Reducing Nitrates

[reefwars]

hummm it doesnt make sense to me why your nitrates are so high your feeding light amounts, regular water changes, your bioload isnt really that high, your cleaning your tank,running skimmer,corals are alive....how old is your rock??? what are your phosphate readings?? lots of LHA?? are you sure your test kit is accurate???

[reefwars]

personally i would up the water changes to a larger volume maybe 20% a week that will bring it down considerately but you will need to find out where its coming from or it will just come back,like myka said elbow grease is the cure basically not to pollute your tank and keep it clean,adjust your flow so ditrius doesnt settle in dead spots.feed a bit less untill its down.

[fishytime]

I agree with Denny, more and larger water changes.......the solution doesnt lie in a bottle.....also 1/2 cup a week is diddly squat for skimmate, what kind of skimmer is it?.....my BK will produce that much in a day!

[Parker]

Originally Posted by fishytime

my BK will produce that much in a day!

Mr. Fancy Pants!

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Myka

ChemiClean works well. The only people that crash their tanks are the ones who don't read the directions. It's really not a big deal, just keep the tank aerated with a stone or let the skimmer overflow (remove the cup).

Hit and miss with Chemi Clean. Once it worked fantastically. This last batch... my zoas started to decline and the cyano went nowhere.

I agree Myka.... nitrates are user error or improper cleaning.

Keep up the maintenance and reduce feeding. All will be fine. Don't overthink the problem either!

I have ten, well fed (meaning 2 feedings daily/minimum) fish in my 70 and my nitrates are consistently zero. As is NO2, PO4.

I do a water change monthly. Run my skimmer and two reactors (warner ecobak, carbon).

Keep it simple. The more you do... the more room for error.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

I have never heard of a sulphur denitrator. But I have heard that dosing with vodka works also, and was told to try that first. Sounds almost too simple. Anyone have any experience with that?

Bignose is using Vodka. Message him.

[Money pit]

Once you have your No3 under control, give a thought to adding a refugium with algae or an Algae scrubber. The idea of a fuge with algae, is to use a type of algae that is more efficient at using No3 and Po4 then green hair. I think most people agree Chaeto is the type to use.
An algae scrubber is a similar concept, but rather than using an efficient algae, your giving the algae a better place to grow other than your display tank. With a scrubber you use fast flow and lots of light to grow turf or green hair on a plastic canvas surface.
I've use both and they work equally well, both have pluses and minuses when compared to each other. With a fuge you can set it up as its own display, with all the creatures that eventually start showing up, it can be interesting, a negative is that it works best in its own small tank or container, unless you have an empty compartment in your sump.
A scrubber can be set up above the sump, but its not very attractive, so its best used where it isn't on display, on the plus side if you put a fan on the scrubber it works like the rad in your car, and will lower the temp of the tank. I have a scrubber on my tank, I'm on the 3rd floor of an apt bldg and the temp stays below 80 in the summer.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Money pit

Once you have your No3 under control, give a thought to adding a refugium with algae or an Algae scrubber. The idea of a fuge with algae, is to use a type of algae that is more efficient at using No3 and Po4 then green hair. I think most people agree Chaeto is the type to use.
An algae scrubber is a similar concept, but rather than using an efficient algae, your giving the algae a better place to grow other than your display tank. With a scrubber you use fast flow and lots of light to grow turf or green hair on a plastic canvas surface.
I've use both and they work equally well, both have pluses and minuses when compared to each other. With a fuge you can set it up as its own display, with all the creatures that eventually start showing up, it can be interesting, a negative is that it works best in its own small tank or container, unless you have an empty compartment in your sump.
A scrubber can be set up above the sump, but its not very attractive, so its best used where it isn't on display, on the plus side if you put a fan on the scrubber it works like the rad in your car, and will lower the temp of the tank. I have a scrubber on my tank, I'm on the 3rd floor of an apt bldg and the temp stays below 80 in the summer.

I am not familiar with a scrubber. Seems interesting to use it also for cooling.

Could you post a pic?

[Gripenfelter]

What kind of skimmer do you have?

My old skimmer produced 1/2 cup of crap per week.

New one pulls 1 L of dark green matter every day. I found my nitrate count was higher if I turned it down to only pull out black crap.

Also I would do weekly 5% water changes instead of one big 20% one at the end of the month.

What food are you feeding the fish?

If your tank is fairly well stocked you might want to consider a refugium.

[Money pit]

Originally Posted by paddyob

I am not familiar with a scrubber. Seems interesting to use it also for cooling.

Could you post a pic?

Can'.t remember how to post pics, but if you go here
http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/...39612e2735108f

You can learn all you need to know. There is alot of hype on the above forum, seems some have had fantastic results. My results have been good, but its not the be all and end all that some would have you believe, so take it all with a grain of salt.