Nitrates are KILLIN me! Tried EVERYTHING!

[waynotcars]

Update Red slime still gone. I'm thinking Special Blend is great for removing cyano but not so great doing anything for nitrates. Tank looks 100% better though. Today I added a turf algae scrubber to my basement sump.

 

[InfernoST]

Do you have before and aft pics? Are you using a Hanna meter to test for phosphates?

 

[mbg75]

Vodka works, but its sounds like you might have a phosphate limitation issue, with nitrates at 80ppm and phos at .05. Starting feeding foods heavy in phos like sheets of nori, and take the phosban offline for a couple of weeks. You will probably have to start decreasing vodka doses drastically. Just a few mls in my overstocked heavily fed tank of about the same size as yours brings nitrates down to 0.

Could you explain this more? if phos is limited, and nitrates high, then that locks in the nitrates? is that right?
sorry if i missed something

 

[waynotcars]

Sorry, I didn't even think to take before pictures. I was too busy doing combat. Here's a pic of tank today after 1 week of special blend. You'll have to take my word that a week ago the rocks were 80 to 90% covered, as was the bare bottom, with red cyano. Today I added a Sea Hare, 30 Mexican Red legged Hermit Crabs, 20 Turbo Snails and a mixture of other snails.

 

[mbg75]

Any updates?

 

[waynotcars]

Sure. All algae is gone. The Sea Hare lasted 2 days before being sucked into my Mag 24, even though it had a grate over it. He was shot out of my closed loop as salad makings. I was really disheartened as he was going to TOWN on algae! But, all signs of cyano are gone as is hair algae. The tank has never LOOKED better. Coraline algae is just starting to appear here and there. Unfortunately, the darned nitrates are still really high. I am trying to be really patient with what I am doing now and wait. Every morning I dose 5 ml vodka and 8 ml Special Blend. I installed the turf algae filter in my sump and have cleaned it once. I change my filter sock every day. Each morning my skimmer has about a pint or more of really black, stinky skim mate. I clean the cup every morning. I know the nitrates will not come down over night and the tank looks great so I am hoping I am on the right track. They say the turf algae filter will begin to reduce nitrates in about 4 weeks and after four cleanings. They also say vodka is a long slow process so I have no choice other then to wait it out and see where it takes me. Even though the nitrates read 40ppm all my corals are doing well as is my shrimp, hermit crabs, turbo snails and fish.

 

[mbg75]

Good to hear!

 

[batt600]

If you want your Trates down buy zeobac and start3 . Start the first week dosing zoebac every day then after that just 2x a week and dose start3 2x every day i guarantee your trates will go to zero in a few weeks.

 

[waynotcars]

Thanks. Something to try if this does not work in 3 to 4 weeks.

 

[batt600]

It will

 

[waynotcars]

Do you mean what I am doing will or what you suggest will work? thanks

 

[mellow1959]

Try a Reef Dynamics skimmer makes all the difference in the world!!

 

[waynotcars]

skimmer does NOT reduce nitrates

Try a Reef Dynamics skimmer makes all the difference in the world!!

No skimmer reduces nitrates. No skimmer can remove nitrates from the water column. If a skimmer could there would be no struggle with nitrates throughout this hobby. There would be no problem of elevated nitrates. Everyone would just buy a quality skimmer and Bam, no nitrates.

It isn't that simple, I wish it were. A skimmer breaks down organic waste before it can be turned into nitrates. A quality skimmer will help to keep a system with low nitrates low in nitrates.

I run a fantastic skimmer. An ASM G6x. It runs on two Sedra 15000 pumps and pulls loads of waste from the system. It's rated at 1200 gallons and is run on a system with a total water volume of 300 gallons. Even if the rating of 1200 gallons is exagerated by two fold then the skimmer is STILL rated at 600 gallons, twice the volume of my system.

If, in fact, a skimmer could actually reduce high nitrates I'd already be at 0 nitrates.

 

[Boomer]

Well put Wayno

 

[mbg75]

You try good size water change?

 

[batt600]

Do you mean what I am doing will or what you suggest will work? thanks

What i suggest will work

 

[tynman]

I'm going to get a better skimmer. I'm going to get a better test kit. No, this polyp is a coral from the live rock I bought from a fellow reefer but I can see where you might think it is a mojelo. I absolutely agree with tynman when you say I'm doing too much. Patience was never my strong suit. I'm going to try and leave it alone and let it run after I add a better skimmer. Any suggestions on a skimmer? Do you find the Chemipure to do a good job? I run GFO and carbon. Should I run Chemipure also? Thanks for all the input. I appreciate it. I just don;t think when you post you should start off by saying "First of all you have junk."

Well I am now trying the carbon from BRS. Its cheaper and its suppost to be very good. Im letting my chemipure run its course for the next 2 months and then Im going to run the new stuff.(I could always go back to the chemipure)

 

[Domboski]

I didn't read the whole thread so ignore me if this was mentioned already. Buy a pool sand filter (if you have the space). At least one that takes 150 lbs of sand. Buy the pool filter sand and when it cycles your nitrates should drop big time. Between that and water changes you should get them down. Your water will be crystal clear too :wink1:. Also on a side note, you don't need a pool pump to feed the filter. I use mag drives. Just make sure you have the recommended gph (label on sand filter will have the specs).

 

[jr973]

ohh so thats how u do it dom no wonder i saw that long tank u had in the basement what if u dont have the space than what

 

[waynotcars]

I didn't read the whole thread so ignore me if this was mentioned already. Buy a pool sand filter (if you have the space). At least one that takes 150 lbs of sand. Buy the pool filter sand and when it cycles your nitrates should drop big time. Between that and water changes you should get them down. Your water will be crystal clear too :wink1:. Also on a side note, you don't need a pool pump to feed the filter. I use mag drives. Just make sure you have the recommended gph (label on sand filter will have the specs).

Wow, that confuses me. I would have thought the pool filter sand would end up being a nitrate factory? I certainly have the space as my 100 gal sump is in my basement beneath the tank in my living room. BUT, if the nitrates are trapped by the sand and the water continually runs through the sand it seems to be this would increase the nitrates? Please explain if you don't mind how it would reduce them.