[starter101]

I Just Added A Wet Dry Sump With A Euro Reef Rs80 Protein Skimmer To My 90 Gallon Tank. I Also Have A Fluval 405 Canister Filter Along With 2 Maxi Jet Power Heads. 60 Lbs Of Lr And A Mix Or Live Sand And Artificial Sand. I Added The Sump And Skimmer On Sunday And All My Levels Were Fine. Yesterday I Tested My Levels And My Nitrate Levels Were High At First They Were Like 60 Or 80. I Took The Bio Balls Out Of The Sump( I Didnt Do It Slowly Like Some People Do Since I Had Just Added The Sump A Couple Days Ago) And Left The Gas Exchange Plate In There. I Unplugged My Canister Filter And Thoroughly Cleaned It Out And Replaced The Carbon. I Did A 10-15%(give Or Take, Not Sure I Was In A State Of Panic) Water Change Witht He Gravel Vac. I Levels This Morning Are 40, Kinda Hard To Tell. What Is Going On, Any Help Would Be Really Great. Im New To This. I Have Some Hardy Corals In My Tank(toadstool, Mushrooms, Poylps, Zoos, Etc, And A Lionfish) Please Help Me Asap. Thank You So Much You Guys. Im Sorry For Being A Pain In The Rear But In So Worried.

[glampka]

Since the bioballs weren't in the sump long I doubt they were the cause of the nitrate levels spiking & taking them out quickly isn't going to be a problem. How long has your tank been set up? A 10-15% water change is not going to reduce your levels much. How much are you feeding? Sorry for the ??? but a little more info is needed.

[rlcline76]

What test are you using? How long has it been since you changed out the filter media in your canister?

[starter101]

I Did A Tank Transfer From A Forty Gallon To This Tank, I Added The Coral And Lion After Though. I Transfered About 40 Lbs Of The Live Rock And 40 Lbs Of The Live Sand. I Added Some More Live Rock, Tonga Branch And Tonga Rock, Figi Rock, Etc. My Tank Has Been Up For Month And A 10 Tens, I Have Gone Through The Cycle Already Though( Atleast I Am 99% Sure I Have Because This Has Already Happened, The Whole Nitrogen Cycle) I Dont Feed My Lion Fish Like Most, Silversides And Krill( Never Overfeed). I Also Had Used Biospira In The Begining Of My Cycle...

Rlc Im Using The Aquarium Pharmaceuticals For The Testing. To Be Honest With You Have Not Changed My Filter Media. I Just Rinsed It Out. The Guy At My Lfs Store Told Me I Dont Need To Change It Just Rinse It Out With Aquarium Water.

Could It Be That I Have To Much Filteration? Thanks You Guys. Any Help Would Be Awesome. You Guys Are Unbelievable.

[starter101]

Dont Take It The Wrong Way...i Feed My Lionfish Silversides And Krill( Not Goldfish!)

[glampka]

You just might be seeing the final step in the cycle. When you moved the sand over you disturbed everything & probably released some stuff into the water. You also added LR which may be contributing to everything with some possible die-off. How often do you feed the lionfish? Fish don't need to be fed everyday. Here's a way to bring the nitrates down quickly An Instant Nitrate Reduction Method - A Multiple Step Water Change Procedure I've done it & it works, just be sure to have the water @ the same temperature & salinity. You still need to address the cause of the nitrates though.

[rlcline76]

I agree with Glampka, when I noticed that you added a little more LR, I thought that you may have a little extra cycling. You can try reducing your feeding a little and see if that helps. I don't know a lot about lionfish. I feed my fish everyday, but I have a variety. Try not to panic too much. I'd change your media to be on the safe side.

[starter101]

I Added The Live Rock About A Month Ago

[rlcline76]

Ok, then try the water changing method that glampka suggested and change the filter media when you can (Depending what you have in the canister, it may not be as easy as running to Petsmart, I understand). Then sit back for a couple of days to see if anything has improved. There are no instant cures, it is all work! Please keep us updated.

[starter101]

The Nitrate Will Not Kill Anything Will It?

[rlcline76]

40 ppm isn't good, but it beats 80. Plus you caught it and are well on the way to treating it. Nitrates can mess up your system, but please breathe a little. Start with the basics: try bi-weekly water changes so that you do not shock your system. Reduce feedings if possible and take the time to clean up your filtration system. It does not need to be done all at once and I wouldn't advise you to even try it. Do not go all "Merry Maids" on your tank. You have already done a small water change. Try your filter next, then maybe tomorrow or the day after, clean your skimmer just for laughs. Take it easy. It may seem insignificant and small, but these are major changes. I would be more afraid for your tank if you tried to overhaul the system in one day!