Nitrates are sky high in my quarantine

[Koty]

My quarantine is a 150 lit. Ehaim cube with a small wave maker aimed at a coppersorb and GAC bags, a 500 l/h pump mixing the water , a small deltec (some 3 letters 300) an originel filter with bac substrate media. I have 4 cardinals 2 melanorous wrasses one cleaner wrass 2 small clowns and a blue chick trigger.
There are some dead coral skeletons, few Maxspect media balls and a sand bed for the melanorous
Amonia is 0 but nitrates are sky high (inn the 30's-50's. My queation is: Is it a good idea to add bacteria and a carbon source (i have RS Nopox and TM NP Bacto balance) to have the bacteria reduce the nitrates and end in the skeemer?

 

[Garf]

My quarantine is a 150 litet Ehaim cube with a small wave maker aimed at a coppersorb and a GAC bags, a 500 l/h pump mixing the water , a small deltec (some 3 letters 300) an originel filter with bac substrsye media. I have 4 cardinals 2 melanorous wrasses one cleaner wrass 2 small clowns and a blue chick trigger.
Thers some dead coral skeletons,few mqxspect media balls and a sand bed for the melanorous
Amoinia is 0 but nitrstes are sky high. My queation is is it a good idea to add bacteria and a carbon source (i have nopox and TM NP Bacto balance) to have the bacteria reduce the nitrates and end in the skeemer?

I imagine nitrites are messing with your nitrate test kit. Note the different spelling of nitrite vs nitrate.

 

[kittenbritches]

What is sky high to you? And what tests are you using?

Doing a water change is going to be the most effective way to lower your nitrates. That's a pretty big bio-load you've got in there. If ammonia is truly zero and nitrates are however high they are, that means you have plenty of nitrifying bacteria — there's no need to add more. Do the math on what you want to reduce nitrates to and change water accordingly.

 

[Koty]

I used the term "nitrates" to include both NO2 and NO3.

 

[kittenbritches]

 

[Koty]

Used the API stick. I know its less accurate but IME it at gives the order of magnitude. Its not nitrifying bacteria i am aiming for but the Nitrate/phosphate ones that use carbon as energy, assimilate them, and end up in the skimmer as in my DT. Fish are in the QT till the end of a post velvet fallow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

What test kits are you using as you may be getting false readings?
I in defense of nitrate use ChemiPure Blue or elite which brings it down and keeps NO3 and PO4 in check will polishing your water at the same time.

 

[Koty]

Thanks for all the replies and sorry for all the typos (Fixed them now).
I thought Ion-exchange of nitrate is irrelevant for seawater as it exchanges with Sodium?
FWIW I use GAC from Clear-fx (not pro) recommended by my LFS.
For my DT that is now only corals acting crazy W/O fish i use all the standard accurate test kits.

 

[Quietman]

Do I understand this right? You have 10 fish in a 150 L (40 g) quarantine tank?

Your fish are fine at that level and even higher. Most use a 40-50ppm from a fish health standpoint as do I, but that's more from anecdotal evidence than actual toxicity.

Water changes. Chemipures claims on nitrate removal are overstated.