Waste - Am I Doing This Right?

Karling · Sep 11, 2020

Hello All,

Please know I just want to make sure I am doing things correctly and working through the new tank without causing issues. If your following any of my posts, things are back to normal and doing VERY well! However, I started feeding Nori a few times a week for my Tangs which has caused some rather large waste piles. To tell you the truth I wish my dogs were as well behaved, as the Tangs go to the same spot in the tank to do their business. It happens to be the low flow are and right next to my GSP rock. Anyways.. at the end of the day there will be a "pile" of waste there. And then 12 hours later that pile is gone and there is just a small dark spot. once the lights kick on that dark spot gets cleaned up by my Gobi and the process starts again.

Now I am assuming this is all good and the natural bacteria are doing what needs to be done and breaking it down over night... but.... I just want to make sure.

Phycodurus · Sep 11, 2020

your tanks sounds like it's progressing well!

if this "accumulation routine" has been occurring on a near-daily basis for at least a couple of weeks, then it sounds like your system is processing/breaking down the waste in a balanced manner. checking your nitrate and phosphate levels 2-3 times a week would help confirm this. another part of the equation is how often your are regularly doing water changes and at what percentage of the tank volume.

if nitrate or phosphate levels start creeping up, or even if they jump up, just take corrective measure (i.e. more frequent water changes) slow and steady.

are you still relying on your LFS for testing parameters? i respectfully recommend you pick up some quality kits ... at least for the basics (nitrate/phosphate/pH, ammonia). you'll be glad to have them at the ready if you want to do testing later in the evening after the LFS business hours.

Karling · Sep 11, 2020

Thanks for the tips - yes my LFS does my full testing for me weekly when I go in to get my water.
My water change schedule is
13% weekly and then i do a big 26% every 5th week.
Ill start picking up Hanna checkers though.

I've rebuilt the entire sump. went from a trickle system... ripped all that out... custom built the over flow lines into a 7" 200 micron sock. moved my intake pump for the skimmer into that overflow chamber. Removed ALL the bio balls and put in the rest of the rubble in the sump along with 1 loan hermit.. hes a happy little bugger down there. I need to plumb the outlet of my skimmer into that same chamber, ill do that this weekend. Built a stand for the carbon bag to sit on between the overflow side to the return side. The return side has the skimmer and return pumps. The skimmer is plumed out into an overflow so i don't have to take apart my skimmer to clean it, it also allows me a fail safe 5 gallons if for any reason something happens in my sump.

The one hammer coral has fully recovered and growing well. My other hammers are sprouting little heads already. And my big wall hammer couldn't be happier! Zoas are doing well and starting to branch out a bit. The duncan has had a hard time though, doing well, but we just found the place were i think he will stay.