Need help dirtying my water

[mandi29221]

So last mothers day I ordered zoas. For my first corals. Everything was great for a few months. Well one day they just closed up and stopped growing. Then a blue leg ate them. So I'm assuming its because my tank reads 0ppm on nitrates.. I cant for the dang life of me get my tank dirty. I have dirty nasty fish. But I realized that's around the time I installed a reef octopus 110int. I had a seaclone. So now that my tank running for 1 yr I wanna try again. It's still at 0ppm nitrates. I have a 75g dt, with 20l sump. I have 1 snowflake,1 gold band maroon clown, 2 brackish puffers (green spotted n topaz) 3 damsels, 1 leopard wrasse and 1 coral beauty in qt. I need suggestions on bring up my nitrates for dirtier water. I run aqua mars. I love zoas, and I would love to finally start my reef now

 

[Coralmaniac21]

More fish ? My 60g has 13 fish in it. 5 green chromis. 3 talbot damsels. 1 azure damsel, lawnmower blenny. Scooter blenny. Royal gramma, and flamehawk.

Try feeding flake food ? 3x a day.. i feed 2-3 times a day with flakes and i have 20ppm nitrates.. if i go to once a day itll drop to 0 in a few days

 

[Retro Reefer]

I’m struggling to keep my nutrients up in my 7 month old reef, I recently pulled filter socks and I’m letting skimmer drain back into sump and it has helped but I’m getting some nuisance algae so it’s going to be a balancing act until tank stabilizes.

 

[ChaseBurke]

Feed More, Or
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/neonitro-balanced-nitrogen-supplement-brightwell-aquatics.html

 

[Katrina71]

I’m struggling to keep my nutrients up in my 7 month old reef, I recently pulled filter socks and I’m letting skimmer drain back into sump and it has helped but I’m getting some nuisance algae so it’s going to be a balancing act until tank stabilizes.

Could you try skimming only during lights out?

 

[Paul B]

Get a new nitrate kit.

 

[sfin52]

Get a new nitrate kit.

I love your responses. Simple funny and right to the point.

 

[Auquanut]

Just a thought. You could consider a yellow eyed Cole tang. In my unqualified opinion, it should be OK in a 75 gallon tank. My tangs are poop factories. Plus, you have the added advantage of an algae eating demon. My Cole spends all of his time cleaning everything. Even the glass. Someone chime in if I'm way off base.

 

[mandi29221]

Get a new nitrate kit.

I only use red sea pro kit for my testings

 

[mandi29221]

Just a thought. You could consider a yellow eyed Cole tang. In my unqualified opinion, it should be OK in a 75 gallon tank. My tangs are poop factories. Plus, you have the added advantage of an algae eating demon. My Cole spends all of his time cleaning everything. Even the glass. Someone chime in if I'm way off base.

I actually ordered a tomini bristletooth waiting for him to come in.

 

[mandi29221]

More fish ? My 60g has 13 fish in it. 5 green chromis. 3 talbot damsels. 1 azure damsel, lawnmower blenny. Scooter blenny. Royal gramma, and flamehawk.

Try feeding flake food ? 3x a day.. i feed 2-3 times a day with flakes and i have 20ppm nitrates.. if i go to once a day itll drop to 0 in a few days

I definitely could feed more. I only feed frozen. Flakes wont help my puffers beaks. But I can try this

 

[Coralmaniac21]

Flakes for the other fish i mean. Flakes csn raise nitrates lretty fast if you feed a lot of it

 

[sfin52]

I only feed diy frozen. Much better in my opinion. I have a poor skimmer never worry about numbers. Because they are never low

 

[mandi29221]

I only feed diy frozen. Much better in my opinion. I have a poor skimmer never worry about numbers. Because they are never low

Is the red sea test kit not okay for nitrates? I just did a entire water parameter testing everything stays zero calcium is 480. Mag is 1480. Phosphate stays at .25 I guess I'll just add more fish

 

[sfin52]

.25 is a little low. Mine is at 1. Nitrates at 40. Last I checked. Are you carbon dosing or running any type of phosphate reducers .

 

[mandi29221]

.25 is a little low. Mine is at 1. Nitrates at 40. Last I checked. Are you carbon dosing or running any type of phosphate reducers .

No I'm not currently. I did run gfo for a while because I was told .25 was high for phosphates

 

[sfin52]

.5 is a good number 5-10 for nitrates is also good. My po4 is 1 nitrates is 40

 

[sfin52]

• zoas & leathers are happy. I'm running a softie tank .

 

[Paul B]

I only use red sea pro kit for my testings

Try another one. If you are feeding those fish, there should be nitrates as fish do poop. Or maybe they are constipated.

 

[Dondante]

I actually ordered a tomini bristletooth waiting for him to come in.

My Tomini purposely takes a poop in my clowns territory/part of the tank.