melonheadorion
Well-Known Member
so, funny story, or not so funny, just funny to me.
so, i have cycled my tank maybe 3 weeks ago or so (i would have to check my build thread to see when it finished), but at the height of the ammonia at the start, i got it to 2, and waited patiently for ammonia to disappear, which it eventually did about 2 weeks later if i recall right.
the cycle was completed. i confirmed the totals with the LFS, and they saw the same thing, so i got some chromis, and they have been alive and well since. a week or two later, added 2 clownfish, also doing well since then. another week and a half goes, i move my bi color angel from my old tank to this new tank, and since then, which has been about 3 weeks, going well. long story short, all fish are doing great, no issues.
i am however, going through the ugly stage, which is normal of course. i am ultimately wanting to ensure that i dont get any dinos or other algaes that are of the harmful type, so ive been feeding, and overfeeding to try to get phosphates up. ive done the round-about way of testing for dinos and it doesnt seem to be dinos (taking a sample of the algae, and filtering it into a jar), so with that, im not overly concerned with it quite yet, but the wierdest thing is that i cant get my nitrates and phosphates up.
i know that most people will strive for this, but the nitrates and phosphates have never gotten elevated. period. even after the cycle, nitrates were about 5. phosphates 0. to this day, even with overfeeding as much as i can, nitrates and phosphates still where they were before, whcih to me, is odd considering that the cycle process should have elevated the nitrates just in itself. ive tested with 3 different kits including API, red sea, and nyos, as well as the LFS kit.
i dont have any skimming going, or anything that should reduce either parameter. i do have a sump, but only filter socks and pinky filtration. i have been even trying sinking pellets to see if i can get it to leech off anything to raise nitrates/phos. i normally feed thera+ pellets and flake food.
so, i guess my question is, any thoughts on why these two params arent rising, when in theory, they should? most people probably wouldnt complain about these being low, but i think this new tank and low nitrates is affecting zoas, and could create issues with algaes later on.
my only assumption that i can come up with is that the diatoms are keeping them that way, but i dont know personally, if algaes will do that to the point that it is right now. i have been turkey basting and sucking as much off toward the end of the day.
im not too much concerned with how to raise these parameters, because i know i can dose it if i wanted to, unless you have any home remedies, or other suggestions on how much to overfeed. ultimately, i want to make sure dinos or other detrimental algaes, arent an issue (i would rather fight them before they become one). i am trying to patiently wait for a time to move all of my zoas and my hammer coral over, but until i can get through this ugly stage, it is pausing it all. with the lack of nitrates and phosphates, it seems odd since it hasnt raised since the time i did the cycle which is well over a month, almost two.
p.s. its a 65 gal tank
so, i have cycled my tank maybe 3 weeks ago or so (i would have to check my build thread to see when it finished), but at the height of the ammonia at the start, i got it to 2, and waited patiently for ammonia to disappear, which it eventually did about 2 weeks later if i recall right.
the cycle was completed. i confirmed the totals with the LFS, and they saw the same thing, so i got some chromis, and they have been alive and well since. a week or two later, added 2 clownfish, also doing well since then. another week and a half goes, i move my bi color angel from my old tank to this new tank, and since then, which has been about 3 weeks, going well. long story short, all fish are doing great, no issues.
i am however, going through the ugly stage, which is normal of course. i am ultimately wanting to ensure that i dont get any dinos or other algaes that are of the harmful type, so ive been feeding, and overfeeding to try to get phosphates up. ive done the round-about way of testing for dinos and it doesnt seem to be dinos (taking a sample of the algae, and filtering it into a jar), so with that, im not overly concerned with it quite yet, but the wierdest thing is that i cant get my nitrates and phosphates up.
i know that most people will strive for this, but the nitrates and phosphates have never gotten elevated. period. even after the cycle, nitrates were about 5. phosphates 0. to this day, even with overfeeding as much as i can, nitrates and phosphates still where they were before, whcih to me, is odd considering that the cycle process should have elevated the nitrates just in itself. ive tested with 3 different kits including API, red sea, and nyos, as well as the LFS kit.
i dont have any skimming going, or anything that should reduce either parameter. i do have a sump, but only filter socks and pinky filtration. i have been even trying sinking pellets to see if i can get it to leech off anything to raise nitrates/phos. i normally feed thera+ pellets and flake food.
so, i guess my question is, any thoughts on why these two params arent rising, when in theory, they should? most people probably wouldnt complain about these being low, but i think this new tank and low nitrates is affecting zoas, and could create issues with algaes later on.
my only assumption that i can come up with is that the diatoms are keeping them that way, but i dont know personally, if algaes will do that to the point that it is right now. i have been turkey basting and sucking as much off toward the end of the day.
im not too much concerned with how to raise these parameters, because i know i can dose it if i wanted to, unless you have any home remedies, or other suggestions on how much to overfeed. ultimately, i want to make sure dinos or other detrimental algaes, arent an issue (i would rather fight them before they become one). i am trying to patiently wait for a time to move all of my zoas and my hammer coral over, but until i can get through this ugly stage, it is pausing it all. with the lack of nitrates and phosphates, it seems odd since it hasnt raised since the time i did the cycle which is well over a month, almost two.
p.s. its a 65 gal tank
