Nitrate help

[ironsnatch]

Okay i have tested my water about a week ago. and the Nitrate was sky high. between 80-160 pmm or wut not on the API test. i had seomone come look at the tank. he said my tank was a mess becuz my skimmer couldnt handle the bioload. i ordered a new one. UPS sucks and i wont have it untill monday. which means i cant change skimmer w the old one till tues night cuz of work. i have a 90 gal tank i was going to change about 30 gals of water on sunday should i still do that? i also have bio ball in there ( yes i just learned they are bad) i was going to take some out w the new skimmer. what should i do untill i can get the new skimmer in

[Hnguyen85]

Do a 25% wc and get a new test kit. API test kits are the worst on the market IMO. Take a water sample and bring it to your LFS to have them double check your results before you do anything to the tank. Are your fish/coral looking ok?


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[hollister]

What size tank?
Amount of LR and Sand?
Equipment used?
Your stock ?

[shifty51008]

API just because cheap are a good reliable test kit. I have used API, elos, and salifert and IMO the API reads just as good as the other until you need lower (below 5ppm) readings.

a water change will still help though, I would also start removing a 1/4 of the bio balls per week. do not remove them all at once or you may get a mini cycle.

[hollister]

It goes from ammonia to nitrite then nitrate , at the nitrate form its released at the surface.

A lid on top or poor water movement could be the main problem...

[dzfish17]

I agree that the api test kit works just fine for a simple nitrate test. Lets try and get to the problem though... How many fish do you have in the tank and how often do you feed? Usually high nitrate is a result of overstocking or overfeeding. The skimmer will help but if you are overstocked you may see other problems.

[ironsnatch]

i do have a glass top on my tank!
90 gal tank prob about 75lbs of live rock
4 kyor powerheads.
wetdry as sump
and marine land skimmer.
i have 5 fish
clown pair
hippo tank
royle G
filefish

whole reason why i had someone look at the tank i have a algae problem
i have no coral

[dzfish17]

Your stock list looks fine to me (the hippo will need a bigger tank because they get really huge). Are you using RO/DI water? Could be the problem.

[ironsnatch]

yes i have acoralife 50gpd

[hollister]

REMOVE the glass lid. Salt water tanks Absorb O2 and release nitrate and phosphate at the water surface and need heavy flow and no lid for best transfer..

[dzfish17]

Sounds good. I would try turning the lights off for a few days or running them less per day... light can add to the algae problem. If it is a fairly new tank you will see alot of nuisance algae for a few months to a year, depending on other variables. It does sound like a better skimmer will help things out. I agree that a couple of large waterchanges now is a good idea. A FOWLR can handle higher nitrate levels. Just be careful to not overfeed, keep up on regular waterchanges and your tank should be fine.

[ironsnatch]

only one of my fish look ill
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7480/20110617233543738.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/20110617233543738.jpg/)

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http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4448/20110617233552747.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/20110617233552747.jpg/)

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[ironsnatch]

i put Ich Attack in becuz its all i had

[hollister]

You have a lid on the tank which means low O2 levels. O2 is brought in from the surface and the lid is stopping this. Dont add stuff just remove the lid...

[mick243]

REMOVE the glass lid. Salt water tanks Absorb O2 and release nitrate and phosphate at the water surface and need heavy flow and no lid for best transfer..

what are you smoking, can I have some?

nitrate and phosphate *ARE NOT* released at the water surface.

to remove phosphate, you need a phosphate remover (eg GFO, phosgard, starver), or water changes with clean water or certain biological processes eg carbon dosing to grow bacteria that "eat" phosphate (and nitrate) that are then removed via the skimmer....

to remove nitrate you need to water change with clean water or certain biological processes. - eg bacterial in deep sandbeds can "eat" nitrate...

other methods are growing macroalgae, algal turf scrubbers both of which consume both nitrate and phosphate.

[ironsnatch]

Lol im still doing the water.change

[AquaReeferMan]

@hollister. Nitrate is not released through the surface. If you have anaerobic bacteria zones in the aquarium(deep sand bed or large pieces of LR) it will convert the nitrate into nitrogen gas. The gas is whats released through the surface of the aquarium... Phosphates can only be absorbed or removed with water changes.

[sanchoy]

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4448/20110617233552747.jpg

Tang looks in very bad shape indeed.

[ironsnatch]

idk *** it is i woke up and it was like that i think it cuz he sleeps between the rocks