cardiff 24g nitrate problem

[rubadub87]

my nitrate is way up to 40ppm and i did a water change but it only dropped to 20ppm and i cant get it any lower and my corals are starting to sow signs of stress and discolor. i was thinking of ditching the bioballs and running it with nothing is that a good idea? any ideas are greatly appreciated

[Nano sapiens]

Its best not to run Bio-balls in a reef tank. If you have a healthy sand bed and live rock, that should be plenty to take care of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate...assuming you aren't overstocked with animals, don't overfeed and perform regular water changes.

If you have a fair amount of Bio-balls, to be on the safe side I'd suggest not removing them all at once. You can try 1/3 removed, wait a few weeks, next 2/3, etc. until they are gone.

[rubadub87]

well i have a 2 clowns 1 yellow watchmen goby 1 yellow eyed tang a gift i know to small of a tank 1 reef butterfly i hammer 1 frogspawn i brain and thats it for awhile
i have 18 19 lbs of LR and 3inch of live sand......so i am going to start taking out the bioballs now lol ...but what should i replace them with LR?


but with my immediate problem should i do another water change?

[Nano sapiens]

1. Why do you feel you need to replace the Bio-balls with 'something'? Many run very successful Nano tanks with just LR and LS. The bacteria in your tank are spread over your LR, LS and Bio-balls' surfaces. As you remove the Bio-balls, the bacteria in other areas of your tank will increase since the Bio-balls are being removed (more 'food' for them). If you really feel the need to have something back there I'd suggest a couple pieces of LR (don't use small LR 'rubble').

2. A water change can help to lower nitrate levels, but in many tanks only temporarily. No harm in doing a WC if done properly.

3. Work on removing the Bio-balls, first. If your nitrate problem persists even after the Bio-balls are removed, then you should look at slowly and methodically removing detritus from the tank (especially the SB).

[rubadub87]

Originally Posted by Nano sapiens

1. Why do you feel you need to replace the Bio-balls with 'something'? Many run very successful Nano tanks with just LR and LS. The bacteria in your tank are spread over your LR, LS and Bio-balls' surfaces. As you remove the Bio-balls, the bacteria in other areas of your tank will increase since the Bio-balls are being removed (more 'food' for them). If you really feel the need to have something back there I'd suggest a couple pieces of LR (don't use small LR 'rubble').

2. A water change can help to lower nitrate levels, but in many tanks only temporarily. No harm in doing a WC if done properly.

3. Work on removing the Bio-balls, first. If your nitrate problem persists even after the Bio-balls are removed, then you should look at slowly and methodically removing detritus from the tank (especially the SB).

well from what i understand you should put something back there. but ill take it out and see what happens. should i remove the activated carbon as well?

and ill will start cleaning the tank like i have OCD

[Nano sapiens]

Originally Posted by rubadub87

well from what i understand you should put something back there. but ill take it out and see what happens. should i remove the activated carbon as well?

and ill will start cleaning the tank like i have OCD

Some people put cheato, some put LR, some nothing at all. If you do put LR back there just be aware that in a short time lots of detritus will deposit on the bottom, so you should clean out the chamber every so often.

Using AC is a personal choice. It does have its benefits (assuming its good quality and doesn't leach Phosphates into the tank) such as removing yellowing substances from the water, but needs to be changed out every so often since the pores will clog and become ineffective.

FYI - If you start cleaning too much or too vigorously you will likely see algae and/or dino blooms in your tank. Start slowly and only vacuum a small portion of the SB each week. For my 4 year old tank I have found that a SB of 1" or so works best, but that's not to say that a 3" SB can't work too if it is well cared for.

Good luck.

[deacon hemp]

Your over stocked plain and simple. My solana is under stocked and i dont have to do WC's at all,and i have no filter in the back,no skimmer,ect. Stick to the basics like everyone said,more wc's,remove bio balls,and preferably take out the tang and bf.

[rubadub87]

Originally Posted by Nano sapiens

Some people put cheato, some put LR, some nothing at all. If you do put LR back there just be aware that in a short time lots of detritus will deposit on the bottom, so you should clean out the chamber every so often.

Using AC is a personal choice. It does have its benefits (assuming its good quality and doesn't leach Phosphates into the tank) such as removing yellowing substances from the water, but needs to be changed out every so often since the pores will clog and become ineffective.

FYI - If you start cleaning too much or too vigorously you will likely see algae and/or dino blooms in your tank. Start slowly and only vacuum a small portion of the SB each week. For my 4 year old tank I have found that a SB of 1" or so works best, but that's not to say that a 3" SB can't work too if it is well cared for.

Good luck.

ok well thanks for your help
ill start doing all of that

[rubadub87]

Originally Posted by deacon hemp

Your over stocked plain and simple. My solana is under stocked and i dont have to do WC's at all,and i have no filter in the back,no skimmer,ect. Stick to the basics like everyone said,more wc's,remove bio balls,and preferably take out the tang and bf.

ya reef butterfly is going away asap cuz he is a pain in the ***
but ya bio balls are comeing out today