Tank maturity definitely a thing

[ps2cho]

so I can confirm there is definitely something to be said for maturity that I am missing.

I started a frag tank a month ago. I used excess rock from my DT and 100% water from DT. There was nothing different in parameters, flow or lighting since I use the same LED at the same level.

Yet my birdsnest after a week is showing STN...

what could be the missing link between? All parameters are identical!

Is there something in the materials used in tank construction or pipe glue that could be the problem?

 

[twilliard]

@Russ265 where are you? You have been hiding!
It has to be a difference in microbial life/chemistry
Or a change in lighting height?

 

[ps2cho]

Lighting height was higher by a few inches, but that shouldn't cause STN right?

I used my par meter and par was reading basically the same as my other tank, maybe 10 par difference.

I let it run for 2 weeks (before moving any frags over) with small feeding to keep bacterial levels up so it wasn't an ammonia spike or anything.

 

[fragit]

Do you have any fish in the frag tank, or other inverts? Anything that poops to feed the corals?

 

[JBNY]

what could be the missing link between? All parameters are identical!

Parameters should be both correct and the same every time you test.

 

[Russ265]

stn event of a birdsnest after a week tells me no nutrients.

are both tanks 0 or near 0 nitrate and phosphate?

 

[Russ265]

@Russ265 where are you? You have been hiding!
It has to be a difference in microbial life/chemistry
Or a change in lighting height?

sorry man. have a critical release due on a project. crunch time for next couple weeks

 

[ps2cho]

stn event of a birdsnest after a week tells me no nutrients.

are both tanks 0 or near 0 nitrate and phosphate?

I don't have any fish in there, but nitrates of 3 and po4 0.04. Is it really the fact I don't have any fish in it?

I was planning to get a couple chromi's as they are hardy and easy to care for.

 

[Russ265]

I don't have any fish in there, but nitrates of 3 and po4 0.04. Is it really the fact I don't have any fish in it?

I was planning to get a couple chromi's as they are hardy and easy to care for.

you need fish in a frag tank.
corals dont survive on h2o and sunshine alone.

id do another test of that frag tank.
give us the numbers.

a week can make quite a lot of stuff deviate.

 

[ps2cho]

You were right I found alk had dropped to 7.8 dkh from 8.6. I think some of the rock must have absorbed it since the couple corals definitely didn't use that much

 

[Mattrg02]

Are you sure there wasn't an ammonia spike? I moved my tank and transferred everything to a new tank. Everything but the polyps died. Lo and behold, I had a heavy ammonia spike from somewhere.