Need Help with Nitrate Levels

af4evr13 · 09/19/2019, 03:35 PM

Hello Fellow reefers. I need some help maintaining a lower overall Nitrate level.
I have a 90 Gallon saltwater tank. The tank is 5 months old. I have 90 lbs of live rocks, about 2 inches on average layer of sand bed. I have a protein skimmer, 1 power head for circulation. The tank is a reefer 350 set up.
I do 10 to 15 percent water changes weekly and I feed once a day.
Fish, 2 clowns, 3 damsels, 1 goby...Inverts 4 emerald crabs..approximately 15 hermit crabs and 10 snails....many of my original cleaning crew died off.
All my other water parameters are good but no mater what I do I can not get lower than about 20 ppm Nitrates. Any suggestions on how I can lower these levels would be greatly appreciated!

outssider · 09/19/2019, 05:08 PM

do a search on "carbon dosing"

Daddi0 · 09/19/2019, 06:01 PM

Feed every other day (and probably less) and add more flow.
Cheers! Mark

mcgyvr · 09/19/2019, 06:34 PM

For a 5 month old fish tank you are doing just fine...20ppm is not bad.
It will likely drop lower on its own over time...

As stated simple carbon dosing works very well and only requires simple white vinegar.
Search google for vinegar dosing chart and follow it..
or just continue what you are doing as 20ppm is totally fine for fish,etc...

af4evr13 · 09/19/2019, 07:05 PM

I am looking to do corals.How long will it take my tank to mature so the levels are low enough for corals.

mcgyvr · 09/19/2019, 07:30 PM

20ppm is ok for many corals...just dont expect sps/acros to do well..

Typically a tank seems to mature around the year mark..

kenpau · 09/20/2019, 09:48 AM

I'd be very careful with carbon dosing at this stage. I carbon dosed on my previous tank with good results, however it was an established system and I took it slowly. When I started my current system I started to carbon dose and got an algae bloom so bad it almost wiped out my system.
At 5 months old your system is not yet mature, give it time to settle before starting to dose products, are you noticing negative effects in your fish or any hair algae appearing?
Which of your CUC died? I threw all my hermit crabs in my sump, they will most likely start to kill your snails at some point!

09/19/2019, 03:35 PM	#1
af4evr13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 13	Need Help with Nitrate Levels Hello Fellow reefers. I need some help maintaining a lower overall Nitrate level. I have a 90 Gallon saltwater tank. The tank is 5 months old. I have 90 lbs of live rocks, about 2 inches on average layer of sand bed. I have a protein skimmer, 1 power head for circulation. The tank is a reefer 350 set up. I do 10 to 15 percent water changes weekly and I feed once a day. Fish, 2 clowns, 3 damsels, 1 goby...Inverts 4 emerald crabs..approximately 15 hermit crabs and 10 snails....many of my original cleaning crew died off. All my other water parameters are good but no mater what I do I can not get lower than about 20 ppm Nitrates. Any suggestions on how I can lower these levels would be greatly appreciated!

09/19/2019, 05:08 PM	#2
outssider Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reseda, Ca. Posts: 1,717	do a search on "carbon dosing" __________________ Please don't feed the bears because the bears will become dependent on free handouts and forget how to take care of themselves …... Current Tank Info: 75 Gal. Mixed reef mostly sps

09/19/2019, 06:01 PM	#3
Daddi0 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Redwood City Posts: 1,354	Feed every other day (and probably less) and add more flow. Cheers! Mark __________________ 2x 65g displays with a 30g cryptic refugium and 30g sump - 55g reef 30g Bio-cube reef - I.M. 30g reef - 45g freshwater

09/19/2019, 06:34 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	For a 5 month old fish tank you are doing just fine...20ppm is not bad. It will likely drop lower on its own over time... As stated simple carbon dosing works very well and only requires simple white vinegar. Search google for vinegar dosing chart and follow it.. or just continue what you are doing as 20ppm is totally fine for fish,etc... __________________ Who me?

09/19/2019, 07:30 PM	#6
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	20ppm is ok for many corals...just dont expect sps/acros to do well.. Typically a tank seems to mature around the year mark.. __________________ Who me?

09/19/2019, 07:05 PM	#5
af4evr13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 13	I am looking to do corals.How long will it take my tank to mature so the levels are low enough for corals.

09/20/2019, 09:48 AM	#7
kenpau Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: South Perth, Western Australia Posts: 844	I'd be very careful with carbon dosing at this stage. I carbon dosed on my previous tank with good results, however it was an established system and I took it slowly. When I started my current system I started to carbon dose and got an algae bloom so bad it almost wiped out my system. At 5 months old your system is not yet mature, give it time to settle before starting to dose products, are you noticing negative effects in your fish or any hair algae appearing? Which of your CUC died? I threw all my hermit crabs in my sump, they will most likely start to kill your snails at some point! __________________ Current tank - 220 gallon mixed reef..Many thanks to Waterbox, Ecotech Marine, Neptune Systems, Pax Bellum, Nyos, Eheim and Hailea for creating my system..and making me poor!! Current Tank Info: 220 Gallon mixed reef