Best option for nitrate reduction

[Jasongtr]

My tank thats current fish only but will have coral when stable has an upwards trend with the nitrate and to some degree phosphates,

Tested today

Nitrate 48.9 - up from 35.6 just 9 days ago
Phosphates .22 and was .23 9 days ago

I know i can use phosphate E as i have done previously and rowaphos to control/reduce phosphates but what is the best method to reduce nitrates.

We feed a cube a day for 8 fish

Im not using nopox as i tried that and it nearly killed my leopard wrasse (still not recovered)

Im currently trying a chaeto reactor but its not going well despite having the correct flow, ramping the lighting up and dosing chaeto gro

What are my options

Thanks

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

What kind of water volume are we talking?

1 cube frozen to 8 fish is hardly anything.

 

[immo]

My tank thats current fish only but will have coral when stable has an upwards trend with the nitrate and to some degree phosphates,

Tested today

Nitrate 48.9 - up from 35.6 just 9 days ago
Phosphates .22 and was .23 9 days ago

I know i can use phosphate E as i have done previously and rowaphos to control/reduce phosphates but what is the best method to reduce nitrates.

We feed a cube a day for 8 fish

Im not using nopox as i tried that and it nearly killed my leopard wrasse (still not recovered)

Im currently trying a chaeto reactor but its not going well despite having the correct flow, ramping the lighting up and dosing chaeto gro

What are my options

Thanks

what’s wrong with your chaeto

 

[Jasongtr]

What kind of water volume are we talking?

1 cube frozen to 8 fish is hardly anything.

70/75g total

2x clowns
1x midas blenny
1x ywg
1x royal gramma
1x leopard wrasse
1x juvenile one spot foxface
1x coral beauty

 

[Jasongtr]

what’s wrong with your chaeto

Went in nice and full and springy, now its less size and darker almost brown and mushy in places

 

[immo]

you don’t dose h2o2 by chance do you

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

How long has the tank been up?

Is there anything in there that would be decaying into ammonia and being converted to nitrate in the end like rocks that had a lot of dead organics added?

 

[Jasongtr]

you don’t dose h2o2 by chance do you

No, dont even know what that is

 

[Jasongtr]

How long has the tank been up?

Is there anything in there that would be decaying into ammonia and being converted to nitrate in the end like rocks that had a lot of dead organics added?

Tank been up 3 months, the 75lbs of display rock is new marco rock and 20lbs of 6 month old rock and about 2kg of media was transferred from our old tank.

Nothing has died other than a snail that was removed quickly

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

At this stage with a mostly new setup with so much dry, I'd say water changes are still going to be your best way to control n03 until the system stabilizes.

There is something wrong with your chaeto reactor if the chaeto is turning to mush. Getting that dialed in will help bring down both n03 and p04 proportionally.

 

[Jasongtr]

At this stage with a mostly new setup with so much dry, I'd say water changes are still going to be your best way to control n03 until the system stabilizes.

There is something wrong with your chaeto reactor if the chaeto is turning to mush. Getting that dialed in will help bring down both n03 and p04 proportionally.

Just rinsed the brown stuff off the chaeto, its got some body to it still but is way less yhan half what i put in there a few weeks ago

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Just rinsed the brown stuff off the chaeto, its got some body to it still but is way less yhan half what i put in there a few weeks ago

(Your macro being half of what it was a few weeks ago means that a bunch has died off , which can be feeding your nitrate issue )

I don't mess with reactors for macro but I'm sure you can find some help here on the board.

Are you dosing anything like cheatogro for the trace elements it needs?

 

[Jasongtr]

(Your macro being half of what it was a few weeks ago means that a bunch has died off , which can be feeding your nitrate issue )

I don't mess with reactors for macro but I'm sure you can find some help here on the board.

Are you dosing anything like cheatogro for the trace elements it needs?

Yes dosing chaeto gro

 

[ptrick21186]

Your tank is still pretty new. I wouldn't really dose anything at this point. Just let the tank do what it's gonna do. That Chaetogro is most likely your problem.

 

[Jasongtr]

Your tank is still pretty new. I wouldn't really dose anything at this point. Just let the tank do what it's gonna do. That Chaetogro is most likely your problem.

So youd leave your own tank with nitrates approaching 50 and climbing then

 

[ptrick21186]

Are you running a skimmer by any chance?

 

[ptrick21186]

So youd leave your own tank with nitrates approaching 50 and climbing then

No. I was referring to the dosing by my comment. Water changes and basic cleaning (blowing out rocks and such) is your best way to go right now. And watch for dying off Chaeto.

 

[Jasongtr]

No. I was referring to the dosing by my comment. Water changes and basic cleaning (blowing out rocks and such) is your best way to go right now. And watch for dying off Chaeto.

Fair enough, yes ive got a skimmer and a roller mat

 

[ptrick21186]

Fair enough, yes ive got a skimmer and a roller mat

What test kit are you using? Assuming your kit is accurate I'd have to point my finger at that Chaetogro. My recommendation right now would be to scrap the Chaeto reactor entirely (seeing as how it's not working right), let the tank settle for 3-6 months, then see where you're at and try the reactor again without the Chaetogro

 

[Jasongtr]

What test kit are you using? Assuming your kit is accurate I'd have to point my finger at that Chaetogro. My recommendation right now would be to scrap the Chaeto reactor entirely (seeing as how it's not working right), let the tank settle for 3-6 months, then see where you're at and try the reactor again without the Chaetogro

Phosphate and nitrate are tested with hanna checkers