Nitrates
 

Hey,

Left for the weekend, came back, nitrates through the roof. Everything else is testing at 0, SG is 1.024-1.025, and pH is running at 8.4 durring the day and 8.2-8.3 at night.

Aside from doing frequent water changes (which we've been doing since we've gotten back) is there another quick way to reduice nitrates?

The only thing that has been added recently is three snails and a clam. The clam which was open and seemed to be thriving Thursday evening has stayed closed all evening, although some of its mantle is showing.

HELP?!

Hmm, don't know about a quick way of reducing them, but a refugium will help reduce them....though you probably knew that already.

Yeah, I was trying to hold out on putting on in on the 29g, at least until we got the 230g set up in-wall.

Maybe thats that I'll do tomorrow, build a refugium...

Its just crazy, everything was at 0 Thursday morning and the same Thursday evening. Nothing has been fed, nothing died since we left Friday morning and now this. Its crazy!

What's through the roof, exactly? If we're talking in excess of 50ppm then I'd say it's impossible. What brand test kit are you using? Are you always shaking the reagents before adding them? Washing the test tubes thoroughly before and after? It just seems bizarre for such a huge jump to take place in such a short period.

But as for reducing.. Dilution, really. And that means hauling buckets. :)

reply
 

I had a similar dilema a few months back. My test kit was partially to blame but so was my crappy skimmer. I don't want to say ignore high nitrates but having some is not going to harm anything. I have noticed that when my tank is in high nitrate mode my corals and doing great. I usually stir the very top of the sand bed and do a water change to help to bio-bacteria do its job.

We are talking in the 80+ range when we first got home, then after a water change, we are down to 40-60ish.

Its a salifert test kit. I sterilize them before and after I use them, and I'm pretty good for the shaking part. I'm planning on picking up a new kit this morniing after class I'm wondering if its expired since there is no date on it.

After this little incident I'm seriously considering tomorrow's morning for building a refugium.