Nitrate

[DragonBallZ]

I recently added an extra filter to my 120 saltwater tank, it's a Rena filstar xp4.
Shortly after I put it on my nitrates started rising.
I tested ammonia and nitrite and ammonia is at 0 and nitrite is at 0.1.
Nitrate is at about 50 on my Hagen test kit. Could this sudden rise be from the filter establishing in the new tank?
I've done 2 30% water changes in the past 2 days and there still not lowering.

What should i do?

[whatcaneyedo]

Many people dont use canister filters on saltwater tanks because they have this effect. Mechanical filteration traps waste and allows it to break down within the system creating ammonia > nitrite > nitrate. Where as protien skimming removes the waste before it breaks down. If you want to keep your nitrite and nitrate down you will need to clean out the canister frequently or remove the media from it that is trapping and holding waste. Or discard the canister completely and just get a new or larger protien skimmer.

[DragonBallZ]

I do have a protein skimmer rated for 220 gallon tanks. It's a corallife super skimmer.

If I clean my filter out while my nitrate is up like this will it shock my tan and kill my fish? I know to clean the media in tank water, not tap water. But it still makes me nervous

[jimbo222]

Im pretty new to this aswell.. but i am running a canister filter aswell for three months now and my nitrates are stable 0-5ppm:biggrin:
I completly replace the white foam pad in my canister every two weeks with a new one.
and once a month during a water change i fill a bucket and splash the other media stuff around in the basket.its amazing how much stuff comes out.
i removed my sump because of noise and am happy with the results of the canister.......so far that is

[whatcaneyedo]

There are many ways to shock a tank and kill its inhabitants. A good maintenance schedule is not one of them.

Take a manufacturer's product ratings 'with a grain of salt' or however the expression goes.

Here is some good reading on nitrite and nitrate

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes Farely
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes Farely
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

[Myka]

Many people dont use canister filters on saltwater tanks because they have this effect. Mechanical filteration traps waste and allows it to break down within the system creating ammonia > nitrite > nitrate. Where as protien skimming removes the waste before it breaks down. If you want to keep your nitrite and nitrate down you will need to clean out the canister frequently or remove the media from it that is trapping and holding waste. Or discard the canister completely and just get a new or larger protien skimmer.

Agreed.

If I clean my filter out while my nitrate is up like this will it shock my tan and kill my fish? I know to clean the media in tank water, not tap water. But it still makes me nervous

What media are you using? If you're using any floss/padding/sponge type material it needs to be tossed out in its entirety at least once a week, but twice a week or daily is even better. If you using any of the bio-media type stuff like ceramic rings, balls, etc those shouldn't be used at all in a saltwater tank, except for a few limited uses. None of the media should be rinsed and put back in the filter. That's a freshwater habit, and doesn't work well for saltwater. You can use the canister to run carbon or phosphate medias though there are cheaper and easier ways to do this (like PhosBan reactors).

Unfortunately, you spent money on an item that isn't particularly useful on a saltwater aquarium. If an LFS employee suggested you buy this for your saltwater tank I would suggest you take it back and ask for a refund since the item isn't suitable, and the employee should have known better.