lower nitrate?

[ahmer1781]

I have freshly cycled tank, 90 gallon with 30 sump:

0 -- ammonia
0 -- nitrite
40 -- nitrate

what's the best way to get my nitrates down? i'm running the skimmer. water changes?

 

[frank180reef]

water changes

the skimmer takes waste out before it totally breaks down and becomes eventually nitrates

 

[MofoCorals]

Best thing you can do is often water changes and feeding less.

 

[MrX]

There are a number of articles/posts about doing a series of large water changes to quickly reduce nitrates.

One example: http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/nitratecontrol/ss/sbsnitratereduction.htm

 

[ahmer1781]

i've read a lot about water changes, looks like i'll be doing some major water changes this weekend...

i haven't fed the critters in my tank yet, i wanted to limit food so the peppermint shrimp can eat the aiptasia.

thanks everyone!

 

[Bostoreef]

I have two reactor one for Seachem matrix and one for Biopellets. Red Sea NO3O4-X 2ml every other day or so to feed the bacteria in both reactors.
Also, I have Seachem matrix and miracle mud mix as send bad in my sump some cheato. curve 5 skimmer. I set the flow in my sump very low About 300gph in 65g tank plus 20g sump.

I didn't do water change since I start this tank back in Dec of last year " About 6 months now"

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
phosphate 0.04 " use Milwaukee PO4 checker"

 

[SteveDola]

isn't this a brandy new tank? just cycled? let things settle a bit before you go chasing numbers.

 

[Bobbofin]

isn't this a brandy new tank? just cycled? let things settle a bit before you go chasing numbers.

Yup, when I started my new tank three years ago I let it run for 60 days, minimum light, no fish, no corals then ramped up very slowly. In Europe they let the tank run for 180 days, no light, no fish, no corals. Reefers in North America are so impatient and I'm speaking about myself also.

 

[luu78]

If you are training the p. shrimps to eat aptaisas, put them in the acclimation container with holes for circulation and feed them aptaisas instead. Much quicker way than let them wander around. This way your other critters don't have to suffer lack of feedings. Also, give you a chance to siphon out aptaisa larvae strands. The shrimps tend to be messy eaters and agitate the aptaisas unlike the berghias which wont trigger aptaisas to reproduce while being eaten. Good luck!

 

[ahmer1781]

I took my water to uniqueaquaria to get tested. Frank was right, my measurements are wrong, my kit says 40 but his test showed my nitrates at 5, thank God! I can hopefully add those clowns now.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I have to look into some reactors.