Best Thing To Eat Waste

[G7EG]

Hi all,

The nitrate in my tank is higher than it should be (everything else is ok) and I have recently lost all my fish (see other topic)

Anyway, I need to reduce the nitrate and it seems the best way is a water change which I completed again yesterday.

Apart from that waste in the tank looks like it also raises the nitrate. Is there anything I can get that can eat the waste? is this something a Goby can do?

Also a little question.......... When doing a water change do you siphon thru the sand to lift the waste or just purely siphon out the water from say 1 corner at the top?

Cheers all

 

[Miss Wiggle]

we're just starting to overcome our nitrate issues, maybe reading the link in my sig will help, loads of people have given they're input.

you don't need to vac your sand as you would with FW, at least not every time you do a water change, maybe occasionally for a bit of a thorough clean out.

 

[G7EG]

Thanks Miss Wiggle. I can't seem to find it though unless im being blind

 

[Miss Wiggle]

In my sig there's a link, click where it say's 'our first marine tank'. it takes you to a 7 page thread, most of it about reducing the ntirates.

 

[N1z]

right well tbh there are 3 main ways to get rid of nitrates..
Marco algea is on where they eat the nitrate,
Water changes- however this can be annoying and expensive in the long run
nitrate filters such as sulpher beads, this is a good way too as it works constatly keeping nitrates low however takes some time to commission on to work properly.
Ive got the third option as i believe in the long run it will save me loads of money plus i can use it on any fish tank i keep

 

[G7EG]

Ah ha!

Thankyou, I only read the 1st page so guess i'll read the rest tonight!

Im off to LFS on way home you see was trying to see what I can purchase.

Thanks N1z

Do you have a link for no3 anywhere? "nitrate filters such as sulpher beads"

Do Gobys help eat the waste? Im thinking this is my main problem as I have alot of waste in the sandbed and the siphon doesn't lift much of it up. Not only that on a large majority of water changes i have been taking water out only and not waste.

 

[N1z]

they can be eg sand sifting ones as they keep the sand moving, also hemirts a ok but mainly a snail cnt remember name again lol but they go in the sand once they have a full belly lol so that moves ur sand alot too.
Yer here you go its a D&D Sulphur Denitrator ive got,http/www.stm-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Other_Filters_Sulphur_Deltec_Korallin.html

 

[G7EG]

Cheers fella,

I actually have a sand sifting star fish, although he moves the sand around which is great and keeps it clean im not sure he eats the waste or not

 

[N1z]

oh like crap? and food, need liek snails and crabs for that rreally

 

[SkiFletch]

In response to how to vaccum, When you do so, try and get in the crevices of LR, especially in "dead spots" where the flowrate is low. Detritus tends to accumulate there and vaccuming it away is usualy beneficial. You might also want to try some nassarius snails as they will tend to eat uneaten food and some waste products in your sandbed. Brittlestars are excellent detritus eaters as well.

 

[Opcn]

Alright, rather than looking for something to make all of the waste disapear (no such critter exists) perhaps you should look to stop the cause, Overfeeding and overstalking are the two main causes of high nitrates. Sand sifting stars will keep your sand bed stired, but they will eat alot of the critters that are eating extra food anf the like, you should evaluate your livestock load and feeding habits before you go looking for a magic bullet to solve your problems.