Airbagman

hello all i hope somebody can help me.. i have a 55 gallon saltwater tank which has been running great since i started it in January. i had 1 problem since Ive had it and that was ick but that has been resolved months ago. the problem I'm having now and have always had is my nitrate lvl will not come down for nothing. i just did a test and it is 20ppm and it doesn't matter how big a water change or how often i change the water nothing.. right now im running an aqua tech 30-60 filter and a Rena 55 filter, 200w heater, i have a clown fish, California sting ray, (had) yellow tang (became tank bully had to remove), fire blood shrimp, yellow tailed damsel, and a carpet anemone. i have tested my water straight out of the tap and 0 reading, i have a water distiller (only 5gallon) and tested it and 0 reading but like i said no mater what i do to the tank for water changes weather it be once a week, every other day, every other week 20%, 50%, etc., nothing seems to work. I'm getting really frustrated. now i know 20ppm is not dangerous but it is stressful to the fish its not really harming them but i would like to see this lvl come down. it seems that when i do change the water in my tank my inhabitants are more active then as the days go on they get lazy which i know is due to the nitrate. now I'm sure most of you are going to say nitrite and no it is my nitrate lvl that I'm talking about. everything else is 0...

10gallonmadness

Hmm sounds like you tried everything. Do you have live rock?

Airbagman

i have 1 actual live rock and im not even really sure if it is really all that live. a friend of mine was dating the LFS clerk and he gave me this rock and its about the size of a football thats about it. i do have 4 large base rocks though. like i said i have tried everything. i guess im gonna have to save up and start stocking LR in my tank. but the cycling should reduce the nitrate itself should it not? isnt that the process of tank cycling?

Time

The bacteria will settle into other rocks and make them all live so you could have on actual piece and the bacteria will settle onto other rocks that aren't "live". Pics?

10gallonmadness

Base rocks really aren't main Bio-rocks. I really don't know all the like types of bio and base rocks, I'm not a salty specialist.

pepetj

Canister filters, which are likely one of the best choices in FW are considered (in the forums I've visited) as Nitrate factories in SW.

Since you run two HOB (Aqua tech 30-60 + Rena 55) make sure you replace all the filter media with chunks of live rock and nothing else (except maybe for activated charcoal). Consider adding a refugium and grow some macroalgae in it. For a 55gal tank I would give some thought as to build a 20gal sump for it.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo