Some Suggestions For A Nitrate Spike

JRR1285

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First let me start off by saying that this place has helped me enormously since I found it. Simply one of the best places for information on saltwater tanks I have found. I'm a fairly experienced fish keeper both with fresh and salt water, this Nano section really intrigued me and thats why I'm now posting after a few months of lurking.

Now to my problem. I started my 10G nano close to two months ago, Using live rock from my 55G salt tank I got the cycle going. I had been doing regular water monitoring for a while but that ceased with the recent holidays. Today I check all params and everythig is ideal:

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
pH: 8.2-8.3
Salinity: 1.022
Temp: 78.1

Getting excited that I'm about to be able to go out and get live stock I do the Nitrate test... approx 100 ppm or higher.

Any ideas on how to get this under control? Also once back in control how to keep it there. Im thinking I should also mention I have a HOB filter I used to get it going. Probably should remove this right?
 
I have a HOB filter I used to get it going. Probably should remove this right?

Bear with me because I'm still new to this all but if you have a HOB you don't absolutely have to get rid of it, but just remove the sponges or filter floss etc from it. These things trap waste particles which will continue to decay and decay causing the nitrate to go up. I only run live rock in my tank with no other filtration method other than water changes and the occasional insertion of a sponge on the intake chamber to catch some particulate; but the sponge is removed immediately! as far as getting the nitrate under controll you need to do some water changin to see if you can bring it down. having the rock in there for such a long time without doing a water change is not going to help. As long as you have 0 ammonia and nitrite you should be changing your water regularly.

Be open to others modifications of my advice because someone else here almost certainly has a more precise explanation!

SLC

P.S. the HOB can be used to add circulation to the water! I forgot to mention why you can leave it there.
 
As said above sponges will create large amounts of nitrate and in a 10G a little goes a long way. Remove the sponges but keep the hob and depending on your needs fill it with LR ruble, carbon, rowaphos, filter floss or a mix of whatever you need.

I would do a 50% water change to make a dent in the nitrate level. Do you have any livestock in the tank?

Forgot to see we'd all love to see pics of your nano
 
i agree with all the above get your large water change done then go back to 10% weekly and monitor them nitrates you could also try polyfilter media in the hob
 
Thankyou everyone for the quick replies. I will immediately do a water change as well as remove all of the filter medium and just put in some carbon and live rock rubble. As for livestock there is thankfully none in the tank. I'm hoping to (once my nitrate is good) to add some snails and hermits along with an anemone or two. Maybe a clown eventually. Pics will come soon.
 
Carbon may help and live rock will help with ammonia and nitrite by increasing the filtration capacity of your tank just remember to keep the carbon cleaned out as it will become a place for particulates to stick. Especially when you get some crabs that begin eating algae, I put mine in yesterday and they throw tons of it into the water column, which would get stuck in the sponges if they aren't rinsed or left out altogether.

Good Luck and come back frequently, there's tons of people here with tons of experience; all just waiting to help and give advice!

SLC
 
The advice given is fantastic but it does assume something that you shouldnt necessarily assume. It all assumes that your nitrate test kit is accurate. I've seen my share of reefers fooled by faulty nitrate test kits. Take a water sample to your LFS and have them verify that your testkit is in fact accurate. SLC's advice still applies, and I'd do that with high or low nitrates. If you remove the media, do the waterchange and your LFS verifies that your nitrates are still high... Do a 100% water change since you dont have livestock in there to worry about
 
The advice given is fantastic but it does assume something that you shouldnt necessarily assume. It all assumes that your nitrate test kit is accurate. I've seen my share of reefers fooled by faulty nitrate test kits. Take a water sample to your LFS and have them verify that your testkit is in fact accurate. SLC's advice still applies, and I'd do that with high or low nitrates. If you remove the media, do the waterchange and your LFS verifies that your nitrates are still high... Do a 100% water change since you dont have livestock in there to worry about

About a half hour before I came back to check if there were anymore replies I decided to test my water after the 50% change once more. The first test from last night netted the same results as before... at least 100 ppm.
So this morning I test again, same. So I decide to come back and check the responses. You reaffirm my thoughts of a faulty test kit. So for one last time I do a another water change and I retest. 20-30 ppm. I still don't trust my test kit as I used to but maybe my water just had an insane amount of nitrate present. Any thoughts on this? It was left to it's own devices close to a month ago, with only water top ups and no testing. :blush:
 

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