered. I don't even know the reading on nitrates. My hanna checker doesn't read above 75 ppm so it's Definitely higher than that. As for fish I don't think it can be this. I have 12 fish and I have a 91 gallon tank. I feed 2 cubes in the morning and 2 cubes in the afternoon and nori twice a day for the tangs. I don't do frequent water changes but have, I have done 30-40% water changes and I don't see it lower it. My last water changes was 3 weeks ago and was around 30% and no change. As for mechanicals I have a reefmat 500 and I run a great white skimmer, I have a uv and use a kalkwasser for alk and cal. Any help would be desperately appreciated before I throw more money down the drain.

 

[keatonmjenkins]

how new is your tank?

12 fish for a 90 gallon and multiple tangs is a heavy bio load. How many tangs do you have.

 

[Millsaps2378]

Hi all, I am almost about to give up on the hobby. I have tried everything possible to get nitrates low and just cannot. I have spent a lot just buying pax bellum, to clearwater algae scrubber to now running a bio pellet reactor and no luck. I've been running it for over 2 months now letting it settle in and still cannot get it lowered. I don't even know the reading on nitrates. My hanna checker doesn't read above 75 ppm so it's Definitely higher than that. As for fish I don't think it can be this. I have 12 fish and I have a 91 gallon tank. I feed 2 cubes in the morning and 2 cubes in the afternoon and nori twice a day for the tangs. I don't do frequent water changes but have, I have done 30-40% water changes and I don't see it lower it. My last water changes was 3 weeks ago and was around 30% and no change. As for mechanicals I have a reefmat 500 and I run a great white skimmer, I have a uv and use a kalkwasser for alk and cal. Any help would be desperately appreciated before I throw more money down the drain.

My nitrates were super high also. I started dosing NoPox added some Chaeto and did 10-20% water changes weekly. It took about a month and a half but they finally went down from almost 200 to about 20ppm now.

 

[Fishy888]

I don’t know what fish you have or how big they are but there’s a ton of nitrates in fish poop. Fortunately I have a ton of xenia in the sump. They eat nitrates nonstop. If you can put some in your sump it’ll help with excess nitrate and phosphate.

 

[GARRIGA]

NoPox solves it for me but you’d think the algae solutions already applied would have solved that. Perhaps review that to ensure it’s got the right light intensity and duration plus trace such as iron before trying new options.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

12 fish and I have a 91 gallon tank

1. Large bioload

feed 2 cubes in the morning and 2 cubes in the afternoon and nori twice a day for the tangs.

2. Even larger bioload - that's way too much food!!

I don't do frequent water changes

3. Limited nutrient export
.
.
.
I think I see the problem

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

.

 

[gabriel21946]

how new is your tank?

12 fish for a 90 gallon and multiple tangs is a heavy bio load. How many tangs do you have.

The tank is over 2 years old now

 

[gabriel21946]

how new is your tank?

12 fish for a 90 gallon and multiple tangs is a heavy bio load. How many tangs do you have.

The tank is

My nitrates were super high also. I started dosing NoPox added some Chaeto and did 10-20% water changes weekly. It took about a month and a half but they finally went down from almost 200 to about 20ppm now.

I tried nopox before as well and I started seeing all kinds of weird things growing on my rock so I immediately stopped. I read it feeds good and bad bacteria

My nitrates were super high also. I started dosing NoPox added some Chaeto and did 10-20% water changes weekly. It took about a month and a half but they finally went down from almost 200 to about 20ppm now.

 

[gabriel21946]

1. Large bioload

2. Even larger bioload - that's way too much food!!

3. Limited nutrient export
.
.
.
I think I see the problem

I never knew 4 cubes was 12 fish was a lot, also 12 fishes doesn't seem like a heavy bioload for my tank. They are mainly small fishes

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I never knew 4 cubes was 12 fish was a lot, also 12 fishes doesn't seem like a heavy bioload for my tank. They are mainly small fishes

Even more reason not to feed so much.

 

[gabriel21946]

I never knew 4 cubes was 12 fish was a lot, also 12 fishes doesn't seem like a heavy bioload for my tank. They are mainly small fishes

Also I have done water changes in the past and it barely lowers my nitrates and then they climb right back up. So water change is not sustainable unless I'm doing 50% water changes weekly, which would shocks the few corals I have. It's happened to me already in the past

 

[gabriel21946]

Even more reason not to feed so much.

I have 2 clown fishes, a yellow tang, purple tang, fox face, 4 wrasses, damsel, goby fish, hippo tang

 

[gabriel21946]

how new is your tank?

12 fish for a 90 gallon and multiple tangs is a heavy bio load. How many tangs do you have.

I have a yellow tang, purple tang, and a hippo tang. So in total 3 tangs

 

[harrylarry]

12 fish, that’s mostly the problem…..

 

[harrylarry]

I have a yellow tang, purple tang, and a hippo tang. So in total 3 tangs

Even worse along with the fox face. You should really do yourself and the fish a favor and rehome them. They will get wayy too big for a lil 90g

 

[gabriel21946]

Even worse along with the fox face. You should really do yourself and the fish a favor and rehome them. They will get wayy too big for a lil 90g

So 3 tangs are considered a heavy bioload. I am getting a 250 gallon tank in about six months in a new home. The tangs are still juveniles

 

[harrylarry]

So 3 tangs are considered a heavy bioload. I am getting a 250 gallon tank in about six months in a new home. The tangs are still juveniles

It’s not 3 tangs it’s 3 tanks and a fox face. The fox face has a worse bio load than the tangs. And YES. None of those fish should be in such a small tank. Maybe 1 by itself, like the purple.

If I had a penny for every noob that said they are upgrading in 6 months I’d be a millionaire lol

 

[gabriel21946]

It’s not 3 tangs it’s 3 tanks and a fox face. The fox face has a worse bio load than the tangs. And YES. None of those fish should be in such a small tank. Maybe 1 by itself, like the purple.

If I had a penny for every noob that said they are upgrading g on 6 months I’d be a millionaire lol

That's great for you, but I'm not here to fluff things up. I've been upgrading my tanks for the last 5 years so no need to blow smoke. I would only be kidding myself, thank you for your input

 

[harrylarry]

That's great for you, but I'm not here to fluff things up. I've been upgrading my tanks for the last 5 years so no need to blow smoke. I would only be kidding myself, thank you for your input

Well you asked for help cos you’re about to quit. Don’t like the answers don’t ask