High Level of Nitrates, Not going away, very confused

[beachbum]

1) Water parameteres:
pH of 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 160
Salinity: 1.021

2) 125gal Tank with a Porcupine Puffer, Grouper, and an Eel... I have live rock in the tank and I believe it is crushed coral as a substrate.

3) Feed every other day- 4 shrimp altogether and a certain amount of Krill. Water changes: about 15-25% water changes every day for the last 2 weeks to lower Nitrates (almost having no effect)

4) No changes other than constant water changes to lower Nitrates. Reason for high Nitrates: We had a guy come in to clean the tanks and do water changes once a week. Some issues arose and he left (along with a lion fish and a protein skimmer). About a 2 week period about a month ago where the tanks weren't worked on. Then I started cleaning the tanks. I noticed how high the nitrates were and have been trying ever since to lower them. Going every day to get salt water or R/O water to do the water changes. And have been changing water every day for the last 2 weeks.

5) It has been running for a few years and not sure how it was cycled.


*I realize this is a very bad situation with such high nitrates which is why I have been doing water changes every day to try to lower them for the last two weeks. I am extremely confused on why they have not went down because we have changed A LOT of water. We aren't feeding them too much and we do not have too many fish in the tank.

*My theory is in that two week period the nitrates went so high that the test cannot show us how high they actually are. So in changing so much water the nitrates are coming down but still have them off the charts so the test cannot show the accurate level. Only problem with that is I have done A LOT of water changes, I am dumbfounded.

[manutius]

I had a similar situation in my FW tank. The answer there was overstocking and I think that could be a possibilty in your tank too, I was doing 100% water changes weekly. The fish you have are all large and eat a diet that produces a lot of waste. how big are they? ythe other possibilty could be a faulty test, they opften have a best before date so it may be worth getting another or getting LFS to check your water for you

[beachbum]

Both the grouper and puffer are no bigger than 6 inches and the eel only eats two shrimp. It is a possibility I guess.

I thought maybe the test could be bad and did a test on the water we buy from the LFS to see if it worked or was faulty. Came up 0 for Nitrates. So I would think it is working fine. I will take water to the LFS and let them test it to double check on that.

[manutius]

I can' think what eklse it is unless there is something rotting in there? Bis of uneaten food perhaps. I would cut back on the feeding for while an maybe only feed them every 2 days for now. Not too sure what esle you can do

[beachbum]

Sounds like a must, switch up to less feeding, and see the results.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated too... If something comes to mind.

[manutius]

Good luck

[Pufferpunk]

As difficult as this will be, you may need to get rid of the crushed coral--it's a "nitrate factory". Are you cleaning it during every WC? A live sand bed will "eat" nitrates, a deep sand bed is even better.
http://www.ronshimek.com/Deep%20Sand%20Beds.htm

Taking out 10-15% of the water is obviously notgoing to remove much of the nitrate. You are going to have to figure out how to do 50% WC every day for several days, to get this down to livable conditions.

Look seriously into setting up a refugeum. I did 50% weekly WC on my 55g SW tank, trying to keep the nitrates <40. I upgraded to a 90g tank & added a sump/fuge--they are now around .5.

[manutius]

OOh yeah, I knew a marine bod would have a soltuion. you can put that chaeto algae in there too right?

[Pufferpunk]

"Marine bod"?

[manutius]

yeah sorry English slang, Bod= body/person, sorry I meant to say someone of Marine understanding

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, just like a house plant needs fertilizers to grow, so does the cheato algae in a fuge. It "eats" nitrates.

[manutius]

yeah and then when it grows too much you sell the excess on ebay for a profit

[beachbum]

lol@manu

Reading that article was very helpful Pufferpunk, I think the Live Sand is the way to go. Cheato Algae may help on a temporary basis. I think the next step is to figure a way to hold the fish in one of the tanks (55gal) until the 2 week process is up with this Live Sand. Then put the fish back in the tank (125gal). And then do the same with the other tank (we have 3 tanks altogether).. I guess all 3 tanks will need this to be done.

Is that what you would recommend?

[Pufferpunk]

In know it is a total PITA but a necessary job. BTW though, I had a DSB in the tank with the 40 nitrates. The only thing that seemed to bring them down to .5 was adding the fuge with cheato in it, on my upgraded tank.

[beachbum]

What must be done, must be done. I'm not too worried about it. Doing it efficiently and sufficiently is my worry. When doing these things there is so much to know. Which isn't a problem, do the research- most things work out. It's just once heading into that process, I realize something I should have known, but didn't cover. Then more work is to be done. I'll try to get a check list of what to do before I go through with it. However, this weekend needs to be the date something is done.

Since I think I know the direction to go I read quite a few things on here. I think I will go with the Live Sand idea since it will filter the tank along with the Live Rock. And here are my next questions... (btw, thanks for all the help so far!)

With the Live Sand, does it have to be 4" to 6" deep? And the crushed coral in there now is about 2" or 3" inches altogether deep. I have a Grouper in the tank now that tends to push the C.C. around and creates mounds in certain places (basically where he hides). Is this going to be a huge problem in the long run with the organisms in the live sand or if the sand is built right maybe he won't keep "digging" his hiding places.


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My only issue is if taking a chance by putting the 3 fish in the 125gal tank and putting them in the 55gal tank. The 55gal tank has an outbreak of popeye and a body fungus (forget the name of it). We have one fish in there and seems to be okay but it has been about a week since the outbreak. We actually lost 3 fish, unfortunately. By the time I came into the picture I did what I could, but it was too late for those 3.

So, putting the 3 fish from the 125gal isn't the greatest idea. Is it possible to do the substrate switch without removing the fish?