Gulf Coast

[A_family_man13]

Also what is your fish load?

So started off with 0/near 0 nitrates. Had only fish and a few coral. I have a clown,blue tang, 6 line, cardinal, lawn mower, mandarin, snowflake eel, serpent starfish, 5 nasasrius snails, a few turbo snails, emerald crabs, and hermit crabs. I have the same fish since I started. Wanted to start ventureing into more coral. Was recommended to increase feedings, changing the socks and cleaning the skimmer to once a week. Everything was steady climbing. I went on vacation for 2 weeks. My friend kept the same feeding schedule but didn’t clean the skimmer or socks. Been above the 70/80 since. At one point was above the highest reading amount. I changed 35 gals, plus doing the nopox. I got the nitrates down the the 70/80. I do 5 gallon water change a week, feed every other day between 3 different frozen foods and flakes. Had a refugium for about 4 months and then my light went out. Jus got new cheato 2 weeks ago. I have a 90 gallon with a 20 gallon sump.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

So started off with 0/near 0 nitrates. Had only fish and a few coral. I have a clown,blue tang, 6 line, cardinal, lawn mower, mandarin, snowflake eel, serpent starfish, 5 nasasrius snails, a few turbo snails, emerald crabs, and hermit crabs. I have the same fish since I started. Wanted to start ventureing into more coral. Was recommended to increase feedings, changing the socks and cleaning the skimmer to once a week. Everything was steady climbing. I went on vacation for 2 weeks. My friend kept the same feeding schedule but didn’t clean the skimmer or socks. Been above the 70/80 since. At one point was above the highest reading amount. I changed 35 gals, plus doing the nopox. I got the nitrates down the the 70/80. I do 5 gallon water change a week, feed every other day between 3 different frozen foods and flakes. Had a refugium for about 4 months and then my light went out. Jus got new cheato 2 weeks ago. I have a 90 gallon with a 20 gallon sump.

How large is your tank? Do you know how much water is in your system? I have a cheap fuge light you can have.

 

[Snoopdog]

Give that chaeto time, it will likely bring it down. Also start blasting your rocks and dead space with a baster, clean the socks right after.

 

[Snoopdog]

Also there does not look like a ton of flow from that picture, you may need way more flow. There are likely many dead spots, you need to get anything that has settled back into the water column, clean socks.

 

[A_family_man13]

How large is your tank? Do you know how much water is in your system? I have a cheap fuge light you can have.

I got a new light 2 weeks ago not exactly sure how much water but it’s a 90 gal tank with a 20 gal sump. I’d say with the live rock prolly around 65/70 gallons. Thanks for the offer with the light!

 

[A_family_man13]

Also there does not look like a ton of flow from that picture, you may need way more flow. There are likely many dead spots, you need to get anything that has settled back into the water column, clean socks.

I turn off the water flow for the pic. I have a dead spot on the far right side. That should be only dead spot.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

I got a new light 2 weeks ago not exactly sure how much water but it’s a 90 gal tank with a 20 gal sump. I’d say with the live rock prolly around 65/70 gallons. Thanks for the offer with the light!

Sure thing. If you need any more chaeto, let me know. I grow tons of it and end up just composting it.

 

[Snoopdog]

Sure thing. If you need any more chaeto, let me know. I grow tons of it and end up just composting it.

You compost?

 

[Snoopdog]

I was told u want real low phosphate, that there is a bacteria that eats nitrates and phosphate. no phosphate and the bacteria doesn’t exist. Overall my goal is to lower nitrates. I can’t keep zoas they always die on me, same for any type of leather. All my other parameters seem to be stable.

Are you wanting to keep zoas?

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

You compost?

Yes, but my efforts vary. Usually it's just a way to try to get rid of excess sawdust and planer chips

 

[Snoopdog]

Yes, but my efforts vary. Usually it's just a way to try to get rid of excess sawdust and planer chips

I started with one.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

I started with one.

Nice! What is your process?

 

[Snoopdog]

Nice! What is your process?

You mean when I built them or what we put in them?

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

You mean when I built them or what we put in them?

Your compost process. The building is the easy part for me.

What all are you composting? How are you turning the compost? Do you fill a bin and move down the line?

 

[Snoopdog]

Your compost process. The building is the easy part for me.

What all are you composting? How are you turning the compost? Do you fill a bin and move down the line?

Trust me, we are not going through a real process like some people do. We have not even turned it yet. It took us over a year to get the first bin 3/4 of the way full. The boards you see on each bin actually slide out to let us be able to get to the bottom. We compost a lot of stuff though, coffee grounds, fruit remnants, cardboard, paper, branches, shrubs that die, etc. The first bin is almost full so we have moved on to the second bin. I figure when the third one is full we can move back to the first. Oh and since we are doing white worms I figure when a culture starts dying off, they go right into the compost bin.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

Trust me, we are not going through a real process like some people do. We have not even turned it yet. It took us over a year to get the first bin 3/4 of the way full. The boards you see on each bin actually slide out to let us be able to get to the bottom. We compost a lot of stuff though, coffee grounds, fruit remnants, cardboard, paper, branches, shrubs that die, etc. The first bin is almost full so we have moved on to the second bin. I figure when the third one is full we can move back to the first. Oh and since we are doing white worms I figure when a culture starts dying off, they go right into the compost bin.

You'll have to let me know how that turns out. When I'm making furniture, I sometimes make more than 50 gallons of planer chips in a day. So I use that as all of my brown material and then grab everything I can for greens to try to break that down. I won't be doing anything for the next 6 months or so, but I might make a bunch of those when I get back.

 

[Snoopdog]

You'll have to let me know how that turns out. When I'm making furniture, I sometimes make more than 50 gallons of planer chips in a day. So I use that as all of my brown material and then grab everything I can for greens to try to break that down. I won't be doing anything for the next 6 months or so, but I might make a bunch of those when I get back.

I am not that great at wood working, I better stay in my lane.

 

[A_family_man13]

Are you wanting to keep zoas?

Yes, every time I’ve added they jus shrivel away!

 

[Snoopdog]

Yes, every time I’ve added they jus shrivel away!

Define shrivel...

Do they get coated with algae?

Any signs of disease?

Do they stay open or closed?

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

I am not that great at wood working, I better stay in my lane.

I'll trade woodworking for aquarium parts!