My Nitrate adventure

mahtay

New Member
So I have a Fowlr going on about 2 years. 55 Gal, 60lbs of sand, 57 lbs of live rock, with an extra 5-7lbs of live rock in sump. Small cage built in sump with Chaeto- living- getting flow from the skimmer exhaust. Reef Octopus skimmer with replaced pump. In line UV light, Triton 3 pump:
Livestock:
15 crabs for c.u.c.
4 turbo snails
Cleaner shrimp
Peppermint shrimp
Blue Hippo tang
Flame Angel
Coral beauty
McCoskers Wrasse
Canary Wrasse
2 purple firefish
Copper Banded butterfly
Target/green spot Dragonette
Purple Dottyback

Everything was fine until about 1months ago. I tried adding a new female leopard wrasse. She was doing well after a week, buried for 3 days, came out, learned when feeding time was and was eating like a champ- I was lucky- (ate frozen brine shrimp and mysid shrimp) I dose the tank regularly with pods- also luckily- the dragonet eats frozen food *whew*
Well after 3 weeks, I did not see the leapoard wrasse again.
Now I test my water every 2 weeks and I use the Red Sea testing kits, and a simple buoyant style hydrometer.
Hydrometer always read 1.024-25. ammonia always low, Nitrites always low, nitrates- always in the middle.

I took some water to my LFS to test, because I was suspicious that I got the exact sanme readings for the past 3 months (I have a littke notebook where I jot down the ammonia, phosphate, nitrite nitrate salt levels)

Also I had been slowly dosing the tank with red sea Reef energy (A & B) because I wantd to start adding some corals. I have some small populations of Zoa's- they are fine. I have a two headed small Duncan, and it is doing fine.

I took a sample to my LFS primarily for the magnesium/calcium, and asked they test for nitrates nitries ammonia, and salt.

I found out my hydrometer was off- the buoyant ones can go bad- and my slat was 1.031! ammonia fine. Nitrites fine, nitrates were- off the chart- almost purple.

They suggested reef biofuel and macrobacter 7 to use overnight with the skimmer off, and then do what I called the "bubble-fizz" where the skimmer is turned up just so to allow a constant small overflow and that waste piped into a dump bucket, and the water replaced with salt water.

Thy also suggested putting in a Carbon sponge pad over the baffles I have in the sump separating the skimmer from the return. The carbon sponge would remove the benefits of the Reef biofuel so I did the bio fuel/ bubble-fizz for 3 days, then would lay the carbon pad for one day. then going back to the reef bio fuel and upping the water changes to weekly as I normally did them every two weeks.

Also, reducing the feeding. I was feeding 1cube of mysid and 1 cube of brine and they suggested one cube in total ( half mysid half brine or just one mysid)

This last week, My salt was down to 1.022 and I am slowly raising it up, from slowly bringing it down- I went a bit too far down, but that's ok, and my Nitrates are now- about 15- between 10-20 but not off the chart on the color scale as it was previously ( 50+)

I would do the bubble-fizz for a few hours every night when I came home form work and moreso on the weekends.

They also got in a nitrate pad- for me to use in replacement of the carbon pad.
I am leaving the carbon pad in for 2 days this week, and willcontinue with the bubble-fizz for the rest of the week. Hopefully whenI get it tested again, the nitrates will be in mid range.

If I get there, the LFS owner will then let me purchase some conch's and nerite snails to slowly stir up the sand. we were thinking that the Canary wrasse would release a plume of nitrates when she buried and then resurfaced- keeping the nitrates up. Hopefully with 2 conch's and some nerites, they wil slowly release the nitrates from the sand and I can continue with the Reef Biofuel.

I was also asked about adding some macro agea like a shaving brush. Interestingly, I had bad luck with shaving brushes in the past, they just didn't live- although the chaeto in the sump is doing fine. while the nitrates were high the chaeto was floating and pushing up the cage.

The analogy they made was to add a sahving brush now would be like putting a plant in raw miracle growas opposed to manure. In manure it will grow, but in miracle grow it wil lget burned up.

The fish are fine. I caught the salt in time before they started showing any possible behavior changes thank goodness.

Hopefully next week will have me in a good nitrate area.

ammonia, phosphate. nitrites are fine

I did get a new testing kit, because it is possible to get an old one or one thatw ason the shelf for a bit. It happens. and I am saving for a better salt hydrometer- the LFS had the expensive ones, - the ones you lok through, but the owner mentioned getting some similar but less expensive ones in a few weeks. I think it is worth investing in a pricey hydrometer.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I'm not trying to beat up on you, but you have 10 fish in your 55 gal tank. That's asking a lot of your system. Off hand that about double the number of fish that should be in there. It's no wonder your having nitrate issues.

Yes, it's worth investing in a refractometer. Unless your SG is correct, there isn't much point in trying to measure calcium, alkalinity, phosphate and so on.

It's best to post actual test results. Statements like "...ammonia always low, Nitrites always low, nitrates- always in the middle... " do not convey any information, because those are all relative terms.

You should not need the Reef Energy products. You don't have enough coral to worry about at this time. I will also add, don't let you LFS store sell you anything until you run it by the group here. There are a lot of products you don't need, are useless, or even cause problems. Personally I have found carbon pads or nitrate pads to be just about useless. Get yourself some media bags and bulk media.

I don't think you need the reef biofuel and macrobacter either. Save your money. Usually a partial water change is a much better solution.
 
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