High nitrates

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

All of the aforementioned advice above is great. My input on this is different and may or may not be applicable in your situation. There was a great PowerPoint on nitrates at aquashella recently by Sanjay and he mentioned an excellent example of exporting nitrates. We have our filters and our tech and aerobic bacteria does excellent but there's also anaerobic bacteria that could help. Essentially you'll need a very deep sand bed of at least 8 to 10 inches minimum and then alot more nitrates are removed by the anaerobic bacteria in the deep anoxic region of the sand bed. If a deep sand bed isn't possible then you can set up a separate system tied into your sump or a canister filter. Anything that'll hold the height you need to create a deep bed. Flow water through it and you'll have great results . Hope this helps I'm still a noob as well. But don't be scared to ask questions all the great r2r family have taught me so much in such a short time. Keep up the work and hope you find a solution

Or... Just add a bag of Matrix to your sump. That's what it's made for. (Either a DSB or Matrix will require a few months to work...)

 

[To(meany)Tang]

Or... Just add a bag of Matrix to your sump. That's what it's made for. (Either a DSB or Matrix will require a few months to work...)

I'm sure you've learned by now that what works for some might not work for others. Vice versa. Just giving a different option that may or may not work for him. Doesn't matter how long it takes to get going as long as he can find a permanent solution.

 

[gabriel21946]

Thank you very much for the feedback

 

[BaliReefBox]

I had the same issue with NO3 as you. I too tried ATS,bio-pellets and finally an sulfur reactor. THe only think that kinda worked was the sulfur reactor but I couldnt get it to run at a rate to reduce the DT down...effluent zero but when I bumped the flow they raised again( NO3 to high for the volume of sulfur)
I started dosing Vodka and very slowly built it up and finally saw a reduction of NO3. I then switched to vinegar/vodka ratio 600/400ml and now my NO3 are 10ppm and PO4 0.08...I am increasing flow through the reactor and nice it is stabilized will cut back the dosing..
I think the trick with the vodka and or vinegar is to go slow and build up the dose.

 

[gabriel21946]

I had the same issue with NO3 as you. I too tried ATS,bio-pellets and finally an sulfur reactor. THe only think that kinda worked was the sulfur reactor but I couldnt get it to run at a rate to reduce the DT down...effluent zero but when I bumped the flow they raised again( NO3 to high for the volume of sulfur)
I started dosing Vodka and very slowly built it up and finally saw a reduction of NO3. I then switched to vinegar/vodka ratio 600/400ml and now my NO3 are 10ppm and PO4 0.08...I am increasing flow through the reactor and nice it is stabilized will cut back the dosing..
I think the trick with the vodka and or vinegar is to go slow and build up the dose.

Thank you. I was looking into dosing tropic marin elimiphos I think its called

 

[Millsaps2378]

The tank is

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

Were you doing frequent water changes and do you have a skimmer? It worked pretty well for me only lost a few corals and I'm not sure if it was the no pox or the high nitrates. I never had anything weird growing on rocks or algae blooms could just be the fact that your nitrates are so high and you are having weird algae growth. Adding some Chaeto will also help to eat up the nitrates and compete with other algae trying to grow in your tank.

 

[ClownSchool]

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

I have a 90 gallon system loaded with coral and 10 fish (one tang). I go through 1/2 your daily feeding every five to six days with 10% water changes every week.

 

[gabriel21946]

I have a 90 gallon system loaded with coral and 10 fish (one tang). I go through 1/2 your daily feeding every five to six days with 10% water changes every week.

So are you feeding just 2 cubes throughout 5 days because I see my fish everything within a minutes

 

[FrugalReefer]

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.

Same here. The Xenia in my sump control my nutrients so efficiently. PO4 at 0.03 and NO3 at 2.0 measured with Salifert.

 

[gabriel21946]

Same here. The Xenia in my sump control my nutrients so efficiently. PO4 at 0.03 and NO3 at 2.0 measured with Salifert.

Wow that's in your sump. Do you ever have a hard time cleaning your sump with so much xenia

 

[FrugalReefer]

Wow that's in your sump. Do you ever have a hard time cleaning your sump with so much xenia

It’s on its own rock so no not really. To be honest, I hardly clean my sump.

 

[gabriel21946]

Do you have a light in the sump just for the xenia

 

[Fishy888]

It’s on its own rock so no not really. To be honest, I hardly clean my sump.

Same here. I’ll sometimes clean the front glass so I can see how everything looks but I don’t do it very often. The algae on the glass is for the pods to feed on and reproduce in.

 

[Fishy888]

Do you have a light in the sump just for the xenia

I actually use a grow light over my sump. I have two Viparspectra 300w over my 30 gallon sump (165 watts actual power). My xenia has done so well in there that it’s started growing on other pieces of rock I have in there. It’s even growing on the back glass of the sump. I’ll have to get a picture later today.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Wow that's in your sump. Do you ever have a hard time cleaning your sump with so much xenia

Why would you need to clean your sump?

 

[gabriel21946]

Why would you need to clean your sump?

I try to clean it every 2-3 months. I notice buildup. I do have a powered in the sump to circulate water

 

[ClownSchool]

So are you feeding just 2 cubes throughout 5 days because I see my fish everything within a minutes

I take a very small container with lid, add a splash of RO/DI water, two cubes, a squirt of oyster feast (for the corals), and place in the fridge overnight.
Then, once a day, I add one small pinch of high-veggie fish pellets (New Life Spectrum) into the tank and then use a 1ml (1/4 tsp) measuring spoon to scoop 6 to 8 spoonfuls from the refrigerated container across the tank.
It takes about 90 seconds to two minutes for them to chase it all down.
It feeds ten fish, three anemones, corals, and a very large CUC.
About a scoop per fish should be more than enough.

 

[gabriel21946]

I take a very small container with lid, add a splash of RO/DI water, two cubes, a squirt of oyster feast (for the corals), and place in the fridge overnight.
Then, once a day, I add one small pinch of high-veggie fish pellets (New Life Spectrum) into the tank and then use a 1ml (1/4 tsp) measuring spoon to scoop 6 to 8 spoonfuls from the refrigerated container across the tank.
It takes about 90 seconds to two minutes for them to chase it all down.
It feeds ten fish, three anemones, corals, and a very large CUC.
About a scoop per fish should be more than enough.

I heard people on shows from brs and saltwater aquariums feeding 3-5 times a day and I thought I ok with just 2 times. Go figure

 

[Idech]

I heard people on shows from brs and saltwater aquariums feeding 3-5 times a day and I thought I ok with just 2 times. Go figure

Twice a day is fine, it’s the amount you are feeding that’s way too much.

 

[gabriel21946]

Twice a day is fine, it’s the amount you are feeding that’s way too much.

Going to cut back to 2 cubes per day since I don't feed pellets. To see the impact since I used to feed 4 cubes per day. I used to feed nori twice a day as well, Do you feed any nori and if so how often