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nitrates UPDATED

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MajorPayne View Drop Down
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    Posted: September 24 2010 at 1:51pm
My nitrates are slowing climbing and I am getting worried. I have my sump full of macro. my skimmer is working overtime (rated for 250 gal.), I pulled out my antiphosphate. my ammonia and nirtite are at 0. and my sump light is on almost 24/7. I cut back on feeding and actually had a tang die. I've tried water changes but its only a temporary fix and usually will be back up to where it was in under a week. I also checked my RO water for nitrates and there is nothing in there. what else can I do to bring down my nitrates?

also is it possible I have too many fish??
I have the following live stock:
Emperor angel, humu humu trigger, niger trigger, coral beauty, bi color blenny, valentini puffer, maroon clown, 2 serpent stars, 2 sgt. major damsels, a donimo damsel, a brown damsel, lunare wrasse (Pretty big), a sixline wrasse, a few snails and 2 hermits, and 4 small GBTA's, and I few others I can't remember right now.

Sorry I didn't say it right upfront but It is a 125, with a 50gal sump/ fuge. I have about 150lbs of live rock, a 4in sand bed, right now I have some PC's on the display, I run the actenics for 10 hrs, and the daylight for 6 1/2. I have an actenic PC on the fuge and 2 work lights that have a plant life bulb and a halogen bulb. also I have a huge mass of macro.  I have about 20 nassarius snails in the sump. I have tried cutting back on the feeding but my humu humu goes super aggressive and bites anything that looks at him funny.
Parameters:
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
PH:8.2
Nitrate:about 60PPM
Average temp: 79
Calcium:400PPM
Alkalinaty:11dKH
Phosphate:0
Salinity:1.025


Edited by MajorPayne - September 29 2010 at 11:15am
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jwoo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jwoo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 2:05pm
How big is your tank?
None at the moment
Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront
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bugzme View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugzme Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 3:20pm
A little more info would be nice. Tank size and param's and a brief description of your setup.
Jeff
125 tank
50 gallon sump
T-5 lighting
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I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!!
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BobC63 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BobC63 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 5:58pm
And include how many lbs of Live Rock and how deep a sandbed along with the tank size...
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MadReefer View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MadReefer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 5:59pm
You could try making an area of your sump or display a DSB with oolite sand. This always worked for me. With super fine oolite you only need three inches to get results. the whole bottom doesn't have to be that deep; it could just be in the back corners.
Another thing might be to make a bigger fuge or try some different macro algae.
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 6:20pm
I agree that since we have no idea what the Nitrate level is and how it's climbing, as well as the tank size, it's like we are shooting in the dark.
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sanddune600 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sanddune600 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 6:21pm
how high are your nitrates you could try a sulfur denitrator but I would try to find out why you have high nitrates first if the reason is over stocked then a denitrator may be a way to keep it that way

Edited by sanddune600 - September 24 2010 at 6:53pm
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Ahanix View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ahanix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 24 2010 at 11:05pm
Here's the thing. If your tank is a manageable size, why not just do water changes once a week? I will cut down on how much you have to dose, nitrates will stay down and your tanks health will improve substantially. Sure a skimmer, fuge and everything helps a tank stay healthy, but why try to see how long you can go without a water change? Even at 100 gallons, thats only 10g of salt water you need to change a week, which if purchased at the lfs is something like $4 a week to do.


I guess I only say that because you stated that water changes once a week keep your nitrates at 0, so why try to find a workaround that most likely will be more complicated than doing a water change. Thats only my opinion though, i'm still new at this

Edited by Ahanix - September 25 2010 at 12:24am
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 25 2010 at 10:48am
I'm not new at this and I've become a lazy reefer.Smile I do only what is necessary to keep the tank looking good in the long run.

Water changes are a pain and are less necessary than new hobbyists think. I can give you many options that are easier and more useful in the long run for avoiding pollution (reducing N compounds) and keeping the tank looking beautiful.Big smile
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