i think i have a problem, a big one!

[uncleant]

so i was testing my water today and my ph is 8.3, amminia 0ppm, nirtite 0ppm, and nitrateabout 80 ppm! i believe this is bad isnt it? i never realy checked nitrate before only ph, ammonia, nitrite. if this is bad what should i do??

[gjh289]

Water change until it's reduced.

[Sk8r]

That's a problem.

Do a 20% water change. That will bring it down.

Then start trying to figure out where this is coming from: too few bristleworms, too much food, too many fish...too small a skimmer; using a filter system, period; there are a lot of reasons this can happen.

[uscharalph]

Water change(s) and cut down on feeding.

[pledosophy]

Lots of water changes and improve your system of nutrient export.

[m1enbo1]

add a refugium

[Gdevine]

Originally posted by m1enbo1
add a refugium

...and do regular weekly water changes...

[chrissreef]

if you don't do a water change something will pick those nitrates up... maybe algae =P and like others said, reduce feeding. typically i fed 1-2 times per week and all food (typcally flake) would be eaten in 15 seconds or less.

[mntl]

Uncleant- Thanks for posting, its not the end of the world bad, but could use some work . There are a number of things you could do but it depends on what is causing it. Can you give us a basic overview of your tank (size, what fish, what coral, what filtration, how long it has been set-up etc) and husbandry practices (how much and what do you feed, are you using tap water or ro-di, are you using live-rock, if so how long have you had it and where did it come from, do you due water changes, etc). This will help us give you a more direct answer and less of a "shotgun" approach . Thanks!

-John

[Avi]

Hmmm...80's high. What kind of setup do you have? Is there already a sump? What about a protein skimmer? What in the tank?

[uncleant]

i have an aga 125 gal, 72'' coralife lunar with 2 96w 10,000K daylight bulbs, and 2 69w actinics. I am using a proclear aquatics pro 150 series wet dry filter. 4 Maxijet 900's for circlation. Live rock only about 20lbs. 150lbs of base rock from petsolutions. FISH: 1 yellow tang, 1 coral beauty angel, 7 damsels and one percula clown. CORAL: mushrooms. INVERTS: 1 pencil urchin, snails, hermits. I feed corals 2 a week and fish flake and pelets every day and seaweed and meaty food every other day. The tank has been running for about 2 and a half years with the mushroom for about three months now.

[meschaefer]

My guess is it is the wet dry filter. They have a tendency to drive up nitrate levels.

[rustybucket145]

Wet Dry Filter Strikes again!!! Get rid of those bioballs ASAP!! Take them out slowly, like 1/4 of them every week or a handful every week if you want to take it slower.

[aaron L]

That does not look like a big bio-load. How often are you doing water changes? Have you cleaned that Nitrate factory, I mean those Bio balls?

[zacharytrimble]

Well, we're all tellin ya all kinds of stuff to do...but not really saying why. If I say something you already know it's not to offend ya, just tryin to break down this whole schlemiel for ya.

nutrients...it's about how to not get alot of em into your system...and about getting what ya have out.

Firstly...if you don't have an RODI filter (it turns your source water into something like distilled water...very very pure) than you must do whatever it takes...sell your cat...your guitar...do special chores for your wife...whatever...to get one NOW See, all source water...city...county, whatever actually has nitrates (among other things) in it....so the top off water you put in your tank every day has nutrients in it...I mean, I don't care if you have to go give plasma or something to get the cash (just don't do anything immoral/illegal) to get that RODI...it will change your tank forever!
...ehhem...ok. Moving on.
Secondly...a person mentioned get a refugium earlier...just in case you don't know what it is (not trying to insult)....it's simply a place where you can grow a good type of algae (like chaetomorpha) that sucks up the nutrients at a quick rate. You can also put a deep sand bed in it...which creates a special place where good bacteria (which doesn't really grow anywhere in your display tank much) that will suck it up as well. we're talking anywhere between 4-6 inches of a fine/sugar sized sand. See that kind of bacteria needs little to no oxygen to thrive...so it lives only in the deep sand and deep parts of rock.
THirdly...the people are telling you to change your water because that gets the nitrate filled water out and good, nitrate free water in...but only makes a huge difference if you have an RODI.

Yeah, and there definitely is a place for wet/dry filters...um...well...scratch that...at least for this kind of aquaria...but keep that thing!!! Because you can turn it into a sump without wet/dry or into a refugium!

Fourth...fifthly...eh, whatever. Get as good as a skimmer you can (unlike me...that's what I really need, is a good skimmer)...because it directly removes organic waste...and reduces therefore the amount of (nitrifying) that your tank's bacteria has to do...so basically...since the end result of the bacterial action is nitrates...then having an awesome skimmer that removes the need for so much bacterial action is a very very good thing.

[TonyOrlando]

1. Do a 30% Water change
2. 1 Week later do anther 30% Water change
3. Most importantly, start taking those dreadful bioballs out immediately. That is a nitrate factory. By the time you do the 2nd Water change have all those bioballs out.
4. 3rd week , surprise another water change, but only 20%
5. I bet you in week 4, with doing what i mentioned, you will be below 30 and it will continue to drop. Just keep doing those water changes. You will only need to do them bi weekly after those first 3. and do 15%. 2 months they should be at 0.

[zacharytrimble]

Oh, by the way...yer problem isn't bio load...not for a 120...I disagree sir...your fine bio load wise...as long as you don't feed them huge meals.

[TonyOrlando]

One more thing, run your skimmer a little on the wet side and not so dry, if your not currently doing so. During this entire process.

[rustybucket145]

TonyOrlando--:> Doing water changes is only going to mask the problem, it will not fix it and it will not cure it.

[zacharytrimble]

I know this is throwing alot at you....but there is another helpful method as well if you're really in a pinch.\

Dose a small amount (for your tank...a little over a teaspoon I believe...uh, but research it...I'm not sure).....of SUGAR. This makes a certain kind of bacteria go wild in your tank which eat the nutrients...and then your skimmer freaks out and eats up all that bacteria (so much bacteria it may even get cloudy looking...that's ok)...and so therefore the nitrates the bacteria ate up are skimmed out as well . THere are many, many threads on this subject...tells ya how to do it safely and what not...do a search on it...it really works!!!I tried it!

[TonyOrlando]

Another thing.hahah. Clean that wet/dry sump out, Look at all that waste in there. and remove the sponge or keep it really clean. I bet you never have cleaned those sponges yet. Nitrate heaven baby! ahah..Just trying to help!!

[badhand2222]

your running a fish only tank, dont freak out keep the bio-balls, water change routinely, get ro/di water, live up your sand will a little gark grunge, and clean clean everything you can.

[uncleant]

thanks everyone so much. i am using ro/di water and i am currently makeing the water for a 30% water change. Now i have another question. is it ok if i completly empty the filter, clean complely and then fill it up with new saltwater? And another ? about the refugium. i have a 10 gal tank next to my filter do you think i can convert that to a refugium?

[uncleant]

[Avi]

Originally posted by uncleant
i have an aga 125 gal...Live rock only about 20lbs. 150lbs of base rock...The tank has been running for about 2 and a half years.

I believe that you'd be just fine removing the bio-balls and cleaning the whole sump out. Some will recommend that you don't remove all the bio-balls at once and do it over a period of a couple of weeks, but after 2 and a half years, that bases rock should be "live rock" and so the nearly 200-pounds of rock should sustain the tank well when you remove the bio-balls.

If you take all the measure that have been recommended so far and the nitrates aren't brought down very significantly, then I'd recommend that you upgrade your skimmer. The one that you have seems to be working but I'd say that it is a bit small and so less effective than it might otherwise be.

And as for the 10-gallon tank....I think you'd do very well with it as a refugium specifically for growing Chaeto. While bigger would be preferable, ten gallons for that sole purpose would still make a difference and would to one degree or another address the nitrate issue. I'd suggest making the best of it using a bulb that's in the 5100K-6500K range...depending on availability to you...and mount it somehow close enough above the surface of the water in that 10-gallon to promote a good growth.