Nitrates :(
- Thread starter Jkraft136
- Start date
daugherty
part time reefer
clean the piss out of the canister filter
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
Are you using ro water or tap?
RAYRAY
Tiny Tank Club A+ Member
wow, you dont have a skimmer and you are using a canister filter and You NITRATES are only 20 ppm. You are pretty lucky. I been battleing nitrates and I have a skimmer, fuge and ton of live rock. I switch to RO water and it's been helping tons !!
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
Another suggestion (from my personal experience)-- take some sample water and your nitrate test drops to the lfs....do a side-by-side test -- meaning, have them test your water using THEIR test kit, and do your test with your test kit at the same time. See if you get the same results. wouldn't hurt :)
I found out that my nitrate test kit (which kept telling me I still had 20-40ppm of nitrates) was bad. I was battling with 160+ppm nitrates when I first set up (turned out to be ntirates in the tap--so i got a ro/di). Even after I made multiple changes, I couldn't get below 20-40ppm of nitrates. And I had no livestock except a few crabs/snails! Finally, I did a side-by-side test with my test kit and the lfs'.....turns out my test kit was bad! The lfs actually tested my water as having 0 ppm.
It was brand new (date on the box wasn't expired), and I had just opened it a month prior. So now, before I buy a new test kit, I test the new kit with the store's hehehe. Yours might not be bad, but if your water is good, then it might be the test kit. It wouldn't hurt. Just make sure to bring enough of your tank water.
I found out that my nitrate test kit (which kept telling me I still had 20-40ppm of nitrates) was bad. I was battling with 160+ppm nitrates when I first set up (turned out to be ntirates in the tap--so i got a ro/di). Even after I made multiple changes, I couldn't get below 20-40ppm of nitrates. And I had no livestock except a few crabs/snails! Finally, I did a side-by-side test with my test kit and the lfs'.....turns out my test kit was bad! The lfs actually tested my water as having 0 ppm.
It was brand new (date on the box wasn't expired), and I had just opened it a month prior. So now, before I buy a new test kit, I test the new kit with the store's hehehe. Yours might not be bad, but if your water is good, then it might be the test kit. It wouldn't hurt. Just make sure to bring enough of your tank water.
fishsticks
No clue about reefs
sometimes test kits r not accurate i have some liquid test kits and they always show me having .25 nitrate present and others showing 0 but i take it to the lfs and theirs show none. so some test kits are not accurate all the way i always recommend to take your water to your lfs and get tested.
o wait re-read the post(s) in here and +1 for wonton lol yea what he said
o wait re-read the post(s) in here and +1 for wonton lol yea what he said
Smitty
Reef pro
And if the lfs test show you to have nitrates, just continue to do water changes, and slow down on feedings...there are some types of media you can place in your hob filter to help to reduce them...Good luck!
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
No, it won't.
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
+1 capt
i also recommend to mainly up your water changes. Remove the filters and get a skimmer.
i also recommend to mainly up your water changes. Remove the filters and get a skimmer.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
You can add a Purigen pack. I use one on mine. My nitrates are under control (though not necessarily cuz of the Purigen, but if it is all working out, why should I mess with the setup LOL).
I really cut back on feeding to just once a day. I have a 45g with 2 clowns, 2 firefish, a peppermint shrimp, and the snails and crabs of course. Not much bioload, so it helped to cut back from 2 feedings/day to just 1. I used to change my water once a week, 10%, now I barely do 10% every 2-3 weeks.
I really cut back on feeding to just once a day. I have a 45g with 2 clowns, 2 firefish, a peppermint shrimp, and the snails and crabs of course. Not much bioload, so it helped to cut back from 2 feedings/day to just 1. I used to change my water once a week, 10%, now I barely do 10% every 2-3 weeks.
Teixeira29
Live Rock Fish only
just get a test kit that accurate they have good ones and not so good ones!!
Bifferwine
I am a girl
The canister filter isn't helping any. And an HOB filter won't be any better. They tend to cause consistently high nitrates. If you have the funds to do it, the best course of action would be to ditch any sort of mechanical filtration like that and just go with a protein skimmer instead.
Also, do you have crushed corals substrate or sand? With crushed coral, it's usually impossible to get the nitrates down any lower than 20. Crushed coral is a nitrate trap.
Also, do you have crushed corals substrate or sand? With crushed coral, it's usually impossible to get the nitrates down any lower than 20. Crushed coral is a nitrate trap.
