Nitrates high

Sound like your on the right track adding a skimmer and fuge,still for now I think water changes are your best friend even though they're a PITA!!!

 

I feed "gumbo"

clams, plankton, vitamins, reef solution, blood worms, shrimp, pellets, and flakes that's mixed into one little container, they love it.

I feed about 3 times a week, sometimes 5. Not too much, in fact I think it may be too little.



I got the skimmer today, it feels good to actually have a decent skimmer for once, it's been running about 4 hours or so, the foam is about to reach the top of the neck, not spilling into cup yet.

I also did a water change.

I guess in a few days I'll get an idea of progress.

 

I don't know whats going on but my nitrates are up again...

My corals are looking like they want to give up, a couple of them look like theyre still chugging along, but certainly not happy.

Salinity:
Ph: 8.4
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 500 (i know its a little high )
Dkh: 12
Temp: 79-80 (been running a fan to keep it down)

New skimmer is running nicely

Water movement is the best its ever been.

Im not sure what's left to try.

I did a water change on Saturday and the nitrates dropped to 20. I'm not sure why it would be up again so fast.

 

If you can find some Halimeda to add to the fuge it works great for sucking up phosphate and nitrate. I have it in the display but some don't like macro in their display.

 

I just googled it and never saw it before, but I'll look out for it.

I just disconnected the canister filter, I'm going to leave it off for a week or so and see if theres any change. Maybe two weeks.

 

Reading through this thread... water changes do not solve nitrate problems, they only dilute them. You need to discover the source.

Common sources include

• feeding too much (I feed my tank a max of 3x a week)
• canister filters are often the source
• bio balls are often the source

I'm not saying any of those three things are a given or that they necessarily will be the source, but they are common sources and take rediculous amounts of maintenance and cleaning (vs not having them).

All I use is a HOB skimmer and LR.

I would suggest getting rid of the bio balls altogether (which I'm sure some folks that hold dearly to them will swoop in and counter this suggestion, but I make it nevertheless) and I would unhook the canister filter too. Cut back on feedings. Keep up with the WC until under control.

 

Hey peredhil!

I follow your feeding advice a fewwwwww months ago and it got rid of my ammonia problems, so i doubt it's too much food. I also just feed my gumbo via syringe and tube, which they run too and devour on sight.

I now have the canister off, so hopefully it was that.

I washed out the bioballs a couple weeks ago, I also changed all the filterpads.

I'm gonna do a WC later, and hope I can get a grasp on this situation.

My corals were doing nicely for the longest and ass soon as they started doing well, they took a turn for the worst, I thought it was temps, and now nailed it down to nitrates.

Truly frustrating.

 

Glad I could help.

When you washed these out - how did you do it? All at once? Or partial.

If you washed them all out you may have gotten rid of all your good bacteria base and that's where the spike is coming from, IMO. Recommended these get cleaned around 1/3 at a time, in a rotation.

If you did do only 1/3, might be time to do the next? I dunno. Just brainstorming.

 

I'm curious as to your magnesium levels - they wont affect your nitrate issue at all but might help stabalize your calcium and alk/ph levels

 

I washed them all @ once, I did this thinking I still had the canister filter and pads holding bacteria. Perhaps I was wrong :-\

Magnesium Ive never checked, I know I really should, but the kit is expensive and funds are tightening up. Hard being a reefer in NY, I swear.