need help...nitrates very high

I heard all food wil contribute to phos especially forzen. Most preservatives have phosphates in them so it is nearly impossible to elimintate them. I have snails, hermits, shrimp, and they do a good job cleaning up the food. God sometimes my shrimp get more food then the fish, they are quick. I feed very minimal amounts and it never stays around for no more than 2 minutes.

Well I figured that most of my fish are small, my watchman is a baby, just getting his colour, the jawfish is small and stays in it's hole all the time, firefish are tiny as well. Really the only fish I have that are larger fish are the clowns and the tang. But if need be I will get rid of the tang cause that's the one that poops the most and will grow large. I will keep you all posted and thanks for all the advice, very appreciated.

 

do you have a good skimmer.

HI,
i reviewed several well written articles about aerobic nitrification NO3<=>NO2<=> N2 you have waste thats being converted to ammonia thats being converted to nitrite. you have plenty of that thats why you have a high nitrite, the simple fix is a good skimmer it will remove alot of the dissolved organic that are feeding the cycle, thats the easiest fix , the best would be a ASD, Autotrophic Sulfur denitifiacation they can be pricy..200-300 bucks yikes
I opted for the DSB/reforgium with a pleum it can be tricky but works well for me very cheap cheap cheap..and about 100 snails... Oh yea the last article I read said there are two unique methods for measuring nitrite one is just the nitrite the other measuring nitrite-nitrogen the second gives you a reading thats 4.4 times higher than the first check your ranges against the chart in the new kit it may be a different units and ranges.

Doug

psps the better made marine foods guarentee no preservatives or I don't buy them...

 

I do have a very good skimmer, always on, never shuts off...well unless I am rearanging my plugs or cleaning the skimmer. Mine is the aqua c remora and it works great.

 

well that only leaves the food trap in substrate

HI,
My final guess is maybe your problem is realted to the media type in the tank many forums talk about problems seen after a mature tank becomes full of detri in the crushed coral this can also burn off you alk or carbonate. hope I am wrong. cause the only option is a pain replace the crushed coral with sand.
Doug

 

So have you checked the level today? Just wondering if there was any progress.

 

I just got home and tested the nitrates, it's hard to tell but I believe it's between 20 - 40ppm, I would say 30ppm. They really should make the colour charts easier to read. It's really hard to tell between different oranges but the colour of the test was lighter so i think i am making progress!

Through trial and error I think it's between not enough vacuuming the substrate enough or the sponge in my filter. I really want to get rid of the sponge but I am afraid that I don't have enough rock to support the system. I am trying slowly to add rock here and there but I am worried that if I remove the sponge I will have a spike which I think would just cause a tank crash. Thank god we have this forum, not only can you get help from people who have had similar experiences but you also get support because anyone who cares about their livestock definitely goes through alot of stress when something isn't going right. Well at least I am on top of it and working damn hard to get things back to normal.

Thank you so much everyone for all the support and wonderful advice.
Now what food brands did you say have no phosphates because that's what I wanna buy. I don't care about the $$$ just the brand. I like to feed brine, mysis, and flake. I would greatly appreciate to know those brands so I can find them out here in Canada.

 

here 's a basic list of common foods and additives.

HI,
found this one night doing a search. Many of the prime reef products
claim to be free of preservatives. >>> I ve read on teh net that most human products are the worst for added things to prevent mushing of meat upon freezing its a common practice , the saltwater good fish food companies are striving for quality without phos additives.

Marine Fish Food Comparison Table - Saltwater Aquariums Guides' Extra
Doug

I look for wording about natural stablizer things like vitamin c to stabilze freshness, and if it say no processing preservatives.

here's a really good one that my bleemy likes and has lots of the alga ((Emerald Entree
(Our version of a Formula 2). Although formulated for marine fish, this diet has been shown to be an excellent diet for freshwater fish as well. Fish that rely on micro-algae and vegetable matter as a main nutrition source will benefit from Emerald Entrée's complete nutritional package. We added Mysis (opossum shrimp) as a natural attractant. Emerald Entrée is fortified with omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, which are proven to be important for optimal growth and disease prevention in marine fish.
krill mixed. ))
I change foods every day krill, myosis , brine plus omega-3 added vits, and the squid pieces the crabs and the shrimp love the squid the fish are sort of OK with it.I only use forzen fish food that state no preservative or stabilzer except things like vitamin-c
I also made a phos reactor due to my feeding habbits and animal load.

 

Keep an eye on your clam, since that is the most sensitive creature in your tank. As other's have stated, you have quite a stocked tank in your 20G. I also have a 20G with one maroon, BTA, and 3 little damsels. Even that is too much in my opinion, and will be moving 2 of my damsels into their new home this weekend. As a side note, are you running a sump or refugium? Nitrate absorbers work very slow. They have to be placed in a high flow area to work effectively if they are not placed in a sump.