Nitrates

[Colin Harbut]

Hi guys,
My nitrates are rising in my 37 gallon reef - im at about 60 or 70 ppm (or maybe more!)...I have plenty of live rock, a prism protein skimmer, few fish. and use poly filter pads. I am curious as to what you would recommend to lower my nitrates and keep them low. I do frequent water changes and am interested in some type of hang on mechanical filtration....

I have heard you want to stay away from carbon filters in a reef tank. True? Also, what about bio-wheels? Any specific products you can point me towards would be greatly apprecaited. Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

60 ppm is too high, imo...it should come down significantly with water changes. Did something recently die? Do you feed heavily? I wonder if your test kit is bonkers.

How is everyone doing in the tank?

I'd stick with the LR...I think it's your best bet.

 

[Anonymous]

I would highly recommend plant life. In a refugium sure, but sufficient plant life will bring down nitrates to unmeasurable levels and keep them there.

By contrast water changes less the 100% will never bring nitrates down to 0.0. Unless plant life or anaerobic bacteria are built up. I just prefer plant life as it is much more beneficial to the system IMO.

 

[SnowManSnow]

You probably won't needa bio-wheel type filter if you have adequate LR and a decent skimmer. THe prizm will get you bye, narrowly, but you may consider upgrading skimmers to a AquaC Remora, or at least a CPR Bak Pak Unit in the future.

I'm going to GUESS that this is a fairly new tank and your LR is causing the spikes. It's all part of the curing process. Keep with the water changes, use RODI water if possible. If you DON'T have photosynthetic animals in there I would cut down on your photo period too. The next thing you'll experiance is a massive algae bloom.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

you really don't want to use the biowheel in a filter that runs with one. it tend to become a nitrate factory over time and you'll constantly be battling an elevated nitrate level.

 

[Juck]

Definitely stay away from biowheels,,,a biowheel is a nitrate factory, which is exactly what it's designed to be.

How old is the tank? Do you have a sandbed? How deep? What kind of sand? What exactly is your bioload? How much/often and what exactly do you feed the tank?

Which test kit are you using?

 

[spsmike]

You guys talk bad about the bio wheel being a nitrate factory but there wouldnt be any nitrates if there wasnt something causing ammonia nitrite ect.Wouldnt you rather have high nitrates then ammonia if you had to choose?

 

[Juck]

No one is bad-mouthing bio-wheels,,, only logical he should stay away from one if he already has nitrate problems.

 

[spsmike]

No one is bad-mouthing bio-wheels,,, only logical he should stay away from one if he already has nitrate problems.

I think his biowheel is the last place he should look.He needs to figure out what causing the ammonia thats being converted into nitrite then into nitrate first.

 

[spsmike]

Dont get me wrong I would take the bio wheel out on my tank as I hate the way it looks but not because its a nitrate factory.I bet those poly filter pads are causing more harm as food and being traped in it instead of being consumed.

 

[Juck]

I think his biowheel is the last place he should look.

I don't think he has a bio-wheel. I believe he was asking if he should get one.

 

[spsmike]

In that case he doesnt need one as he seems to have enough bacteria to convert his nitrites and ect.