Lower nitrates.

[gixxer600]

What is the best way to lower nitrates in a reef system if you are running a cannister filter. Just multiple water changes or should i put something in the cannister itself. just dont have an idea and nitrates are reading really high.

 

[dakota9]

Wow, it's like an epidemic or something.....


You vacuuming your substrate when you do water changes?

How often do you change the media in your canister? I tried to keep on a weekly or at a minimum bi=weekly canister maintenance.

 

[gixxer600]

no stirring of the sandbed at all filter cleaning not a lot.:yuk:

 

[dakota9]

Well, try changing (or at least cleaning) your filter media weekly. Vacuum the top 1/2" of the substrate when you do water changes....

That should take care of it....

 

[myvwrock]

bigger skimmer , more water changes reduce bio-load, reduce feeding(i feed my fish maybe twice a week)

 

[cr500_af]

Canister filter not cleaned/media not replaced regularly = Nitrate city.

 

[jcook54]

A search for "nitrates" using the handy-dandy search pull down will reveal a ton of sugguestions about how to lower nitrates. It pretty much boils down to water changes and maintaining filter media. I've looked high and low for an easier solution and water changes were all that really worked. At this point I do a 5-10g water changed every week. I've got it down to a science and it only takes 10 minutes including clean up. Good luck!

 

[dakota9]

Remember to vacuum the substrate during a w/c though..... Not too much nitrate in the water column itself.

 

[tnyga]

I found the easiest way on a smaller tank to control Nitrates is to turn it into a terraium....Worked for me

 

[jcook54]

I should have been a bit more specific. Whenever I do a water change I vacuum the substrate and live rock. I use the water I draw off to clean my Fluval 205 sponge filters. From time to time I slack off on maintainance and have to deal with higher than sugguested nitrates. It takes a while to get them down but it does work. If they are really bad, a big w/c and vaccuming are in order.