HIGH nitrates and LOW ph levels

[tdoublec]

My Nitrate levels are kinda HIGH as my PH is bout 7.8...any advice would be appreciated.My Nitrites are 0, Amm 0,Nitrates 30-40,PH7.8 . I do 1.5g water changes weekly and only have 2 fish 6line wrasse and a percula clown as well as various zoos,button poylps,candy cane,shrooms,frogspawn,sinularia,kenya,tree sponge,finger leather,3 GSP,sun coral and some Rics as well as a decent clean up crew.I feed twice a week with phytoplanton and small portion of frozen brine ance a week for the fish.....PLZ HELP

[tdoublec]

12g NANO JBJ stock lighting

[balla816]

u could be overfeeding.......what kind of water are u doing ur water changes with..........fluctuatinos in Ph is an indicator that something is wrong in ur system sometimes

[tdoublec]

using RO water

[tdoublec]

The PH has been at 7.8 for quite awhile now, hasnt really budged from that level.you think maybe the test kit im using isnt really that accurate?

[tdoublec]

and the Nitrates have also been like 20-40 as well

[Tempest]

Adding macroalgae to the tank and doing more frequent water changes may help with the nitrates. Cut back on flake foods if you are using them. What kind of filter and filter media do you use? Removal of biomedia (sponge, bio-balls ,etc.) will sometimes help decrease nitrates.

 

As for the low pH, did you check your alkalinity and calcium levels? Try keeping the alkalinity around 10/3.3 and the calcium around 400-450. Also, if you point a powerhead at the surface it will increase surface agitation thereby increasing gaseous exchange and improving the oxygen content in the water which will in turn help raise the pH.

[rhs]

Did you fix your high nitrate, low pH problem ?

I have the same situation and am wondering what course of action to take.

I was first alerted to this when my GSPs stopped opening.

Thanks,

Ron

[tdoublec]

Well i switched food from frozen brine to flake food...the nitrates are lower now..20, but i still cant increase my Ph still at 7.8... i believe cuz its due to the lack of water flow in certain areas

[Tigahboy]

Chaeto macro algae is my savior! I had nitrates around 40ppm for the longest time. I used RO, I did 1-2 water changes weekly (5-10%), protein skimmer, ditched any bio-balls and such, etc...

 

I only saw a difference after adding my Chaeto to my fuge/sump. Within a couple weeks it dropped down to 20ppm...I didn't change anything else in terms of maintenance, etc. It gradually got down to 10...last week it was finally at 5....today: ZERO. =)

 

And of course with the decrease in nitrates, I saw a corresponding increase in chaeto growth. For a growth comparison see my thread here: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...8588#post378588

[vokuro]

tigah how big is your fuge?

[Tigahboy]

It's a 20g long AGA. Biggest tank I could fit in my stand.

[mik]

T just add something like reef builder to raise your ph. a lot of ro water just doesnt turn out to be a high ph because ph is based on the water you run throught the ro filter. ditto the fuge .