Nitrates

[twilliard]

ya with 70G (not even that because of rock and sand) water changes should keep it down. Also with an inch of sand shouldn't be an issue unless you do have some anaerobic areas.
Also with what every you are feeding, check it.

What I do is take some of the food I feed. Mix it in some fresh salt water then I test for PO4 NO3 silicas what ever I can test for. May not be the most accurate but it shows you what you are putting in your tank.

 

[Damsel13]

Hey great idea! now I actually rinse all my frozen food in RO/DI water too. It really doesn't take too long and the fish/anemone seem to love it.

 

[scytale]

I have a similiar-sized tank [80 gal with 100# LR, .5-1.5" sandbed] but no sump. And I have similiar nitrate levels {but don't tell anyone }
I avg. 20ppm, w/peaks at 35-40ppm between WCs, and usually won't get below 10ppm (even right after a sizable WC).....

I know that ultimately I'm the cause of the nitrates (I over-feed, and have 2 HUGE tangs = too much bioload for my tank) but my tank is happy and it adapts....

My livestock and fish (mostly LPS and softies)--xenia, alveopora, frogspawn, hammers, candy canes, shrooms, finger leather, purple star polyps, sponges, and a HUGE LTA show constant growth and no signs of stress.
(I even have 3 tiny colonies of what I suspect are SPS corals which have shown good growth in the 7 months I've had the tank..... )

The moral of my post: CHIN UP!
(even if you have moderately high nitrates you can still have a nice reef! )

[PS: I do my 20-25% WC every 7-10 days.]

 

[sc18702]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm not sure if it is detrimental to have higher than suggested nitrates. I am not certain of the impact. Your tank does seem to do better than mine though as I can't get all my zoas to remain open. Also, just started to have some success with xenia. Iodine appears to be the trick.

 

[Damsel13]

CHIN UP! water changes, water changes, water changes.

Dang, who wants to live in icky water?

Sorry, Didn't mean you Dang Your tank is THE BEST!!!!

 

[thumperss]

adding a sump with chato will help with.
Brandon

 

[scytale]

Yes, adding chaeto sure would help--but that's a big change from a sumpless tank!
(buying the overflow, return pump, plumbing etc. = $$$, or $$$$)

 

[sc18702]

I have a sump. How does the Chaeto work ? Is it like converting to a refugium ? Would I need lighting for the sump ? or is it more like a filter medium where you can just toss it in the sump ?

 

[scytale]

(As I said I'm sumpless-so I don't have have exp. with it but...)

Yep (Chaeto is a macro algae) so lighting over the sump would be needed.

If "a picture is worth a thousand words" than this vid.
(of cheato in optimal growing conditions--notice the tumbling motion) must be worth alot more???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7f16uri-SQ


Chaeto removes nitrates from the water by binding nitrates/phospahtes into it's cells (then you periodically harvest/remove the old, nitrate-laden portions of the algea to keep them from leaching back into the water.....)

 

[angelfish]

Ok, I have a 55 gallon satwater tank with about a third filled with live rock and abot 2 inches of live sand. I have a cpr bak pak clone skimmer, and a rio 1100+ powerhead for circulation. The tank and rock is a couple years old, lots of coraline algea.

I always have nitrate problems. running like 30 to 40 bright orange red on the tests.

My stock is as follows.
1 blue hippo tang
1 yellow tang
1 tomato clown
3 convict blennies
1 gold spotted sand eating gobie or blenny. I always forget.
3 peppermint shrimp
1 sand sift star
1 green serpent star
3 feather dusters
lots of hermits and assorted snails

Do I have enough filtration with just the skimmer and rock?

Would a bio-wheel help? I know they produce nitrates, but I figure I already got them anyway, and the live rock could then concentrate on nitrates and not the whole system load.

Should I just keep adding rock until the nitrates start to drop?

My fish and most inverts seem happy, I occasionally lose a snail or two, but I figure it is predation and not water quality.

maybe you can consider using a denitrator

 

[Damsel13]

I love Tangs. Ya got to much Tang poop!