So I need some advice

happyhourhero · Jun 29, 2017

I have gotten myself into some trouble with over feeding and now have sky high nitrates and sky high phosphates. My tank is 65 gallon with 20 gallon sump. It has been set up at my new house since March 3rd but before I moved it was up since July 2015.

My nitrates just tested around 100 with salifert and my phosphates tested around 1 on Red Sea and between .5 and 1 on seachem. I have a Hanna checker being delivered tomorrow as well as a gfo reactor.

I currently have an algae scrubber and run a skimmer and a 4" marine pure block. I did a 5 gallon wc today and will do a ten gallon tomorrow.

What should my plan be to bring this all down without crashing and killing all my acros?

I do not have an algae problem and my corals are starting to brown a bit and not look 100% but they still look pretty good by most standards.

Dr. Reef · Jun 29, 2017

50% water change will cut nitrates and phos in half. I would start there and then do few more large water water changes leaving few days in between each large change.
Gfo will strip phos fast so control the amount or flow through it.
Go slow don't strip anything down too fast

jeff williams · Jun 29, 2017

happyhourhero said:
I have gotten myself into some trouble with over feeding and now have sky high nitrates and sky high phosphates. My tank is 65 gallon with 20 gallon sump. It has been set up at my new house since March 3rd but before I moved it was up since July 2015.

My nitrates just tested around 100 with salifert and my phosphates tested around 1 on Red Sea and between .5 and 1 on seachem. I have a Hanna checker being delivered tomorrow as well as a gfo reactor.

I currently have an algae scrubber and run a skimmer and a 4" marine pure block. I did a 5 gallon wc today and will do a ten gallon tomorrow.

What should my plan be to bring this all down without crashing and killing all my acros?

I do not have an algae problem and my corals are starting to brown a bit and not look 100% but they still look pretty good by most standards.

Would it be possible to do daily WC to bring it down slow

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 29, 2017

Just go slow.
5g a week and maybe do some carbon dosing. Look at gfo in a couple weeks.
I wouldn't get caught up in any kinda quick fix

happyhourhero · Jun 29, 2017

Dr. Reef said:
50% water change will cut nitrates and phos in half. I would start there and then do few more large water water changes leaving few days in between each large change.
Go will strip phos fast so control the amount or flow through it.

You don't think that will be too drastic with the 50% change. My rc mixes with higher alk than I run.

Dr. Reef · Jun 29, 2017

How much higher does it run and what's your normal

happyhourhero · Jun 29, 2017

i run my tank at 9 and I tested a new batch at 10.5

happyhourhero · Jun 29, 2017

jeff williams said:
Would it be possible to do daily WC to bring it down slow

Yes.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 29, 2017

According to everything I've ever read on phosphate , that doesn't work. Po4 is on the rock not in the water.

happyhourhero · Jun 29, 2017

I had my water tested at SB reefs and Red Sea said my nitrates were 2-5 and today my own kit comes in (salifert) and reads near 100. I was thinking up until today my nitrates were low and p04 was high only.

Dr. Reef · Jun 29, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
According to everything I've ever read on phosphate , that doesn't work. Po4 is on the rock not in the water.

If phos was in the rocks ,which it is ,but it leaches out in water that's why we use gfo to strip water of phos. But you are right source is in the rocks.

Dr. Reef · Jun 29, 2017

happyhourhero said:
I had my water tested at SB reefs and Red Sea said my nitrates were 2-5 and today my own kit comes in (salifert) and reads near 100. I was thinking up until today my nitrates were low and p04 was high only.

You may wanna double check the kit before making any changes.
Anyways current tank alk at 9 and new water at 10.5, a 50% water change will bring you up to 9.75. Leave water circulating for 24 hrs heated at 78 f. Alk will drop in mixing bin.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 29, 2017

Dr. Reef said:
If phos was in the rocks ,which it is ,but it leaches out in water that's why we use gfo to strip water of phos. But you are right source is in the rocks.

I realize that. That's why water changes don't work for po4. There's very little in the ware save what's being leached. Gfo absorbs it from the water and then continues to at a higher rate than the rock does.
That's why it takes time to do and a WC doesn't effect po4 substantially save over a long period of constant or regular water changes.

happyhourhero · Jun 30, 2017

Just took sample to LFS again.

Salifert between 25-50
Red Sea 5
API 40
Tetra strip 40 but the girl said the colors they say arent right and you use the same color as the red sea chart?

What do i believe here?

All tests new.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 30, 2017

happyhourhero said:
Just took sample to LFS again.

Salifert between 25-50
Red Sea 5
API 40
Tetra strip 40 but the girl said the colors they say arent right and you use the same color as the red sea chart?

What do i believe here?

All tests new.

....

...

Id guess in the 40 range as its the constant number in each.

Scott.h · Jul 1, 2017

happyhourhero said:
Just took sample to LFS again.

Salifert between 25-50
Red Sea 5
API 40
Tetra strip 40 but the girl said the colors they say arent right and you use the same color as the red sea chart?

What do i believe here?

All tests new.

That's really weird. I have tests kits of API, Salifert, and Red Sea for nitrate. That's a pretty big variation that I've never seen. I was an automotive painter for 17 years and I know that most people, especially males, are color deficient (blind) in one spectrum. Many don't even realize. I seen the pic of the API tube. Could it be an old test kit?

happyhourhero · Jul 1, 2017

Scott.h said:
That's really weird. I have tests kits of API, Salifert, and Red Sea for nitrate. That's a pretty big variation that I've never seen. I was an automotive painter for 17 years and I know that most people, especially males, are color deficient (blind) in one spectrum. Many don't even realize. I seen the pic of the API tube. Could it be an old test kit?

The salifert and API were both brand new. I am unsure of the dates on the Red Sea or the tetra strips. I also tested rodi to ensure they tested that at 0. I have always used salifert for my other tests so I am just going to trust that I think.

Scott.h · Jul 1, 2017

I wasn't curious as to what I'd get. I had to test this morning anyway. What I'm concluding is that I need to turn down my no3 dosing pump for a days.

But Salifert tested the highest at about 5. API was about 2 and Red Sea 3. Fairly close anyway. I've always suspected Salifert to read a little high at low range from the side.