Bifferwine
I am a girl
- Location
- Lynnwood, WA and missing Tucson, AZ
Nitrates at 20 can be fatal to SPS corals like acros and montis. They really need nitrates to be as close to zero as possible.
I don't know if overstocking is the only reason. When you removed all your filter pads and stuff the nitrates dropped by half, right? Overstocking could be responsible for some of it. There are other reasons for high nitrates as well -- using canister or HOB filters, using crushed coral substrate instead of sand, overfeeding, using flake or pellet foods. It could be a combination of many factors.
I don't know if overstocking is the only reason. When you removed all your filter pads and stuff the nitrates dropped by half, right? Overstocking could be responsible for some of it. There are other reasons for high nitrates as well -- using canister or HOB filters, using crushed coral substrate instead of sand, overfeeding, using flake or pellet foods. It could be a combination of many factors.