Fishgirl2393 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Yeah, I know. I was just asking if it was a good idea. Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Oh and I still have the minor cyano. Will it go away once I get the nitrates low? Quote Link to comment
Dark_ice Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 once the tank ages more and the nitrates go down it will go away 2 Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 So the nitrates are between 30 and 35ppm. That's after having stirred up the tank (not literally) by blowing off detritus so I figure it's higher because of that. The nitrates really don't seem to be rising as fast as they were before so that's a good thing. Any tips to keep them lower? I'm doing a large (15+ gallon) water change today so they should be much lower after that. Is it just a simple wait and let the tank mature type of deal? I know about the cycle of tanks (obviously) but I want to make sure I'm doing this absolutely right this time! Quote Link to comment
Passaggper Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 It sure seems like you're making a lot of nitrates for all the water changes and skimming you are doing. Are you sure you're not overfeeding or something isn't dead? If you're at 40ppm now, a 15 gallon change should put you below 10ppm. Quote Link to comment
PwnMe Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 How's the light? I was afraid to buy that brand. Didn't wanna burn down my house or something. Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 It sure seems like you're making a lot of nitrates for all the water changes and skimming you are doing. Are you sure you're not overfeeding or something isn't dead? If you're at 40ppm now, a 15 gallon change should put you below 10ppm. The nitrates were really high after the cycle (80-100ppm) and it took me a while to get them lower. I don't think I have anything dead in the tank (nothing that I'm aware of anyway because all critters that I know of are all alive and well) and I haven't fed in two weeks at least. So, where do you think they're coming from? I want this tank to be great and don't want to constantly fight nitrates so let me know what you think. I am using API test kits so I guess they could be somewhat wrong but they show 0 nitrates on freshly mixed saltwater (and that's what the LFS gets when they test the RO/DI freshly mixed saltwater too with a different kit) so I don't know. How's the light? I was afraid to buy that brand. Didn't wanna burn down my house or something. I think the issues with Odyssea were the old metal halide ones. I've had two of their T5HO lights (and no, the first one did not go out) and neither one has given me any problems. The first one I sold to my LFS because I needed a larger one and they use it on a smaller tank now. The one I currently have I've been using for over a year now and there are no problems. I like them. They don't have the best reflector (just one flat one) but my LFS and I have been able to keep birdsnest and monti-caps under them and I currently have LPS under mine (it's growing and doing well). Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 How often should I change my mechanical filter (a nitrate reduction pad)? I've heard mixed results. Can they cause nitrate to rise a lot? Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Change it probably every 2 weeks. I just have floss and I change it every 4 days or so because both things can hold onto nitrates. You just want to catch them and throw them away, not let them fester more. That's why a huge back o fpoly fiberfill 100% from Walmart is your best friend and it will last you forever. 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Change it when it changes from white to, uh, not white. If you're stirring up your system, replace it several times daily. 2 Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 I am doing a 15-gallon water change tonight. I have all the water to do it with and all the salt I need (I'm using Oceanic). However, I haven't been checking the temp of my water lately (probably been 6+ months since I stuck a thermometer in the tank) and when I was working in it the other day, I noticed it felt warmer than it should. So, I got my digital thermometer out (very accurate reptile one) and was going to check but the stupid thing had quit working since I last used it (not battery because I used new batteries) so when I went and got my water today, I got a new thermometer (a good glass one) and it shows my water is 80-81 degrees! Should I run a fan on the side of my tank (not over the water because that causes crazy evaporation) to try to cool it down? I know hot water can cause cyano to grow faster. So, what should I do? Quote Link to comment
Passaggper Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Keep the thermometer in there and check it at different times of the day. You'll want to maintain a stable temp the best you can (80-81 is okay as long as it is stable). Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Changed the 15-gallons tonight. Will check nitrates tomorrow. I got my LFS to order me a Salifert nitrate kit so I should start getting more reliable results soon! But the water change should help things! Will have to wait and see if it starts working again but my skimmer started producing BIG bubbles in the neck instead of the usual tiny ones (new airstone so it can't be that) after the water change... Quote Link to comment
Acielot Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Will have to wait and see if it starts working again but my skimmer started producing BIG bubbles in the neck instead of the usual tiny ones (new airstone so it can't be that) after the water change... That's normal. The same thing should happen when you feed. 1 Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 OK. Thanks. The corals don't look very happy but then after a large water change they never do! Quote Link to comment
Passaggper Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Changed the 15-gallons tonight. Will check nitrates tomorrow. I got my LFS to order me a Salifert nitrate kit so I should start getting more reliable results soon! But the water change should help things! Will have to wait and see if it starts working again but my skimmer started producing BIG bubbles in the neck instead of the usual tiny ones (new airstone so it can't be that) after the water change... Good call on the salifert test kit. I was using API and I just couldn't believe how high my readings were all the time (20ppm). I got my salifert kit yesterday and measured 2ppm. I was very pleased with the simplicity of the test as well. 1 Quote Link to comment
Chris L Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 How long has the tank been set up now (this time)? Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 How long has the tank been set up now (this time)? The tank was restarted on June 12th this year (no rock was in the tank at that time but there was new live sand and water). So, that would make it 8 weeks old approx. Skimmer is back to normal today and tank looks good (lights just came on a few minutes ago). Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Just tested water. The nitrate (according to API which may be reading high) is down to 3-5ppm (not quite 5ppm but the next one down on API is 0 so it's more like 3-4ppm)! Corals look good today. Quote Link to comment
Dark_ice Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 good to hear, hope it keeps up Quote Link to comment
Acielot Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'll assume that we won't be hearing about any nitrate issues in the future? Skimmer is back to normal today and tank looks good (lights just came on a few minutes ago). How much skim mate are you getting? And how dark is it? Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'll assume that we won't be hearing about any nitrate issues in the future? How much skim mate are you getting? And how dark is it? Hopefully not! The tank does seem much more stable now. I'm not getting much skimmate right now but when I get it, it's usually pretty dark. Quote Link to comment
Fishgirl2393 Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Nitrate really has NOT risen much (if at all) since last water change. However, I've still got some cyano here and there. Will it go away or am I going to have to do something else to make it? It's mostly on the sand (only in certain areas) but there is some on the rocks (here and there). Also, I'm still debating about flow. I don't have much surface motion at ALL (very few ripples on the surface) and I'm wondering if I need another powerhead. If it tilt the Koralia towards the surface, I get dead spots (I may have some even now though) in the tank. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment
Dark_ice Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 humm the algae should go away on its own with aging and correct maintenance. as far as surface are you running a HOB skimmer? Quote Link to comment
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