Advice or input greatly appreciated.

[Art2249]

Hello reefers. I'm at a crossroads (love that song) on my new tank and would appreciate some advice. Here are the pics numbers following.

 

[Art2249]

Tank started in late June. Cycled with frozen shrimp and florida rock in the sump

 

[Art2249]

6-29: phos 9 ppb, n 5, dkh 8.5....7-14: phosphate 100ppb, nitrate 10 ppm dkh 8.2, ran phosban for 2 days and took offline, also added chaeto and 2 others macroalgae to the sump

 

[Art2249]

7-25, phosphate 23 ppb, nitrate 40 ppm, dkh 7.1, ...8-15, phosphate 26 ppb, nitrate 5 ppm, dkh 7.3. at this point I gradually raised dkh 8-24 dkh 8.1....8-7: phospate 9 ppb, nitrate 4 ppm, dkh 8.1, ca 450, 9-7: dkh 8, ca 445, mg 1380, nitrate 0, phosphate 10ppb....dosed 6 ml phosphate solution and 6 ml nitrate solution. ...Today, nitrate .2 ppm , phosphate 7 ppb, alk 8.1. Dosing 30 ml nitrat solution and 10 ml phosphate solution.

 

[Art2249]

So i started noticing hair algae about a month ago. @ weeks ago I switched the lights to all blue.

 

[Art2249]

the hair algae is slowed down. But I still have to dose nurtients as you see from before.

 

[jsker]

What size of a clean up crew to you have in the tank? how old is the system again 3 months?

 

[Art2249]

Should i keep going on this path or what next?

 

[jsker]

the hair algae is slowed down. But I still have to dose nurtients as you see from before.

food for phosphates and waist for nitrates is the natural way of balancing the system

 

[Art2249]

Yea 3 months. I've been feeding a large cuc but they are lazy and won't eat the hair algae. But in the sump they eat it up. So i cut back on the feeding. But the nutrients are so low. And my fish are stuck in QT because my wrasse couldn,\'t handle copper. So I'm waiting for coppersafe. I've had these fish for months. Going back to january, in a seperate tank.

 

[Art2249]

All the rock from my little tank has been moved to the sump. 76 day countdown started aug 1

 

[Art2249]

The little tanks don't make me nervous. this is my first big tank.

 

[jsker]

Yea 3 months. I've been feeding a large cuc but they are lazy and won't eat the hair algae. But in the sump they eat it up. So i cut back on the feeding. But the nutrients are so low. And my fish are stuck in QT because my wrasse couldn,\'t handle copper. So I'm waiting for coppersafe. I've had these fish for months. Going back to january, in a seperate tank.

Keep feeding. You are in the ugly stages of the system at 3 months. The system will be cycling for about a year.

 

[jsker]

The little tanks don't make me nervous. this is my first big tank.

Things take longer is a large system

 

[Art2249]

So basically what I'm worried about. is it normal to have that hair algae growing on the back wall and somewhat on the rocks? because i don't see where it has the nutrients. The change in light spectrum has helped. Am I about to go off a cliff???

 

[Art2249]

So basically what I'm worried about. is it normal to have that hair algae growing on the back wall and somewhat on the rocks? because i don't see where it has the nutrients. The change in light spectrum has helped. Am I about to go off a cliff???

Plus the other thing that has me worried is dosing nutrients. This is my solutions, 1 tsp sodium nitrate to 3 cups water, and 1 tsp disodium phosphate to 3 cups water. I know they are not by the book but i basically got tired of trying to calculate and just mixed it up.

 

[Art2249]

Oh and I lost the sailfin tang when it tried to sleep next to a powerhead.