CUC and Nitrates

[pdiehm]

So the clean up crew will be here today.

My cycle is over, though it's never fully over as we know. My ammonia is 0, and my nitrates were high (I guess...i despise trying to interpret colors) per Red Sea Marine Care Test kit. I did a large water change in the biocube for some of the inverts, and got nitrates down to about 10 or so (again that color interpretation). My nitrates in the 120 were pretty high, so I did a 20 gallon water change, and the nitrate level is lower, but not low (probably in the 40 range...once again, that color interpretation thing). Plan is to to 20 gallons every 3rd day for the next week or so.

Will the clean up crew be ok as the nitrates go lower?

Someone told me on Facebook that a tank is not cycled until nitrates hit 0, and that they will go to 0 on their own, which goes against everything I have read from Randy. Randy has stated that nitrates disappear for a variety of reasons, but not on their own.

I also just ordered the red sea pro nitrate test. One of the reasons I didn't use API was because last time i had that kit, for my cichlid tank, I had an awful time intepreting colors, and it turns out the red sea test is the exact same thing.

 

[Marty.h]

A cycle is when ammonia and nitrite is 0 most systems will have nitrates mine have been upto 25ppm at times and the CUC was fine. The best way to keep nitrates low is good husbandry and water changes.

 

[pdiehm]

Thanks. My plan of doing 20g changes twice a week sounds like it's a good idea until nitrates get down to the 10 or lower range, then move to the weekly changes.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Nitrates will only go to 0 on their own, if you have a giant skimmer, or ATS, or remove the excess nutrients via water changes.
You can carbon dose to keep them where you want them, but thats another story.
You should do a 50% water change initially after a cycle, to get Nitrates to a livable level, which is under 30. The CUC should be ok at 40, but ones that are not the healthiest might perish.

 

[pdiehm]

doing a 50% change isn't possible given the resources i have (45 gallons max in water storage), but I am prepared to do 30 or so gallons twice a week or so. Would that be ok?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Sure, that would work. Just take longer to bring em down is all. Have you figured out what your water volume is, with your rock and sand? Displacement?
http://reef.diesyst.com/volcalc/volcalc.html

 

[pdiehm]

It's roughly 115 gallons. I was keeping track of what I added on my daughters chalkboard

 

[Reefing Madness]

Then a 45g water change would be a good change out % at this stage.

 

[pdiehm]

1 hermit crab dead, but he wasn't overly active from the start. Nitrate test is hard to read. It's not 50ppm red, more of a dark pink color, so 30-40ppm?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Comin down then, should be ok with one more big water change.

 

[pdiehm]

Not sure. I get the exact same color from tank water, and from fresh, newly made saltwater before it gets into the tank.

I love how everyone says reading the red sea colors is easier than any other brand, because I don't see it. Particularly when the color you get isn't shown on a card. For all I know, my color of pink is 100ppm.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Yikes. Yea, I feel ya there, I use API, and had a red color that wasn't shown on their card either. But you can bring it down, its all a matter of how quickly and how you wish to do it. There are other ways.

 

[pdiehm]

right now, I don't know what my reading is. water that should be testing 0ppm doesn't. I'm hoping this nitrate pro test kit will give me more of an indicator of what I am dealing with.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Welp, if your using and RO/DI usnit, and it tests for Nitrates, I'd say your unit is bad at this point, unless its new. Then again, go test a buddys water supply using your kit, just for a sanity check, or go buy some distilled water and check that using your kit, if it still reads something, then you definetly have a bad kit.