Nitrates shot up in new tank

[Oceanbear1]

alright so friday I set up my new tank and moved everything over. Everything is going fine and everything looks happy, except my nitrates are around 40ppm. besides the obvious water change, do you guys have any good solutions to dropping these down? I have to leave the tank in my brothers hands for a couple days this week (sort of a test run for Australia) and I am hoping to get these down. maybe just a big ol' bag of purigen? I am guessing this happened from all the stir up Thanks in advance guys!​

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

It might help. I would do both just to make sure. Maybe some else will have a better idea.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Heavy skimming and water changes.

 

[beaslbob]

alright so friday I set up my new tank and moved everything over. Everything is going fine and everything looks happy, except my nitrates are around 40ppm. besides the obvious water change, do you guys have any good solutions to dropping these down? I have to leave the tank in my brothers hands for a couple days this week (sort of a test run for Australia) and I am hoping to get these down. maybe just a big ol' bag of purigen? I am guessing this happened from all the stir up Thanks in advance guys!​

In new setups with plant life (algae on rocks or refugiums macros, etc) the plant life will consume ammonia directly preventing the dangerous ammonia spike.

During that phase the plant life will forgo nitrates for nitrogen and the result is an initial nitrate spike.


Then as the tank matures with more and more bacteria consuming the ammonia, the plant life returns to consuming nitrates for nitrogen. And nitrates drop down.

Just part the the planted silent cycle for new tank.

my .02

 

[Oceanbear1]

Soon in other words I shouldn't really worry and it should eventually start to go down?

 

[Oceanbear1]

To be honest I am little lost because in my 3 years of being in this hobby, I have never actually had a nitrate problem

 

[beaslbob]

Soon in other words I shouldn't really worry and it should eventually start to go down?

+1


(actually joking smart a** answer you could do two things;

1) say I'm sure glad the nitrates spike is there. Much better than an ammonia spike

and

2) nothing.)


now you know why it's only worth .02