Is 45mg/l nitrates bad?

[Grins]

Mine is at 0....but I don't expect to keep that forever. I do weekly 10% changes, use great flow, skimmer, and macro algae

 

[1wizz]

I guess the benefits of a sump:silly:
Thanks for the replies:headbang2:

 

[Lorna]

Are you running a reef tank? if so any measurable nitrates are not a good thing. Most corals and some inverts are intolerable of high nitrates. What do you have for substrate? crushed coral is a notorious nitrate trap. I would strongly suggest that you investigate setting up some type of refugium and introducing some macro algae to use as nutrient export. If you go with a good fuge system, adequate live rock and a deep sand bed you should be able to ditch the canister filters and ehiems and run them only for housing carbon for water polishing.

 

[vorlx]

Mine usually hover around 20. I have been slowing adding additional methods to reduce this. I had brought down the average to the 10 range but haven't been running my skimmer so the number has crept back up to 20.

I use a combination of Live Rock/Sump/Refugium w/macro algae for filtration. I top off daily but don't do water changes near as often as some of the others. My goal is to reduce the nitrates to a near 0 level by more natural means. I do dose trace elements though. I have a tentative plan of 30% water changes every 2-3 weeks but don't always stick to that if I don't feel it necessary.

 

[archer772]

I know you asked Grins but thought I throw in my 2 cents, my trates have been running at zero for about 6-8 months, prior to that <10 and I do about 20%-25% wc about every 8 weeks. I have a 65 gallon display and a 50 gallon for my sump with about 1/2 of it fuge the rest is for my skimmer and return pump, I do dose for calcium, alk and mag.

 

[vorlx]

I know you asked Grins but thought I throw in my 2 cents, my trates have been running at zero for about 6-8 months, prior to that <10 and I do about 20%-25% wc about every 8 weeks. I have a 65 gallon display and a 50 gallon for my sump with about 1/2 of it fuge the rest is for my skimmer and return pump, I do dose for calcium, alk and mag.

Just more evidence of people doing things differently. I am a firm believe that there are so many different ways to do things that will achieve good results.

 

[1wizz]

Thanks all,
I have a solid reading of 35 mgl showing now after all the cleaning effort although the regime was not bad before.
The tank has about 40-45 pounds of live rock (guessing) bare glass under rock which is sat on 2 large pieces of branching coral (12lbs)to lift it up and create a cave system and allow flow-through
The sand at the front is crib-sea coral sand for my wrasse and sand shifting star which i syphon regularly,(sand not star)
My skimming is done by a prizm skimmer :liar:

 

[1wizz]

The tank...Trigon 350
Not quite a reef ~
1 Regal tang
1 lemonpeel
2 clowns
1 royal gammer
1 Blue cheak goby
1 manderin
1 firefish
1 white belly coris
1 exenia
1 star colony
1 orange bush coral
loads of mushrooms (discosoma)
All doing well with the musshes going mad.

 

[vorlx]

Thanks all,
I have a solid reading of 35 mgl showing now after all the cleaning effort although the regime was not bad before.
The tank has about 40-45 pounds of live rock (guessing) bare glass under rock which is sat on 2 large pieces of branching coral (12lbs)to lift it up and create a cave system and allow flow-through
The sand at the front is crib-sea coral sand for my wrasse and sand shifting star which i syphon regularly,(sand not star)
My skimming is done by a prizm skimmer :liar:

What size tank are we talking about? I can't imagine that prizm skimmer doing to much for you. Do you happen to have or plan on having a sump/refugium setup?

The picture showed up as soon as I finished this post. Go figure. Is that crushed coral as a substrate?

 

[1wizz]

thanks for the replies vorlx,
The substrate was bagged as coral sand ???Wanting to remove all my existing cc when i upgrade over a year ago.
How much dose a skimmer effect the Nitrate reading?