Nitrate Issues

Hello everyone. Here we go. I currently have 75g tank......soon to be moved to my new 125g, but I have a issue I am curious about. I have been checking my nitrates for the last month or so and they are crazy high 80ppm to 100ppm. Now im sure some of you are looking like this at the moment . My PH,nitrite and ammonia levels are in check yet my nitrates are crazy high. I have been feeding everyday since I have had fish in the tank. Right now I have

5 chromis
2 firefish
2 clown
1 six line wrass
1 purple dottyback
1 flame hawk
1 watchmen goby
1 orange spotted goby
3 pepperment shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
3 turbo snails
10 blue hermits

Corals:

1 rasta leather
1 toadstool leather
1 bubble coral
2 mushrooms
1 sun polyp
1 hammer
1 yellpw polyp
1 brain
couple zoa's etc...

Im puzzled because I have zero issues, the corals look good, they all open up and extend all the fish eat like crazy....I know some people chase numbers but your eyes seem to be the best....I just don't know why my nitrates are high?

I have 2 maxi-flo 1200's and a Bak Pak HOB skimmer that I clean everyday, it's usually full of black stinky water not foam,

I have done 2 12g water changes in the last 3 weeks and my nitrates are still high....strange...huh?

 

what kind of test kit? how old? I had the same problem until i looked at the exp. date on the reagent.

 

Before last week, when was the last time you measured your nitrate and what was the reading? How long has your tank been set up for? Do you use RODI, distilled or tap water? How often do you normally do water changes? Is the skimmate black or black/green? Plus how deep is your sand bed? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an idea of your tanks situation.

Seeing as your corals seem to be doing well, it's probably as TROYBOY84 says a dodgy/expired test kit.

 

yea i had a hard lesson learned and did everything i could think of but the most simple thing.

 

Tank is a little over 4mo old. I didn't do a water change till about 2months in, now I was doing them every 2 3 weeks. Yes black green, yes ro water only. Kit I bought new didn't see a ep date on it

 

How much live rock is in your tank? add some more live rock to denitrify

 

Easiest way to find out if it is a dodgy test kit is to take a sample of water along to your LFS and ask them to test it to compare it with the results you have been getting. If they get the same results as you then I would think about denitrification and increased water changes.

 

I feel
Its also a lot of stock for a 4 month old tank , which if the test kit turns out to be right, may mean you will start to experience some issues later on

14 fish in there , and I only have 4 fish in a 5ft tank thats been up and running ( had 5 fish in there at one point) for 18 months now

I think a run down on your fitration system, components, media, and water movement would also be ideal, if the high nitrates are confirmed

a couple of our sponsors have product that is designed to erradicate nitrates- or at least lower them significantly - so if readings are confirmed as that high, I would check out whats available to deal with the problem

Steve

 

Agreed! Way too many fish. Another Q to ask is what time frame did you introduce the fish into the tank? and how many at a time? I dare to say that your No3 issue is from your bio-load being too much for your filtration system. What about feeding? Luna

 

The solution to pollution is dillution. Not my saying, read it somewhere else and its true.
Your pollution is nitrates. The corals won't show anything at the moment because the entire tank is too new for them to have much ill effects yet. But they will. Water changes, less feeding (your fish are better off underfed a little than overfed), Pulsing Xenia love nitrates if you can keep them alive (some people can't keep Xenia).
And the biggest thing - get rid of some of the bioload (fish) until you get the nitrates under control.