Patrick Arden
New Member
Hi, my name is Patrick Arden. Thanks for letting me join, looks like a great forum and website. I have been in the aquarium hobby since the 60's, when my dad brought an aquarium home, saltwater safe, and we set it up as a saltwater/fish tank. This is when saltwater tanks were just beginning to come to peoples homes. Even with the simple lights, heater and filtration I think all would have survived longer if I only knew about cycling a tank. Now for the last 2 years I am trying a mixed reef and fish tank. Everything was ok looking the first year and a half and then things changed. I was tired of changing out my GFO reactor and took it out. Medium breakout of cyano and might have added too much chemclean without enough aeration,and lost 2 fish, only had 6 small fish total in a Reefer 450 Then my nitrate were up to 50ppm . Zero PO4. RO water tests zero for nitrates, Ph 8.2, Kessil lights (2), bio pellets, GFO reactor, dosing with B-ionic calcium buffer system, no refugium. The tank crashed soon after the chemclean incident, not blaming chemclean, lost all but 3 fish and small mushrooms and rhodactis. Removed a third of the rock for better circulation and . Cleaned sump, valves, powerbeads. Change 2-4 gallons once a week. Also have done larger 30-40% water changes. My nitrates will not go back down, and I see that its not a rare problem. Have tried all the potions, Aquaforest, Red Sea, Vibrant, Chemi-pure, Purigen. Presently dosing no-pox per tank size. A reef tank takes a lot of work. You have to love it or else. If anyone has any advice for me I would appreciate it. Thanks!
