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High Nitrates

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
My nitrates are still on the high side about 25ppm. I did a 10g water change and used a little Purigen I had.
Its impossible for me to do a large water change. Should I do weekly 5g WC, get more Purigen, try de*Nitrate, carbon dosing, etc. or a combo?
 

DYIguy

NJRC Member
I wish mine were 25-after almost zeroing out mine have been climbing until they got to 60- now I'm dosing with NoPox and they are coming down a bit- my corals are fine- but I have mostly softies- I keep reading that it's just a number and not to worry about it- same with Phosphates- can't get mine under .1
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I wish mine were 25-after almost zeroing out mine have been climbing until they got to 60- now I'm dosing with NoPox and they are coming down a bit- my corals are fine- but I have mostly softies- I keep reading that it's just a number and not to worry about it- same with Phosphates- can't get mine under .1
Chris, good point its just a number. I think somewhere I may have NoPOx.
 

amado

Dal
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
20 nitrate is fine. if possible you can do auto water changes. Like 2 gallon a day. Since you are changing a small amount of water you don’t even need to heat or chill the water. You can make a large 20g brute and mix the salt
 

Adam L

NJRC Member
Cut your feeding in half. Do 3 water changes every other day. your nitrates will come down to 10.
 

bigyankfan

Treasurer
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There is no room in my sump for a refugium. I tried a HOB filter as one but it was small and did not hold much cheato and therefore useless.
Mark,

I have this in my sump and it doesn't take up much room - I love it.
 

Salted

NJRC Member
Chris, good point its just a number. I think somewhere I may have NoPOx.
Diy nopox; 50% white vinegar 30% vodka (any cheap 80proof) 20% rodi. You can make a few gallons for less money than 1 bottle of nopox.
If the corals are fine why change it? We've run the shop usually at 80-100 nitrates and .1 phosphates and can grow pretty much anything
Exactly. My nitrates were off the salifert chart and my tank was thriving. Numbers are BS in this hobby. We have way more leeway than the narrow range some act like are commandments from Moses. Does the tank look good? If yes then screw the number chasing.
Cut your feeding in half.
Unless you're feeding more than the fish can eat then no, never. Give them all they want. Add cuc. Underfeeding these poor things that were plucked from the vastness of the ocean to be dropped in a little glass box for our pleasure is not the answer. If numbers need correction it gets fixed by our hard labor, not by starving these poor creatures. And apologies as I don't know you, my comments here and below are my beliefs and observations, and are not meant as a personal attack.
Do 3 water changes every other day. your nitrates will come down to 10.
And sorry no one in this hobby has the time to do 3 water changes every other day long term. Let's say he does this for a couple weeks and nitrate comes down to 10. As soon as you stop it will go right back up. Is there anyone that would do this perpetuity? This hobby wouldn't exist if that much work was required.

@DYIguy Chris I should have quoted you too. Your tank looks great, anyone would would be proud of it. Stop stressing about numbers. We are our own worst enemies.

We're told again and again to try and maintain a narrow range of parameters, yet many have thriving tanks outside of those parameters. Take the video Amado posted with Dong Zou. Spectacular sps tank, he doesn't care about numbers. He rarely tests. Loved when he said he happened to test his alk and it had dropped to like 6. Did he take 2 weeks to bring it up a tiny bit each day? Nope, eff that, he dumped a bunch of alk in all at once. Done. No losses. Love how he thumbs his nose at what we're told we have to do or the world will explode. We can't see the forest for the trees in this hobby. The entire industry is missing something or this wouldn't be true so often. I think there will eventually be a breakthrough in this hobby, maybe even an accidental one, and there will be a collective smacking ourselves in the head exclaiming how could we have been missing this obvious key to it all for so long. Right now all we have is a hammer, so every problem must be a nail. This is a fairly young hobby, what, a few decades old? There's much to be discovered.
 
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eholceker

NJRC Member
Some corals are sensitive to high nitrates and phosphates. Carbon dosing is something that will definitly work.
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Just seems lately any frags I add die. Don't see anything picking at them so tested and assumed nitrate is causing it.
 
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