Lower nitrates without water changes?

[linbeg]

My nitrates are at 1.7ppm , my phosphate was at 2ppm but since buying the phosban reactor now they are at 0.02. Is there anyway to lower the nitrates without water changes? Or is the level of nitrate acceptable for a mixed reef? Will nitrates at this level be able to grow acroporas and clams? Thanks for any input!

btw im using a dr/890 Hach calorimeter

[tetraodon]

it is possable to lower them without water changes, but water changes are essental for the health of live stock in most circumstances, and that is technically an acceptable level, macro algae will eat nutrients and phos and nitrate, acros dont like phos or nitrate, but clams love it, might i ask why you dont want to do water changes?

[Steve973]

When organisms deplete the water of nutrients, like calcium, etc, you have to replenish those levels. The cheapest and easiest way to do that is through water changes.

[pgrVII]

What Steve said,also Steve ,sidenote I hail from the 21784 wouldn't think I'd see anyone on here from Carroll,sorry to side track the thread.

[linbeg]

I already dose bionic, and i feel like it should replenish all the essential elements technically needed. Rowaphos helps alot with reducing my phospahtes, now im trying to figure out how to do it for nitrates. I heard biopellets can help though.

 

I was also looking into maybe making an algae scrubber. Cuz right now i have gha in my tank in the back wall. So im thinking that the GHA is what's keeping my nitrates at 1.7 per se, if i remove it the algae will grow else where trying to maintain a low nitrates right?

[tetraodon]

i did a search on bionic all i found was calcium and mag suppliments, which is far from all the essential elements, GHA will take up nitrates, again why do you not want to do water changes? is the tank too big to do it fiscaly?

[05XRunner]

Bionic also adds a bunch of elements back into the water when dosing it. It list on the side of the bottle what is in each bottle besides just alk and calcium

[tetraodon]

even still just deciding to not do water changes and dose instead usally ends up failing, mostly because not every tank is going to use elements up at the same rate, so say if your calcium is being used up fast and you try and keep up with dosing the calc, then you keep adding and adding elements that arent being used, which can have some bad outcomes if not corrected. also water changes help you replenish many elements and nutrients, helps keep things in balance.

[brandon429]

the heart of your post is algae, and the secondary aspect is proposed to be nitrates but that isn't the case, so I say ignore nitrates and take your stance on algae as it will be. corals need some nitrate, clams moreso in many cases.

 

convo switches to algae~

 

Its a very polarizing subject, how to deal with algae. tank keepers start out non deliberate, after you lose some tanks and ten years you get deliberate and algae doesnt beat you any longer.

 

remember that old joke the surgeon wants to cut you to see whats wrong inside, the psychiatrist wants to medicate you to squelch whats wrong inside, and both are very good at their craft and have successful patients? same for tanks and algae. you simply have to pick a mode and run it deliberately. and have backup if it fails. one of the methods will come better for you than the others, but ran deliberately, they all work. we only debate the finer points, an algae free display tank is the goal.

 

Algae battling across the web in reef tank forums falls into this division:

-plant users (SM ATS systems, any type of macro refugium etc)

-chemical users (peroxide, algaefix marine, in many ways vodka dosing is for the purpose of algae prevention, GFO users, etc)

-animal users (clean up crew proponents)

-the lucky who need none or found the balance of two or more seemingly so easy

 

as you research each type of algae preventative, you'll see that api test kits are not accurate, so all of your numbers are actually unknowns, and that nitrate below 5 ppm isn't implicated in anything bad. I was trying to change the focus on your tank away from nitrates almost permanently, and into making a clear decision to be one of the action takers above.

[MarieH]

I found dosing Dr Tim's waste away had a profound effect on lowering nitrates. This is not your common snake oil, look st the reviews. Just a thought. All natural and easy to use. btw: I'm using the api test kits, without issues. The only thing I have a problem with is the calcium kit which constantly reads off the chart, I trust my salt mix though for a proper level of ca.

[metrokat]

My nitrates are at 1.7ppm , my phosphate was at 2ppm but since buying the phosban reactor now they are at 0.02. Is there anyway to lower the nitrates without water changes? Or is the level of nitrate acceptable for a mixed reef? Will nitrates at this level be able to grow acroporas and clams? Thanks for any input!

btw im using a dr/890 Hach calorimeter

I try to maintain 2ppm nitrates. Low level nitrates are needed for corals BTW. I don't think your nitrates are anywhere close to being off the charts.

[linbeg]

What's the calcium and alkalinity and magnesium of freshly made (using RO/DI water) saltwater?

If i do water changes wouldnt be dosing to maintain calcium/alkalinity/magnesium and do water changes wouldnt be dosing pointless then? Right now i only have frogspawn, zoas, palys, and one montipora frag.

i did a search on bionic all i found was calcium and mag suppliments, which is far from all the essential elements, GHA will take up nitrates, again why do you not want to do water changes? is the tank too big to do it fiscaly

its a 75 gallon tank so no,

[tetraodon]

What's the calcium and alkalinity and magnesium of freshly made (using RO/DI water) saltwater?

If i do water changes wouldnt be dosing to maintain calcium/alkalinity/magnesium and do water changes wouldnt be dosing pointless then? Right now i only have frogspawn, zoas, palys, and one montipora frag.

 

its a 75 gallon tank so no,

 

It all depends on the salt you use, read theb side, it should give you info as to the calc, mag and sch at certin salinity levels

[Amphiprion1]

If i do water changes wouldnt be dosing to maintain calcium/alkalinity/magnesium and do water changes wouldnt be dosing pointless then? Right now i only have frogspawn, zoas, palys, and one montipora frag.

 

You may not have to dose if you do water changes regularly and you've tested to see if there is much decline in concentrations of both. The main benefit to dosing, if necessary, is stability in calcium and carbonate/bicarbonate concentrations--which is ideal. So test in between changes and if the shift is negligible, then you likely won't have any real need to dose.

[kriskristofferzen]

the heart of your post is algae, and the secondary aspect is proposed to be nitrates but that isn't the case, so I say ignore nitrates and take your stance on algae as it will be. corals need some nitrate, clams moreso in many cases.

 

convo switches to algae~

 

Its a very polarizing subject, how to deal with algae. tank keepers start out non deliberate, after you lose some tanks and ten years you get deliberate and algae doesnt beat you any longer.

 

remember that old joke the surgeon wants to cut you to see whats wrong inside, the psychiatrist wants to medicate you to squelch whats wrong inside, and both are very good at their craft and have successful patients? same for tanks and algae. you simply have to pick a mode and run it deliberately. and have backup if it fails. one of the methods will come better for you than the others, but ran deliberately, they all work. we only debate the finer points, an algae free display tank is the goal.

 

Algae battling across the web in reef tank forums falls into this division:

-plant users (SM ATS systems, any type of macro refugium etc)

-chemical users (peroxide, algaefix marine, in many ways vodka dosing is for the purpose of algae prevention, GFO users, etc)

-animal users (clean up crew proponents)

-the lucky who need none or found the balance of two or more seemingly so easy

 

as you research each type of algae preventative, you'll see that api test kits are not accurate, so all of your numbers are actually unknowns, and that nitrate below 5 ppm isn't implicated in anything bad. I was trying to change the focus on your tank away from nitrates almost permanently, and into making a clear decision to be one of the action takers above.

I agree. Everybody finds their own happy medium and then expounds it. Research the methods and find a way/s to incorporate that into your regimen (not that your not already doing that). I'd do water water changes and reduce the detritus buildup in the tank (turkey basting/sand bed stirring or replacing in sections at different times of the year etc), and clean out the sump junk that builds up over time (if you have a sump). If you go the DSB approach for nitrate reduction, I would really suggest finding as many tanks that utilize that method as possible and as many articles prior to utilizing it. Without getting into the DSB argument in this case to reduce the nitrates, it could also have the opposite eventual effect you want for phosphates in the long term. There is also the aspect of your bioload, but most of us have overstocked tanks anyway right? The same for feeding, but those are just extra things to consider.

Related to Nitrates, here is an interesting read related to water changes and element replacement by Holmes (sorry double post I just posted this another thread) I found it helpful. Review the areas about nitrate levels and water changes. Water changes will reduce the levels of nitrate but your still producing it. Also of note is the topic of Mg/Ca/Alk replacement via water changes.

I just posted this in another thread. I found it useful. Check out the graphs for nitrate removal via water changes. I would siphon the sand and baste the rocks on a regular basis as well.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/

 

Hopefully that helps