Starting a new tank, Nitrate nightmare

Mike Belga

New Member
Hey everyone, I'm starting my very first 150 g thank with a 50 g sump.

Display 150 g
Sump 50 g
Ph 8.5
Kh 9
Ca 500
Mg 1,200
Amonia 0
Phosphate 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40
Temp 77f

I run rowaphos in the 550 that is hanging in the sump, I have two other 550 free but I haven't decided what to run on them any suggestions?

Next to the pump I have one bag o chemipure and a seond bag of aquamaxx ultramaxx.

The skimmer is a reef octopus 250.

The nitrate has been dropping because it used to be way higher but it stills being a problem, any advise I add Microbacter 7 and Reef Biofuel since yesterday tomorrow I'll do a 20 g water change and on saturday I'll have a second one
 

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
If you're trying to establish a natural filtration system using live rock I'd stop using the Microbacter and biofuel immediately. These products are taking the load off the beneficial bacteria that you want to break ammonia down to nitrites and nitrites to nitrates. You export nitrates with water changes, skimming and/or growing macro algaes.

How much live rock do you have in the tank? Will this be a FOWLR or a reef tank?

A couple numbers sound odd and aren't in balance. The calcium is unusually high and magnesium is low. Are you dosing anything to increase calcium? Depending on the type of reef tank calcium is usually kept in the 380-420ppm range and magnesium roughly 3x the value of calcium.

The pH is a little high, not critically so but higher than I would expect. Curious what kind of salt you are using or if you have been dosing any other products.

Also, what kind of test kit are you using? Just trying to get the big picture. Speaking of which - PICTURES! (you can post pics of your tank when you have 5 posts). Most of us use photobucket.
 

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
has it always been high? hows the bioload? I usually try to get it to 0 after my cycle with no added media... rowaphos is for phosphates btw not nitrates... algea growing? how much do you feed?
 

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
ps.. in another thread you mentioned having multiple anemones.... Im hoping that's not in this tank..??
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
welcomefish.gif

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
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Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics :)
 

Mike Belga

New Member
Re: Starting a new thank, Nitrate nightmare

Hello, thanks for your questions, I use Liquid reef to add calcium, also Replenish for trace elements. my test is an API test kit the salt is red sea, I'm trying to build a reef thank.
 

Mike Belga

New Member
the anemones are in another thank, my bioload is minimun only 2 tangs, 1 fox face, 1 snow flake eel. I'm not growing any macro algea but I'm thinking to do it and the cyano is also minimal a little growing in the sides of the tank but thats it
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Hello Mike :wave:
:welcomera WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary :crowd:
Hope you plan on sharing your tank by starting a tank thread with lots of PICTURES :thumbup:
Very BEST WISHES :biker
 

Snid

Active Member
You can come take half... no, more than half of my green hair algae to eat up your nitrates if you'd like...

Good luck with the new tank!
 

Steve L

Member
How much and how often are you feeding the snowflake eel? If you're trying to build a reef tank the eel isn't the best tank mate for other reef safe fish. They will eat anything that will fit into their mouth and try to eat many things that won't. They also will tunnel under your rock structure and cause it to collapse if you don't have it secured. You'll probably be fighting nitrates often with him in there which will make it difficult to keep a lot of corals that can't handle dirty water. Reefer Gladness brought up a good point which is that your PH is high. When's the last time you checked the specific gravity?

I'd get rid of the eel, double the clean up crew you currently have and put as much live rock as possible in there. Do some large weekly water changes and slowly add more live rock. You'll see the nitrate come down significantly in a couple weeks as long as you aren't way over feeding your tangs and fox face.
 

rufus2008

Active Member
I'd try another test kit for your nitrates. My personal experience with api nitrate kit wasn't a pleasant one. The api read between 80-160ppm and when I got a seachem nitrate kit it's 2ppm. Go figure. Not saying that's your case but worth a try.

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