Well I need help, i have been battling a nitrate problem since i have started this hobby.
I first had a 26 bow front and i could never get the nitraes down they were always above 40ppm, so i tought that it was my inexperience in a nano reef so i upgraded to my 75. Well i have had it running for about 7 months now and i am still having big problems. this is the time line
1st month
nitrates 20ppm
2nd month
nitrates >40ppm
3rd month
nitrates<5ppm
4h month
nitrates10ppm
5,6,7 nitrates fluxuating between 20 and 40 ppm
I am not sure what i am doing wrong. The water I am using alwasys tests negative for nitrates and nothing has died in the poast 3 months, i only feed once maybe twice a week, i do my water changes on a weekly basis since i have not been able to get the nitrates down, i stoped attempting to do a 10% for ten days a few months back. It did not lower the nitrates at all and I was thinking i was depleting all my nitrate fixing bacteria by sucking them all out.
About 3 weeks ago i bought some calerpera to possibly assist in the problem, and after i put it in the tank the nitrates dropped about 5ppm, but now they just continue to go up.
Most of my live stock seems to be unaffected by it and they are all still thriving. But I have noticed a problem with lots of detritus.
So this is my set up in a nut shell
75 gallon
50lbs crushed coral ( i am getting ready to go to sand in about amonth, but i am holding out till i move into my new place)
80lbs Live rock
Aqua clear HOB
440 W Vho and 80 W NO
4 Rio Power heads
calerpera (i think it is called grape???)
One tomato clown
a fire fish
2 anemones
One plate coral
a few mushrooms
One pepermint shrimp
Serpent Star
5-8 Naarrious snails
10 Asteria snails
1 bumble bee snail
One small orange/red star
Lobafillia
and that is it.
I clean my HOB once a month religiously
and that is my problem in a nut shell
Please Help me I can't afford this salt any more
Oh, I use tropic marin salt and Sera tests
I first had a 26 bow front and i could never get the nitraes down they were always above 40ppm, so i tought that it was my inexperience in a nano reef so i upgraded to my 75. Well i have had it running for about 7 months now and i am still having big problems. this is the time line
1st month
nitrates 20ppm
2nd month
nitrates >40ppm
3rd month
nitrates<5ppm
4h month
nitrates10ppm
5,6,7 nitrates fluxuating between 20 and 40 ppm
I am not sure what i am doing wrong. The water I am using alwasys tests negative for nitrates and nothing has died in the poast 3 months, i only feed once maybe twice a week, i do my water changes on a weekly basis since i have not been able to get the nitrates down, i stoped attempting to do a 10% for ten days a few months back. It did not lower the nitrates at all and I was thinking i was depleting all my nitrate fixing bacteria by sucking them all out.
About 3 weeks ago i bought some calerpera to possibly assist in the problem, and after i put it in the tank the nitrates dropped about 5ppm, but now they just continue to go up.
Most of my live stock seems to be unaffected by it and they are all still thriving. But I have noticed a problem with lots of detritus.
So this is my set up in a nut shell
75 gallon
50lbs crushed coral ( i am getting ready to go to sand in about amonth, but i am holding out till i move into my new place)
80lbs Live rock
Aqua clear HOB
440 W Vho and 80 W NO
4 Rio Power heads
calerpera (i think it is called grape???)
One tomato clown
a fire fish
2 anemones
One plate coral
a few mushrooms
One pepermint shrimp
Serpent Star
5-8 Naarrious snails
10 Asteria snails
1 bumble bee snail
One small orange/red star
Lobafillia
and that is it.
I clean my HOB once a month religiously
and that is my problem in a nut shell
Please Help me I can't afford this salt any more
Oh, I use tropic marin salt and Sera tests