135 gallon Nitrate factory?

[e7046v]

hey i had a question, my uncle just recieved a free 135 gal tank from a coworker for his birthday! He called me up and started asking me questions, since i only have a ten gallon NC I have a couple of questions. He asked about how he could get his Nitrates down and he told me that everything else was fine. He had about 11-12 fish including a dogface puffer and 3 tangs. He told me also that he had 2 canister filters with bioballs and ceraic beads. I told him that his tank was overstocked and the bioballs needed removing with the ceramic beads because they are a trate factory. I also told him to remove the sponge int the filters and clean them really good and only have them in the filter if he was cleaning his tank. i also told him that he shoul add some sort of microalgae somewhere so It could absorb the nitrates. As I don't have any experience with larger reef tanks I don't know If their is anything else that can be done...although i guess I have the same knowledge with my 10 gal then others have with their 135's ?

[supahtim]

i've never had anything bigger than a 65g, but i do know what is required for a large tank. here are some things:

 

a very good skimmer, the right amount of flow (15-30x the volume of water), the proper amount of quality live rock (1-2lbs per gallon), and the proper type and depth of substrate are all required.

 

canister filters are basically giant overpriced powerheads. to save energy and get better flow throughout the aquarium, take them out and either add a closed loop system, or more powerheads.

 

hth,

Tim

[shiveley]

It's not a nano, so the same set of rules do not apply. and if he's running a fish only system, nitrates aren't as big of a problem. But, as mentioned previously, a protein skimmer can help, as well as lots of flow to keep everything moving.

Tank doesn't seem to be too overstocked, by your description, considering it's a 135G, and canister's can work fine for fish only tanks, if that's what he's running.

 

Basically, it's an impossible question to answer without know much more about the tank, it's maintenance, the equipment used, and the live stock. It could be something as simple as over-feeding...infrequent water changes...or low water flow.

[Seamus]

Nitrates are the end result of the nitrogen cycle and the only way to get them out of the system is through an export process. Water changes and macro algae growth and trimming are examples of export processes. At some point you physically have to get the nitrate out of the water through an export process.

 

Increased Skimming, reduced stocking, less frequent feedings etc will slow down the rate at which nitrates are produced.

 

Increase in nitrates means you are creating nitrate faster than you are exporting it.

 

To reduce nitrate do two things, produce less and export more. (see notes above)

[tperkins]

Sounds like it is just a FOWLR tank. 'trates are not that big of a concern when you are talking FO and FOWLR. All the above posters are correct.

 

The 1st thing we need to know is if indeed it is a FOWLR or FO tank what are the current 'trate levels, and how often are water changes being done? A good skimmer can greatly reduce the amount of 'trates in the tank by reducing the amount of organics broken down by the nitrogen cycle.

 

These types of tanks are usually more heavily stocked than your normal reef tank so IMO water changes should be the main method of 'trate export.

[e7046v]

It is a FOWLR system and He doesn't have a sump/refugium nor a skimmer. So a skimmer would probably do the trick.

[Seamus]

The skimmer will remove waste materials before they decompose to nitrates. So that will slow the rate of nitrate buildup in the tank.

 

If you want to lower nitrates you still have to export. ie. water changes or macro algae.

 

Skimming does not remove nitrate. Water changes, water changes and more water changes will.

 

But like others have said, a madoerate level of Nitrate can be tolerated in a FOWLR set up