W/C's but no move on nitrate levels still high high high

[Danwaddy]

Hi everyone

I have problems with my nitrate level all my other levels are fine. My level is around 120 to 160.

Ive been doing 25% water changes but no move.

I have a canister filter should i change the white fluff (is this what is known as the media filter) I haven't changed it for a couple of months is this about right??

Also I heard that I could put more live sand in to reduce it??? If i can do that do I just put it on top of the existing or mix it up??

How should I clean the LS do i suck some out on my water changes and then replace it with new LS or replace with the old after its been cleaned up a bit with my water changes.

A few questions there.

Hope you can help me.

cheers

Dan

[jgking21]

Dan, if your nitrates were 160 and you did a 25% water change than the nitrate should go down 25% to 120. If you can wait a day or two then do a 50% water change you can see it drop to 60. Percent of water changed will reduce nitrates by the same percentage.
Canister fitlers should be changed regularly. I don't know much about them, but my sock filter from the DT to the sump gets change and clean every other day.
I think you'd be okay just adding the sand on top, but I can't say for sure. How long has your tank been running? A DSB is supposed to help nitrates, that usually runs about 4".
Hope that helps a bit!

[Woodstock]

25% of 160 ppm is not much at all. I am not surprised you do not see a reduction on the tests. You should do larger water changes several times per week.

Export, export, export is the key. You must remove organics before they are broken down into nitrAtes. Anything that traps ditritus/organics needs to be cleaned/replaced every few days. Allowing such 'junk' to stay in the water will lead to a rise in nitrAtes.

• - do not overstock your tank. Too many fishes require a lot of food and eventually will lead to a lot of poopie.. this adds an enormous amount of organics to the water.
• - do not overfeed. When feeding, no food should be left uneaten. If this occurs, remove the uneaten food and feed less next time.
• - clean all filters. Sponge filters, cansiter filters, settled ditritus, and anything that is dirty should be cleaned at a minimum of once a week but every 2-3 days is best.
• - crushed coral traps a lot of ditritus and organics. If you have this substrate, make sure you vacuum it weekly!
• - skim, skim, skim. A big skimmer goes a long way at removing organics!
• - refugium. Chaetomorpha and other macro algaes will help remove nitrAtes from the water column. Trimming back the chaeto exports the stored nutrients!
• - a 3" sand bed (fine sand) will grow the aneorobic bacteria that can reduce the nitrAtes into harmless nitrogen gas bubbles.

[Danwaddy]

Ok, Tank has been running 2 months, but It was transfered to meso substrate and rock was live and settled when i received it. it had beem alive for 18 months prior to that.

Ive done a few 25% changes but it hardly moves.

Does adding the sand decrease the Nitrate?

Do I clean the white fluff in tap water or R/O water or do i just change it for new? is this making a difference to the Level?

Thanks for you help.

[Danwaddy]

Export, export, export is the key. You must remove organics before they are broken down into nitrAtes. Anything that traps ditritus/organics needs to be cleaned/replaced every few days.

So should I clean or replace the white fluff in the Canister filter?? the substrate should stay right?? as this holds good bacteria, right?
Allowing such 'junk' to stay in the water will lead to a rise in nitrAtes.

[*] - clean all filters. Sponge filters, cansiter filters, settled ditritus, and anything that is dirty should be cleaned at a minimum of once a week but every 2-3 days is best. What do I clean it in? or do i replace it?
[*] - crushed coral traps a lot of ditritus and organics. If you have this substrate, make sure you vacuum it weekly! You say vacum can you explain what you mean by that please.
[*] - skim, skim, skim. A big skimmer goes a long way at removing organics! I have a big skimmer
[*] - refugium. Chaetomorpha and other macro algaes will help remove nitrAtes from the water column. Trimming back the chaeto exports the stored nutrients!
Whats all of that. I've never heard of any of that.

[*] - a 3" sand bed (fine sand) will grow the aneorobic bacteria that can reduce the nitrAtes into harmless nitrogen gas bubbles.

Think I'll put a bit more in then its sand and crushed Coral.

Thanks for your advice can you answer the above for me please.

Regards

Dan

[Woodstock]

Just clean or replace the white filter floss. You 'clean' the it by rinsing it in discarded saltwater until it is free of ditritus. If you prefer, you can just replace it.

How are you doing water changes now?
Crushed coral can be 'vacuumed' using a product found at all aquarium shops. It has a larger diameter end that is used to vacuum gravel. You can get the phython OR just a gravity fed hose that will drain into a 5 gal bucket. Doing the later may require several trips to the toilet to pour out the old salt water..depending on the size of your tank.

I guess you could, but I do not recommend mixing crushed coral with fine sand.

Read these links:
What is a Refugium? The ABCs of a Marine Refugium | Suite101.com
LOOK! Frequently Asked Questions~

[lcstorc]

Originally Posted by Danwaddy

Export, export, export is the key. You must remove organics before they are broken down into nitrAtes. Anything that traps ditritus/organics needs to be cleaned/replaced every few days.

So should I clean or replace the white fluff in the Canister filter?? the substrate should stay right?? as this holds good bacteria, right?
Allowing such 'junk' to stay in the water will lead to a rise in nitrAtes. Ditch the white stuff. If you really want to, then replace it but in all honesty you are likely better off without it. If you do choose to replace it, then change it at least twice a week. The bacteria you want to cultivate is on the LR.
[*] - clean all filters. Sponge filters, cansiter filters, settled ditritus, and anything that is dirty should be cleaned at a minimum of once a week but every 2-3 days is best. What do I clean it in? or do i replace it?
Replacing is always a great idea but cleaning it thoroughly with RO/DI water is just fine. The key is to remove the detrius before it can rot and produce nitrates. [*] - crushed coral traps a lot of ditritus and organics. If you have this substrate, make sure you vacuum it weekly! You say vacum can you explain what you mean by that please.
When you remove the water for your water change, run the hose along the top of the sand removing the dirtiest top layer. [*] - skim, skim, skim. A big skimmer goes a long way at removing organics! I have a big skimmer
This is going to sound bad, but it is not the size that matters. What type of skimmer is it? There are some great skimmers that are relatively small and some huge ones that are next to useless. Describe the skimmate you are getting and how often you need to clean the cup. If you are getting a very dark thick skimmate then adjust the skimmer to skim more "wet" so it gives you more thinner skimmate. Watch the salinity on the tank when you do this. Evaporated water leaves the salt behind but when you remove water in the skimmer you are removing the salt as well.[*] - refugium. Chaetomorpha and other macro algaes will help remove nitrAtes from the water column. Trimming back the chaeto exports the stored nutrients!
Whats all of that. I've never heard of any of that.
A refugium is a place of refuge for nutrient exporting algae and for critters you don't want in the display. It can be anything from a small acrylic box hanging on the tank to a part of your sump or a separate tank entirely. They key is it needs low flow and light. Then you can grow a macro algae such a cheato in the fuge. The cheato uses the nitrates as fuel so as it grows you prune it which removes those nutrients from the system entirely. Not sure that is a good enough description but you can do a search on it and find lots of info.
[*] - a 3" sand bed (fine sand) will grow the aneorobic bacteria that can reduce the nitrAtes into harmless nitrogen gas bubbles.

Think I'll put a bit more in then its sand and crushed Coral.

Thanks for your advice can you answer the above for me please.

Regards

Dan

I think I got them all.

[Danwaddy]

Oh..... Ok

So you think its better to remove the white stuff (is this what they call the media filter). I thought this was key to keeping nitrites and ammonia down??? is there any benefit to keeping it there??

The skimmer I'm not sure about I'm at work now. However I had been setting it to remove only bubbles and little water only changin git once a week really so I'll adjust that. I'll have a look later but it was bought with the tank, so no box.
P.S. Size does matter according to the mrs, and she hasnt got a clue about aquariums so I don't know where she heard that

This hovering then, are we literally talking about the first few mm to be removed of crushed coral or is this something i need to be buying to replace everytime I do a water change?

Don't suppose anyone has a picture of these refugium at work. I don't have a sump so I would think i would need a hang on the side is this a necessatity or just will help remove the nitrates as I'm guessing once i replace or remove the filter the level will fall.

Out of curiousity what effect will this High level of Niotrates have on the fish, rock, inverts and coral I have? alot of the sites Ive read have said it has little effect.

last question.

Again on the fluffy white stuff I have used this in the submerged power head in my small cheap set up of a Q/T will this be effective as my filter or should i be using something else. Let me emphasise the cheap part of that question.

Thanks for you help so far guys and girls.
Regards
Dan

[lcstorc]

Generally speaking the "white stuff" is simply there to remove the large particles before they reach the main filtration. For a long time I kept mine in and just replaced it frequently but that got to be a royal pain so I just took it out. In some cases it also serves as a bubble trap so depending on the setup you may need something there to keep the bubbles out. The key is to keep it clean. In RO systems trickle filters with bio-balls or other media are often used. They do a great job of converting amonia and nitrite but then stop and you are left with high nitrates. The bacteria in the LR does the entire job so it converts the nitrates as well. Nitrates are not harmful to fish until they are pretty elevated (which your are) but for corals or anemones it is a much larger problem.
For the QT setup it is probably fine but I am having a bit of trouble picturing the set-up. A QT is generally used for fish and the nitrates are not as harmful for the fish.
Ideally you won't remove much of the CC at all. It may take a bit to get the hang of it but if you kind of hover right above the bottom and stir it up just a bit, you can usually manage to get the junk without getting the CC.

[brucewrs]

check your water source.I have nitrates in my Tap water even after it goes thru my R/O...