pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 As some of you know I've had an ongoing battle for 1.5 years with nitrates. Instead of posting the whole hour long story I'll keep it short. Bio pellets have been on for close to 6 months and have done nothing. Chaeto has been in refugium/frag tank for maybe 4 months and hasn't grown an inch nor has it died. I was doing 50% water changes at least 3 times a month to keep them down. 2 months ago I decided I wasn't gonna keep doing this as it's making the hobby Un enjoyable. We now they are through the roof again. Saturday they were close to 80 and you can imagine what is happening to most of my sps. I have them down to 20 to 30 now and will be down below 10 within the next 3 days all from huge water changes. I am taking the pellets offline because I have rendered them useless in this case. I will add gfo back. What other options does anyone with experience battling nitrates recommend? All other perimeters are rock solid and no swings in anything. It's just nitrates. I do have a fairly heavy bio load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 What are you feeding and how much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 Eric said he was feeding once a day, sometimes once every two days, and not a lot. I'm just trying to remember it how it was last time he mentioned something. What he was feeding I couldn't recall. I know each tank is different, but I feed only frozen.... crazy, right? What kind of light are you using above your fuge? I tried to grow cheato a long time ago, and couldn't get it working, then I tried a bulb with mostly reds, and BAM, it took off like crazy. If your bioload is high, then it sounds like you already know the first step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 When all else fails with high nitrates....http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/nitratecontrol/ss/sbsnitratereduction_2.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Cyclopeeze Pe mysis algae Dried brine Not all at once. Was feeding once every day or two. Last couple months have increased to twice a day which probably helped with the spike but please keep in mind this has been a problem since day one not just since I increased feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 150 watt halide over fuge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Another note I can do massive water changes and get to below 10 and within a month it will be through the roof again unless I keep doing massive water changes.and that holds true when I wasn't feeding hardly anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 When all else fails with high nitrates....http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/nitratecontrol/ss/sbsnitratereduction_2.htm So you think a 100% water change would fix the problem? 150 watt halide over fuge Talk to Marcos about getting an evergrow it2040 designed as a fuge light, I really think that might help. The concept should be heavy in, heavy out, but it sounds like you've only got heavy in at the moment. Another suggestion that I know I've voiced with you is that you've got things pretty packed in there, is it possible you have heavy detrius and waste building up in on and around your rock work, and not enough flow to keep everything stirred up? What happens if you took a turkey baster to your rocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Jan that's exactly what I'm doing with massive water changes but that's the problem. 3 boxes of salt a month on a 200 gallon system is out of control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 100 percent change is a band aid. Not fixing anything. I have a tremendous amount of flow. And for 5 months now I'm vacuuming the sand bed also to keep detritus down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 Im surprised the biopellets do nothing. Mine were keeping nitrate at 0 so i took them offline. Theres no chance your ato or new salt water is full of nitrate? Also, i have a d120 with 2/3 red and 1/3 royal blue which grows silly amounts of cheato. Maybe a different fuge light would make it grow like isaac suggests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 (edited) One word: DETRITUS Whether its from fish poop or feeding, that's the key. How are you getting it out of your tank besides skimming? Massive water changes only are a short term fix but they don't maintain the NO3 number unless you do massive water changes all the time. Like you said, that's not fun. Are you blowing your rocks and siphoning them out during water changes? Are you/have you cleaned your sandbed (trick question, I know you don't have access to it because of all the corals)? Are you doing water changes only from your sump? If so, start in your DT after getting the detritus in the water column. If you're using filter socks, clean them out more often (which I know you do from talking to you last time). What's in your fuge? Do you have an old sandbed or sh*t from someone else? If so, remove it. In my opinion and knowing that you are doing all of the other things, I think you're tank may have too much settled detritus that's breaking down in the nitrogen cycle and causing NO3. Edit..just saw your response about the sandbed cleaning and blowing detritus... 2nd edit....have you verified your test? Edited May 15, 2014 by howaboutme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Tested both freshwater and fresh mixed both 0 nitrates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 Tested both freshwater and fresh mixed both 0 nitrates Any pizza flour from the air settling in the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Always change water from the display except for a few gallons to clean out sump. Again keep in mind when talking detritus. This problem has been there since day one with 0 detritus. It's never changed no matter what I do. Filter socks changed at a minimum of once a week. There are 4 total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Not in the pizza business anymore. Lol haven't been since december Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 I'm changing another 100 gallons tonight. With my sps pretty mmad right now and alot browned out is it a bad idea for me to take a powerhead and blow the rocks off tonight before the water change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 Filter socks change 1x a week sounds not often enough. Here's 1 suggestion. Assuming your fish will eat them easily, try dry food exclusively or more often than frozen and see where you are at in a month. I've started to feed dry more often than frozen and that helps me maintain numbers (both NO3 and PO4 but I do occasionally raise my NO3 by dosing if it's too low) . I only do frozen ~ 2x's a week whereas before it was every other day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 It seems impossible that you have a nitrate probem from nutrients you are feeding based on how much you clean, how many corals you have, and how much water changing you do. I assume you have a good skimmer too? Biopellets and cheato dont work for you, you said, so what else are you doing to export nitrate? Its just weird because either or both of those methods work for lots of people. It seems like there might be some other answer for how it is getting in your tank water. Cat peeing in the sump, ammonia cleaner being used, something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 (edited) what are your TDS readings? where are you getting your RO/Di water from? Are you using RO/DI water? Is your TDS meter working? Can someone else check it out for you? What kind of flow do you have in that system? Clean up crew? <<<scratching my head>>>>> Edited May 15, 2014 by Jans Natural Reef Foods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 (edited) Try blowing the detritus off the ricks and siphoning the water. If you have a lot of detritus then you don't have enough flow. Edited May 15, 2014 by Jans Natural Reef Foods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridetheducati May 15, 2014 Share May 15, 2014 You need Gluten free detritus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Avast cs1 with swabbie.no cats anywhere near my tank. I use an ro unit. Plenty of flow I believe. Two mp 40's and a wp 25 all running at 90 percent power in a 36x36 tank plus flow from return pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Normal cuc snails and hermits peppermint shrimp emerald crabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 15, 2014 Author Share May 15, 2014 Is the skimmer to small for 200 gallons with a heavy bio load????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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