Sugar for lowering NItrates????? (1 Viewer)

[doubletap4311]

Has anyone ever used granulated sugar added to their tank to reduce nitrates. I have had a problem for a couple off months now with high nitrates. I have removed my wet dry, intstalled a refrugium with macroalgae. I still have nitrates around 60ppm in between bi-weekly 35 gallon water changes on a 150 rr tank. I am lost. I have been advised to stop distubing the sand bed when doing water changes. I have quit doing that. I did increase my sand bed from 1 inches to 4 inches where I could get the new sand. I did this very slowly and after rising the sand for hours. It took me a week to do the sand.
One other thing I can think of is I use a mag 18 for my return with 5 feet of head. I am flowing atleast 1400 gallon per hour. Is this too much through my fuge?

 

[Rick]

I had a similiar problem with nitrates and phosphates.
I put a bunch of Xenia in, and it is thriving... Look up the article on Xenia scrubing, I'm a believer now.

Rick

 

[FireEater]

So how do you keep the weeds from invading your main tank?

Also, the sugar method is old news, Vodka is also used. Do a search on here for the threads.

CLICKITY

CLICKITY 2

CLICKITY 3

CLICKITY 4

These are just 4 of the 1000'2 of topics on sugar and vodka on Google.

 

[aggie4231]

DO you use a skimmer? What is your feeding like? Also, what livestock do you own? How long has the tank been set-up. It took me almost a year for my tank to really reach an equilibrium.

 

[doubletap4311]

DO you use a skimmer? What is your feeding like? Also, what livestock do you own? How long has the tank been set-up. It took me almost a year for my tank to really reach an equilibrium.

Bullet 2 skimmer, feed only a few flakes once per day. All are eaten and none reach the substrate. Tank's been running after a 6 month tear down for 10 months now. 1 blue tang, flame angel, yellow tang, porcupine puffer, mated pair of true percs, flame hawk. None of the fish are larger than 3 inches. ro/di water.

 

[Guest]

Feeding

Something is always feeding something, whether be lighting, feeding. Realistically, if mimicking the ocean, sunlight is not as we apply in our tanks. To much and your feeding something that loves it, and killing something that doesn't. And I bet if the ocean had sides 90 degrees up from the floor polished with light, you would see what you see in your tank, especially if there was no cleaner crews around to feed off of what you was already feeding with the light. That reminds me I need more snails.

 

[jdeveaux]

I will give you a note of warning. If you have a sand bed especially a deep sand bed the sugar, vodka method can back fire on you really fast. The low to non-existent oxygen state in the sand bed turns that sugar/vodka into a lethal mixture of hydrogen sulfide. This is where the ticking time-bomb expression comes from that you hear from some reefers.

Check out this article

Regards,