how bad are nitrates

[LOTUS50GOD]

I cant get rid of nitrates, I have a shallow sand bed. I was thinking of either going bare bottom, or suspending the rocks under a PVC system (to eliminate any dead spots under the rocks.

[Scorch268]

how many lbs of Live rock? what other sort of filtration are you running? Do you have any sponges in the tank?

[XxDutchxX]

Nitrate=.25 I wouldnt even worry about that. Whats in the tank?

[Thunnus]

Don't sweat it. I know that you probably here everyone here say that they have 0 nitrates. Most of those people are full of crap. With nitrates of .25 you can keep most anything in your tank. You don't always need 0 nitrates, but if you can get it that low, great. So dont worry.

[LOTUS50GOD]

I have about 300lb of live rock... some softies, mostly lps. I am planning on adding a very large clam (bigger than a laptop), so a rearrangement is necessary. I will add some more flow over the sandbed via a spray bar. Will that help with my nitrates?? There are no sponges, and i am only running live rock, sump and bigf skimmer.

[Cheapreef]

Adding that clam alone should take care of your nitrates.;)

Clinton

[Aquabucket]

I think of nitrates to be fertilizer for unwanted algaes so I like to keep levels as low as possible.

[mojodeli]

Add a refugium with a DSB and some chaetomorpha. I have some to get you started. PM me if you want to stop by.

[LOTUS50GOD]

I really dont want to add a DSB. I dont find them that attractive, and im skeptical about their crashing PM sent..

[beefcake]

Originally posted by LOTUS50GOD
I really dont want to add a DSB. I dont find them that attractive, and im skeptical about their crashing PM sent..

I believe he meant that you could put the DSB in the refugium where you wouldn't see it. I second the refugium idea even if you decide not to use a DSB in it. Chaetomorpha will lower your nitrate level.

P.S. - What do sponges have to do with nitrates ? Thx

[Scorch268]

Sponges, not the live kind :) If there are sponges that have been used for filtration and detrius builds up, I have seen them become nitrate factories

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Here's an article that details how nitrate is a concern, and also how to lower it:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

[Thunnus]

The clam will help alot. When I added my Derasa which is over a foot wide, I noticed a rapid drop in nitrates. Also dont rely on your critters to keep your LR clean. Use a turkey baster once a week to blow off detritous and keep the pores of the rock open to do there jobs.

[rbaker]

I would also suggest adding a refugium. If you have the room, I would add a large one with a DSB. It will dramatically reduce the nitrates in your tank...

JMO,

Ryan