50+ nitrate... 30 gal w/ 10 gal sump

[supernareg]

okay i got a NEW red sea marine lab test kit.... ammonia = 0, pH 8.2, nitrate 50+, alk 1.6, and nitrite at less than .05... what is the freakin problem? i only have 2 fake clowns, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 yellow wrasse, 1 turbo snail 2 nassarius and like 10 hermits and corals. i have 3 sps coral... of which they are nicely colored and the polyps are out. other corals are doin well.


i added in some " amquel +" to help a little bit and i did a 5 gallon change 3 days ago.


i threw in cheato in the sump... nothings helping. i have to get a new light for my sump as the last 1 was givin out electricity into the water.


can it be that my LR in the display is causing the nitrate problem? can it be the "LR" in my sump which is beige color... doesnt look so live to me..?? i mean EVERYTHING IS FINE exept for teh NITRATE!

[bigtank]

We need more info about your setup....i.e...substrate, skimmer, all that stuff. How long has your tank been set up?

[supernareg]

i have a DSB... euroreef 5-2 skimmer on it, been up for about 4-5 months.... ammonia 0 nitrite 0 ph 8.2, temp at 80-81 and everything is normal.. just nitrates high.

[bigtank]

It sounds more like a bad test kit to me then. I had trouble with Red Sea test kits (nitrate and phosphate) because the color is hard to compare with the card they give you. I doubt your nitrates are 50 ppm if everything else is doing well. Maybe try a Salifert kit, that's the best brand I have used.

[Cutiewitbooty]

tank your water to a LFS to comapre it to you test, they will normally test for free.

[bubblevssqueek]

Get a new test kit. Those red sea ones are useless.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Are you running any mechanical filtration?