How many fish do you have?

[Screwgunner]

I have a 125g with 13 fish i know that size matters but 13 fish and I can not get any phosphates or nitrates . They are at undetectable levels. I turn the lights off on my algea turf scubber for 3 days and made it to .03 phosphates. And my tank has stopped using alkalinity . I was dosing everyday now it just stays at 8.5 not that I'm upset about it . If I leave the light off on my ats the algea will die. It took so long to get it working now it works to good. Do I just feed more. I am at 3 cubes and 3 pinches of flake and a cube of freeze dried brine. 1 4 inch yt. 1 , 5 inch fox face 7 green chromis 1 neon goby 1 flame angle 2 ,3 inch clarkii clowns I feel like I am over stocked . 110 pounds of rock . Any suggestions!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 125g with 13 fish i know that size matters but 13 fish and I can not get any phosphates or nitrates . They are at undetectable levels. I turn the lights off on my algea turf scubber for 3 days and made it to .03 phosphates. And my tank has stopped using alkalinity . I was dosing everyday now it just stays at 8.5 not that I'm upset about it . If I leave the light off on my ats the algea will die. It took so long to get it working now it works to good. Do I just feed more. I am at 3 cubes and 3 pinches of flake and a cube of freeze dried brine. 1 4 inch yt. 1 , 5 inch fox face 7 green chromis 1 neon goby 1 flame angle 2 ,3 inch clarkii clowns I feel like I am over stocked . 110 pounds of rock . Any suggestions!!!

I suspect you may be getting false readings.
What test kits are you using?
If API, you are likely getting false readings

 

[polyppal]

interesting, I know there are products like neophos where you can actually dose po4 into your system

NeoPhos - Balanced Phosphorus Supplement

Used in conjunction with MICROBACTER7 and REEF BIOFUEL or KATALYST, enables natural nitrogen uptake to take place in systems with inadequate phosphorus content, lowering ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations without the use of chemical filtration media and without resorting to polluting...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Screwgunner]

Hanna

 

[Screwgunner]

Currently all I am putting in my tank is Dr. Tims eco balance. And I have the lights down a bit fighting dinos. Due to low nutrients.

 

[rmorris_14]

You can have some of mine.. I can throw in a side of GHA

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

7 fish.
Difference between a tank with 20 tangs in it vs 20 gobies or blennys. Lol
D

 

[Idech]

I have 6 fish in my 75 gallons, mostly small. The kole tang is my biggest one.

I’m not very experienced with marine fish and I wanted to make sure they were healthy and not stressed (mostly the tang) when I first got them so I fed 3-4 times per day for the first 4-6 weeks. I was feeding frozen, but also pellets and flakes.

My nitrates went from 0 to 10, 15, 20 and almost 30 ppm rapidly. Phosphates followed trend.

Now I only feed frozen, twice a day. Nitrates have started decreasing, but very slowly. They’re at 19,6 ppm and phosphates are at 0,12 ppm.

So I would increase feeding. Try flakes.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

U can run the skimmer dryer. U can feed more. U can add chemicals. U can toss a shrimp in somewhere and let it rot. Lol.
U can remove algae....idk I've never wanted to increase my #s. Lol
D

 

[blaxsun]

32 fish in my 200-gallon system.

 

[X-37B]

15 fish in my 120 and 2 currently in my 30g remote fuge for a total of 17. Tank is over 2.5 years old.
I feed heavy at 8+ cubes a day.
No3 <3 po4 .05.
I would feed more and just reduce the time on the scrubber so the algae does not die. Once your levels increase you can increase the time on the scrubber.

 

[Jedi1199]

180G FOWLR, 11 fish.

55g mixed reef, 13 fish, 50+ corals

32g mixed reef, 3 fish, 10 or so corals

I am the worlds worst tester. I very rarely actually take the time to test my water parameters. I am more of the diligent water change and observation type. The actual numbers really don't concern me. As long as I see that the tank is happy, healthy and the more demanding sps corals are growing, I really dont care is my nitrates have jumped 5 points or my alk is off by 100..

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I used to judge my tanks health off the sps coral growth and health as well. This time I just avoid the sps all together. LOLOLS!
D

 

[Sean Clark]

6 fish in 200 gallons. I may add more in the future.

 

[X-37B]

I used to judge my tanks health off the sps coral growth and health as well. This time I just avoid the sps all together. LOLOLS!
D

Thats funny. All 3 of my systems are acro dominant.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

I would take the scrubber offline for now. Clean it and leave it sit. Id increase feeding at the same time and keep doing so til you get your nutrients in line. Once you do ease up on the feeding.

 

[Jedi1199]

I used to judge my tanks health off the sps coral growth and health as well. This time I just avoid the sps all together. LOLOLS!
D

My point is that I think people place WAY too much emphasis on numbers. Quality aquarium husbandry, IMO, outweighs numbers.

Most people would say that you "Can't" run a successful reef tank with a "nitrate factory" aka canister filter. Really? I beg to disagree. Most people will say that you have to dose this and that and the other thing in order to have a successful tank. Really? I beg to disagree.

What you NEED to do is be diligent in your husbandry! Keep your water clean, and the results will come.

 

[Screwgunner]

I had 2 10x12 screens only lit on one side of each . So I have removed 1 down to one screen lit on one side . Run it for 10 hours now my .03 phosphates are .00 again. Scrubber is the only thing I have on the tank . Took skimmer off awhile back. Everything looks good . But dinos in my frogspawn and exenia. I will feed my flake I know it has more phosphates than frozen.

 

[Screwgunner]

If I take ats off line should I put skimmer back in. Or leave it out too.

 

[Screwgunner]

My point is that I think people place WAY too much emphasis on numbers. Quality aquarium husbandry, IMO, outweighs numbers.

Most people would say that you "Can't" run a successful reef tank with a "nitrate factory" aka canister filter. Really? I beg to disagree. Most people will say that you have to dose this and that and the other thing in order to have a successful tank. Really? I beg to disagree.

What you NEED to do is be diligent in your husbandry! Keep your water clean, and the results will come.

My problem is I don't have any nitrates well, there has to be some but I can not go that low . And. .00 phosphates I know people would love to have this problem but other problems come with no nutrients.