My first salt tank...need suggestions to reduce nitrates

[All-in Salt Tank]

Hello, R2R!

After 30 years of owning aquariums, I finally went "all-in" and purchased a complete salt water set-up! I had the tank already, but purchased the fish, live-rock, filters, lights, etc.

The tank had been up and running for 4 years but was pretty dirty and looked a bit neglected when I purchased it. The seller was done with the hobby and it looked like he hadn't cleaned the tank in a while. The fish were all healthy, though, and he assured me chemistry was all good. We moved everything in one day in mid-January ( 7 weeks ago) and everyone survived the move.

My system is not typical and I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.

- I00 Gallon TruVue plexiglass tank
- FOWLR
- Two Fluval FX6 canister filters (1 canister is unchanged from previous owner other than adding Acurel carbon in a bag) and the second FX6 has pads and media from previous sump. I don't have room for a sump...please no lectures here! )
- Protein skimmer
- Two wave-makers
- Large air wand bubbler
- Digital heater with back-up heater
- 4-stage RODI system for water changes
- Using Instant Ocean salt
- Testing with API master kit and double checking nitrates with Salifert

My incredible fish family includes:

- Large blue hippo tang
- Med/large yellow tang
- Med/large domino damsel
- Med/large dogface puffer
- Med fairytale wrasse
- Med coral beauty
- Sm/Med striped damsel
- Urchins X 2 (one is a pencil urchin) and a turbo snail

Other than a nitrate spike after the move, the tank is looking great and the fish are all doing awesome! (see pic below)

My maintenance includes:

- Weekly 40-50% water changes with 4-stage RODI water
- Cleaning gravel with Python where I can
- Blowing off rock and cleaning tank walls
- Acurel nitrate reducing pads and carbon in bags in the canisters (changed a few weeks ago).
- Not over-feeding fish.

I got the nitrates down from over 100 to within the 40-50 range 2 weeks ago. I'd still like to get them lower, but hoping I can back off on these weekly water changes.

Questions for the experts...
- Is there anything else I can do to help lower the nitrates without changing my current set-up or removing fish?
- Do you think I can back off the weekly water changes now that I'm in the 40-50 range? Was going to try going 2 weeks between water changes. Of course, I'll monitor the nitrates.

Appreciate your help and thoughtful suggestions!

 

[Reefer Brent]

Do you have any cleanup crew other than urchins a snail and tangs? Also what does feeding look like. How often and how much of what?

 

[Skep18]

Look into carbon dosing but approach slowly and cautiously as it can work too well pretty quickly. I have used vodka and TM's products and like both fine for lowering nitrates. But with your skimmer, I would expect it to be an easy and effective solution. But again, start with a very low dose, like 25% of what they "recommend" and test regularly. I would test daily at first until you get a handle on how quickly and well it works. Once you see your levels drop to a range or even approach a range you like, stop dosing. I wouldn't use this to try and maintain a sweet spot necessarily until you become experienced with it. In my experience its easy to lose sight of testing and bottom nutrients out which is also bad.

EDIT: I saw FOWLR in the post but I also see some coral in the photos. FOWLR can provide more treatment options for things that come with bottomed out nutrients should that happen. But if you wanna keep those coral that might limit you on what treatments you can do. Idk exact ones as I haven't looked into FOWLR topics. All that said, just don't take nutrients to zero.

EDIT2: For FOWLR, I think people handle higher nitrates but you probably wanna fact check that. But 50ppm might not be a concerning number. My gut reaction is its not.

 

[All-in Salt Tank]

Do you have any cleanup crew other than urchins a snail and tangs? Also what does feeding look like. How often and how much of what?

Hello! No...that's my clean-up crew. I was hesitant to add anything with the nitrates high. What do you recommend?

As far as feeding...I'm following their previous owner's routine...once daily frozen brine...equivalent to 2 cubes. I bought large blocks and break off chunks, defrost in tank water for 5 mins or so, and then feed only enough for them to consume in a minute or so and then add more. I don't just dump it all in, as it gets stuck in the rocks, etc. I give the puffer a frozen clam (defrosted of course) once a week. I've read it helps their teeth, as he chomps on the shell after devouring the clam!

 

[WalkerLoves_TheOcean]

If you want, macro algae is a nice way to safely, effectively, and naturally remove nitrates.

Mangroves also work, just alot slower.

 

[All-in Salt Tank]

Look into carbon dosing but approach slowly and cautiously as it can work too well pretty quickly. I have used vodka and TM's products and like both fine for lowering nitrates. But with your skimmer, I would expect it to be an easy and effective solution. But again, start with a very low dose, like 25% of what they "recommend" and test regularly. I would test daily at first until you get a handle on how quickly and well it works. Once you see your levels drop to a range or even approach a range you like, stop dosing. I wouldn't use this to try and maintain a sweet spot necessarily until you become experienced with it. In my experience its easy to lose sight of testing and bottom nutrients out which is also bad.

EDIT: I saw FOWLR in the post but I also see some coral in the photos. FOWLR can provide more treatment options for things that come with bottomed out nutrients should that happen. But if you wanna keep those coral that might limit you on what treatments you can do. Idk exact ones as I haven't looked into FOWLR topics. All that said, just don't take nutrients to zero.

EDIT2: For FOWLR, I think people handle higher nitrates but you probably wanna fact check that. But 50ppm might not be a concerning number. My gut reaction is its not.

Hello! Thanks for all this great information. I just read something yesterday about vodka and had to do a double take. Some for the fish...some for me! LOL

To clarify...I don't have coral, but live rock. I believe they are purple polyps? It's really cool and it looks like purple grass growing from some of the rock with the tulip things on another. Not sure what that's all called. I'll have to post a pick and ask for help identifying it. I'm hoping the nitrates are OK in the range they are. The water changes are a bit much!

 

[All-in Salt Tank]

If you want, macro algae is a nice way to safely, effectively, and naturally remove nitrates.

Mangroves also work, just alot slower.

Thanks! Not familiar with either of those but I'll see what I can find here. The mangroves sound interesting!

 

[WalkerLoves_TheOcean]

Thanks! Not familiar with either of those but I'll see what I can find here. The mangroves sound interesting!

There is some really cool macro algae that you can put in your display, and this will work best.

Mangroves are really cool, in fact I just ordered one for my tank. They do require more attention, like getting the salt residue off the leaves, and preventing dead leaves from falling in the tank and decomposing, and you may even need to get it a seperate light once it grows more (it can be a cheap one off of Amazon).They will remove nitrates alot slower, but I like them alot.

 

[All-in Salt Tank]

There is some really cool macro algae that you can put in your display, and this will work best.

Mangroves are really cool, in fact I just ordered one for my tank. They do require more attention, like getting the salt residue off the leaves, and preventing dead leaves from falling in the tank and decomposing, and you may even need to get it a seperate light once it grows more (it can be a cheap one off of Amazon).They will remove nitrates alot slower, but I like them alot.

Wow...thanks for that great tip. I'll have to look into the macro algae, too. I'm all for adding something that will help and make my tank more interesting. Cheers!

 

[Bruttall]

Research refugium. The bio load from the feeding is why your nitrates are climbing and I would think Phos levels would be high as well. a fuge can help with both these issues and cranking your skimmer up to skim more can also help lower nutrient levels in your tank. I put a 150w agro light from amazon on my sump and let it go, about once a month I scrape all the algae off one wall in that chamber.

 

[All-in Salt Tank]

Research refugium. The bio load from the feeding is why your nitrates are climbing and I would think Phos levels would be high as well. a fuge can help with both these issues and cranking your skimmer up to skim more can also help lower nutrient levels in your tank. I put a 150w agro light from amazon on my sump and let it go, about once a month I scrape all the algae off one wall in that chamber.

Thanks for the info! I'm limited on space with my tank location and stand, so a refugium is not an option for my unfortunately. I have to work with what I have. As far as "cranking up" the protein skimmer, how would I do that? It's already at a pretty rigorous bubbling and I pull off about 1/4 container of dark brown slime/debris each week. I know I can adjust the flow on it, but is this amount enough for 100G tank? Appreciate your help!

 

[Reefer Brent]

Hello! No...that's my clean-up crew. I was hesitant to add anything with the nitrates high. What do you recommend?

As far as feeding...I'm following their previous owner's routine...once daily frozen brine...equivalent to 2 cubes. I bought large blocks and break off chunks, defrost in tank water for 5 mins or so, and then feed only enough for them to consume in a minute or so and then add more. I don't just dump it all in, as it gets stuck in the rocks, etc. I give the puffer a frozen clam (defrosted of course) once a week. I've read it helps their teeth, as he chomps on the shell after devouring the clam!

Sand beds hold a lot of nutrients and should have something to stir it up and oxygenate between water changes.

Tiger Conchs
Nassarius snails
Diamond goby if you have a lid
Trochus snails for the rock work.
Good Old fashioned GFO in the canister.

Keep up weekly water changes till you are in the sub 20 nitrate range IMO. Then play around with if the changes you make sustains it for your system.

Side note I wish I never got hermits they kill all my snails.