240G with 75 sump, WHY do I still have high nitrates?

[Bigfishnut]

Great! Looking forward to that update!

 

[philipraposo1982]

Any chance your dosing ferts? I don't know why I am just thinking about this now.

 

[Siddons11]

Could any of that driftwood be rotting?

 

[Swoll929]

+1 for fluidized k1 you wont be disapointed.

I think everyone else has already nailed the problem. It is purely just my opinion but i think you should go throuh your sump in this order.

1. Mechanical filtration (sponges/sock)
2. Polishing pad
3. Heaters
4. Bio media (swap 3 & 4 in trickle towers)
5. Return pump

If you set it up this way all of the detritus, plant matter, food, and large particles get stopped before your equipment/bio so there is no build up. Plus simple is best. Less steps, less potential for problems. Good luck i hope this helps!

 

[eddiegunks]

VRWC while you are upgrading something that relaly helped me was adding some airstones under the submerged media.

My issues were a small rise im Nitrites......it cured my issue right away. I realaize you gave high nitrAtes. I am thinking the extra air may help to more quickly break down any organics that maybe stuck in your media.

I too am making a switch to k1

 

[eddiegunks]

Drstrangelove where can i see how you get your results......as in i want to try and do my own math on my system.

It woild be interesting to try and tailor feeding by using math. The only question , will the fish survive on a math based feeding schedule/weight? Can it work in real life or will 1. My fish starve? 2. My nitrates will go up?


Thx

VRWC are tha matala mats stiff? I am looking for something i could stand up in my sump to allow water to pass through but contain my k1 media. I was thinking about siliconing two pieces of glass and sticking a ridged mat in it and have it stick out the top keeping the media from overflowing into the next chamber.

 

[justarn]

Nitrate creep is worth reading up on, I will never do less than %75 per week after my research.
Agree that your problems arnt creep related but here's a little math. Showing you should be well within spec if the estimated 1ppm per day is correct.

Weekly nitrates are estimated at 10ppm with 5ppm tap water.
At 50% pw
Week 1 - 15ppm
Week 2 - minus 50%water leaving 7.5ppm +10ppm + (50% volume at 5ppm is) 2.5ppm end of week= 20ppm
Week 3 as above 10ppm + 12.5ppm(Inc fresh water ppm)
= 22.5ppm
Week 4 - 23.75ppm
Week 5 - 24ishppm
Starts leveling out.

If you were heavily at 40ppm pw it's scary if you miss a few weeks
Not including tap nitrates.
Week1 40ppm
Week2 60ppm
Week3 70ppm
Week4 75ppm
Week5 77ppm
Leveling out mmm... 80ppm permanent a good idea? Then miss weeks as we all do occasionally...
Miss 1 week wc 117ppm
Week 7 97ppm
Miss 2 week 177ppm
Week 9 130ppm
Week 10 105ppm
Week 12 92ppm
Very slow to come down to creep level

At 75%
Week1 40ppm
2 - 50ppm
3 - 52.5ppm
4 - 53 ppm
Leveling just +27% above weekly ppm...
Miss a week 93ppm
6 - 63 ppm
7 - 56 pmm
Comes back in check much quicker when a week is missed.

All this without accounting for dirty substrate and filters!!!
Fw tanks need 75% pw of preferably fin level if you plan on missing one occasionally.

 

[justarn]

Would your substrate depth effect nitrates, I'm guessing your not stirring it up due to the plants, could have tonnes of trapped crud in there anerobic.

 

[skjl47]

all the filtration in the world won't reduce nitrates.

hello; This is my understanding as well.

The plants should be helping with the problem

Hello; After some consideration I began to "harvest" plant material from my tanks. Plants help with nitrates by incorporating them into the plants parts such as leaves. I try to remove damaged or dead leaves so they do not decay in the tank and thus release the compounds back into the water.
I now also remove a portion of the plants from time to time. A couple of local fish shops have been taking them.
My take is that the benefit of plants for removing nitrates is in constant new growth. To me this also means the physical removal of older growth.

 

[VRWC]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Ive been out of town for work, thats why Im just getting back to this thread, sorry.

Any chance your dosing ferts? I don't know why I am just thinking about this now.

I havent been on this tank, no.

Could any of that driftwood be rotting?

I suppose it could but the wood is not soft at all.

+1 for fluidized k1 you wont be disapointed.

I think everyone else has already nailed the problem. Good luck i hope this helps!

Thanks for the info!

VRWC while you are upgrading something that relaly helped me was adding some airstones under the submerged media.

My issues were a small rise im Nitrites......it cured my issue right away. I realaize you gave high nitrAtes. I am thinking the extra air may help to more quickly break down any organics that maybe stuck in your media.

I too am making a switch to k1

Great! Thanks for the tip!

VRWC are tha matala mats stiff? I am looking for something i could stand up in my sump to allow water to pass through but contain my k1 media. I was thinking about siliconing two pieces of glass and sticking a ridged mat in it and have it stick out the top keeping the media from overflowing into the next chamber.

Yes, the Matala mats are very stiff. They will stand up with no problem so I think they'd be perfect for what you're looking for.

Nitrate creep is worth reading up on, I will never do less than %75 per week after my research.
Agree that your problems arnt creep related but here's a little math. Showing you should be well within spec if the estimated 1ppm per day is correct.

Fw tanks need 75% pw of preferably fin level if you plan on missing one occasionally.

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to do all that. It really helps put things in perspective!

Would your substrate depth effect nitrates, I'm guessing your not stirring it up due to the plants, could have tonnes of trapped crud in there anerobic.

Im not stirring it, no.

hello; This is my understanding as well.

Hello; After some consideration I began to "harvest" plant material from my tanks. Plants help with nitrates by incorporating them into the plants parts such as leaves. I try to remove damaged or dead leaves so they do not decay in the tank and thus release the compounds back into the water.
I now also remove a portion of the plants from time to time. A couple of local fish shops have been taking them.
My take is that the benefit of plants for removing nitrates is in constant new growth. To me this also means the physical removal of older growth.

I agree. I typically prune the bigger leaves and leave the plants small, except for those 2 big swords in the center of the tank.

Thanks again everyone!