battling Nitrates

Any suggestions on how to lower my nitrates. Nitrates are ranging anywhere from 20- 30ppm. I really want them lower than this.

What size tank? How many fishes? what kind of filtration? How often do you do water changes?

water change.

Also check tap water. It maybe high comimg out of tap.

Get plants.

135G, skimmer, filter sock run 3-4 days a week. i plan on buying a refractor to run both gfo and carbon in a few weeks. I have been doing my water changes every three weeks. about 40 gallons

this is a SW tank

do a water change every 2 weeks and see how that works out

Mangrove plants.

I'd do 20% weekly and see if that improve things.

philuponthepho wrote:

Mangrove plants.

Problem with Mangrove is that you can't keep them alive long enough to do the job.

+ 1 on the Water Change. Change more often. I do 40-50 % twice a week on all my tanks

ok here is the list

waterchanges (25% weekly to get them down and then monitor to adjust the amount of wc's)

plants and macro algae (cheatomorpha, caleurpa, and mangrove mangroves require a deep sand bed and (in a refugium works best) also using the right lighting will help keep mangroves alive)

a denitrator (takes time to get it setup and cycled so it is not an oovernight thing also requires a pump (diy ones) or are very large and look ugly LOL)

these are the only methods i recommend other than make sure you are not overfeeding (feed only what your fish cna eat in a minute and try feedig every other day.

I agree. . more water changes! :)

Well Lord. I do feed everyother day. I think this weekend i might see if i can get the material i need to put a refugium in my sump. a small one with a sand bed. Also micro algae. I have not done a water in two weeks. when I did one two weeks ago. i did two back to back each day. That cut my nitrates down a lot. they seem to be lowering slowly since then. Doing multiple water changes cuts into the pocket. Maybe i will do a back to back again. this weekend and see what happens.

also try weekly water changes from there on. maybe 15% change. I have noticed a difference in my tank and water since i got my cleaning crew in place now.

glad everything is working out.

any update on this ?

since putting my cleaning crew in place. my tank is a lot cleaner. They went to town on the algae in my tank. My water was pretty cloudy. not anymore. My nitrates were reading 30ppm last week. now they are around 15-20ppm. still seem to be falling

slowly going down. yeah!!!

try nutrifin cycle it supposed to lower nitrates and amonia

well my nitrates are down in the 0-5ppm area now. i am gald

my nitrates almost next to nothing now.