nitrates?? how can I lower

[xcit]

Is water changes the only way to keep nitrates down.

 

[something]

For the most part, yes. Most clams and scallops (i think a few other things too) will bring down nitrates, but they're really hard to keep from what ive heard. Someone tag me if im wrong

 

[fishandchips]

are you using bioballs?

 

[S.Reef]

It has shown that Tridacnidae clams do lower nitrates. I would suggest lowering the fish load, using purified water and getting rid of mechanical filtration.

 

[xcit]

I am using bio bale in my bak pak 2 filter and have only two fish small clown and damsel. Also running a mini penguin bio wheel to help with the clarity of the tank ie small particles and such.
The tank has been running now for 3 weeks but I used 20lbs live sand and 20 lbs live rock in a 20 gallon tank. No ammonia and no nitrites. Ph is 8.2 and the salinty is 1.22.BUt nitrates seem to hold at .50.

 

[aresgod]

yea get rid of the bio wheel, it is a nitrate trap, i have also found having live plants i.e. seagrass, mermaids hair ect has helped, my nitrates were at 10 ppm, but with the addition of live plants they are at 0, ph could go up a little as well if that measurement was during the day

 

[1979camaro]

chaeto is awesome stuff for a sump/refugium...and the beauty of it is that, unlike, caulerpa, it doesn't go sexual...so it won't end up in your display on accident

 

[fishandchips]

thought so
i was using bio balls myself and had the same problem,they suck up the ammonia and nitrite and turn them in to nitrate
if you are going to get rid of them do it slowly, dont just take them allout at once cos all you are going to do is just put all the load on the live rock
take a quarter out every two weeks and replace it with polywool and a phosphate removal media

 

[S.Reef]

I find that if you have enough live rock and sand keeping bio-wheels and bioballs doesnt matter that much...just my personnal experience and thoughts.