Nitrate help

[af_hall14]

Ok here is info on my tank....
46 bow front, reef set up, live rock, 2 damsels, powder blue tang, crushed coral (ugh!), serpent star, tube anemone, button polyps, mushrooms (Blue and red), ridged sponge, yellow rope sponge, candy cane coral, open brain, star polyps, crabs, snails, sea cucumbers, flower anemones

Tank has been set up for 2 1/2 years. In the last six months I have made the switch to reef.

Running a dual biowheel, seaclone protein skimmer, 2 rios powerheads

Here is my question....
I have tested my tap water - everything is normal. No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates and the pH is ok too.
Now, we have always had a bit of a problem with nitrates. Nothing extremely high but on the higher side of normal. We have yet to find anything that brings it down. On occasion it will be 0ppm and the next day it may be back up again. Very frustrating. I'm not sure what needs to be done to fix it!! Any suggestions?

Tested everything today.....
usually the nitrites are 0ppm but were slightly elevated today - don't really
know why except we've added a few new pieces of rock and corals so
maybe a little die off from the rocks
ammonia - 0ppm
pH - 8.2
temp. - 78-80
nitrates - 30ppm
carbonate hardness - 9dkh
I do not have a phosphate test, will get one soon.
What else should I be testing for?

Now, here's another question to go with this... Our protein skimmer works like crazy but we've taken it down the last few days for routine maintenance (also another reason nitrites and nitrates could be a little high) but we were told that if it's working like that, we're overfeeding. I don't get it... we feed phytoplex once/wk, dose w/ calcium, iodine, strontium. A little flake food here and there and brine shrimp to my anemones, starfish, and fish maybe 2 days/wk. So, what could be causing my protein skimmer to work like crazy - or is it ok that it's doing that and that is just showing me that it is actually working?

 

[NaH2O]

A couple of things that might be contributing to your nitrate level are the biowheels, and the crushed coral. The biowheels do a good job in helping break down the ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, but there really isn't any place for denitrifying bacteria to populate. The crushed coral depending on your maintenance could be a source as well. What you could do is to try and find your source.....take a sample of water from the substrate and test it for nitrates. When I have done this, I made a divot with the end of a turkey baster and pulled a water sample with the baster, put it in a cup, and used the water out of the cup. You may want to test your pre-mixed water before a water change, to see if your new water is contributing. You said you tested the tap water and it is zero? When you get a phosphate test kit, I would also test your tap water for that. Is the nitrate kit old or new? Another thing, when you perform tank maintenance, use a turkey baster to blast your live rock off, and free up the detritus. When it gets into the water column it has a better chance of being used by critters and/or taken up by the skimmer before it breaks down on the rock.

The skimmer working like crazy is a good thing. It is helping to remove any dissolved organics out of the water.

Are you target feeding with the phytoplex? Are you having any algae problems? How large is your tang, and when was it added?

 

[af_hall14]

Thanks for responding. I will definitely check the water down in my substrate for nitrates. I do not like the crushed coral but it's there and I'm not sure I want to go throught the trouble of changing it. We are getting a 120gal this week and I'll definitely put sand in it.

The test is not old so it should be accurate.

I have tested the tap water and it is zero. Thought that might be an issue and what is causing the problem, but apparently not.

I'll definitely "blow off" my rock. I've never really thought of that.

If my biowheels are contributing to the problem, should I just remove them and let it run w/o it?

I haven't been target feeding the phytoplex? Should I be? I've been told that I didn't have to do so.

A slight hair algae problem and a very slight red algae problem lately but I believe that it is due to a light change. Went from power compact to coralife aqualight PC w/ actinic and lunar. The hair algae is under control and almost gone and the red algae doesn't seem to be getting any worse. The red algae is not in mats everywhere, just some spots on the live rock. Hard to describe but it's not like the thick stringy red algae that I see in some tanks. I was trying to avoid treating it. What do you think?

Here is a pic of my tang.... we got rid of 6 damsels about 2 weeks ago and introduced the tang shortly thereafter.

 

[wrightme43]

Pretty fish!!!! Looks like it has a cool attitude. LOL I love powderblues. If you have two bio wheels I would remove one, and then wait a couple of weeks and remove the next one. If only one just take it out and feed real light for a week or so, and make sure the skimmer is running when you do this. Steve

 

[af_hall14]

Ok, I've removed one biowheel and tested the water in the substrate which came out the same as before. I'll give it a few days and see what it is then. Could be my live rock doing a little die off. THanks for the help!

 

[MCary]

I don't see where you have anything in your tank to remove your nitrates other than a little liverock. Nitrate can't be filtered out and although a little escapes into the atmosphere as nitrogen gas you would need to do something more proactive to get rid of it. LR and skimming helps but to get it all you need some type of media to house anerobic bacteria or macroalgae. Refugium, deep sand bed, or a reactor (coil or sulpher).

 

[NaH2O]

MCary - Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

 

[samier]

Hi af.
Once u found the root of ur problem i would suggest try getting some media, like nitrate sponge. i too had nitrates off the charts about a week ago, i then bought a kent marine product(a bit pricy over here in SA)called nitrate sponge which worked immediately. My nitrates are now way down. hope this helps.

 

[btuck]

a bit off topic here but did you move your powder blue into your 120g. I guarantee she will be much happier in there.

 

[af_hall14]

a bit off topic here but did you move your powder blue into your 120g. I guarantee she will be much happier in there.

definitely... we had that intention from the beginning. absolutely no nitrate problems in the 120 so i'm thinking the crushed coral in the 46 has a lot to do with it. we are using DSB in the 120.

 

[btuck]

good to hear you did a little homework...working at a LFS I hear to many people wanting to put big beautiful angels and tangs in tiny little tanks.

 

[af_hall14]

we got that powder blue tang for $45 (that size) at a local LFS.... it had been in a 20-30 gallon tank for months, so we bought it knowing we were going to have the 120. thanks for the concern!! i hate to see so many fish and such big fish in little tanks!!

 

[My2heartboys]

Hi af.
Once u found the root of ur problem i would suggest try getting some media, like nitrate sponge. i too had nitrates off the charts about a week ago, i then bought a kent marine product(a bit pricy over here in SA)called nitrate sponge which worked immediately. My nitrates are now way down. hope this helps.

He could try some sort of bag with Pura Complete in it and put it behind his charcoal filter in his penguin. I use this and I love it.

Anne

 

[tike2]

A sea clown workin like crazy on a 46 gallon bow front:shock: You are onnnneee lucky person!Did you do any mods to the seaclown???
I have one myself on a 20 reg and I have to tweek it everyday on that small tank to get it to consistently produce.

I agree with the rest that you need some way to remove the nitrate. Your easiest route would be a refugium filled with macroalgae.

 

[charlyclown]

You could also try a denitrator. Did not try out myself, but I plan on building and trying out one myself in a small tank.

 

[af_hall14]

A sea clown workin like crazy on a 46 gallon bow front:shock: You are onnnneee lucky person!Did you do any mods to the seaclown???
I have one myself on a 20 reg and I have to tweek it everyday on that small tank to get it to consistently produce.

no mods... just a regular cleaning!!