Nitrate ?

[MadReefer]

What can I do to keep my nitrates down? I feed two frozen cubes a day and there is an auto feeder that dumps seaweed flakes twice a day, small amount. I perform a 15 gallon water change monthly. All other params are in check:
Nitrate - 50/60
salinity - 1.027
PH - 8.0
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Alk - 300
Calcium - 415
temp - 80

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[adesimone1]

What size tank do you have? I would say doing a water change every 7 to 10 days instead of monthly. We have been doing the vodka dosing and it really seems to work. We have a very large bioload so it has dropped ours to almost 0 in 2 weeks time. There is also sulfur denitrators that work also. I would definetly bump up your water changes.

 

[MadReefer]

75 gallon RR with 30 gallon sump.

 

[dnov99]

I would increase to a 20 gal water change and do it bi-weekly instead of monthly. Also what type of skimmer do you have, if you have one?? Do you have a refugium?? All this would help greatly.

 

[MadReefer]

I have a old Berlin Classic venturi skimmer in the center chamber of the sump. I took the first chamber and used egg crate to section it off diagonally. The closer chamber is where the filter sock is and the chamber in the back is where I have cheato. I placed a light across the cheato diagonally also. Wish I could figure out why they are so high.

 

[MikeNapoli]

What salt are you using?

ReefCrystals had a bad batch a while back if you got salt from Dr. Fosters. It was showing Nitrates and it had low Calcium.

 

[MadReefer]

I use Instant Ocean which I purchased from AO.

 

[MadReefer]

Anyone ever use this http://www.petsolutions.com/Fluval-Lab-Series-Nitrate-Remover+I15511502.aspxor http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10685/product.web?

 

[concept3]

What salt are you using?

ReefCrystals had a bad batch a while back if you got salt from Dr. Fosters. It was showing Nitrates and it had low Calcium.

That's what I had!!!! Bad bad salt!

 

[MadReefer]

Maybe I should test before mixing and then after to see what the readings are. Thanks everyone.

 

[paintballe48]

You could also get a brittle or serpent star they eat all the detrious and there good for nitrate problems =D also you might be feeding your fish too much, IDK how big your fishload is, but that just seems like alot of food. I feed my fish every other day one frozen cube and a little seaweed on a clip for my tangs.

 

[magic]

What salt are you using?

ReefCrystals had a bad batch a while back if you got salt from Dr. Fosters. It was showing Nitrates and it had low Calcium.

This must be the cause of my problem. Thanks Mike! Anybody want to buy a couple of buckets cheap!

 

[MadReefer]

Fish: flame angel, keyhole angel, coral beauty, 2 perc clown fish, yellow damsel, purple tang, engineer goby, bi-color blenny and lawn mower blenny. I am afraid if I cut back they will pick at the corals.

 

[Hawkeye]

On the skimmer...

Is your skimmer getting the display water directly? what is the rating on the skimmer versus the rating on your return pump? If the return pump is faster than the skimmer you are returning water to the display before it has a chance to be skimmed.

Basically you'd be recycling the dirty water back up.

 

[MadReefer]

Phil,
No. The skimmer sits in the sump and is rated for 200 or 250 gallon tank max. It didn't come with a pump but I placed a mag 5 as the customer rep told not to get anything smaller than a 500g/hr pump. The return pump is rated 600g/hr.

 

[jonathan.]

Fish: flame angel, keyhole angel, coral beauty, 2 perc clown fish, yellow damsel, purple tang, engineer goby, bi-color blenny and lawn mower blenny. I am afraid if I cut back they will pick at the corals.

That's a huge bio load for an 80g tank, IMO.

Frankly, I'd reduce the angels by 2 of them and possibly another.

Especially in a reef tank.

I'm actually shocked you don't have World War III on your hand with 3 dwarf angels!

 

[paintballe48]

Your bioload is a bet heavy and that is surprising your angels arent beating the crap out of eachother. IMO reduce your feedings

 

[MadReefer]

What can I say; not surprised by the comments. I have a dwarf angel fetish. As for downsizing the bio-load; its easier said then done. I may be able to get the clowns out as they hang at the top the others will be much harder; I've tried. I'll cut back to feeding ever other day and perform a 20g water change. Thanks

 

[lungfish]

As you probably know the dwarf angels you have hate nitrates. What type of substrate do you have (if any) and how deep?

 

[Hawkeye]

As you probably know the dwarf angels you have hate nitrates.

This statement is interesting. Bob Fenner says just the opposite. In his book The conscientious marine aquarist, he states that nitrates aren't critical. In fact most fish tolerate quite a bit of nitrates in my experience. What dwarf angels in your experience are impacted by nitrates? Or are you citing some study/author that reported dwarf angels to hate nitrates?