[pistorius4]

I have a 34 gallan Solana tank. I have already removed the bio balls dut to the fact that they could become a nitrate factory. Can the same thing occur with the filter pad? I have heard some differnt view points on this.

My tank is almost 3 months old. I have been having some small nitrate issues. 10ppm or less. I have been controlling these with weekly water changes. I rinse my filter pad out weekly but have only replaced it 3 times.

I have 1 clown fish, xenia, finger leather, zooanthids, and a wall hammer. I feed every other day with .25 cube of frozen mysis shrimp.
0 Ammonia
0 nitrites
5 ppm nitrates
11.5 dkh
400 calcium
I use an RO filter.
PH 8.2

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Br14n55reef]

I have no idea as to what a Solana tank is but your Nitrates are dueable. My old 125g reefs trates were 20 and I lost nothing.
Add a refugium and you'll have 0 Nitrates.
G/L Brian

[Br14n55reef]

oh I forgot, I would clean the filter pad every other day or replace with new every 3 days

[pistorius4]

I was originally overfeeding my clown and saw a significant jump in nitrates. After I reduced my nitrates through water changes and cut back feeding I continue to see a weekly rise in nitrates.
I was just wondering what the root cause of increasing nitrates could be. Possibly an immature tank.

[Br14n55reef]

ya over feeding will do it too, atleast you caught it before ugly algae took hold.
G/L Brian

[NOSAJ214]

I dont know how long the tank has been up or what kind of filtration you use,but the overfeeding could have changed the natrual biological cycle,hence maybe the trate spike.Alot of times when you just kind of overfeed or dont do routine water changes on a normal schedule these things can happen.Your nitrates arent terrible a 10,but keep it at that.And yes maybe hang on tank refugium might be for you.Sorry for the novel.Dont worry,just never over feed a reef.One or two feedings can linger through the tank for a week or so depending on what you have stocked(such as corals or other critters or inverts you have.OK i am done.SORRY.

[prototypep2p]

I would keep the mechanical pad for just big debree and keep up on your water changes each week you should be fine, but i would not take it out!

[Mr_X]

hi. i would keep doing what you are doing. if you want to take the pad out completely, it won't kill the tank, but you'll get a build up of detrius somewhere, since it's not there to catch it anymore. if you can vacuum wherever that is, i'd keep the pad.
what comes after the pad?

[pistorius4]

After the pad is the chamber where the bio balls where. I have chaetomorpha in there now as well as a bag of carbon. The light from the tank can not reach the chamber well. I am going to have to add a light to get the algae to grow.

I am not sure if chaeto dies. It is still green but hasn't had any growth. It has had limited light for a month now.

After that chamber there is a pump that drives the main flow of the tank.