Increasing Nitrates And Adding More Fish

[AquariumSchmo]

I have a 20 gallon reef tank that is predominately SPS. The corals are doing well; they are encrusting and growing, but they have lost a lot of coloration. My nitrates are at zero and it was recommended to me to dose sodium nitrate to help with that. I ordered a pharmaceutical grade bottle and a better nitrate test kit to do so safely. But I was just thinking about another angle as well. I only have one fish in this tank; a six-line wrasse. If I add another fish, that increased bioload would help raise nitrates as well, right? If so, are there any fish that would be good for a 20 gallon aquarium that the six-line would not bother? This fish has always been by himself, and I know they traditionally have a bad reputation, so I don't know how he would react to another fish. For reference, see the link in my signature and check out the latest picture.

 

[popsbjd]

I'd bet it wouldn't play nice with any new addition. If you can move the 6 line out while the new one gets acclimated, you might be able to pull it off.

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[ichthyoid]

Also, you don’t just get nitrates from adding fish. You’ll add phosphorous as well, by feeding them.


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[bhodges82]

Fish poop is a natural souce of nitrate in the ocean, the nitrate and phosphate will raise in an equal amount which in my opinuon is desired for balance.

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[ActiveAngel]

I would steer away from dosing sodium nitrate; and support adding an additional fish.

You’re right in your research showing that 6 Lines can be aggressive, especially in a small tank. Fortunately, in a 20g, it shouldn’t be overly difficult to catch (with care not to disrupt or break any corals).

Another trick often employed by tang owners when they worry that a new tang will be picked on by the current inhabitants (pun intended), is to place a couple of small handheld mirrors inside or around the tank. The tangs will focus their attention on their reflection and avoid hurting themselves or the new fish (or at least divide their aggression). After a period of days/weeks, slowly remove the mirrors one at a time. It may not work on a 6 Line though, as they can be aggressive towards more than just conspecific varieties; but just an idea to keep your back pocket for when you need it down the road.

 

[thragger]

Maybe try adding a fish that doesn't occupy the same area of the tank as a six-line wrasse, like a goby

 

[1mbrews8]

still resetting up my tank, so if u wanna take any of my nitrates (have tooooooo many lol), it's cool with me lol!

 

[snowmansnow]

If you want to add NO3 then add only NO3. The issue is that it is hard to JUST add NO3 alone. The best fix for this that I've found and used is NaNO3. I believe folks use it to cure meat. I bought 10 pounds on Amazon once and it will last FOREVER. It takes very little to make a measurable difference. Measure it out in small doses and test... Add until your level raises 1 ppt then you'll know how much to add to your specific volume to raise the NO3 to the desired level.

 

[enderg60]

I dosed sodium nitrate for a bit to keep my levels over 1. It worked fine, but my system was 20x larger.

Also 6 lines are evil little bastards in small tanks and thats if they dont just jump out. 4 lines are a bit better or any flasher wrasse.

 

[AquariumSchmo]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I appreciate it.

I have been thinking about it over the last couple of weeks and have decided to upgrade to a IM Nuvo Ext 75 gallon next year; combining both of my nano tanks. I have been in this hobby for about 2.5-3 years and I'm ready for a bigger tank. With that mind, the nitrate issue in this 20 gallon is just a short term problem now.

The six-line wrasse was added a while back to eradicate all the flatworms in the tank and he did an amazing job; haven't seen any flatworms in a long time. I'm a bit attached, but I guess I should consider re-homing him at some point before the upgrade.

In the meantime, I started dosing ME Coral Nitrate and am finally starting to register a little nitrate on the Salifert test. Starting to see some better coloration in the corals as well.

As far as stocking plans for next tank, definitely going to aim for a higher bio load.

 

[FutureInterest]

Glad its working for yah Casey. If you start adding another fish and raising nitrates that way you'll end up with more nuisance algae issues as well. Also... as mentioned earlier... 6lines are super territorial. I made the mistake of adding one and he proceeded to take out 3 resident fish until I could get him removed.