How do YOU lower your Nitrates and Phosphates?

[tlo]

for my 180 with medium bio-load

- 10% weekly water changes
-dsb
-macroalgae
-bio pellets
-skimming
-and I have just started using brightwell aquatics macrobactor 7 with promising results.

This keeps my phosphates at zero(hanna checker) and my nitrates at ~2 (salifert)

I over feed my fish - but I really enjoy feeding them and its something no matter how hard I try - I always will do - so I pay a little extra for water changes/supplements- its worth it for me.

[Parker]

I run pellet but I don't find they make a huge difference. I've tried skimming very wet, very dry, not at all. My skimmer has been off for the last couple weeks because I have been on holidays and there has been no changes in the tank. I have to admit I don't do a lot of water changes, which I should!

[burgerchow]

don't feed very much. Only feed my fish a few pellets every other day. Have a pretty good skimmer, lots of good quality live rock, lots of flow,( 2 vortechs) and only do 10% water change every other month.
works for me.

[Palmer]

Water changes and skimming

[kien]

- NP BioPellets in a reactor.
- Carbon in a reactor (replaced monthly)
- 10% weekly water changes.
- Bubble Magus 220CS skimmer

Nitrates 0, Phosphates 0.

[davidwillson]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

Man, some of these other methods sounds like finicky headaches with a potential for disaster. Making me reconsider my idea of trying something else...

mostly water changes for nitrates iVe went down from 20 to 5 but ive had to replace old rock and cut my feeding down alot. it would seem im stuck ay 5 though so im considering other options so ill be following along here closely

[rayjay]

I've never tested for phosphates in my tank, only in the foods I use.
As for nitrates, I haven't tested for that in any of my tanks for probably at least 15 years now.