Chaeto and Nitrate Sponge
- Thread starter roverrange
- Start date
- Location
- The Big City
First is this a reef tank or a fish tank. If you it's a fish tank then just do some water changes and that will bring the nitrates down and eveything should be fine. If it's a reef tank you need to do some water changes but also you need to look at your system and see why they got so high. That high isn't good for a reef tank./
Also it would help to list your setup and all tank readings.
Also it would help to list your setup and all tank readings.
140 G OCEANIC FOWLER, GenX 55 (1175 GPH), 2 275 GPH Power heads, 200 Lbs of LR, Vortex XL Diatom Filter (400GPH), AquaC 180 Protein Skimmer, Mag 7 pump, 25 Watt UV.
Mostly tangs and Damsels and a few others. I do a 25% water change each month. I think part of my problem is that I have over fed because I have recently bought some fish that didn't eat. I was trying to entice them to eat by over feeding. Even before that, however, I had a nitrate problem. All my other readings are ok.
Mostly tangs and Damsels and a few others. I do a 25% water change each month. I think part of my problem is that I have over fed because I have recently bought some fish that didn't eat. I was trying to entice them to eat by over feeding. Even before that, however, I had a nitrate problem. All my other readings are ok.
Last edited:
- Location
- The Big City
First you have fish and you feed them a lot so this will happen. Since you also have fish and no corals having nitrates at 60ppm isn't a problem. My tanks are loaded with fish, with no live rock, and I don't even bother to check for nitrates. I just make sure that my Ph and SG are stable and I watch my fish and make sure that they look healty and are eating well.
Since you Don't have a reef tank don't apply the same standards of having to have nitrates close to zero.You have a FO/Fowlr tank and with having a lot of fish your going to have nitrates but this isn't a problem.
If you want to bring the nitrates down you may need to add more live rock, do a larger water change or feed less. Also look for things in the tank or sump where debrie and junk maybe collecting and try cleaning it out. Also what do you have on the bottom of the tank sand, crushed coral or bare bottom. Crushed coral if not cleaned regularly will cause high nitrates and will sand.
Not sure why your running a Diation filter, I would think that it's only every so often to polish the water.
Since you Don't have a reef tank don't apply the same standards of having to have nitrates close to zero.You have a FO/Fowlr tank and with having a lot of fish your going to have nitrates but this isn't a problem.
If you want to bring the nitrates down you may need to add more live rock, do a larger water change or feed less. Also look for things in the tank or sump where debrie and junk maybe collecting and try cleaning it out. Also what do you have on the bottom of the tank sand, crushed coral or bare bottom. Crushed coral if not cleaned regularly will cause high nitrates and will sand.
Not sure why your running a Diation filter, I would think that it's only every so often to polish the water.
marrone said:
I plan on adding invertabrates and corals so I want to bring my nitrates down. The Diatom Filter is very versitile. You can add powdered activated carbon to the diatamcious earth and get a two for one. Diatamatious earth also filters out Ick.
You can also use the filter as a phosphate sponge or a nitrate sponge. I have a minimal amount of sand on the botom of my tank. I still don't know if I can run a nitrate sponge with chaeto.
- Location
- The Big City
If you have nitrates at 60+ppm a nitrate sponge isn't going to bring them down that much. You need to do water changes and either feed your fish less, get rid of some fish or check your tank and system as some where it's producing nitrates.
You can have both the nitrate sponge and the chaeto as you'll have plenty of nitrates left for the chaeto to survie.
You can have both the nitrate sponge and the chaeto as you'll have plenty of nitrates left for the chaeto to survie.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
