Nitrates building up; attempting new methods to export it

[rostervandross]

Hey everyone, I have a building nitrate problem, My ammonia and nitrite are 0

I have a 90g water volume and I am overstocked with fish.

I also have very little algae in my tank. Could it be that I don't have enough phosphates and there is no growth that is utilizing the nitrates? I had macroalgae in my refugium that died off completely and I am thinking I need to get something else going to utilize the nitrates. How else does one export nitrates?




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[mtsully71]

change your water

 

[rostervandross]

10 4 I am making water as we speak.

 

[cracker]

Hey Roster how are You? high nitrates and high end lighting is just what algae love. Water changes are the true and tested way to lower nitrates. However finding the source is the trick. What type of macro were you trying to grow? Growing macro in a ref then tossing half once in a while is another tested way to remove excess nutrients.Maybe the macro died because it didn't have the proper lighting. Then Ya got UV sterilizers, phosban reactors biopellets , algae scrubbers etc the list is endless!
I personally have issues with excess algae of differing types. I had my refugium full of LR. it turned into a nitrate dirt pit! I have cleaned it out and want to try growing macro in there!

 

[rostervandross]

Yo dude ! Yea I am kind of stumped on the lack of algae .. i have some serious lighting running and nitrates aplenty but no algae. I think it is because I have no phosphates but I do not have a phosphate test.

I tried to grow chaeto , started with a double fist size piece under a 5100k par38 CFL above my refugium.. it just broke down and is now completely gone.

I have a hodgepodge of LED fixtures and a 250w MH above my tank and I have nearly no green algae growing but plenty of coraline algae.

While it looks pretty nice I have nothing to utilize my nitrates and I am almost hoping for some algae to start up for my new lawnmower blenny and others to eat but also to utilize some nitrates.

I am hoping that if I allow phosphates to accumulate then I can grow chaeto/macroalgae and make an algae scrubber to use up some nitrates. I think the chemipure elite I had in up until this afternoon takes out phosphates.

Pretty interesting to me.. a new stage in my tank and I hope to get my nitrates down because my corals do not have the best polyp extension lately

 

[cracker]

I also enjoy the changes/phases my tank goes thru. some good, some not so good ! LOL
You have plenty of Coraline growing sounds like the tank is doing great. Your already on the water changes so .