Nitrate problem in my 12 gallon nanocube

[bryan1354]

Hello, I have a 12 gallon jbj nanocube 3 months old and I can't seem to get rid of my nitrates! They remain at 20-30ppm. I do weekly water changes of 20 percent and just today I did a nearly 10 gallon water change and they are still at 20ppm. I have one damsel fish, two hermit crabs, three snails and a couple of corals wih 20+lbs of live rock and 1 inch sandbed. My filtration consist of 1 chamber: Oem sponge and denitrate and chemi pure elite 2nd chamber: live rock rubble 3rd chamber: return pump. I have noticed my live rock rubble is pretty dirty in the back should I rinse that out? Maybe that's what's causing the nitrates to remain High?

 

FYI I siphon all my corals free of detritates when I do water changes one a week. I feed very little twice a day.

Thank You,

[altolamprologus]

Double check with another test kit. After a 10 gallon water change, you would have seen a huge difference

[bryan1354]

I use API test kit and salt water from the lfs store that may have 5ppm nitrate could that be the cause? The test kit is accurate im sure I have done tests on numerous tanks.

[TeflonTomDosh]

Get rid of LR rubble and sponge. Replace sponge with mediabasket that fits your tank.

 

Www.mediabaskets.com

 

This will hold floss, chemipure and chaeto (which will reduce nitrates). LR rubble and sponge are nitrate factories

[bryan1354]

Hmm I will discard the live rock rubble it does look pretty dirty!! For now what can I buy at LFS to replace the rock?

 

What if I remove the live rock and replace with some chaeto?

[TeflonTomDosh]

Hmm I will discard the live rock rubble it does look pretty dirty!! For now what can I buy at LFS to replace the rock?

 

What if I remove the live rock and replace with some chaeto?

Make sure you get a light that will support the chaeto. What I did until I found a light is got one of those plastic soap dishes from walmart, they attach to the glass via suction cup. Put that in the display tank until my underwater light came, and let the display tank lights provide the light it needed to grow. You'll def want to invest in the media basket if you want to keep chaeto in the back. I just sold mine, but they have them available here.

 

http://shop.mediabaskets.com/SC-Nano-Cube-...et-SCNC12MR.htm

 

Hope this helps.

[bryan1354]

Very helpful, I want to get the chaeto and I already have a light for the back. It's kind of expensive for that media basket maybe I can do a DIY one. First thing I'm doing today is removing the rock rubble and removing the sponge cleaning it and cutting it in half. I will be adding the chaeto as well and see how that works out for me. I will update.

 

Thanks,

[bryan1354]

Also in the media basket does it matter in what order the chaeto, floss and chemi pure go in?

[GokesReef]

Your CuC is way too small.. bump it up to 20 snails and 10 hermits (I'd do 10 ceriths, 5 nerites, 5 astrea)

 

Also, don't worry about it too much - 20ppm nitrates isn't going to hurt anything.

[bryan1354]

I will be getting more snails and hermits and I would at least like my nitrates to be at 5ppm it would give me that piece of mind and I wouldn't worry about delicate corals dying. My feather duster threw its feathers I'm assuming because of the nitrates

[GokesReef]

I will be getting more snails and hermits and I would at least like my nitrates to be at 5ppm it would give me that piece of mind and I wouldn't worry about delicate corals dying. My feather duster threw its feathers I'm assuming because of the nitrates

 

Absolutely not. And what delicate corals are you running? Most can handle 20ppm with no problem... and, worst case, they just brown out - not die. But I don't know what kind of high end SPS you have.

[patback]

Make sure you get a light that will support the chaeto. What I did until I found a light is got one of those plastic soap dishes from walmart, they attach to the glass via suction cup. Put that in the display tank until my underwater light came, and let the display tank lights provide the light it needed to grow. You'll def want to invest in the media basket if you want to keep chaeto in the back. I just sold mine, but they have them available here.

 

http://shop.mediabaskets.com/SC-Nano-Cube-...et-SCNC12MR.htm

 

Hope this helps.

I like the new tom who helps people.

[TeflonTomDosh]

I like the new tom who helps people.

shut up pu$$y

 

**disclaimer - I don't actually think Patback is a pu$$y, I was only making a funny**

[Nano sapiens]

How's your sand bed (assuming you have one). If its really dirty and clogged, it isn't operating efficiently enough to process the nitrate properly and will act as a sink for substances you'd rather not have in your tank.

[bryan1354]

My sandbed is fine I clean it free of detrites once a week with my water change and is approx 1 inch in depth.

 

How does this set up sound to everyone for my filtration:

 

1st chamber: Sponge

2nd chamber: in tank media basket Chaeto W/ Light, Filter Floss, Chmi pure (in that order)

3rd chamber: Return pump and heater and some exrtra filter floss

 

How does that sound"?

[TeflonTomDosh]

My sandbed is fine I clean it free of detrites once a week with my water change and is approx 1 inch in depth.

 

How does this set up sound to everyone for my filtration:

 

1st chamber: Sponge

2nd chamber: in tank media basket Chaeto W/ Light, Filter Floss, Chmi pure (in that order)

3rd chamber: Return pump and heater and some exrtra filter floss

 

How does that sound"?

filter floss/chaeto/then chemipure, lose the sponge, lose the filter floss in chamber 3. Maybe add a bag of purigen to the mix as well as this is what I ran in my nano 12 with no probs.

[bryan1354]

so instead of the sponge I place the media basket inside chamber one and maybe a purigen in chamber 2 and chamber 3 just the return pump and heater?

[Nano sapiens]

so instead of the sponge I place the media basket inside chamber one and maybe a purigen in chamber 2 and chamber 3 just the return pump and heater?

 

You can actually run without anything at all back there, just pump and heater. I've been running this way for almost 4 years. I had 20-25ppm Nitrate after about a year of operation (with no SB cleaning) and no amount of WCs would bring it down. After a crusade to get rid of all detritus (and keep it that way) in the SB, LR, back chambers, etc. I haven't had any nitrate show up on my Salifert test kit in over 2 years now.

 

Just my two cents, but if you've seriously tackled the detritus issue on all fronts and you still have Nitrate that won't come down (for some odd reason), then I'd consider Purigen.

[Old Gregg]

If you're nitrates were that high after a 80%+ water change then check the nitrates of the water you're putting into the tank

[JCG66]

Try using instant ocean natural nitrate reducer, if your in a hurry to get your nitrates down. I had my tank reach about 120 ppm in nitrate the first week of cycling and it declined to zero with the use of this product

[Derbird]

Have you tested your source water for nitrates? You may be suprized by what you find in there.

 

Also why do you have detritus building up on your corals? Do you have any power heads in the tank. If so you may need to adjust where they are pointing. If not you will want to add some.

[TeflonTomDosh]

so instead of the sponge I place the media basket inside chamber one and maybe a purigen in chamber 2 and chamber 3 just the return pump and heater?

yes, media basket chamber one, I had the bag of chemipure in chamber 2, and my heater and return pump in 3.

[JCG66]

You should add floss in chamber one in chamber two chemi put elite and in chamber three some phosphate sponge

[bryan1354]

I have decided to do this

1st chamber: filter floss, chemi pure and some perigun

2nd chamber: all chaeto

3rd chamber: empty

 

I removed my rock rubble it was filthy!!

My water source might have 0-5Ppm from LFS

I use nothing but RO water. I will also be doing another water change by removing all the water from the filtration part again and adding fresh new water! Hopefully this will reduce my nitrates

[GokesReef]

LFS might not be changing their filters frequently enough... FWIW, I use the pink cap bottled water from WalMart that costs just about 90 cents a gallon.