Nitrate and Phosphate issue

[Bruce60]

People spend fortune to achieve 4 years old stable tank. If you restart your tank and will have the same setup and the same habits you will have the same results. Moreover you will struggle to achieve a stable environment you worked so hard to achieve.

I am not an expert but I read in few places that phosphates bind with rocks/sand, nitrates are diluted by water changes. That being said I think you just have a higher input than output of nitrates.
To check that theory you can do a simple experiments. Check nitrates before water change, do a 20% or so water change and check nitrate level again. Is it the same or lower?
Second experiment - remove 1 rock and put it to a bucket with fresh batch of water. Put the rock there, wait few hours and check the water. Is it super high or low?
I would focus on your sump, increase nutrition export by chateo/turf scrubber, roller matt, filter socks etc.

People chase numbers but do you really have to lower nitrates? If you introduce drastic changes you may do more bad than good. There are people with a lot of sps corals with high nitrates. I have some basic sps corals and I don't even measure nitrates anymore.

I would agree with lost66. I currently have a 150 g mixed reef system. I also have a sump and fuge. Everything is healthy, corals are growing well, and there is no issue with undesirable algae.

Nitrate (Hanna high range) runs in the 40's. Phosphate (Hanna) runs between 0.05 and 0.10. This has been stable for almost a year in a 3 year old system. 15%-20% water changes result in transient proportional decreases, yet nitrate never exceeds 50. Freshly made salt water with RO/DI water reads 0 with the Hanna low range. All other parameters are typical for mixed reefs and also stable.

So, I watch and do little. I recently decided to try Brightwell Aquatics Xport NO3 cubes (https://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_no3.php) in combination with their MicroBacter7, which, if it works, should slowly remove nitrate as it populates with bacteria. Fortunately, my fuge has an independent flow which is slower than the rest of the sump. According to the directions, the lower the flow the better. If it takes down nitrate slowly (over weeks to months) into the below 20 range, I will sleep slightly better.

 

[bruno3047]

First thing I would do is thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly clean my gravel by repeatedly rinsing it in tank water or you can use a gravel washing tube removing a good 40% of your water, dirtiest water first. The dirtiest water in your tank is, of course, the water in your gravel. Replace all the lost water with new water. That will reduce your nitrates and phosphates significantly and immediately.

 

[Amhojjat]

Hello R2R!

I am hoping I can get some advice on how to get my nitrates and phosphates down. I've attempted several different things without any luck.

To start, it is a 90 gallon system. I want to transition from more of a mixed reef to a dominate SPS tank. I've done a 25% water change, siphoned the sand bed, moved some rock work and siphoned behind that, completely cleaned sump / refugium and reduced feeding. Nothing changed.

Can rock hold nitrate? I don't believe this is the case but I am not sure what to think at the moment.

Testing with hanna checkers. Nitrate 75, Phosphate .9

Hoping I can get some feedback on potential solutions. I've starting reading on Red Sea NO3 PO4 X - Has anyone used this product?

Thanks in advance.

A phosphate reactors keeps mine at bay!

 

[Amhojjat]

I would agree with lost66. I currently have a 150 g mixed reef system. I also have a sump and fuge. Everything is healthy, corals are growing well, and there is no issue with undesirable algae.

Nitrate (Hanna high range) runs in the 40's. Phosphate (Hanna) runs between 0.05 and 0.10. This has been stable for almost a year in a 3 year old system. 15%-20% water changes result in transient proportional decreases, yet nitrate never exceeds 50. Freshly made salt water with RO/DI water reads 0 with the Hanna low range. All other parameters are typical for mixed reefs and also stable.

So, I watch and do little. I recently decided to try Brightwell Aquatics Xport NO3 cubes (https://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_no3.php) in combination with their MicroBacter7, which, if it works, should slowly remove nitrate as it populates with bacteria. Fortunately, my fuge has an independent flow which is slower than the rest of the sump. According to the directions, the lower the flow the better. If it takes down nitrate slowly (over weeks to months) into the below 20 range, I will sleep slightly better.

do you have a heavy fish population?

as far as phosphates. I recommend a phosphate reactor.

best thing I ever purchased next to a calcium reactor!

 

[jsc]

First thing I would do is thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly clean my gravel by repeatedly rinsing it in tank water or you can use a gravel washing tube removing a good 40% of your water, dirtiest water first. The dirtiest water in your tank is, of course, the water in your gravel. Replace all the lost water with new water. That will reduce your nitrates and phosphates significantly and immediately.

Are you meaning to siphon the sand bed?

 

[bruno3047]

Are you meaning to siphon the sand bed?

Yes. I use a gravel washing tube. This one:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/python-no-spill-clean-n-fill-replacement-gravel-tube-36-%28large%29-3028674

I rigged up my own 1/2 inch tubing with an elbow coming out of the gravel tube to prevent kinking. Definitely the most effective thing you can do to reduce nitrates and/or phosphates in the water. If you decide to go this route, I would recommend allowing the sand to churn inside the tube for a few seconds before you release it back into the tank.

 

[bruno3047]

Are

Are you meaning to siphon the sand bed?

Just wanted to follow up on my previous reply post.
If you don’t clean your sandbed regularly, it becomes a reservoir of nitrogenous and phosphorus toxins. They don’t show up in your tests, for the most part, but they are there and part of the water column. If you allow them to accumulate indefinitely, you will end up with a lot of dead Corals. SPS will be first to go, and then torches and other delicate LPS. Good luck.