Need help what am I doing wrong?
- Thread starter Willy43
- Start date
- Tagged users None
O'l Salty
Active Member
Have you done anything in the last couple of months different to the tank? Different skimmer? Different sump? Anything? Mine did the same thing at about 8 or 9 months but I had made a number of significant changes.
Alkalinity DKH Colorimeter HI772 Hanna
Red Sea Reef Foundation
API reef master for nitrates
I am going to order the Phosphorus Ultra Low Range Colorimeter HI736 Hanna Checker and the Nitrite Ultra Low Range Colorimeter HI764 Hanna Checker the only thing is it reads nitrite not nitrates is there something better out there?
Yes I did I tried Vibrant I stopped using it about 3 or 4 weeks ago. And did a 50% water change
I did not see any thin happen to any corals this started about two weeks ago
Last edited:
wkscott
Well-Known Member
While water changes are almost a cure-all in aquariums, in this case, with extremely low nutrients, a water change would exasprate the problem. He actually needs "dirtier" water.
glb
7500 Club Member
I used some of those wire hiders that you use to hide wires on a wall. I took off the adhesive and used industrial strength velcro to attach them. They're all above the water line and clean up the look of the sump. You can get them at Home Depot.
Here are some pictures of what I have pleas over look the wiring I a working on trimming every thing out.
N4sty T4te
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2017
- Messages
- 283
- Reaction score
- 237
When I reduced my biopellets by about 70% leaving only a third the recommended dose my algae problem Disappeared for what it's worth.
I have my No3 at 2ppm now. Took about 3 days to get there. I took all biopellets out and plan on testing allot over the next few days to see if I need to start adding some. My No4 has gone up. I plan on a water change tomorrow so I will be watching both closes.
jdelgado0440
New Member
Hi there Willy43,
The exact same thing that has happened to you has happened to me and I'm sure plenty of reefers out there. We create an environment that is too clean and too unnatural to sustain life.
I have a 100 gallon SPS dominated tank and had "two" gfo reactors running with undetectable NO3. The reason was because my rocks and deep sand bed (at the time) had phosphate poring out of it at a lethal rate.
The first two reactors were the GFO, the third reactor is Purigen and the fourth is carbon.
Well the reactors were so efficient that all the water that went into the units was stripped from phosphate. I had the reactors running for six months and they were able to maintain or keep up with the phosphate that was oozing out of the rocks and sand.
So I later reduced the sand bed to 1.5 inches in an effort to control the algae and cyanobacteria and kept the reactors going for another 3 months as the rocks were still releasing PO4 all until the STN started happening throughout the most sensitive SPS in the tank. Well long story short the rocks no longer release phosphate and I have not used the reactors for the last eight months. I increased the Bioload with plenty of fish and daily feedings (and I really FEED...as I like seeing the bellies... sorry Latin thing "big bellies = healthy"). In the event that the phosphates go up (which hasn't happened for the last four months) I add phosphate remover. My nitrates have gone up and I've been dosing the tank periodically Red Seas NO3
O4-X with great success to maintain it at a healthy low level along with water changes every three weeks.
Here is the tank a week ago
My suggestion would be less is more. Don't do any water changes yet and let the tank get "dirty", corals are more resilient than we think.
Hope that helps!
Jorge
The exact same thing that has happened to you has happened to me and I'm sure plenty of reefers out there. We create an environment that is too clean and too unnatural to sustain life.
I have a 100 gallon SPS dominated tank and had "two" gfo reactors running with undetectable NO3. The reason was because my rocks and deep sand bed (at the time) had phosphate poring out of it at a lethal rate.
The first two reactors were the GFO, the third reactor is Purigen and the fourth is carbon.
Well the reactors were so efficient that all the water that went into the units was stripped from phosphate. I had the reactors running for six months and they were able to maintain or keep up with the phosphate that was oozing out of the rocks and sand.
So I later reduced the sand bed to 1.5 inches in an effort to control the algae and cyanobacteria and kept the reactors going for another 3 months as the rocks were still releasing PO4 all until the STN started happening throughout the most sensitive SPS in the tank. Well long story short the rocks no longer release phosphate and I have not used the reactors for the last eight months. I increased the Bioload with plenty of fish and daily feedings (and I really FEED...as I like seeing the bellies... sorry Latin thing "big bellies = healthy"). In the event that the phosphates go up (which hasn't happened for the last four months) I add phosphate remover. My nitrates have gone up and I've been dosing the tank periodically Red Seas NO3
O4-X with great success to maintain it at a healthy low level along with water changes every three weeks.Here is the tank a week ago
My suggestion would be less is more. Don't do any water changes yet and let the tank get "dirty", corals are more resilient than we think.
Hope that helps!
Jorge
