Very confused reefer?

[kwandrsn]

Ok I have had my tank set up since the end of last year. Lots of coral and snails hermits and 5 fish. 36 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump

My nitrate levels were staying about 20, I would get them to 10 with my weekly water changes. I have slipped up and let them get to 40 once

Tried algone it didn't seem to do anything so I stopped using it. I run purigen.

About a week ago or so I added the 10 gallon sump. I do not have a skimmer but I added a handful of cheato.

I am due for my weekly water change only thing I done last week was added the 8 gallon or so saltwater for the sump, no actual water change

Figured for sure my nitrates would be 20 or higher.

They are 0. I even ran the test again 0

Is this normal. Well cheato remove nitrates that quick?

Also my mag is 1480 and I have never dosed it. I started using reef crystals instead of regular io salt a few weeks ago. Is that high of a level normal and is it safe?

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[cdness]

Macroalgaes can remove nitrates pretty quickly provided they have the right growing conditions. The added water volume probably helped your issue as well.

Mag that high is fine. I had mine up to 1800 to kill bryopsis with zero issues.

 

[kwandrsn]

All I'm running is a hob filter with filter floss and I have floss in the end of my downtube and a piece in my bubble trap.

I don't have a skimmer yet

I have a 100 watt equivalent compact fluorescent bulb in a clamp on desk lamp. It's one of the rubber coated ones for like a mechanics work light or something

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[terminallance]

Sounds to me chateo is removing the nitrates, you can look up the nitrogen cycle and it will show you how it works but plants (macro in your case) will help consume nitrates and ammonia

 

[kwandrsn]

I know about that. I have a planted freshwater tank as well. I just couldn't believe it wiped them out completely that fast

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[Reefing Madness]

Must have been a good sized ball of Cheato. But, yea, it can knock em out pretty fast with the right amount. You should have seen a mess of growth out of it if it was just the Cheato.

 

[kwandrsn]

I don't know about growth but I'm guessing about a tennis ball sized chunk of cheato.

It kind concerns me that since day one I fought to keep the level at 10 and was told to stop doing huge water changes like I was doing so I let it get to 20. I ran algone for a couple of weeks and didn't notice any difference so I pulled it out ran cheato for a week now nitrates are non-existent.

Should I be worried? I know I'm happy about it.

I also noticed since I added the sump the latter of film on the top of the display tanks water has disappeared. I kept it mostly gone with my pumps aimed up.

I had noticed that there was a later of film on the surface of the middle chamber of the sump and today that was gone as well.

Do you think it would be safe to remove my hob filter now and just keep running the floss rubber banded to the end of my downtube and in the bubble trap.

I know the hob pulls lots of crap from the water and I just don't want the display to be full of junk floating around. I like crystal clear water

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[Reefing Madness]

Your Cheato will now do the work of the HOB Filter. And eat up Phosphates also. I'd pull the filter out. Should be fine.

 

[reefingnoob]

I think its purigen. Not chaeto.

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[kwandrsn]

Ben running purigen and it hasn't removed nitrates. It won't it will remove the stuff that causes nitrates from what I read but it won't remove them

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