Found my tank problem!

[Nereaga]

Yeay! Now I just have to fix it! ugh... Thanks Tom for the test kits that actually work! :)

Let's start with parameters:

pH- 8.0 Tropic Marin
Alk- 7.5 TM
NitrAte- 25 Mg/l Salifert
Calcium- 490 TM
Mg- 1400 TM
SG- 1.026
PO4- undetectable- Salifert, <0.01 TM
Temp- 80F
Ammonia/NitrIte- not detectable for long time

As you can see from the list NitrAtes is my big issue! I have lost several sps colonies/frags. My other ones are now severely stressed out. My anenome looks like garbage. I have seen my SPS brown out before starting to bleach out. I am also starting to see an increase in Cyanobacteria. I always had a hunch it was excess nutrients. I was using an API test kit for NitrAtes that was telling me that it was undetectable. Thanks API! Threw those kits out last night, all of them!

Now, I have tested my RO/DI water and NitrAtes are at 2.5 mg/l. I have never changed my RO membrane in 2-3 years as it is still rejecting 94-95%. I have just ordered a new membrane for the unit. I just changed the pre-filters/DI resin a week ago.

I am going to increase skimming from my MR-1 skimmer. I run carbon 24/7 and change it monthly. I run GFO and change every 3 months or so, but Po4 is good. I am going to increase water changes this week and try and get the NO3 down.

FIRST question, I just made 25g of new RO/DI water last night, the stuff that has 2.5 mg/l of NO3. Will I do more harm than good by doing water changes with this water until my new membrane comes? OR should I just wait for the new membrane and make fresh clean water.

Now I received a bunch of rock from a fellow reefer breaking down his tank. It is my belief that his rock was bound up with NO3/crap. It is in my display and no chance in removing it now. Should I just keep relying on water changes to dilute the NO3?

My plan is after I get my membrane and start producing clean water once again, to do water changes quite frequently until I can get the crap out of the rocks in the beginning. I am going to take my Tunze and blast the rocks prior to changing water. I run BB so there is some accumulation of detrius under the rocks, that I want to try and get out and at least to my sump so I can remove it.

Anything I am missing?

Equipment:

75g tank w/ 30g sump
48'' Outer Orbit Mh/T5 (mh bulbs are 2 months old, 150w 10K, T5's are 7 months old, All Giessmann actinics)
MRC MR-1 skimmer w/ Mag 9.5 pump
GFO/Carbon reactors
VorTech mp40w
Tunze 6045
Rio 1700 Return Pump

Thanks!

Brad

[Nereaga]

Forgot to add livestock:

4'' Pacific Sailfin Tang
4'' Cinnamon Clown
3'' Atlantic Pygmy Angel
4'' Orchid Dottyback

I feed once daily and it is a half of a cube of Mysis and half of a cube of Formula One.

[thomasp123]

Hey I use api no3 kit and it always says zero! which kit are you using to get a better reading on nitrate.

Tom

[sam11909]

Hey, me too! Zero all the time. how old was the kit?

[rbnice1]

What type or anemone is it?

I had nitrates as high as 40 once and my RTBA didnt care at all. I had alk as low as 7.5 once and half my corals died out.

Firstly, if it was me I would get that alk up to 9ish, then do bi weekly water changes till your nitrates come down. If the rock is leaching you will see no improvment with the nitrates anbd you will have to take other action. Maybe continue with biweekly water changes while bringing a nitrate reactor online or maybe start dosing vodka or something.

Also watch your feeding. You may need to cut back till your nitrates are fixed.

[lordofthereef]

That is really a lot of nitrate to be in your RODI, especially if you are topping off often. It is entirely possible that this is your entire issue (again depending on evaporation rates) as obviously the trates won't evap and will just become more and more concentrated.

[rbnice1]

sorry forgot to ask what is the TDS of the RO/DI water?

[Nereaga]

Thanks for the replies guys!

TDS after membrane 8ppm after DI 0ppm. I am using Salifert NitrAte kit now. Seems to be more accurate than the API by far. It seems to fit the bill as I thought I had high nutrients, hence the browning/bleaching of SPS. API doesn't put expiration dates, just a lot number, you have to call them I thought.

Do you think that one frozen cube daily is too much food? I do rinse with RO/Di water, which has NitrAtes in it anyways! hahaha

First thing I will do is order a RO membrane right now! Then check again for NO3 in my RO/DI water.

So should I trash the new NO3 water? Or use it up?

Thanks again!

Brad

I have a BTA that was fully extending nicely and now it seems to be retracted a lot more recently.

I have an ATO that does run quite a bit. Could be attributing to the problem.

[Nereaga]

Any more thoughts/suggestions?

[rbnice1]

Im not sure how your RO/DI can have a TDS od 0 but have nitrates........

[Nereaga]

I have a hanna handheld meter and it is calibrated with 1382 solution. I can re check to make sure it is still on.

[Nereaga]

Ok just checked calibration, spot on. I just tested the TDS of RO/DI water, 0 ppm.

[Nereaga]

Salifert test kit was saying 2.5mg/l on the test. I can re test now to double check, hold on.

[roblack]

I agree on getting the Kh up higher. NSW is around 8 dKh, it is better to keep it higher in a reef tank. 9.5 is ideal for me.

[sahin]

Either the TDS reading is wrong, or the Nitrate reading is wrong. You cannot have 0 TDS and also get 2.5mgl of nitrate as well. 0TDS = Pure water. Pure H2O has zero conductivity.

I use API test kits and find them ok. BUT, I check the batch numbers to make sure they are not date over. I have read that out of date API test kits (or any other) can give erronous results. My API Nitrate kit reads my fresh clean saltwater at 0ppm and water from my rock cooking water a 15ppm which is correct.

[finfan4]

I would try even another test kit as well, to compare to the Salifert result.

[rbnice1]

Either the TDS reading is wrong, or the Nitrate reading is wrong. You cannot have 0 TDS and also get 2.5mgl of nitrate as well. 0TDS = Pure water. Pure H2O has zero conductivity.



I am not sure if this is correct..

TDS stands for total dissolved solids. Is nitrate a solid?

I am not saying you are wrong. I am just saying I have no idea if your right or wrong. lol

Also not sure on your test kit, but many read 50, 25, 10, 5, less then 2.5.
2.5 may be the loest it will ever read.

[sam11909]

Well, I called API too see when they expired and they said a minimum 3 years after the 4 last numbers in the lot number. I checked mine and I still have a year left by what they say. I doubt it expires before the date they say, or they would be lossing money because you wouldn't have to buy it as often. If your LFS tests you water I would take it to them and have them test it, and then compare the results with the ones you have. Something smells fishy with the RO/DI water having that much nitrates.

[Lightsluvr]

[QUOTE=rbnice1;15988517]I am not sure if this is correct..

TDS stands for total dissolved solids. Is nitrate a solid?

I am not saying you are wrong. I am just saying I have no idea if your right or wrong. lol
QUOTE]

That's an interesting question... does anyone know definitively?

LL

[roblack]

Shouldn't have nitrates in your tap water, much less after rodi down to 0 tds.

[redhanded77]

why would you need to have alk levels higher in an aquarium than what nsw has?

[Nereaga]

I am not sure if this is correct..

TDS stands for total dissolved solids. Is nitrate a solid?

I am not saying you are wrong. I am just saying I have no idea if your right or wrong. lol

Also not sure on your test kit, but many read 50, 25, 10, 5, less then 2.5.
2.5 may be the loest it will ever read.

The Salifert kit goes 0,2,5,10,25,50,100

[bimmer88]

api test kit seems to work for me since i started my tank about 3 months ago... it's read 0 for the first two months then lately i've been feeding my corals too much and it's gone up to about 20ppm... all my corals still seem healthy though... after about a week of vodka dosing my nitrates have gone down to 15ppm

[Nereaga]

Bump it up!

Any more thoughts? Can anyone confirm that NitrAte is a solid?