Help with nitrates

[makana]

I have been fighting high nitrates for far too long and don't know what do. My nitrates are usually between 10 and 15 when I test before a water change. I tried cooking half the rock first and then the second half. I have a shallow sand bed that cleaned up with a gravel vac. The tank is an all in one and I cleaned out the back chambers. Last week I did 25% water changes every other day and pushed the nitrates down to around 3 (tested on Sunday). Tonight they are 10 again.

I run filter floss that I change every other day. I have a skimmer that is rated for double the capacity of the tank. I don't normally run carbon but am right now. I have cheato in the tank and an turf scrubber in the back chamber (all attempts to lower nitrates). Nothing has worked.

The tank is a 28g nano cube with 30lbs live rock and a shallow sand bed.

I currently have 10lbs of rock in a cooking tub that came out of this tank and the nitrates in the tub are still climbing to 15 in a week, changing 100% of the water. They have been in there for 5 weeks now. Is it possible the nitrates are in the display tank are leaching from my rock?

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by makana

Is it possible the nitrates are in the display tank are leaching from my rock?

Very much possible. Since you are saying that the water in the tub is also getting nitrate upto 15 in a week, so the rocks are the main criminal I presume

[Arok3000]

Have you considered introducing a nuisance algae problem to the tank?
Keeps my nitrates down...

[Mike-fish]

How long have you had the tank running. How old is the rock

[makana]

The tank is roughly 4 years old as is the rock. There are currently two types of nuisance algae in there.

Any ideas on what I can do? Throw in the towel?

[kien]

Originally Posted by makana

The tank is roughly 4 years old as is the rock. There are currently two types of nuisance algae in there.

Any ideas on what I can do? Throw in the towel?

I'm not sure if they make towels that absorb nitrates. Wait, do they? That would be totally awesome!!

Anyway, have you considered trying BioPellets in a reactor? If set up properly they can do a great job at reducing nitrates.

..seriously do they make nitrate absorbing towels?

[Ryan7]

[quote=makana;765933]I have a shallow sand bed that cleaned up with a gravel vac.
I run filter floss that I change every other day.

Why are you cleaning the sand with a vac or cleaning it at all?

Leave the sand alone. Constantly disturbing the sand will cause problems with your nitrates. The idea of a sand bed is to produce natural nitrite/nitrate reducing qualities with pods, worms, bacteria ect....

Ditch the floss.

If your nitrates still remain, start slowing dosing vinager to add nitrate reducing bacteria to the system.

[makana]

A shallow sand bed has no nitrate reducing qualities. All of the reading I have done has led me to believe that it is purely asthetic. If I understand it correctly, a shallow sand bed can become a nitrate factory. Maybe I'm out to lunch but that is what I have read.

Why would I ditch the filter floss? It is my only means of removing larger particles before they settle.

[Proteus]

I have 1/2 cm sand bed which I clean. I run filter material also. But even though you clean the sand bed you should have cuc to get detritus and uneaten food before it breaks down

[makana]

There are a few sand sifting snails that live in the sand as well as a handfull of hermit crabs and a handfull of turbo snails. I never used to clean the sand bed but recently have been reading that a shallow sand bed should be kept clean so I started cleaning it in hopes it would help.