How to Lower Nitrates in a Saltwater Aquarium: Proven Techniques For Success

www.marinedepot.com/search?Qu... Keeping nitrate under control has always been a concern with reef aquarists. Nitrate is the end-product of nitrification via your biological filtration, so it is continually added to your aquarium water.
For many, it may seem like a constant battle to keep nitrate under control. But the good news is there are many proven ways to minimize nitrate build-up.
So here's what you need to know to take control of nitrates in your reef tank.
#nitrate #lowernitrates #reeftank
-- HELPFUL LINKS --
Video Blog: mdshop.us/2SkLKkv
How to Lower Phosphates in a Reef Tank: Mastering Nutrient Control: www.marinedepot.com/search?Qu...
How to Lower Your Nitrate with a Biological Denitrator: mdshop.us/BioDenitratorsVideo
How to Lower Nitrate (and Phosphate) in a Reef Aquarium using BioPellets: mdshop.us/BioPelletsVideo
Build an Inexpensive Macroalgae Reactor to Reduce Nitrate and Phosphate: mdshop.us/DIY_Reactor
6 Simple Tricks to Control Nitrates in a Reef Tank: mdshop.us/Nitrate_6_Tricks
Korallin Bio-Denitrator: The Ultimate Low-Maintenance Nitrate Reducer: mdshop.us/KorallinBioDenitrator
-- SHOPPING LINKS --
Nitrate Water Test Kits: mdshop.us/NitrateTests
Mail-In Water Test Kits: mdshop.us/MailInWaterTestKits
Liquid Nitrate Removers: mdshop.us/LiquidNitrateRemovers
Nitrate Removal Media: mdshop.us/NitrateRemovalMedia
Sulfur Denitrators: mdshop.us/biodenitrators
Refugiums: mdshop.us/Refugiums
Algae Scrubbers: mdshop.us/Refugiums
Algae Reactors: mdshop.us/AlgaeReactors
RO/DI Systems: mdshop.us/RODIsystems
BioPellet Reactors: mdshop.us/BioPelletReactor
Protein Skimmers: mdshop.us/ProteinSkimmers
Bacteria Supplements: mdshop.us/Beneficial_Bacteria
-- REFERENCES --
Chronic effects of nitrogenous compounds on survival and growth of juvenile pink shrimp
W. J. Wasieleskya, L. H. Poerscha, T. G. Martinsa and K. C. Miranda-Filhob
Brazilian Journal Biology., 2017, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 558-565
Effects of lowered pH and elevated nitrate on coral calcification.
Marubini, F.; Atkinson, M. J. Biosphere 2 Center, Columbia Univ., Oracle, AZ, USA. Marine Ecology: Progress Series (1999), 188 117-121.
Nutrition of algal-invertebrate symbiosis. II. Effects of exogenous nitrogen sources on growth, photosynthesis and the rate of excretion by algal symbionts in vivo and in vitro. Taylor, D. L. Rosenstiel Sch. Mar. Atmos. Sci., Miami, FL, USA. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences (1978), 201(1145), 401-12.

[@631watson]

Welcome back Roberts good to see you hopefully everything is well

[@TwoGayReefers]

Thank you for giving us a better understanding of our Nitrate problem 💖 great vid!

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for watching!

[@Coralust]

Great video Robert, most new Reefers misunderstand nitrate removal. Thanks for explaining the different options

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for watching!

[@waynenergy]

A very clear and good explanation. Thanks so much.

[@JC_Reef]

Awesome video Robert!

[@uuncebret]

Amazing Roberts 👍

[@samb8996]

Very encompassing and helpful

[@RipVanWinkle_Nature_Discovery]

These ideas form the basis of maintaining water for a reef system. If you're very familiar with all of these topics, you'll pretty much be a successfull reefer. Very good video touching on all these important topics.

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrRufusBaker]

Thanks so much for the knowledge

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thank you for watching! -Robert @ MD

[@jr8688]

Very informative

[@MT-jf1tn]

Great!

[@fiascofarm]

Thank you.

[@skookumchuckreefer978]

Very thorough.

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for stopping by! -Robert @ MD

[@Danzo285]

Thanks

[@drewslagoon]

Good work guys!🙂

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks buddy! Always nice hearing from you.

[@StArikAriel]

At last something understandable and building from bottom to the top, instead of from the middle to the sides :)

[@volteface69]

Très intéressant ... Merci

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for watching! -Robert @ MD

[@extrachannel7457]

Hi . Do you have to take the Cheto algae from refugium and change it after months of it growing ( maybe because it has too much nitrate in it and puts it back in the water? ) or not? Thanks

[@lucianomosqueta7668]

Parabéns....👏👏👏

[@zunkbox]

Sounds like a mage for me! Almost scared me from settin up a saltwater aquarium.

[@rhombifer566]

do a big water change

[@trisbeumer8513]

This explains the no3 at 20 and the po4 at 0.... thanks. I gonne dose po4 a bit

[@karennation3580]

Do I need to put the resin in a reactor or can I just add to my filter sock and keep in panty hose? Thats what I do with cemipure elite and keeps phospates in control! I also put carbon in there washed real good first! I know they say not to do that but works perfectly for me! Also want to know if my rock isnt porous will that help less with nitrate control? Most of my rock is artiifical rock that is basically cemet . I have a lot of tonga and bridges that has been painted purple by manufacturer and had to drill holes for frags because there aren't places on those rocks but then the other half of tank is much more porous artificial rock. I do have a lot of bioballs but maybe I need to add more for that reason! Is that the same as adding the seachem small rocks in the bag basically?

[@mnelson10000]

Great video! I like those cool little nano rimless tanks you did the demos with. Which tanks were they?

[@BulkReefSupply]

We have a few different brands here and AquaMaxx makes some really nice ones. Check them out on our website below. mdshop.us/2Xo5IyL

[@jaguaresed]

Wow you look different dude like b4 kinda nerdy, now like a badass, nice video

[@MuhammadHussain-dm1rd]

How to increase phophate ? I have high nitrate and 0 phophate in my tank, carbon dosing is not working, can you give any suggestion on that ?

[@opethmike]

OMG OMG OMG ROBERT IS BACK YAY!!! I WANT TO HUG HIM!!!

[@BulkReefSupply]

Aww shucks, thanks for watching my man. -Robert @ MD

[@insanity4224]

Sulphur is amazing I honestly don’t understand why they are not extremely common. Cheap, minimal maintenance and extremely efficient.

[@karennation3580]

Do you mean sulfer like in red sea dechlorinater..Damn can think of name but I use it when I wash my filter socks in machine! There is another product that comes in a bottle cant think of name but smelled real bad of sulpher. Can you recomend something with sulpfer? I am having a heck of a time since I have nanos and no room for refugium and reactors ect!

[@insanity4224]

@@karennation3580 hi Karen. Sulphur is great for a very large and heavily stocked aquarium but it does lower alk too. For a nano I would make sure that you only have a shallow sand bed and vacuum it weekly to remove excess waste. Only feed tiny amounts of food making sure it all gets eaten and stock very lightly regarding fish. Chemi Pure Elite changed every few months might be a good option for you but sulphur is not suitable for a nano.

[@NationalReefing]

One of the best Marine Depot video... 👍🏾 brought a lot of value, Thanks! What is the probability of Marine Depot stocking 25mm Siporax in the future?

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for watching and commenting. It was a fun one to put together. We do not stock SERA brand products at this time but we have a ton of excellent alternatives. Check out the bio-filtration page below. www.marinedepot.com/Bio_Filter_Media-FIFMBO-ct.html Feel free to ping me back with any questions. -Robert @ MD

[@karennation3580]

How do you keep them down in a nano? I have no room for a any special equipment, like reactors or a refugium! I tried nopox b4 but ended up with dinos. I should have done a waterchange when they got to 10 but I kept dosing and couldnt get below 10 and then when I did a wc they plummeted to 0! Newbie mistake I attribute it to! I have lots of bio balls and rock and dose MB7 but now that I am back to feeding my corals I cant get below 25 even after water changes. I plan on doing a few in a row but dont own a rodi so gets expensive! Is there any media for it? I know they make media to keep phospates in check like phosguard and chemi pure elite but as far as I know nothing for nitrates!

[@Val_Halla777]

Man that was suberbly explained! Hey has anybody asked you if you’re the son of the actor who played Daryl is the Newhart show? Striking similarities (it’s the character who has two brothers also named Daryl..(I think.. if my memory’s correct)

[@Blindeddddd94]

I have 42ppm no3 n 0 po4. Carbon dosing, bacteria dosing doesn't work. I have no GFO only skimmer. Do I need to dose po4? Or let it run naturally. Tank is about a month old

[@phonehome8862]

At 6:02, what is that little box and where can I get one?

[@single_cam9199]

What is that floating foam box with the red light in the lid called. I only have a regular tank and that would be primo. 6:10 of the video

[@sampaul4545]

Bro how many days once clean the filter sponge and water change

[@cmac6877]

I test at .01(barely) PO4 and with the margin of error on the test and lack of algae, that could mean far less. Thinking about trying something like NeoPhos.

[@truereefkeeping6022]

This is a problem I would love to have

[@lazylazer2643]

I test at 10

[@kkrishna9791]

Great video... Sir can you please do detail video on how to control on aptasia and bristle worm

[@BulkReefSupply]

We are working on an entire pest control series that should roll out over the course of 2019 so be sure to stay tuned.

[@kkrishna9791]

@@BulkReefSupply Sure. Thank you

[@fabioandresgonzalez4453]

Hi great video but my problem is that the nitrates and fosfates is 0 and for 1 year is impossible up these. wich are the possible solution. thanks

[@BulkReefSupply]

Add more fish or feed more. You can consider adding nitrate with a prepared solution but I would personally just recommend adding more nutrients into the aquarium.

[@matoso666]

Robert, thanks for the info, great video, one question, I'm those rare cases you mention, 0.01 phosphates 32ppm nitrates I have tried vodka sugar, bacteria chaeto etc and the nitrates still solid 32, any ideas, suggestions?

[@killerreef7397]

Mauricio Zamudio do you run GFO or anything to specifically target your phosphates? Why do you think your phosphates are so low?

[@matoso666]

@@killerreef7397 thanks for asking, I never run anything targeting phosphates, I have been dealing with GHA, and running a chaeto reactor, my guess is that the algae is taking the phosphates, also having issues with red slime because this nutrient imbalance, my tank is a 25g nano . Also I have been reading about adding liquid phosphates to rise the level in order the nitrates start going down.

[@killerreef7397]

Mauricio Zamudio oh ok I see. Red slime is a bacteria not a algae tho. I’ve had it before and I treated it with erythromycin and it went away within a day or so. If I were you I would take the reactor offline and see if your phosphates rise again. If they do then maybe the chaeto will be able to reduce both nitrates and phosphates since they are in balance again

[@matoso666]

Killer Reef thank for the advice, make sense to me, l let you know.

[@killerreef7397]

Mauricio Zamudio good luck keep me posted

[@reefphotographyig5225]

who can tell me what algae scrubber is that one in 10:24 please ?

[@samarcher6632]

The thing is if you do lots of water changes to remove nitrates, your also going to be raising the ph which is deadly for your fish especially if they like a low ph around 6.5. So what I recommend is a ph stabiliser which you add to the bucket filled of water before tipping it into your aquarium. This way you can do lots of water changes to lower your nitrates but also ensure your not raising your ph to much.

[@svenvanderzwaag1012]

A higher ph is very benificial for a reef tank. Preferably the ph is between 8 and 8.4. Also when using ro/di and a quality salt the water will already have a stable ph around 8 so waterchanges are not a problem.

[@koilover7740]

I love your video, I have 2,000gl koi pond. Can you tell me what can I use to low down the nitrate. Thank you 🙏

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thank you! Besides doing a large water change and adding live plants, we don't have many suggestions as we do not specialize in ponds. There may be some sort of nitrate reducing additives for ponds but, that is not something we currently offer.

[@koilover7740]

I did 20% water change but it look the same. But thank you for your help🙏. If you know anything please let me know. Thank you and be safe

[@astrobear1236]

I recently started a 13.5 fluval nano reef tank, theres no wildlife in the tank yet, just substrate and water that ive been practicing water changes and tests on. The tank has been running for about a month ive done two water changes my ph is 8 my nitrates are at about 5ppm nitrites are high at 1 ppm ammonia is under .25ppm what advice can anyone give me fo acclimating this tank, im planning om adding the live rock soon and then coral and fish by june/july but i wanna get ahold of this nitrite an ammonia levels what can I do? Or should i keep waiting for the media filter to kick in?

[@bartman8876]

Quick start. would help and adding live rock to start your system.

[@astrobear1236]

@@bartman8876 yeah I havent added any rock yet, will that help? Should it be actual live rock or just rocl

[@BulkReefSupply]

Microbacter7 also by Brightwell could help.

[@adrhdz93]

Is it okay to carbon dose without a skimmer?

[@andy2798100]

Speedy no. You must run a skimmer when carbon dosing. When carbon dosing the bacteria that breaks down nitrates slowly builds up over time, as the bacteria builds up it consumes the oxygen in the tank. A protein skimmer is needed to create more oxygen and to remove some of the bacteria as it builds up in the tank.

[@BulkReefSupply]

I would not recommend it, you will run into trouble fast. It is important to remove the biomass created by bacteria in order to actually export the nutrients and a skimmer will also ensure proper gas exchange so oxygen levels do not drop too low.

[@westgate1208]

What is the correct sump for a 125 gallon tank?

[@mattnaranjo7651]

I would say no less than 30 gallons

[@BulkReefSupply]

The bigger the better when it comes to sump size.

[@bajan_hove9078]

Sulfur reactor is the best way I've found

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thanks for sharing! -Robert @ MD

[@insanity4224]

Me too they are literally like magic

[@evanm8282]

I’ll sum up the video in 2 words. Water. Change. There ya go for whoever sees this. Saved you 10 mins 😂

[@anthonymorse2862]

I would recommend a 6" sand bed throughout as I have no reactors and my nitrates stay below

[@BulkReefSupply]

Deep sand beds can be effective, personally, I prefer a shallow bed in the name of keeping the DT clean but every tank is different and I have seen some gorgeous tanks with a deep bed. Thanks for commenting! -Robert @ MD

[@anthonymurphy3101]

How can I remove nitrate and not phosphate? I have 20 pom nitrate but 0 phosphate

[@BulkReefSupply]

In this case, I would recommend a resin media to target the nitrates. -Robert @ MD

[@ilgrilluss]

Marine Depot Aquarium Supplies is it the same resin that we use in the RO system please?

[@Reefman212]

Link of the Lower Nitrates video is broken

[@BulkReefSupply]

Thank you! It should be fixed now.

[@Reefman212]

@@BulkReefSupply No, It is not correct. If you look the video in the 9:55, it mentions about the link and it is related to phosphates. Link is sending you to the marinedepot nitrate control products web page.

[@the.humble.reefer7230]

Id like to know what happened to Robert? Haven't seen him in any vidoe's in a while

[@truereefkeeping6022]

Yeah me to and he looks terrible in this video to

[@nesrinahmed3461]

My tank is still new and my nitrate is supper high while my PO4 is super low 🥲 Currently a mixtures of diatoms on the sand and algae and the rocks and Walls. My lFS recommend genting an NO3 reactor but holly shit was It expensive !! So here I am Looking for other natural or maybe unnatural way to keep IT undercontrol 🙃 help…

[@BulkReefSupply]

How high is super high? If your nitrates are below 20 ppm or so, it may not be worth worrying too much about. If they're 100+, then it might be worth doing some big water changes, even though it will also lower your already low phosphates. This way, you'll be able to bring them back into more of a balance, which is easier to control in most cases.

[@nesrinahmed3461]

@@BulkReefSupply It's always between 50-100 on salifert test. Ok I usually do 60L water change every week, maybe I'll do 100L instead

[@maddawgzzzz]

2ppm... no way, ill go into the 40s without issue

[@NinjaSushi2]

No matter how many water changes I do my nitrates are constantly between 40 and 80. :(

[@svenvanderzwaag1012]

Thats because waterchanges are not really an effective way of dealing with nitrates. Only in emergancies really. You need your tank to filter more nitrates out by itself. You do this by running a skimmer, filters socks that get changed out every 3 days, running a refugium or algae scrubber, biomedia, having a lot of live rock thats hosts a lot of bacteria that break down nitrates etc.

[@outsidethepyramid]

aahhhh you are trying to sell me something

[@oxiac6006]

Dude why is your fox face super white?

[@andyprem]

vodka ?

[@popmon2468]

Thats why you do 30 percent a week

[@truereefkeeping6022]

To bad I cannot find a sulfur reactor because you guys don’t exist anymore….

[@marineaquariuminkolkata2958]

No3 harmful for fish

[@vincentbain1392]

Zzzzzzzzzz

[@BulkReefSupply]

WAKE UP! ;-)

[@rhombifer566]

do a big water. change

[@subhra_s_das]

Thank you .