nitrates 54.9 not sure what to do

[jda]

If you eyes say that the tank looks fine, and you are happy with what you have, then I would focus on maintaining rather than lowering too much or too fast. There are plenty of corals an inverts that would do OK with no3 and that level, but also plenty more that would die or struggle. If you have had death and/or want to keep a broader range of inverts and corals, then lowering is a good idea.

 

[JK75gal]

Seeing a photo of your tank, I need to know why you're concerned?

I don't see a reason to disrupt anything by trying to correct it to some arbitrary number that people seem to pass on as gospel.

As an example, I allow my nitrates and phosphates to find their own balance and let them be. If you're curious, take a look at by build thread and recent videos of my tank. My N and P are 54 and 0.9.

Also, apologies for the late reply. Concerned, simply put, I just don't know what I don't know and when I see something as you put in the second line "numbers" I get nervous I am doing something wrong. Still learning hence the post. I have seen to many "this is the goal" water parameters I think. Thank you for the reply it is very much appreciated. Very nice tank by the way!

 

[JK75gal]

If you eyes say that the tank looks fine, and you are happy with what you have, then I would focus on maintaining rather than lowering too much or too fast. There are plenty of corals an inverts that would do OK with no3 and that level, but also plenty more that would die or struggle. If you have had death and/or want to keep a broader range of inverts and corals, then lowering is a good idea.

Thank you, appreciate the advice!

 

[JK75gal]

Also, apologies for the late reply. Concerned, simply put, I just don't know what I don't know and when I see something as you put in the second line "numbers" I get nervous I am doing something wrong. Still learning hence the post. I have seen to many "this is the goal" water parameters I think. Thank you for the reply it is very much appreciated. Very nice tank by the way!

So, I somehow missed the "build thread" at first. I do all the work on my homes myself and after watching that, from experience>>> I am exhausted Holy cow!!! so glad I went back, what a build!! That is AWESOME!

 

[AdamK1]

Make sure and run 2 or 3 tests and compare results. Every once in a while my Hanna nitrates checker will be well off. Just don't do anything based off one test.

 

[AdamK1]

How large is your tank? I would personally suggest doing a large water change (50-60% or more) if you are concerned about the nitrates. My nitrates tested 73ppm using Hanna a few days ago and I did a 50% water change which brought it down to 9.7ppm.

Also, it might be helpful to find a source of the high nitrates. Do you have fish? Are you feeding?

Wow! Magic water! You went from 73 to 10 with a 50% water change? Where did the rest of the Nitrates go??

One of your tests was off. You basically diluted your levels by half. You'd go from 20 to 10, or from 73 to 37 odd by changing half the water.

 

[JK75gal]

Make sure and run 2 or 3 tests and compare results. Every once in a while my Hanna nitrates checker will be well off. Just don't do anything based off one test.

Agreed!

 

[Ollie67]

Wow! Magic water! You went from 73 to 10 with a 50% water change? Where did the rest of the Nitrates go??

One of your tests was off. You basically diluted your levels by half. You'd go from 20 to 10, or from 73 to 37 odd by changing half the water.

Yes! I have some very magic water!! My 9.7ppm test was the next morning after the change. I didn't mention, but I added 2 extra chemi-pure blue nano bags into my filter media which are supposed to absorb some nutrients. This would mean that I have 3 carbon bags now.

BUT... now that you mention, it could have been an inaccurate test with my Hanna checker (either the 70 or 9.7 test). The day or two after my 9.7ppm test I measured back at ~40ppm, so I very much could have been a false test. My tank is also pretty small, so the parameters will be all over the place.

I'm still new to the hobby, so I'm trying to learn as much as possible. Thanks

 

[AdamK1]

Yes! I have some very magic water!! My 9.7ppm test was the next morning after the change. I didn't mention, but I added 2 extra chemi-pure blue nano bags into my filter media which are supposed to absorb some nutrients. This would mean that I have 3 carbon bags now.

BUT... now that you mention, it could have been an inaccurate test with my Hanna checker (either the 70 or 9.7 test). The day or two after my 9.7ppm test I measured back at ~40ppm, so I very much could have been a false test. My tank is also pretty small, so the parameters will be all over the place.

I'm still new to the hobby, so I'm trying to learn as much as possible. Thanks

Yeah, I'd 100% be trusting the 40 result not the 9.7. In fact I'd be testing shortly after the water change and would be expecting 37 odd. A couple days later 40 is spot on.

Even in a small tank your nitrates will be steady enough, unless something dies or you feed a pile.