0 Nitrates, FINALLY!!

[bigbris1]

I have always had a problem with high nitrates & have done more reading than I would have liked trying to find a way to lower them. Nitrates routinely tested at 20ppm hitting up to 40ppm right before a water change.

I did 15 gal wcs almost every week. Even right after a wc nitrates would still test 10ppm. I credited this to heavy feeding of my fish. I had a SeaClone skimmer which I used maybe 1 time a week, then I stopped using it completely & relied on wcs.

Last week I got a Remora & started running it full time. Tonite is the night before a wc & nitrates tested 0!!!! Can it be true? Wow. The Remora is still in break in mode but still pulling out dark stuff. It was every bit worth the $65 I paid for it.

55 gal AGA, AC 801ph, mj1200ph, 50lbs lr, 60lbs ls, moderately stocked softies & some lps, coperband, potters angel, hippo tang, cleaner shrimp, misc snails & hermits, purple reef lobster (emerald crab was found dead yesterday then disappeared today).

 

[herman]

Ah yet another dissatisfied seaclown customer The remora is a definite step up. Congrats dude!!

 

[bigbris1]

Thanks man, I got the SeaClone as part of the setup I bought but I have heard nothing but good things about the Remora, so I said when I found one cheap I would get it.

Now, I think I should have just bought it at full price just to have had it.

 

[ReeferGoneMad]

good for u. but as a reminder there is no such thing as zero nitrates. but keeping it undetectable will be super beneficial to any coral in ur tank. Keep up the good work and good luck

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Congrats, that's great news!

 

[bigbris1]

Undetectable is 0 in my book thanks all!
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[DonCisco]

so, that is what I need to get to get my nano to be less than 20?

 

[aaron23]

congrats

 

[jackson6745]

Getting a bigger skimmer solves most water quality problems Good for you.

 

[bigbris1]

Thanks all

 

[bigbris1]

Update:

Previously I had been shaking the solutions violently (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit, Nitrate Test) when I was getting high readings.

It wasn't until I did as the picture shows on the instructions to invert the test vial & solutions bottles for the specified amounts of time, I started getting near zero readings.

So I did a test, first tested using the inverting method. Zero nitrates.

Second, shaking violently. Nitrates tested about 15.

What to do, what to do. Do I go by the results after doing exactly as the directions seem to instruct? Or does the higher readings when shaking violently make a difference?

 

[DevIouS]

What to do, what to do. Do I go by the results after doing exactly as the directions seem to instruct? Or does the higher readings when shaking violently make a difference?

Go with a more accurate test kit like Salifert...

 

[bigbris1]

Yeah, let me go over to RC & see if Habib will send me one pro bono
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