Help with parameters

miller75 · Sep 4, 2022

We have a reefer 425XL that's been up for about 3 months and I a struggling with some parameters.

The tank stock is currently:

2 x Common Clowns
3 x Caribbean Blue Bass
1 x Red Velvet Wrasse
1 x Tail Spot Blenny
2 x Pistol Shrimp
1 x Cleaner Shrimp
3 or 4 Crabs (Various)
10 Snails (Various)

1 x Touch frag
1 Hammer frag

Test Kits are:
Alkalinity - Hanna
Ammonia - Salifert
Nitrite - Salifert
Nitrate - Hanna
Phosphate - Hanna
Calcium - Salifert
Magnesium - Salifert
Salinity - Hanna
PH - Hanna

Parameters are:
Alkalinity - 5.645
Ammonia - 0.00
Nitrite - 0.00
Nitrate - 0.1
Phosphate - 0.01
Calcium - 380
Magnesium - 1380
Salinity - 1.0259
PH - 8.2

I feed at least 4 times a day (2 x with pellets, 1 x frozen cube and 1 x flakes) but cant keep my Nitrate and Phosphate up, do I need to start dosing them?

My main concern is the Alk, I am currently dosing 12ml of Red Sea Coralline Gro (Increased from 8ml yesterday) but its dropped from 7.883dkh to 5.645dkh in 15 days and I don't understand why with the stock I have in. The 8ml of Coralline Gro would only add 0.2dkh per day but I would have thought that would have been plenty?

CoralB · Sep 4, 2022

I would !! , your nitrate needs to get up to around 10 ppm , your phosphates should be between 0.05 and 0.1 , alk , and mag need to come up as well . Alk I keep at 8.3 , mag I keep at 1400 . Are you running a refugium??? Do you have a heavy amount of algae ??

miller75 · Sep 4, 2022

CoralB said:
I would !! , your nitrate needs to get up to around 10 ppm , your phosphates should be between 0.05 and 0.1 , alk , and mag need to come up as well . Alk I keep at 8.3 , mag I keep at 1400 . Are you running a refugium??? Do you have a heavy amount of algae ??

No refugium, I have a diatom bloom no other algae at all. I have a Clarisea and a Nyos 120 skimmer and that's it for filtration

Quietman · Sep 4, 2022

I've put my skimmer on a timer to help raise levels. Heck, I've turned it off for days as well. I personally would probably try that before dosing nutrients (although many do very successfully).