trying to lower nitrates

i did my weekly water test and all was norm, ph 7.8, salt was 1.024, nitrite and ammonia both 0, but then my nitrates came back over 100, im thinking i had a few snails, and hemits died that why its soo high but i cant find them, my skimmer is working its not pulling any gunk out, i did a water change and idk if it helped im getting rdy to check it. i have carbon running, and i have a gfo reactor and cheato with 6500k light on it. idk how it got this high and idk how to lower it.

my fish dont seem to be bothered by it and the rest of my CuC seems fine im just worried about long term affects

 

I would redo the test or double check it against another test kit, perhaps one at the local fish store.

After rechecking the value then proceed with more frequent water changes using RO.

Are you using tap water?

 

no i use an ro/di unit and i just replaced the DI about a month ago, i checked it on red sea and on api nitrate test. untill i see nitrates fall i plan on doing a water change ever 2 days after that i will go back to weekly water changes

 

ill see if the closet lfs can do a water test for me 2morrow when i go out

 

Newly cycled tank right?

Did you use live uncured rock?

 

yes newly cycled about 2-3weeks out of cycle, used dry rock

 

That new a tank, I'd keep doing the WC's, and don't worry much.

The skimmer working? As in lots of bubbles to the top of the cone?

You have carbon, GFO, AND chaeto, on a 2-3 out of cycle tank? Wow, nice

 

ik gfo carbon and chaeto may have been over kill but i want to start right.
the skimmer i have the bubbles stoping right at the bottom of the collection cup

 

im wondering if the nitrates might be coming from my bucket, i did when i first start use a bad batch of salt, how would i go about cleaning the bucket out to insure this. just fill with ro/di water wipe it out really good?

ya i put ro/di water in it wiped it out good with a pice of filter pad and lets say the water turned to a milky white/grey color, going to fill agian and wipe agian till i see clear water. this could also account for why my water seems hazy

as for now i have a 16.5 gallon container i can use, its never had anything in it. should i rinse it out and use it to do a water change doing this will be almost replacing half the water volume.

 

filled bucket test no nitrates, next before doing water change ill test the salt water make sure its not comeing from the salt (heard a rumor it might be lol) also will take a water sample to LFS and let them test it, if it comes the same well ik its not test kit if its different well then.