Help with parameters.

[biggie4jets]

Hello everyone.

need some help with my tank. I’ve never ran Into this before, so curious as to what everyone thinks. I have a tank that is about 8 months old with about 25 frags and 4 fish and inverts (mostly all different kinds of snails). I am currently running a filter roller, UV sterilizer, and a skimmer. I also just added some GFO to lower my phosphates which were at about .46 last week. I just don’t understand why my nitrates have been at 0 for about 3 weeks now.

My numbers are as followed:

Salinity 1.026
PH 8.3
Nitrates 0.0
Phosphates .31 ppm
Alk 9.4
Cal

Thanks!

 

[blaxsun]

First, what are you using for a testing kit? Second, exactly how many fish and inverts and what types?

 

[biggie4jets]

First, what are you using for a testing kit? Second, exactly how many fish and inverts and what types?

Great questions. I am using Hanna checkers. But have used my Red Sea test kits too to couple check. I do have what I believe is Dino’s starting in the tank from bottoming out my nitrates.

I have foxface, purple tang, leapard wrasse, pintail wrasse. I have 3 fish in QT right now waiting to go in soon.

as for inverts, I have snails, hermit crabs, and 2 conchs

 

[blaxsun]

Ok - all good tests kits, so you're covered. I was just curious about how many snails, crabs, etc. The fleece roller will be very efficient at removing nitrates, so it's entirely possible that you just have a very effective filtration setup. Any NOPOX or something other than the GFO?

Any bio media, live rock or a refugium in the sump? You could dose nitrates, but they might climb anyway with the addition of several more fish.

 

[biggie4jets]

Ok - all good tests kits, so you're covered. I was just curious about how many snails, crabs, etc. The fleece roller will be very efficient at removing nitrates, so it's entirely possible that you just have a very effective filtration setup. Any NOPOX or something other than the GFO?

Any bio media, live rock or a refugium in the sump? You could dose nitrates, but they might climb anyway with the addition of several more fish.

If I was to say I’d think I have around 25 snails and hermit crabs also includes nassarius snails. Ya this this my first tank using a filter roller and I honestly think that’s what causing the low nitrates. I was doing nopox for about a month but stopped 2 months ago.
As for the other questions, I have no bio media in my sump, no live rock or a refugium.

 

[blaxsun]

Nice plumbing! The NOPOX might have bottomed things out initially (it can be slow to start but really picks up momentum). You could simply cut back on the frequency of water changes to see if that helps the nitrates get moving in the right direction?

 

[biggie4jets]

Nice plumbing! The NOPOX might have bottomed things out initially (it can be slow to start but really picks up momentum). You could simply cut back on the frequency of water changes to see if that helps the nitrates get moving in the right direction?

Thank you! Ya I’m thinking it did for sure. I haven’t done a water change in about 3 weeks so I’m hoping things will start to raise here soon.

 

[blaxsun]

Thank you! Ya I’m thinking it did for sure. I haven’t done a water change in about 3 weeks so I’m hoping things will start to raise here soon.

I change my water so infrequently it's measured in months, but the parameters seem to be stable.