Nitrate question

[tech1]

Howdy all. I'm having nitrate problems and would appreciate any feedback. I have a 85 hex with 5 fish and a cleaner shrimp, and starfish. The fish are 3 clowns, hippo tang and coral beauty. None of them are very big, hippo categorized as a medium, the rest are small. I have a sump in the bottom with filter pad and bio balls to slow down movement. I have a Aqua C also. My ammonia and nitrite are zero, but the nitrates are around 200. Thanks for any info.

[BubbaWPB]

First, recheck your nitrates... I've never heard of them being that high without the fish turning belly up. Second, if your nitrates are that high, do some significant water changes ASAP. Once you get the nitrates down to under 20 (get them down soon), tell us about your biofiltration:
1. How old is your tank setup?
2. You said bioballs and filter pad... how much bioballs? I've seen tanks with over a cubic foot of them, and other tanks with 10 bioballs (Ecosystem).
3. How often do you change your filter pad?
4. Do you have any live rock?
5. What about a sand bed?

[tech1]

I have about 100 lbs of live rock, 2-2.5 inch sandbed. I don't really know how many bioballs, probably about a gallons worth (around the inlet pump). I change the filter pad every few weeks

[The R/C Man]

Do you have a protein skimmer on your set up? If not you should definitely invest in a good one. IMO I would get rid on the bio balls since you have live rock in the tank.....

[BubbaWPB]

Did you recheck your nitrates? How about water changes? Did the nitrate come down? How much water are you changing and how often?

I never let my filter sock go longer than 5 days without changing it (I try for every 3 or 4)... and it's usually pretty darn yucky by then. I had filter pads (before taking the bioballs out of my sump*) and changed them with the same frequency (every 3-5 days). The sticky gook that builds up on filter pads can be a real nitrate factory.

*I took about 1/3 of the original amount out every week for three weeks.

[tech1]

I have an Aqua C Remora skimmer. I try to change the filter pad about once a week, I just did a 15 gallon water change. I was wondering if anyone every used the phosphate/nitrate sponge or remover? thanks

[The R/C Man]

I know that people have been jumping on that band wagon for removing phosphates. Of course you must be able to test for them before you start trying to make adjustments and continue to test while going through the process. I have read in Coral Magazine that your tank requires phosphates to maintain a chemical balance and by removing to much the tank can be unblanced and cause some major problems. The term phosphate deficate was used. Unfortuanately I do not fully understand the whole chemical process but knowing that a deficate is bad is good enough me.....

[charlie]

I'm gonna throw my .02 in here as well. I don't think you need the bioballs. I would remove them over a period of about 4 weeks accompanied with water changes, and I think that your nitrate level will come down.
I usually try to stay away from using removers in my system because you have to get to the root of the problem to solve it. Yes they will remove them, but what is producing them to start with. Find that first!!
HTH

[Steven Pro]

You will spend far more money ot get the nitrates down using absorbing resins than you would with water and salt mix. Water changes are going to be far more effective here.