Jump to content
Innovative Marine Aquariums

Zero nitrates


Valco213

Recommended Posts

My new innovative marine fusion 20 has just finished cycling using ATM  colony and a pair of clownfish . My water parameters are zero ammonia and nitrates but more concerning are my nitrates. Even though I am feeding heavily there has been no change in the last week.

During the cycle the nitrates peaked at 7.9 as measured on my Hanna checker. The only thing I can think of is that the bioload is to small from my intank filter media.

I am running Biohome Ultimate and Seachem matrix.

Has anybody any suggestions as to what I should do now. Add more fish or use something to raise the nitrate level. Also when should I add coral which I have had in a quarantine tank for some weeks.

Any help or advice would be appreciated

Link to comment

You can try removing the bio media. You might not need it. I don't use any in my tanks. My rocks serve as my bio filtration. Have you tested phosphate? 

Link to comment

At this point in your tank's life, I wouldn't worry too much about your nitrate level being too low.  Nitrifying bacteria won't lower nitrate, and de-nitrifying bacteria are rarely present in significant numbers to keep nitrate undetectable in a nano tank.

 

I wouldn't rush out and get more fish, or even overfeed, just to try to raise nitrate levels.  Overfeeding will add excess organics which will cause other problems down the road (cyano, algae, etc).  Just let your tank mature a bit, nitrate should eventually show up.

 

I'd probably wait on getting coral until you see measurable nitrate and phosphate (these nutrients are important for photosynthetic life).  While you can dose these inorganic nutrients, they should show up on their own.  Once you have photosynthetic life in your tank, you might consider dosing to help you reach your tank's nutrient target levels.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...