Nitrate question

[LBFish]

I recently had a spike in my nitrates, got up to about 20 ppm. I think it was due to over feeding. I reduced the amount I was feeding and after a couple of water changes my nitrates are now between 5 and 10 ppm. Is there anything I can do to help reduce the nitrates more or should I just let time and water changes continue to reduce them back down? Prior to over feeding, my nitrates were always at 0 and other than the over feeding, nothing else has changed.

Thanks

 

[BL1]

do you run a sump or refugium?

 

[LBFish]

I have a cadlights aio, but it does have a small refugium in the back w/ chaeto.

 

[BL1]

Well, if you're already running chaeto then, just cut back on your feeding and continue with the water changes and they should continue to come down.

 

[Cathic]

oo oo i see a job for an ALGAE SCRUBBER!

 

[sen5241b]

Maybe put more light on the cheato. Some do not put enough light on their fuge.

A small fist sized lump of cheato in a fuge is not enough. I have a huge basketball sized in my fuge for my 29 and my trates are always zero --and I overfeed to often.

Also, flow is important in keeping trates down.

 

[LBFish]

I had just extended the light cycle on my fuge light this weekend. It had previously run from when the main lights went off until about 9am when there started to be light in the room. It is now on from just before the main lights go off until just after they go on. I have as much cheato in there as I can fit.

I have the flow from the return pump and a mp20 in there for flow so i think i'm ok on flow.

Thanks.

 

[bjohanson1234]

Maybe put more light on the cheato. Some do not put enough light on their fuge.

A small fist sized lump of cheato in a fuge is not enough. I have a huge basketball sized in my fuge for my 29 and my trates are always zero --and I overfeed to often.

Also, flow is important in keeping trates down.

Just to reinforce what sen said. I cut my cheato down from well over a basket ball sized to a 16" softball sized clump about every month to month an a half. I also have a 29 gallon.

 

[little_fish]

Its important to cut the cheato down so that more can grow to continually remove nutrients.

 

[LBFish]

Ok, so that got a little confusing, I think. I don't have a regular sump. It's an AIO tank that has a sump like area for cheato. And it is about as full of cheato as I can get it. No room for a basketball sized clump, it might be close to a softball size.

So, with that said. It appears I should be trimming out half of my cheato once in a while to allow it to grow more?

 

[Bifferwine]

Yes, I trim mine every two weeks or so. If I'm not giving it or selling it to someone, I throw it in the trash. Some LFSs will take it from you for store credit.

 

[Ogaawd]

Ok, so that got a little confusing, I think. I don't have a regular sump. It's an AIO tank that has a sump like area for cheato. And it is about as full of cheato as I can get it. No room for a basketball sized clump, it might be close to a softball size.

So, with that said. It appears I should be trimming out half of my cheato once in a while to allow it to grow more?

yes, this is called exporting nutrient, if its not growing its not removing, if your not trimming the waste is still in the tank, Cheato is a good one as it dosen't die off like caulerpa

 

[LBFish]

So I went to trim my chaeto this weekend and found that some parts of it were a little darker and kind of mushy while other parts were a brighter green and kind of stiff. Is the mushy stuff dead/dying and I should pull out that part and throw it out?

Also, any suggestions on making sure this stuff is good and dead before I throw it out?

 

[bjohanson1234]

Do you also rotate it every couple days?

What is happening is the cheato is blocking the light from itself. Rotatiting it lets it all get light.

 

[LBFish]

I don't rotate, but I will start :)

 

[x19]

I have Biff's Chaeto in a HOB refugium that I will now start rotating :-)

I also dose the tank with Vodka daily. My Nitrates down from 40 ppm (I had stopped the dosing and was apparently overfeeding). Water changes and reduced feeding got it down to 20 ppm over about 3 weeks. I then took apart my skimmer and pumps apart to clean for nitrate traps before starting the dosing back up.

After about 3 weeks of dosing I'm down to less than 2 ppm.

If you want to do organic carbon dosing there are some great links, but you have to start very slowly and build up the quantity. I only dose 1 ml daily, and started at .25 ml.