Nirate Problems

[Libby_54]

Hi,
This is my first saltwater tank set up! I have a 29 gallon with a HOB filter & 1 powerhead.
The tank has been up and running for about 4 months.

Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrites 0ppm and my Nitrates were at 10ppm.
I have a pair of ocellaris clownfish, 1 lawnmower blenny and a spotted mandarin.

The nitrates have been going up and down for about a month now.. I have been doing consistent water changes. It spiked up to 80ppm when I checked last night. I CAN NOT get them under control... Any suggestions help.

 

[DereksReef77]

I would say get rid of the hob filter. Nitrate factory from what I have read.

 

[jsker]

I experiencing the same issue but in a larger tank, I am going to vacuum the sand and add marine pure filter media to my sump. http://www.cermedia.com/marinepure.php

 

[Libby_54]

I would say get rid of the hob filter. Nitrate factory from what I have read.

Okay, I will look at canister filters.

 

[twilliard]

The key to nitrates is understanding how and where it comes from.
Did you know that your DOC'S will break down into nitrate?
The next question is where is the elevated DOC'S comming from?
Food and fish waste
If you want to control the amount of no3 in your tank using only water changes to do so you should look into what and how much are you feeding.
There are many great ways to reduce your DOC'S (dissolved organic compounds )
Witch include skimming, GAC, and macro algaes.

 

[cjd]

Also , what water are you using to do your water changes ? If your not using ro/di I would start there. When you buy a new fish or coral are you using any of the water that's in the bag from the LFS ? Fish stores in my area have off the charts high nitrates so even a small amount of that water goes in your tank, being only 29 gallons minus rock work , would increase the nitrates. How often do you feed the fish ?