Nitrate Levels

[Murminator]

How do you get nitrate levels down? mine is running @ 20 I recently been running carbon to try to get it down but it never moved The fish and coral seem to be uneffected by it. Is 20 really all that bad? Nitrite 0 Ph 8.4ish Amm. 0. I do 10 % water changes every week. I knew it would spike here and there but never stayed there for weeks on end...thinking this is why I cannot keep shrimp

Any Id'ers?

[mr_alberta]

More/larger water changes or adding a refugium with Macro Algae will help get Nitrates down.

[Beverly]

I agree with Harvey that larger water changes would help. Instead of adding a refug, you could simply add macroalgae to your tank. I don't have a refug, but keep a relatively low bio-load in my tanks, plus I have several types of macroalgae in various tanks to utilize the nutrients. Macroalgae will also utilize phosphate.

[Aquattro]

Carbon will do nothing for NO3. How much rock do you have? My tank, with 10g water change every week, has no detectable NO3.

[Chad]

I have been battling Nitrates forever in my 20gal nano. I am thinking of ripping out my sand bed, its crushed coral.

Anyknow know if this might spark a mini cycle? It must be doing atleast a little bit of bio filtration.

I am torn though because in about 2 to 3 months I will be switching to my 50gal... (tank stand finally almost done!! just need to stain)

sigh..

[Rikko]

20ppm isn't really that bad for most critters, but it's indicative that the water isn't as up to snuff as it ought to be.
I'd suggest a couple of 50% water changes close together to get it down, then do something else to help prevent that state from returning (like trying a fuge or whatever).

[Murminator]

Hmm I'll try a larger water change and Macro Algae I have Halmedia(sp?) in there but it doesn't grow to well under my PC. Anyone have any they want to give up? perfer the stuff that doesn't go sexual

[Beverly]

Halimeda is a calciferous algae which requires good levels of calcium and magnesium to proliferate. If you haven't read these articles on water chemistry, here they are (again):

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

[muck]

Holey Bev I think that makes at least a dozen times you've posted all those links!!

Maybe we should make a sticky of them somewhere? *hint* *hint*

[danny zubot]

Yup, about a dozen.

I don't think you will need to do a couple of 50% water changes, it seems like a bit much for that level. Try just doubling what you normally do and that should bring them down a bit more.