Need Filter & Fuge tips on keeping NITRATES LOW

I'm currently performing 20% water changes every 2 weeks in my 29 gallon BioCube 29 HQI. My nitrates are higher than I would like. My Ammonia and Nitrites have always read 0ppm since my cycle completed (quite awhile ago).

A little background:
I have replaced the BioCube filter media every 2 weeks (even though it only needs to be replaced monthly), and I even rinse it out every week with warm/hot freshwater. I have also removed the sponge that sits right before the pump in the 3rd chamber (after the aformentioned filter media in the 2nd chamber). I have Chaeto growing underneath the fitler media in the 2nd chamber (Fuge) and have a light on that (opposite schedule from 8-hour mH light in DT).

The only thing that I can think of, that I am not doing, is to rinse my Chaeto as there is quite a bit of funk on it. I'm guessing the funk is just beneficial algae that has grown thanks to the fuge light. I doubt that any detritus has passed through the filter media, drip tray, and into the chamber compartment (but you never know). I'm sure there are things that I have not thought of so please share your tips. BTW, Chaeto is the only thing that I have in my 2nd chamber fuge (1st chamber has a protein skimmer, and 3rd chamber has sponge, pump, heater).

Thanks in advance

 

Also, I have great circulation in my tank with no dead spots, no algae issues in the DT, and any detritus in/on the crushed coral gets visibly cleaned up by 5 blue-legged hermits and 1 red-legged hermit....of course when I stir up the cc when doing a water change, it snows in the tank.

Maybe I should invest in a gravel vaccum to use every few days...for between water changes?

 

The gravel vac is a good idea, use it each water change and siphon all of the CC. Ideally remove the CC. Cutting back on feeding will help. Use a turkey baster to blow off your rock to dislodge any detritus. Clean out the filtration area every water change to remove any accumulated detritus. Stop washing out the media in freshwater, use old tank water.

 

Gravel vac would be my first step. Every time I do a water change I gravel vac a little bit. How long have you had the chaeto? That can take awhile before it kicks in. I removed all my sponges except for one square inch that covers my overflow to stop some noise and snail adventures. My nitrates were at 20 today so it's manageable. As mentioned less feeding (or a lighter bioload=less fish) can help too.

If it all fails there's always vodka dosing!

 

I've had the chaeto in there since the day I started the tank (11/24/2010). I likely found one of the major sources of nitrates in my tank last night...

I took my new filter media out, shook it in a new batch of salt mix (had to prepare this for rinsing since I wasn't doing a WC (didn't have enough 0 TDS water available to do a WC....also just did one the other day). Then I took the drip tray and the chaeto out and shook that around in the rinse bucket. I had to spend some time with a fine mesh net trying to get most of the small chaeto pieces and other large particles out of that chamber after taking the chaeto out. The chaeto was disgustingly filthy and left the water brown. Is this brown stuff more likely detritus, algae, or a mix of both?

I did all of this with the pump turned off. I rinsed everything then put only the chaeto that stayed together (not the small pieces that were floating in my rinse bucket), put the drip tray, and the filter media back in. I turned the pump on. Then there was a snowstorm small chaeto and other things (probably detritus that the fine mesh couldn't capture in chamber 2) in my DT. After some time that stuff filtered out so now my water is clear again.

What I learned from this: Everytime I perform a WC, I will removed the chaeto, place it in an empty bucket, suck all of the filthy water out of chamber 2, then suck water out of chambers 1 & 3. After pumping that water uot of the chambers and into the chaeto rinse bucket, I can rinse the chaeto in the old tank water and replace it before/after replacing DT water with newly mixed SW. Normally I just suck water out of the display portion of my DT. Now I know that if I want to get rid of the problem waste, I have to empty out the chambers in the back (especially the 2nd filter/fuge chamber).

During all of this, my Royal Gamma that appeared to have fought off Ich this past weekend, had more spots than ever...I hope he pulls through. He just had a few tiny spots on his head/tail last week that completely went away for a few days....it came back with a vengeance. I didn't want to test Nitrates during the snowstorm in my tank so I can't wait to see what the reading is today after work. I hope I lowered them for the sake of my ill RG.

Here's a pic of chamber 2 after pulling the Chaeto out and using fine mesh to grab large particles and small pieces of Chaeto...its disgusting how much stuff still can't be picked up with FINE mesh...this net is just short of a coffee filter. I definitely need to be pulling my water from here when doing my future WC's:


Oh and btw, it appears that there is much LESS Chaeto than what I put in that chamber. It clearly hasn't grown and I have the Nano-Glo (4 LED) Light on that chamber for AT LEAST 18 hours a day. Granted, I have only had the light for a few weeks now...

 

I think the chaeto is going to need a few more months before it's benefits really start kicking in. Rinsing it is a good idea as dirty stuff is bound to get caught in it.

Don't know if you have a QT but if the RG is getting worse you could put it in their and treat him for the ick.

 

ro/di water?

 

0 TDS only.