High nutrients

[Davesreef’s]

Hey yall I’ve been struggling with balancing my display tank. It’s a 90 gal with a sump (25 gallons I believe, filled with about 15).
My nitrates are at 38ppm and phosphates are .80ppm.
I did a 10 gallon water change 2 days ago and am currently changing about 18 gallons. My tank has live stock including:

Blue hippo tang (5 inches)
Longnose hawkish
Kleins butterfly fish
Coral beauty angel fish
Tomini tang
2 mature Pajama cardinals
Extreme mocha misbar clown
Six-line wrasse
Damsel fish
Coral banded shrimp
A clean up crew of snails and hermits

Anybody have any suggestions? My filtration runs through the sump with a Refugium, filter sock then a protein skimmer. I have some phosphate minus in my filter sock but it clearly hasn’t worked as well as I need it to

 

[FUNGI]

Thats alot of fish for a 90..(depending on the fish size).
regardless, waterchanges and lowered feedings should help.....

 

[FUNGI]

Fish only Tank?

 

[Davesreef’s]

Fish only Tank?

Some leathers and low end mushrooms and palys/zoas. Not much coral mainly fish. I’ve been trying to find someone to take some of the fish off my hands so I can “restart”

 

[FUNGI]

how are the corals doing?
I would cut down on feeding and keep up the wc's. The fish dont care about the phos.....and that level Nitrates wont kill them...just the real impact is on the corals and whatever algae is now growing in the tank......

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is’d ramp up export, thought is not a big deal, IMO. Some great reef tanks have both higher than you do.

 

[FUNGI]

Is’d ramp up export, thought is not a big deal, IMO. Some great reef tanks have both higher than you do.

 

[slingfox]

That is a pretty heavy fish load (mostly the Blue Hippo Tang). Nutrients are on the high side but not crazily so. How old is your tank? During the first year or more the nutrient level can vary dramatically especially if you used dry rock for the aquascape. I found that using frozen food more than dry food help lower nutrients.

 

[Davesreef’s]

That is a pretty heavy fish load (mostly the Blue Hippo Tang). Nutrients are on the high side but not crazily so. How old is your tank? During the first year or more the nutrient level can vary dramatically especially if you used dry rock for the aquascape. I found that using frozen food more than dry food help lower nutrients.

This tank is like 12 years old lol. I’ve been in the hobby for about a year and a half, I’ve taken over care of my family’s tank. It’s had this fish load for quite some time and the high nutrients. I’ve struggled with corals as you can imagine in this tank but they thrive in the tanks I set up 2 years ago. Ideally I grow coral out in my two smaller tanks and when they out grow it I move them to the display in my family room.

 

[SaltySqueeble]

nitrates look fine. I don’t have personal experience since I have to dose phos, but have you tried Melevs Reef method with Phosban-L?

 

[BryanM]

Since I've had the most luck with GFO in a reactor for lowering phosphate that is what I would do. I've tried other methods with SOME success. GFO has worked better for me however.