Nitrates reducer

[Neilie]

60 gallon Display with 20 gallon sump. My nitrates and phosphates are both high I have been doing at least 25% water changes each week for the last 5 weeks phosphates are 0.23 and nitrate is over the measurable scale with the low range Hanna tester 50 (made a mistake and bought the low range tester) lam not dosing anything just filter sock and carbon pad along with phosphate pad and nitrate padskimmer and UV light. I just built a bio pellets reactor added it to the sump. Coral snd fish are doing ok. Coral are not thriving the way they should be. Any suggestions that would make changes or anything I’m doing wrong?

 

[Subsea]

Not sure I follow
“Coral are not thriving the way they should be.”

Not familiar with carbon pad, phosphate pad or nitrate pad. Seems like a lot of chemical resins to sequester minerals. How long have you used these pads?
In my 25 year mature tank, the corals are my biofilter requiring me to dose ammonia for nitrogen makeup.

How much do you feed your reef?

 

[20gallonreefer000]

Beautiful tank. For the high nitrates I would try to find the cause and verify your test results with a different kit just to be sure. If you test and they are still very high you can try carbon dosing. You should go about that slowly. Carbon dosing promotes the growth of bacteria that eat and break down nitrates but can also lower oxygen levels so make sure you plug your skimmer in shortly after dosing. You should also test your Salinity, Magnesium, Calcium and KH just to make sure everything is sitting around where it should be.

 

[Neilie]

Not sure I follow
“Coral are not thriving the way they should be.”

Not familiar with carbon pad, phosphate pad or nitrate pad. Seems like a lot of chemical resins to sequester minerals. How long have you used these pads?
In my 25 year mature tank, the corals are my biofilter requiring me to dose ammonia for nitrogen makeup.

How much do you feed your reef?

The carbon pad I think is mainly to keep the water clear, I feed 2 cubes once a day mysis and a reef blend with pods sometimes every 2 days. What I mean by not thriving is I have a Trachyphyllia coral for about 4-5 years and it’s been slowly receding but yet it swells sometimes like nothing is wrong.

 

[Subsea]

The carbon pad I think is mainly to keep the water clear, I feed 2 cubes once a day mysis and a reef blend with pods sometimes every 2 days. What I mean by not thriving is I have a Trachyphyllia coral for about 4-5 years and it’s been slowly receding but yet it swells sometimes like nothing is wrong.

Carbon pad is activated carbon: OK.

I question effectiveness of you nitrate pad & phosphate pad.

Carbon dosing with vinegar should be much more effective.

 

[Neilie]

Beautiful tank. For the high nitrates I would try to find the cause and verify your test results with a different kit just to be sure. If you test and they are still very high you can try carbon dosing. You should go about that slowly. Carbon dosing promotes the growth of bacteria that eat and break down nitrates but can also lower oxygen levels so make sure you plug your skimmer in shortly after dosing. You should also test your Salinity, Magnesium, Calcium and KH just to make sure everything is sitting around where it should be.

Thanks, I have tried different Hanna readers same results.
Salinity is 10.25
calcium is 465
alkalinity is 10
ph is 8.1
Magnesium, I have not tested for recently I should. That test kit is old I need to get a new one. I just made that bio pellet contraption it’s using the bio plastics in the photo should I just wait a week and retest.

 

[Neilie]

Carbon pad is activated carbon: OK.

I question effectiveness of you nitrate pad & phosphate pad.

Carbon dosing with vinegar should be much more effective.

I’m probably questioning the nitrate and phosphate pads myself. I just started using them maybe two weeks now. i’m going to look up how the vinegar dosing works. I’ve never done anything like that. Thanks. The tank is doing well. It’s running since 2018 but there’s always room to do better. Today there are so many products out there. I used to have tanks in the mid 80’s way different

 

[Neilie]

These are the other pads

 

[slingfox]

60 gallon Display with 20 gallon sump. My nitrates and phosphates are both high I have been doing at least 25% water changes each week for the last 5 weeks phosphates are 0.23 and nitrate is over the measurable scale with the low range Hanna tester 50 (made a mistake and bought the low range tester) lam not dosing anything just filter sock and carbon pad along with phosphate pad and nitrate padskimmer and UV light. I just built a bio pellets reactor added it to the sump. Coral snd fish are doing ok. Coral are not thriving the way they should be. Any suggestions that would make changes or anything I’m doing wrong?

Guy a gallon of Seachem Matrix. Put the media inside mesh bags and put them in your sump. This will increase surface area and provide a place for denitrifying bacteria to colonize. This is not an immediate solution to your issue but should help keep nitrates in check in the long run. I have two gallons of Seachem Matrix in my 130g system and I have to dose ammonia chloride to keep nitrates from bottoming out. The matrix also provides a place for copepods to hide in the sump.

The biopellets as well as the nitrates and phosphate reducing pads seem like a waste of money.

 

[winxp_man]

most recent vinegar dosing was done by Miami Reef. May he rest is peace. Kid had a whole write up including a dosing chart. Had NO3 up to 47 at one point down to 15-20ppm. For PO4 I do Minus Phosphate in a BRS reactor with carbon. All good now!


Best way to contain both vs using chem related garbage if you ask me.

Here is the chart.

 

[Neilie]

most recent vinegar dosing was done by Miami Reef. May he rest is peace. Kid had a whole write up including a dosing chart. Had NO3 up to 47 at one point down to 15-20ppm. For PO4 I do Minus Phosphate in a BRS reactor with carbon. All good now!


Best way to contain both vs using chem related garbage if you ask me.

Here is the chart.

Thanks well appreciated