How to reduce nitrates

[ZOOH]

Hi,
The nitrate level in my 55 gal is very high (the test reads 50). How should I bring it down? I already did a 10 gal water change that didn't make much difference. How often should I change my water to bring it down? I saw an additive at the fish store that says it removes nitrates, you guys think it's a good idea to use that stuff? I also have a hang on power filter with no media in it, I just use it for more water movement.....could this be what is causing the high level of nitrates?

[SuperScro]

Most of the products sold that claim to reduce nitrates are usually bogus. The best way to get it done is macro algaes and water changes. Can you possibly do 50% water change which will on the spot reduce nitrates to a half. Adding some Macros will gradually pull it down also, keeping a few big pieces in your tank will surely help. If you have fish, maybe put them in a QT or feed them less so nitrates don't add up as much. Just keep doing big water changes once a week, and those Nitrates will get down.

Also do you ahve a protein skimmer? It helps reduce the organic compounds in your aquarium that eventually form into nitrates, so adding one will slow down the process.

A filter with no media i think is useless other than water movement. Not sure if this could be a cause, but maybe it depends on the type of filter? Give us some information on your tank, equipment and livestock wise.

[Twan013]

i feel your pain... hehe.. i'm dealing with the same thing, but i did have more nitrates (80, i think)... a water change dropped it to 40, and i've done another one, but haven't checked the nitrates yet.. (stupid me)

and i'm not doing 50% water changes either, in my 55, doing about 10 gallons each time... and i'm running a pretty good skimmer too.... AND i've got some hitchhiker macroalgae starting to grow (halimeda, and if someone could ID it for me, its got several long narrow leaves growing from a central point), so that may be helping it as well

on a side note, i used to think those products would work, but after adding water declorinator/conditioner, and reading up a little, i learned that a lot of additives are BAD BAD BAD.... my skimmer acted as if i had poured a whole bottle of dish soap in the aquarium, and even to this day i don't know if it worked or not... oh yeah, and since i'm on the subject, i hope you're not using tap water... i did once (hence the reason i used the declorinator), and my nitrates skyrocketed!!

so there's my bits of advice and experience, good luck to ya!

[MDeth]

How often do you feed your fish, what are they, and how much do you feed?

[Tangster]

If you have a sump ? just hook up a denitrater coil it is fed by siphon and cost nothing to operate and 100% effective. Can be set up to operate with a small power head if no sump is in place.. They work for me and I have used them for a long time ..

[yankeereefer]

mdeth has a good point- you may be overfeeding.

What's your regular maintenance schedule like? Are you doing enough frequent w/c's? This is one of my probs - I'm lazy

What about your substrate, sand or crushed coral? - The crushed coral tends to trap detritus (poo, food, etc.) resulting in higher nitrates too.

Investing in a skimmer would also help as would installing a refugium for more LR and macroalgae, like chaeto or I understand that xenia is also helpful in reducing 'trates.

Sorry if you already know this stuff, just thought I'd throw it out there

YR

[nemo79]

I had a big problem with nitrates...they were at 80ppm. I started doing water changes, vacummed my crushed coral substrate, blew my LR with turkey baster and I only feed every other day. I also used kents nitrate sponge when I got the nitrates down to 20ppm and it helped get rid of the rest.
Since I started feeding less, doing regular water changes, and blowing my rock off my nitrates have stayed at 0. If you use carbon remember to clean it regularly and change it frequently.

[ZOOH]

Thanks guys. It seems like weekly water changes and less feeding is the way to go. I started to feed more (2-3 small servings a day) because one of my tangs got ick and I read somewhere that I had to feed it more to relieve his stress. Well, the ick is gone, but now I have this problem. I only have that tang, a clown and 2 damsels left in the tank....how often should I feed them? Once every other day?

And one more thing.....when my skimmer fills up like crazy, does that mean my water is bad? I notice on some days, barely any foam comes out, and on other days, it fills up overnight...just wondering.

[djnzlab1]

HI,
I have a tang too, and they love that live food, I bought some alage on line and that tang been trimming it all day, and spirlla flake are the best food for tangs I don't use that sea kelp dried stuff its to much bulk, plants seem to really mess up systems they don't digest well and you are left with a lot of that green fish poo all over the place.
I believe that ick is a symptom when animals are healthy they seem to resist the infections I ve even read they can develope resistance to ick.
Doug

[nemo79]

Yes weekly water changes, feeding once every other day will improve the nitrates. The thing is to lower them immediately you may have to do a few water changes per week. If you get them down to 20ppm you can use kents nitrate sponge and that will lower the rest.