Problims with my nitrate level

My specs

150 Lbs LR 100gal reef 55gal sump

Salinity 29
Specific Gravity 1.021
pH - Alkalinity 8.4/2.9
Nitrite 0.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 20


thinking about chucking the bioballs

 

you can keep the bioballs if you clean them when you do a water change. but ive never been a fan of the bioballs in a reef tank, if there clean they still will produce some nitrates but not nearly as much as if there dirty.

 

I been thinking I did an extreem water change by error lats month it was 60gal at lest my tank might be at the end of a cycle plus I just added 75 lbs of rock

 

adding more live rock will do it because even though they may sell it to you and say its clean and cycled it almost never fully is.

 

Sounds like your tank is still cycling since you have nitrites present. Bioballs don't necessarily create nitrates. They will filter them out and help the bacteria that is present. In essence they are sorta like a fuge when they get established. If you don't want to use them get denitrate coil and that will do the trick.

 

i dont think bioballs can remove nitrates since they are aerobic. but a denitrate coil would help

 

I have never had a problem using them though. I removed the ones in the rsm and replaced them for a denitrate coil for Tangster. They were hard to get to.

 

I cured the rock my self but im thinking its near the end of a cycle so ill test in a day or 2 and hope it goes down

 

How old is the tank.

 

20ppm No3 isn't that bad at all, i've been 10-20ppm forever and everything looks great.