high nitrates - can't figure out why

[zobey]

I have been having a real problem controlling nitrates in my tank and just not sure why. My old tank had a DSB and i never had any problems, but my new setup does not have a DSB. I do not overfeed tank at all and have a very low bioload in the system - very few fish - 90 gallon tank - lots of LR. Water changes help for short period. I have a small refugium in my cabinet with some macro, a DSB, and also using Kent Nitrate sponge pellets in fuge. nothing seems to help and i'm starting to lose some of my corals over time. I just cannot figure out the source of the problem. I do not have bio balls in the sump which would cause this over time - anyone have any ideas or ways to help mitigate the issue??

[Coral Hind]

Is the LR new or from your old setup?

What skimmer do you have and how is it working?

What are your ammonia and nitrite levels?

Do you use filter socks or a sponge anywhere in the system?

[lhcorals]

I know a few people who run Bio Ball's. A few of them in really big systems. They have had them in their system for years and have zero nitrates. I really would be looking for another reason. They say the bio balls are a destritus magnet, have you ever used a turkey baster on your live rock to see how much stuff collects on it. I am not saying that people who run bio ball are right, but they are not wrong either.

Edited April 30, 2010 by lhcorals

[zobey]

Is the LR new or from your old setup?

What skimmer do you have and how is it working?

What are your ammonia and nitrite levels?

Do you use filter socks or a sponge anywhere in the system?

All of the rock is from the old system and this one has been running now for about 8 months.

I have a euroreef skimmer - it works ok, but not amazingly well - does produce a lot of skimmate

not sure of ammonia or nitrite, but nitrates are up above 25 ppm consistently.

 

good question about the sponge/filter socks -- i thought about this yesterday myself. the only sponges that are in the system are covering the outlet pipe in the back of the tank so that nothing gets into the sump from the main tank and i realized last night that this could certainly be the source. I am going to remove them and replace with some screening instead.

 

any other suggestions ??

[Novi]

What are your phosphate readings? Are you also having Algae / Cyano issues?

[Coral Hind]

What are your phosphate readings? Are you also having Algae / Cyano issues?

 

 

Will high phosphate levels cause nitrate issues?

[Origami]

How long has this system been set up? How many corals are in the system? (They, too, are part of the bioload - like fish.) How big was the old system that the rocks came from? I'm wondering if the biological filtration capacity of your live rock still hasn't caught up with the new load (since it now has to make up for the sand that you didn't bring over but which was part of your original filtration system.)

 

Also, is your sump clean? No stranded detritus?

[moga]

How long has this system been set up? How many corals are in the system? (They, too, are part of the bioload - like fish.) How big was the old system that the rocks came from? I'm wondering if the biological filtration capacity of your live rock still hasn't caught up with the new load (since it now has to make up for the sand that you didn't bring over but which was part of your original filtration system.)

 

Also, is your sump clean? No stranded detritus?

 

why not do big volume of water change?

 

by the way, i am a JERRY GARCIA fan as well.

[Jon Lazar]

Also, how high is "high" when you test your nitrates. Have you tested fresh saltwater made with RO/DI at the same time you tested the tank water, to establish a color baseline for zero nitrates (in the freshly made saltwater)?

[Jon Lazar]

Also, don't forget that fish excrete ammonia when they respirate, even if you feed them nothing. I know you said you have few fish, but keep in mind they still are a source of what will become nitrate.

[cabrego]

I have been having a real problem controlling nitrates in my tank and just not sure why. My old tank had a DSB and i never had any problems, but my new setup does not have a DSB. I do not overfeed tank at all and have a very low bioload in the system - very few fish - 90 gallon tank - lots of LR. Water changes help for short period. I have a small refugium in my cabinet with some macro, a DSB, and also using Kent Nitrate sponge pellets in fuge. nothing seems to help and i'm starting to lose some of my corals over time. I just cannot figure out the source of the problem. I do not have bio balls in the sump which would cause this over time - anyone have any ideas or ways to help mitigate the issue??

 

do you have a sand bed? how large is your fuge? how is your cheato growing? How often do you harvest it? If your nitrates are as high as you say, then you do have enough anerobic bacteria to support your system. How long has the system been running? Consider adding a larger sand bed in your sump or upgrading your sump if it is not large enough to support a sand bed your system has been running for longer than 4 months like this.

 

My 90g has about a 10 g fuge chamber with ~3 inches of sand and cheato that I had to harvest every 2 weeks (and I should have been harvesting sooner). My stocking is very moderate, mixed reef, pair of clowns, 2 tangs, lawnmower, and 6 line 0 nitrates.

[RicSG]

i am having the same problem. This all started after I moved from Fairfax to Woodbridge. The tank has been running at my new place for 9 months and i have high nitrate level too. Lost my few corals. I also do not feed much to the 4 fish's i have. Never had this issue until i moved. I think it has to do with the stiring up of the sand bed when moving. I am working on a plan to redo my sand bed and see how that helps. Will keep you updated. But in the mean time if anyone has any other idea will be really appreciate it. Sorry for jumping into this post but thought why to open two post of same issue. Ideas folks. i know we got smart and excelant reefers to help us out of this issue.

[cabrego]

You guys might try some kind of carbon dosing (Vodka/Vinegar), I vodka dosed my system to jump start my tank. My 90g sat for months without circulation (I was to busy to get it going) and when I checked the parameters the nitrates were off the charts. I installed the sand bed I described in my earlier post and after a couple of months I decided to go with vodka dosing. I vodka dosed for maybe 2 months max. I basically stopped soon after my nitrates hit zero. They have been zero ever since.

 

gl

[treesprite]

I discovered that my big source of a non-stop nitrate problem was my liverock leeching it. You can test the liverock by putting some of it in a container of completely new water then checking for nitrate in a few days.

 

In my .Prodibio Biodigest dosing experience, and going by things I've read, the dosing will force the nitrate from the rock in a burst rather than the liverock continuing to release a little at a time for all eternity. The liverock issue is one of the reasons people's nitrate goes up instead of down when initiating Prodibio dosing, but after that nitrate source is removed and the only source is tank bioload and feeding, the nitrate starts dropping as it is supposed to do (if liverock is indeed a nitrate leecher, it will take longer for Prodibio to make tank nitrate level drop).

 

I dosed bodka for a couple months in the past and nitrate level did not change inthat period of time, just the cyano went away from it. The dosing gueswork made me leery of it, so I stopped, then a while later started Prodibio - after the initial increase in nitrate, it just took a couple months for nitrate to be cut in half.

 

If you get any new liverock, make sure it isn't leeching nitrate before sticking in your system. I made the mistake of putting a big piece of rock, purchased from a member, in my fuge and my nitrate jumped back up, had to remove it and now am trying to get my nitrate back down again.