another nitrate thread!

[wowser]

Finally got the nitrates down to 0 or near 0 by minimal feeds, lots of water changes and cleaning sand. Now my Ph, Calc and Kh are off and what's left of my corals are po'd. Probably all the changes that are going on too.

[Gromit1710]

I've got an 8 gal BC as well.

My specs are here : http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=238519&hl=

 

My nitrites have never been below 10 since I've had the tank.

 

I haven't let it bother me too much. Some things just are what they are. I feed my swimmers once a day with a small pinch of flake and an occasional few drops of phyto feast for the tubes and other filter feeders that have popped up.

[Amphiprion1]

I might suggest something a bit different, besides the potential idea of carbon dosing. Why not drive photosynthesis in your refugium a bit more? You'd be surprised how quickly fast-growing algae can utilize N and P. If that isn't feasible, I suggest (carefully) trying organic carbon dosing (ethanol in many cases--I think that's what lakshwadeep meant instead of methanol), as long as you have a decent protein skimmer. The latter isn't my preference, since it isn't completely well understood.

 

Edit: For example, using a turf scrubber on my old tank, I was adding very substantial amounts of food without so much as a tiny rise in either nitrate or phosphate. I actually had to add phosphorus in order to keep from limiting the algae so that it would also utilize nitrogen. In other words, I fed more to get lower nutrient levels.

[nick1912]

I hear xenia run circles around nitrates. Some even keep a xenia farm tank plumbed to their display.

[steviejitsu]

No need to buy anything to help your problems most of the time. The best thing to do are water changes. Many tanks(my tank included) runs on pretty much just the live rock.(I have a HOB filter, but all it holds is pillow filling to catch some poop that I toss out.)

However, my tank is 8 months old. Its probably just that your tank isn't fully cycled yet or your not doing your water changes(I do weekly 25%)

[jm82792]

Sucrose will work great!

It's done a lot, even a guy at Petco that I told to dose is doing it and their display tanks look waaay better now.

[wowser]

Really? Everything I've read on vodka/sucrose dosing says only in bigger tanks. You think it's a good idea in an 8 gallon tank?

 

 

Sucrose will work great!

It's done a lot, even a guy at Petco that I told to dose is doing it and their display tanks look waaay better now.

[blasterman]

IMHO, nitrate levels below 10ppm are the most desireable. Obviously '0' is the goal, but '0' often just means it's being consumed.

 

Nitrate levels higher than that aren't the culprit. It's the nuisance algae and bacteria that start attacking your corals that cause the problem.

 

Used tanks are typically neglected, and in retrospect the substrate should have either been scrubbed or replaced. God knows what's been building up in there. Live rock typically needs only a hit with a turkey baster, and it's good to go.

 

Yup, Xenia love nitrate (so do Zoas). After my bi-color psuedo jumped out of my 10 gallon (he was the only fish) mine started dying within two weeks.

[wowser]

I did replace the LS and put about a cup of the old to seed a bit. The LR had a lot of algae but I cleaned most with toothbrush. This tank has been a lot of problems. May do another larger tank for my Familyroom that will be new and I'll start the cycle from scratch.

 

IMHO, nitrate levels below 10ppm are the most desireable. Obviously '0' is the goal, but '0' often just means it's being consumed.

 

Nitrate levels higher than that aren't the culprit. It's the nuisance algae and bacteria that start attacking your corals that cause the problem.

 

Used tanks are typically neglected, and in retrospect the substrate should have either been scrubbed or replaced. God knows what's been building up in there. Live rock typically needs only a hit with a turkey baster, and it's good to go.

 

Yup, Xenia love nitrate (so do Zoas). After my bi-color psuedo jumped out of my 10 gallon (he was the only fish) mine started dying within two weeks.

[Gazchap]

I did replace the LS and put about a cup of the old to seed a bit. The LR had a lot of algae but I cleaned most with toothbrush. This tank has been a lot of problems. May do another larger tank for my Familyroom that will be new and I'll start the cycle from scratch.

 

I've heard too much LR and lots of sand that does not quite constitute a DSB can both house nitrates. I think this might be my problem because, at the moment, my nitrates are sky high in my 46g - although all livestock are doing well.

 

I plan on removing some LR. I have already removed some sand and plan on removing a bit more.

[amnestia]

Only vodka/sugar dose if you are running a skimmer.