10-20 Nitrates in my tank

[Mike Olson]

for the last 4 weeks I have been getting readings of approx 15 of nitrates in my reef tank. the level has stayed constant. I pulled out some anthelia about 10 days ago...stunk really bad! I have a 3-4 inch live sand bed and a 10g refugium with another 3 inch live sand bed and assortment of caulerpa. Everything in the tank seems to be doing great...so I am a little perplexed as to why it has not dropped since I pulled out the Anthelia I think that another issue could be that I got a new tunze 230/3 skimmer three weeks ago...and I am just now starting to get foam in the cup ( fooling around with it too much instead of letting the process start ) I have never had nitrate readings since I cured my rock over eight months ago. I also have a bubble tip anenome that lives in the back of my tank...went there after a week in front. Hes been in my tank for 4 mos. He does not look as nice as he did when I got him...but his mouth looks good...he eats and my maroon brings him food. He(or she) gets some light and has even grown...this anenome is the only question mark I have in the tank as far as health goes. I am doing a 25 gal water change tomorrow to see if the nitrates drop...If I didnt test...I would swear that all was well in Mike reef! Could an anenome slowly die and cause nitrates to rise enough that my sand bed ,caulerpa wouldnt keep up, or maybe it was just the anthelia build up combined with no skimming the last 3 weeks...any suggestions?

[Tarolisol]

I would do a water change to get the nitrate down, then let the calurpa do the rest. Levels like that shouldnt kill any fish so you dont have to go crazy, but a water change of 25 percent would help.

[Mike Olson]

I figure that if a 25% should work...it should at least tell me if the anthelia were the only issue. All my other readings are excellent and my porites, anchor, cup coral, and others are growing like mad

[Beverly]

If you have 15 ppm nitrate, a 25% water change will only bring your nitrates down by about 4 ppm, leaving you with 11 ppm nitrate.

If this was my tank, I would do a series of 30% water changes over the course of a week to bring nitrates closer to 0 pmm. Then, every week I would do at least 15% water changes. If there is any mechanical filtration in this tank, I would also thoroughly clean the filter media in the weekly outgoing changewater. Doing so will remove any crud buildup, which is a source of nitrate and phosphate.

I would also test for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium every other week and balance these three important reef chemistry components. Here are some links explaining reef chemistry and how to find the right balance for your tank:

Aquarium System Volume Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/volcalc.html

The Reef Chemistry Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

Magnesium in Reef Aquaria:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[Mike Olson]

thanks for the info...I was going to do another 30 g change tomorrow...all other test are great..Ca at 450,PH @8.2, PO4 at o etc..Im hoping that my refugium will start helping bring it down as well

[trilinearmipmap]

I would work on tuning the skimmer to get better production. If you have problems adjusting the skimmer there is a Tunze forumon RC where you can ask for advice about it.

I don't think the Anthelia is the cause of the increased nitrates but the result. The Anthelia serves as a nutrient sink.