Will installation of sump increase nitrate level?

[trader_best]

hi gurus,

I've just installed my new sump tank...found that my nitrate level has shot up all e way....will installation of sump be the reason for the nitrate level to shoot up?

1st compartment of sump: ceramic rings, eheim efei, sponge

2nd compartment: bio balls

refugium: 4" DSB, 'sea-grapes', live rock with micro algae.....

gurus please advise....

i'm currently using AZ-NO3 to reduce the nitrate level...

[BarraCudaTM]

Yr first 2 compartments will produce alot of nitrate

[trader_best]

can give me more advise please...thanks in advance

[ervine]

Just take away the bio-balls and all the mechanical filtration...

[trader_best]

if i take them all out, it'll be empty...wat do u suggest i put in those two compartments brother?

[ervine]

Nothing?

If you must then a powerhead for your skimmer then some foam which is changed weekly and a bag of phosphate remover...

[trader_best]

my water is skimmed before the refugium....you mean just a piece of foam and rowaphos....no ceramic rings, bio-home, etc? so i just depend on the biological filtration by my dsb refugium onli? thanks for the advice

[ReDDeviLs]

sorry to hijeck your topic,but ceramic rings also remove?

[trader_best]

i'm also confused too....reefer gurus please give more advice thank you...

wat do u guys put in your sump tank?

[Achilles Tang]

My sump tank is empty.

No bioballs, biorings etc.

Just maybe a polyfilter pad.

Now that my contraphos/rowaphos phosphate removal media is fluidised and carbon too.. I don't need to put filter bags of it in the sump.

[typrobin]

basically the bio balls and the ceramic rings have bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite than to nitrate...

ammonia and nitrite is harmful to fishes, they clog up their blood and in turn they will have less oxygen in their blood and thus the heavy breathing occurs....

nitrate on the other hand affects corals....

the high nitrate level is due to the bioballs and ceramic rings, so by removing them, u will lessen the rate of ANN(ammonia to nitrite to nitrate) conversion....

the bad thing about have lesser bio balls and ceramic rings is that the ammonia will not be converted fast enuf and so will the nitrite....but if u haf a powerful skimmer, then u dun haf to worry coz most of the dissolved organic compound will be skimmed off....

my advise is, if u want to remove the bio ball and ceramic rings, do it very slowly....maybe 10% per week, juz in case u get ammonia spike....and of coz use a very good skimmer....reduce feeding will also help....but that applies if u are having corals, if its juz a FOWLR tank than leave them inside loh....

[ReDDeviLs]

thanks alot fo the advise and thanks trader best for allowing me to hijack ur thread ,think i will remove my ceramic rings soon

[bwilly]

I think there's a misconception that rings n balls caused nitrate (NO3) increase. Its is extremely useful for converting source of ammonia n nitrite (NO2) into the more harmless NO3.

Without the rings/balls, (n sufficent LRs) the fishes maybe dead faster than u can know. Also wastes (food/fish) willingly get stuck on these rings/balls, hence producing additional nitrate. The rings/balls is not designed to induced NO3 reduction bacteria, hence some may deem it "NO3" factory.

Removing the rings/balls only when u have sufficient LRs or rather stuffs that can subsitute properly. (ie remove ammonia/NO2)

Frequently cleaning (using tank water) rings/balls reduce the risk of them being a NO3 factory.

[ReDDeviLs]

huh... oh hm... i have about 140kg of rocks in my 5ft should be enough?

[hsloo]

My sump tank is empty.

No bioballs, biorings etc.

Just maybe a polyfilter pad.

Now that my contraphos/rowaphos phosphate removal media is fluidised and carbon too.. I don't need to put filter bags of it in the sump.

Hi AT,

How you fluidized the rowaphos and carbon?

[trader_best]

maybe i'll remove half of the bio-balls and half of the ceramic rings.... i'm currently using the RS prizm, is it enuff??

[Volitan]

Can we put LR in the sump in replacement of the bioballs?

[trader_best]

can i add activated carbon into one of the compartments? how often must change? gurus can advise? thanks