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kgerbus
03/26/2006, 08:38 PM
I have a nitrate problem in an established 90g tank. I have heard a protein skimmer will help. I was thinking of the Turboflotor Multi with needle wheel or the Coralife Super Skimmer. Are these good? I am open to other suggestions.

iCam
03/26/2006, 08:40 PM
[welcome]

bertoni
03/26/2006, 08:42 PM
For that size tank, the CoraLife might be okay. I have the smallest model on a 29g-20g combo, and it seems fine. For that size tank, I would also consider Euro-Reef and ASM skimmers. If price doesn't matter, Deltec gets good reviews.

Jeff_edge540
03/26/2006, 08:47 PM
Protein Skimmers are a very good idea on any aquarium. Any of the ones mentions thus far are going to work fine.
Water changes are also a very good way to control Nitrates. Try doing a 30 gal water change each week for two weeks then a 20 gal change every 2 weeks.

speccialj922
03/26/2006, 08:52 PM
Id combine Jeff Edge's idea. definatly invest in a skimmer - with skimmers, you get what you pay for. buy the best one you can afford. water changes are also super important. as filtration and to get rid of "old water". in my opinion, all types of sw tanks should incorporate the use of a skimmer. go to a friends house and see what a skimmer pulls out of a tank. you'll never go without one again... :)

bertoni
03/26/2006, 08:58 PM
I would change more than 20% of the water column in one shot, in general. You might also find that the nitrate level pops up rather quickly after a water change. That's one of the reasons I don't try to use water changes to control nitrate levels, however, it might work in your situation.

Growing and harvesting a macroalga can help a lot with nitrate levels.

kgerbus
03/26/2006, 09:12 PM
I have tried two 25% water changes over the past week. I have let it settle about 4 days now with no improvement. And now my ammonia level has gone up as well as my nitrites. I've also bought some macroalgae, it has been in for 5-6 days. Any other suggestions?

bertoni
03/26/2006, 09:15 PM
There's ammonia present? You might try some Amquel Plus as a temporary bandage over the problem. We'd need more information to help much. What's in the tank? Animals, live rock, etc.? Also, some ammonia test kits aren't reliable, or go bad with age. You might want to double-check your test result.

mikenpam
03/26/2006, 09:57 PM
AquaC is a good skimmer. Is there a possibility you are overfeeding or possibly an animal has died. I just got a small reading for ammonia today after doing a 15 gallon water change yesterday and cleaning out some hair algae. It is the first time I have ever measured ammonia in my tank.

PatMayo
03/26/2006, 11:30 PM
I have a 90 gallon and use the Euro-Reef RS-100. I like the performance of this skimmer and it is easy to adjust. I would get the largest skimmer you can afford.

If you give us some more information we may be able to help with the nitrate problem. As well you can read this and it might help also.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

Regards,

Pat

kgerbus
03/27/2006, 09:14 PM
My 90 has 150lbs of live rock, 6 hermit crabs, 10 snails, 1 small lobster, 1 decent size anemone, some macroalgae.
Some history here-I bought the tank 3 weeks ago from a lady moving across country. She had the tank for 1 year. She had 11 fish until 3 months ago when some sort of bacteria crashed her tank and all the fish died. However, everything listed above survived. Note- I bought the macroalgae 1 week ago. The sand was very dirty and nitrates were high so I did a large water change. No change in nitrate level. I did another large water change but this time I moved all the rocks around to clean under them. This time not only do I have no change in nitrates (above 200ppm) but nitrites were .5 and Ammonia was .25. The only other things I can think of are, I run a wet/dry system and the lights are on for about 5 hours a day, I feed the anemone 2x-week with a syringe dose of 2.5 ml, and I have not fed the live rock in 2 weeks. I know this is a lot of info but any suggestions would help. I would like to buy fish soon! However I don’t want to kill them! Iam looking for an in the sump skimmer for around 200-250 range.

bertoni
03/27/2006, 09:22 PM
Okay, so water changes usually aren't all that useful for reducing the nitrate levels. As you've seen, moving around the live rock can pollute the water column.

If the sand is dirty, it can be removed, although that might not be necessary. The wet-dry system might be contributing to the nitrate level, and I'd advise phasing it out slowly AFTER the ammonia has settle back down. Maybe remove 1/5 of the balls every week until they're gone.

What type of macroalga do you have, and is it growing in a refugium? Some macoalgae, like Caulerpa spp, can make a mess of live rock. I speak from personal experience here, sigh.

For the time being, I would do maybe a 20% water change once a month, or two 10% changes a month. If the macro starts taking off, that could help the nitrate level. Same with the bio-balls changes.

I suspect that fixing this nitrate problem is going to take some time, although you can add fish once the ammonia situation is under control. Also, once the ammonia is a clear zero, I'd suggest that you start feeding the live rock with some DT's phytoplankton or one of the cryopastes. You'd want to start lightly and build up.

kgerbus
03/27/2006, 09:56 PM
I have Caulerpa. It is in the tank. What will it do to my live rock? When you say remove the bio balls, do you mean remove them all together or replace them with new ones? Do you continue to replace them even after the nitrate level subsides?

bertoni
03/28/2006, 01:20 AM
The Caulerpa will attach to the live rock and then spread. It will cover corals and is very hard to remove, IME. I would get it out now. Some Chaetomorpha would be a find choice. That alga grows well and doesn't attach.

I would just remove the bio-balls (slowly) and leave the area empty. They tend to be high-maintenance, anyway, and seem top inhibit the removal of nitrate from the tank by live rock.

kgerbus
03/28/2006, 08:21 PM
I will get the caulerpa out today. But do I go with no filtration after all the bio balls are out? I also wouls like to set up a refugium in the sump area any suggestions?

williamh
03/28/2006, 08:31 PM
Dumb question but, the tank is 3 weeks old (right?) is it possible it is cycling again.

bertoni
03/28/2006, 11:52 PM
The live rock should provide plenty of filtration.

To use the sump as a refugium, you just need to light it and somehow screen the macroalgae so that it doesn't get into the pump. A series of baffles is the normal approach.

I think the tank has been moved recently, so something large in the live rock might have decided to die, I suppose.

jobiwan
03/29/2006, 01:35 AM
How much circulation does your tank have? I'm a big believer in mega water movement when cycling/recycling a tank...I use Euro-Reef skimmers on all my tanks, I think they are great...

kgerbus
03/30/2006, 09:14 PM
I bought a 5g tank yesterday to use as my refugium. What all would you put in it. Also I am looking to set this tank next to the sump and some how pump the water from the sump area into the refugium and back. Any ideas?

For circulation I have a Rio 2500 pump. I do not know how much water it moves but it seems like a lot! I also have a power head but it is not in use yet. Where in the tank is a good location? Should it complement the flow of the filter pump or oppose it?

bertoni
03/31/2006, 12:24 AM
I would just put Chaetomorpha into the 5g. Growing and harvesting that could help with nitrate levels.

I would just aim to get reasonable flow throughout the tank. You might need to play with the various outputs to get a good setup.

jimbo045
03/31/2006, 11:01 PM
Water changes and a SeaClone 100 hang on or 150 . JD