Problems with NO3

[bawater]

First, how long has it been running.

That's a lot of fish for a new/young setup.

Second- did u buy fishes one by one or a whole bunch at once.(this could contribute to the surge in waste produced)

Third- Got some reading to do!.

nitrogen cycle

All about Filtration

Fourth- Nitrate control methods by:

Using Mangrove Plants

Using Denitrifying Filters

Using NNR (Natural Nitrate Reduction) Methods

Using live rock and/or a Berlin System set up.

Using live sand and/or a Jaubert/Plenum filter set up.

Using a combination of both live rock and live sand.

Using Denitrator Coils.

Using Compounds.

Using Chemical Additives.

A Multiple Step Water Change Procedure.

All covered in depth Here

The choice is yours on which method u want to use,some work better,some work faster,some are cheaper to implement than others.

[UFO]

Kais,

With all the inlet & outlet loops (lousy setting up.....me) for my canister, my water flow is very slow. Supposed to change the bulb every year.....$45.....very ex man

bawater.

Tank set up 1 yr ago. Only add 1 fish once or twice a month. Have done so many reading until I feel like arrrrrrrrg........giving up....sigh Now trying to convert my UGF into a plenum DSB....that's why need to buy Live Sand. Alternatively, build a Refugium, but not budget now......wife seized all financial expenditure on fish tank Hehe....spent too much on gadgets already.

[TanGo]

When was the last time you took out your UGF? If you never remove before, just pluck out the PH, put a stopper on the inlet and you have yourself a Plenum..

[UFO]

Tango,

Just did that yesterday. Now keeping my finger crossed. But just read on another thread (Where to buy livesand) that DSB is not such a good idea. Anyway, I'm a desparate man & desparate man do desparate things

[TanGo]

Nitrate will not go down in a day..

Have to be patient..

Now you still need to do your regular water changes..

Let your Plenum have some time to build up..

Good luck!

Keep us posted on the results..

[hongqixian]

Never tried on anything smaller than a 4ft.

For 60gal- half teaspoon sugar dissolved in 500ml warm water- then let cool to room temp.

1st dose of 500ml in the evening/nite- 2nd dose next day morning or lunchtime.

Cloudiness should appear within 2 days(if not means not enough sugar).

Nitrates drop on the 3rd or 4th day. Stays down for another 4-5days.

Skim as usual,feed fish as usual,lights as usual.

No harm to fishes, most corals & clams still open.(the odd few will close.My rose anemone & some zoos). but one week later u are back to square one! only a quick fix & nobody dare try long term usage yet.

Sugar causes a bacterial bloom like AT said and the bacteria will lower oxygen level in the water. They might also cause an increase in nitrate when they die off with lack of sugar-food. Not only the good bacteria but the bad bacteria will also bloom.

Best way to prevent nitrate is to stop it from getting in in the first place. Get a good skimmer to take away gunk before it rots to nitrates, feed small, frequent amounts with a good brand of flake food and cut feedings of meaty foods. Clear and remove the undergravel and the year's worth of dirt and foul substances inside that will come out eventually. Remove all nuisance algae that can die-off and release nitrates, and trim good algae if any. Do a large water change.

When adding new livestock, try to remove any dead organisms or things likely to die off eg. dead mushrooms on mushroom rock. Remove anything that smells foul or is confirmed to be dead asap. Without anything to rot and a light fishload with light flake food feedings, nitrate can only climb extremely slowly. Quick fixes are short term solutions. Only bad things happen fast.

[UFO]

Hi everyone,

Removed the PH from the UGF air-lift tube on Sunday. PH now used for water movement only.

Day 2 - NO3 still @ 50mg/l. NH4 @ 0, NO2 @ 0, PH 8.4, dKH 10, SG 1.0225, Temp 27C, Ca 520mg/l.

Only feed my fish with BS or MS every Sunday. Feeding daily either with Kent Platinum, Tetra flakes, Sera or HBH pellets. Soap food with Kent Garlic or Kent Zoe on alternate day. Using Prizm skimmer.

Performing 25% water change this weekend again.