Help with water conditions...

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redzfit

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Hey Guys,

I am about 9 months into this and still know very little. For reference I have a 37 gallon tank with sand, live rock and fish. I have a Fluval 306 Filter. I have my original 4 fish from when I first added fish. The hydrometer reads 1.020 which is in the ideal range.

I usually do water changes once a week or at most twice a week. I want to get my water correct so my fish will be happy and more active.

I can not seem to get my Nitrate levels to go down. I did a water change this weekend (10 gallons) and another 10 gallons on Wednesday.

I do not know how dumb this is but I downloaded the tetra app and it supposedly will read your strip and tell you what to do. So Wednesday I changed 10 gallons, added 6 ml Tetra Aqua Safe Plus, 37ML of Easy Balance Plus and 185 ML of Instant Ocean Bio Spira and I use the tetra 6-1 test kit tonight and I have attached my results.

Any helped would be appreciated. I just ordered a new water heater and new Fluval media for my filter (foam filter, bio foam, bio rings, carbon and polishing pad).

I was thinking about ordering that API test kit because it seems to be more accurate but I don't know....

FullSizeRender.jpg
 
Tidal Gardens
How often do you fully clean the canister filter? I would recommend a salifert kit rather than API as well as a refractometer over the swing arm hydrometer. If so get a refractometer, also get the solution for calibration. More accurate.
 
First, are you using RO/DI water or tap water?

Second, you need a better test kit than the dip stick. You can get an API master salt water from your local chain pet store for around $40. It'll have high range pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. It's not the best kit out there but it'll handle a FOWLR tank.

Third, try and get a refractometer to test salinity, and buy calibration fluid for it. I got mine off of Amazon for around $30. Make sure you buy calibration fluid too. You can spend all the money the world on a tool and if it isn't calibrated it will give you a bad reading. Hydrometers are known to be very inaccurate.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
Happy to help and welcome!

First, your salinity is a bit off. 1.020 is not the same as 1.026 (ideal). For example, if i bring home a fish and water tests come back at 1.024, and my system is at 1.026, i need to let the fish drip for a while. As mentioned, confirm with a reliable means of testing. Also, don't chase a magic number. My system usually runs at 1.024, but is ALWAYS at 1.024, stability is key in this hobby.

+1 on RODI, if you dont have a unit, buy RODI water. Tap, Distilled, Bottled, etc are not the same.

API test kits are meh, ok for starting out. You should be ok with them for this issue, but something like Salifert would be a good upgrade for CA, MG, and ALK when keeping coral or some inverts.

How often are you cleaning your canister and how do you have it setup? Don't let anyone on here tell you that it wont work, i've kept many of corals with a canister filter. They are no different than running filter socks.

Are you having any algae issues or just testing high for nitrate? What's your phosphate at, if you know?

Lastly, I would have a local fish store, LFS, test your water. This is a cheap and easy way to confirm your testing correctly and if your kits are accurate.

One other item, what are you feeding? It's very common for beginners, or lazy veterans :D, to feed way too much. I personally never feed pellets or flakes simply bc my tank is fully stocked and just can't handle it. I feed all frozen, but this really depends on your system. Even too much frozen will cause problems. If your fish don't eat all the food before it hits sand, you're over feeding.

There are a lot of recommendations here; alter the big issues and then proceed to correcting one item at a time. The only way to gauge and learn what you're doing wrong is by testing each solution one at a time. If you make a plethora of changes at once, it's much harder to gauge which change truly made a difference and which ones did not. If after all of these things you're still having problems, you should look into other areas, but for now i would keep it simple.

Good Luck! :cool:
 
@CodyRVA is absolutely correct. Canisters can and have been proven to work effectively. It's the husbandry of lack there of that tends to give them a bad rap. Ran a 46 bowfront fowlr myself on a fluval 306 quite successfully until a tank change was in order.
 
CodyRVA said:
Happy to help and welcome!

First, your salinity is a bit off. 1.020 is not the same as 1.026 (ideal). For example, if i bring home a fish and water tests come back at 1.024, and my system is at 1.026, i need to let the fish drip for a while. As mentioned, confirm with a reliable means of testing. Also, don't chase a magic number. My system usually runs at 1.024, but is ALWAYS at 1.024, stability is key in this hobby.

+1 on RODI, if you dont have a unit, buy RODI water. Tap, Distilled, Bottled, etc are not the same.

API test kits are meh, ok for starting out. You should be ok with them for this issue, but something like Salifert would be a good upgrade for CA, MG, and ALK when keeping coral or some inverts.

How often are you cleaning your canister and how do you have it setup? Don't let anyone on here tell you that it wont work, i've kept many of corals with a canister filter. They are no different than running filter socks.

Are you having any algae issues or just testing high for nitrate? What's your phosphate at, if you know?

Lastly, I would have a local fish store, LFS, test your water. This is a cheap and easy way to confirm your testing correctly and if your kits are accurate.

One other item, what are you feeding? It's very common for beginners, or lazy veterans :D, to feed way too much. I personally never feed pellets or flakes simply bc my tank is fully stocked and just can't handle it. I feed all frozen, but this really depends on your system. Even too much frozen will cause problems. If your fish don't eat all the food before it hits sand, you're over feeding.

There are a lot of recommendations here; alter the big issues and then proceed to correcting one item at a time. The only way to gauge and learn what you're doing wrong is by testing each solution one at a time. If you make a plethora of changes at once, it's much harder to gauge which change truly made a difference and which ones did not. If after all of these things you're still having problems, you should look into other areas, but for now i would keep it simple.

Good Luck! :cool:
Click to expand...
Great advice. My tank runs at 1.025, and is flat on that point. Stability is key in salt water, and make very small changes. I read a quote somewhere that said, "If you think you're moving slow, slow down a bit more."
 
Tidal Gardens
ReeferMaddness843 said:
How often do you fully clean the canister filter? I would recommend a salifert kit rather than API as well as a refractometer over the swing arm hydrometer. If so get a refractometer, also get the solution for calibration. More accurate.
Click to expand...

I do not clean my canister filter enough that is why I just ordered all new media. I honestly do not even know how often I should change them out or rinse them?

I will probably get a refractometer this weekend, thank you!

Robin Haselden said:
First, are you using RO/DI water or tap water?

Second, you need a better test kit than the dip stick. You can get an API master salt water from your local chain pet store for around $40. It'll have high range pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. It's not the best kit out there but it'll handle a FOWLR tank.

Third, try and get a refractometer to test salinity, and buy calibration fluid for it. I got mine off of Amazon for around $30. Make sure you buy calibration fluid too. You can spend all the money the world on a tool and if it isn't calibrated it will give you a bad reading. Hydrometers are known to be very inaccurate.
Click to expand...
1. I do not use tap water, I buy the water from my local fish store.
2. I will probably order the API kit this weekend as well.
3. This seems to be a tool I need.

CodyRVA said:
Happy to help and welcome!

First, your salinity is a bit off. 1.020 is not the same as 1.026 (ideal). For example, if i bring home a fish and water tests come back at 1.024, and my system is at 1.026, i need to let the fish drip for a while. As mentioned, confirm with a reliable means of testing. Also, don't chase a magic number. My system usually runs at 1.024, but is ALWAYS at 1.024, stability is key in this hobby.

+1 on RODI, if you dont have a unit, buy RODI water. Tap, Distilled, Bottled, etc are not the same.

API test kits are meh, ok for starting out. You should be ok with them for this issue, but something like Salifert would be a good upgrade for CA, MG, and ALK when keeping coral or some inverts.

How often are you cleaning your canister and how do you have it setup? Don't let anyone on here tell you that it wont work, i've kept many of corals with a canister filter. They are no different than running filter socks.

Are you having any algae issues or just testing high for nitrate? What's your phosphate at, if you know?

Lastly, I would have a local fish store, LFS, test your water. This is a cheap and easy way to confirm your testing correctly and if your kits are accurate.

One other item, what are you feeding? It's very common for beginners, or lazy veterans :D, to feed way too much. I personally never feed pellets or flakes simply bc my tank is fully stocked and just can't handle it. I feed all frozen, but this really depends on your system. Even too much frozen will cause problems. If your fish don't eat all the food before it hits sand, you're over feeding.

There are a lot of recommendations here; alter the big issues and then proceed to correcting one item at a time. The only way to gauge and learn what you're doing wrong is by testing each solution one at a time. If you make a plethora of changes at once, it's much harder to gauge which change truly made a difference and which ones did not. If after all of these things you're still having problems, you should look into other areas, but for now i would keep it simple.

Good Luck! :cool:
Click to expand...
1. So I obviously need to get a better tool to test my salinity.
2. Sorry but I am a super noob and not sure if the salt water I buy from my local fish store is RODI or not? I am not even entirely sure what that means (super noob).
3. I do not ever plan on having more than live rock and fish.
4. In my 9 months I have only cleaned it twice. I do not know how often I need to clean or (or change things out). I will have to check this weekend to see what order my media is in but it is whatever the fluval directions said when I installed it when I setup my tank.
5. I do have a little bit of brown algae but up until last week my clean up crew was non existent. Since adding them it seems to be doing a lot better...
6. I do not know what my phosphate is...
7. I was feeding them frozen myosis but most of it was going uneaten. So now I feed them pellets once a day and do not let the pellets hit the sand...

Thank you!!!
 
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WWC
Robin Haselden said:
I read a quote somewhere that said, "If you think you're moving slow, slow down a bit more."
Click to expand...
"Nothing good happens fast in this hobby only bad things happen overnight, if you think you go slow, slow down even more"

Good Info folks.
 
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So I am ordering the refractometer, calibration fluid and api master test kit.

I got a new heater and got my water temperature correct because it was to warm. I just received all new media for my filter. Since it has been so long should I replace it all when I do my next water change?
 
BRS
My refractometer and calibration fluid came in today and I am just below 1.020 so I am going to do a water change tomorrow.... Usually when I do a water change I add just a little bit of fresh water so I am hoping just salt water and no freshwater from my local store will do the trick....
 
redzfit said:
Usually when I do a water change I add just a little bit of fresh water so I am hoping just salt water and no freshwater from my local store will do the trick....
Click to expand...

Wait you've been adding fresh water when doing a water change? Only when topping off do you use fresh water, when you do a water change you need to use salt water with the exact salinity as your tank. Since your tank is running low on salinity, I would do a series of small water changes with some 1.025 water to SLOWLY bring the salinity if your tank back up. Once you get your salinity back where it needs to be, from now on every time you do a water change use salt water. When adding top off water, that's when you don't use salt. Good luck. [emoji3]
 
So I just got my API Master test kit at to me why thing looks to be good?

High Range PH 8-8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0-5

IMG_9962.JPG
 
Tidal Gardens
You should be cleaning your canister at least bi weekly, coarse media can be cleansed over the course of several weeks before being replaced, fine media like felt needs replaced every time you clean the canister. Biological media should never be rinsed or cleaned.
 
CodyRVA said:
You should be cleaning your canister at least bi weekly, coarse media can be cleansed over the course of several weeks before being replaced, fine media like felt needs replaced every time you clean the canister. Biological media should never be rinsed or cleaned.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
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