Coralife Biocube 29 question

[pdiehm]

I don't have a media rack. I have a Tunze 9001 skimmer in the 2nd chamber on the wall closest to the first chamber. I had to move my skimmer there because of the AI Prime light mount. If I had the light on the side of the tab towards the first chamber, the skimmer won't fit (hit the light bracket).

Anyhows, I noticed there's a sponge between the 2nd and 3rd chamber (the return chamber). Do I need that? I just rinsed it out, and I've been fighting hard to keep nitrates under 10, and i'm wondering if that was the culprit. If I need it, so be it. I have read that people have removed it, but they have a media basket/rack though.

 

[pdiehm]

 

[thehammer1985]

No that sponge is just a nitrate factory pull it.

 

[pdiehm]

I just did. Holy more flow!

 

[pdiehm]

Frogspawn looks good. The zoanthids were at one point all green. But they keep multiplying, so that's good right?

My nitrates today were 8, and PO4 was 0.05. Hoping taking out the sponge will bring back the color.

 

[thehammer1985]

If you try raising them to get more light. The nitrates aren't too too bad phosphates need to be lower. I would think though that raising them up in the tank would help get the green color back out

 

[Ahruk]

Yea, definitely don't need the sponge. The live rock is your true filtration system, I personally just keep live rock in my overflow chambers but it sounds like you may just need to do a water change. All the best filtration and skimmers don't completely eliminate the need for regular water changes.

 

[pdiehm]

I have been doing 5g changes twice a week for a few weeks now. Will keep that up and see how removing the sponge helped.

Also started to look for an aquamaxx hob-1 skimmer. The tunze is nice but really limits what I can use the middle chamber for

 

[Ahruk]

Hmm that sounds like a REALLY good routine, how old is the tank? This might still just be part of cycling. Or it might just be that your test kits are off. Also zoas tend to change colors due to lighting not water quality.

 

[thehammer1985]

Are you running stock lights

 

[pdiehm]

The tank is really young. Probably 4-5 months, so it is still maturing.

The lighting I have is an AI prime, currently running on a coral acclimation program at 12k (I think).

I was told to put the Zoas down low. And following advice moved back up toward the top of the rocks. My frogspawn is about 3" from the bottom, and fully extended..at least that I can tell.

I had read that high (over 10 NO3 and over .03 PO4 will turn zoas brown, so I thought maybe that is it.

And this is why I got a frogspawn and zoanthid. My first tank. My first corals and I wanted something that is hard to kill that I can learn with.

 

[thehammer1985]

Nvm I looked at top pics . What kind of leds u got

 

[pdiehm]

Are you running stock lights

No. AI Prime

 

[thehammer1985]

Well browning out ain't as bad as bleaching Def alot easier to come back from. What percentage is your acclimation at right now?

 

[pdiehm]

I would say 70-75%

 

[thehammer1985]

Ya I would Def say move em up or turn up the percentage . Your frogs pawns kinda brown too

 

[pdiehm]

Maybe I will go back to the 16k schedule.

 

[thehammer1985]

16 is gonna make it more blue turn down the whites. It's not going to increase the intensity

 

[pdiehm]

My max whites are 75. At 16k the whites are 35.

Changed to 10k to get faster growth but perhaps wasn't the best idea I had

 

[thehammer1985]

That's what I'm saying 12k to 14k is a good mix you are not solving your low light problem by going up in kalvin that is just dropping the whites. You want to increase your overall intensity of the lights