Hey guys,

Thanks for all the info and helping me get my tank in order. Here is what I've done in the past two weeks, but my nitrates were still at 50ppm yesterday morning and I did another 20% water change.

- I took out all of my live rock and sifted the sand forward and placed the live rock back in making sure that I had as little of the rock laying on top of the live sand. My LFS owner mentioned that since my rocks were sitting on top of the sand, this could cause my nitrates to increase due to the dead spots underneath them.

- I put a Chaeto ball in my tank, as well as, two Xenia in my main tank until I get my refugium up and running.

- I took out my bio-balls four days ago because most people I spoke with said the 125lbs of live rock and 100lbs of live sand were sufficient to sustain my system and the bio-balls were obsolete.

- I adjusting my actinic and day lighting to 8 hrs actinic and 6 hours of daylight with my T-5's in order to reduce the algae blooms.

- I buffed up my cleaning crew to 40 hermits, serpent star, 4 peppermint shrimps, 12 astreas snails, 2 large Turbo's, cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, 17 nas snails.

- I also bought two Hydo Koralia 4 1400GPH powerheads to increase the flow in my tank.

Everything in my tank seems to be doing well and I don't see any stress on my inhabitants including my Rose Bubble anenome. However, I'm not very comfortable with my nitrates being so high even though they improved from 100ppm to between 40 and 50ppm. Is there anything else I should or should I sit tight?

I know now is a hell of a time to think of this............but have you tried another test kit? Maybe its your test kit. That sounds like you have seariously done everything possible to reduce your nitrates......the chaeto its self should be keeping it in check more than that. Plus your not seeing much stress........maybe its your test kit? Sounds like your set up is amazing and there is no room for it to be that high. Hang on to your seat.....I only test my water every 9 days 10 days. just to check my levels for a water change. But keep up the hard work it will pay off. :) and maybe another test kit?

It could have been your test kit, but i find it doubtful. If you were running a system with bioballs, it is only natural to expect Nitrate accumulation. In such systems, unless you are doing large scale weekly water changes of 25% to 50% of the water, you will typically have gradually increasing Nitrate levels.

The best solution long term is a deep sand bed of no less than 3'' and a high quality protein skimmer. The bioballs are not only useless, they actually degrade the quality of the water. They do this by providing a place for organic waste to accumulate and be broken down into Nitrates. By completely removing the bioballs, you will allow your live rock and sand bed the opportunity to completely break down the waste into Nitrogen Gas, which leaves the system naturally. In addition, your Protein Skimmer will have the opportunity to remove the organics directly from the system before they can be process biologically, saving your KH and protecting your calcium and magnesium levels.

I think by removing the bioballs you allowed the live rock and sand to begin the reduction of Nitrates. By the time you had your water tested, the denitrification effect was accomplished. If you have the proper number of sand sifters in your aquarium, your sand bed should prove effective long term.