Where can I find a good mentor

[jbb]

API kits are always the greatest. They typically do fine for the basic things but it might not hurt to get a different kit or have a LFS test just to make sure you aren't getting false readings. 

 

You might be chasing ghosts here.

[ECLS Reefer]

I guess I should include a picture of the tank. I did move the wave pump down in that corner to aim up toward the return Skimmer. And yeah it’s the Fluval bio rings, which came with the tank and “good” bacteria is supposed to live on and supposedly eat nitrates. My pH has been solid at 8.0 the whole time, so that’s lucky. I don’t think I actually have anything to treat the tank with other than water changing, the media stuff (carbon, clearmax, floss) and the Fluval bio enhancer you’re supposed to add when you do water changes. Seems to do nothing. I don’t have any algae- would that help? 

 

And yes, it is fully stocked. I did rather knowingly throw the kitchen sink at myself here because the tank was for my kid’s birthday any my own distraction from my masters degree. I like uphill battles, barefoot in the snow, both ways, carrying a sack full of lead.... 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I just need to know where to go in the blizzard I guess. It hasn’t been a disaster just an expensive trek. 

[banasophia]

16 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Ya was thinking of bioballs cuz I saw bio. 😛

 

Although I still don't use anything like that in my chambers because I have live rock anyways. What magic am I missing out on? Seems like something extra I would have to clean 

Haha... well I personally like matrix media better than the rings, just cuz they seem more porous... they are basically porous pebbles and add to the surface area that can be populated with beneficial bacteria... I have a couple sacks of matrix media in the rear chambers of my Biocube and dose NOPOX daily as a carbon source for denitrifying bacteria in order to keep my nitrates in check since I feed my tank very heavily (due to my NPS corals and my mandarin). 

[vegasgundog]

What is your water source? Are you using tap water? If you don't have access to rodi water, use distilled water from the grocery. If you're buying water from local fish store, they may not be keeping up in filter maintenance. Tap water could be full of nitrates and such. Investing in your own rodi will pay for itself. 

[ECLS Reefer]

I have to be honest and say I don’t truly understand what this whole “dosing” thing is. What is being dosed? Why do you dose? 

[ECLS Reefer]

I get all of my water, salt and RODI from my LFS right now. I’ve looked into getting a RODI filter system, as well as many things, for this crazy tank. The problem here is, my husband is about to break my hands for buying things on amazon for the tank 😂. Good thing I’ve been working extra lately. 

[vegasgundog]

Basic dosing is replacing what is being taken from the water by something. Corals take calcium and alkalinity from the water to grow. Regular water changes can keep up with it. I myself have a doser dosing both daily to keep up. Mentioned was nopox, dosed to feed bacteria that feeds on nitrates. This is more advanced stuff. Your size , water changes should suffice.

[banasophia]

16 minutes ago, Nursecop818 said:

I guess I should include a picture of the tank. I did move the wave pump down in that corner to aim up toward the return Skimmer. And yeah it’s the Fluval bio rings, which came with the tank and “good” bacteria is supposed to live on and supposedly eat nitrates. My pH has been solid at 8.0 the whole time, so that’s lucky. I don’t think I actually have anything to treat the tank with other than water changing, the media stuff (carbon, clearmax, floss) and the Fluval bio enhancer you’re supposed to add when you do water changes. Seems to do nothing. I don’t have any algae- would that help? 

 

And yes, it is fully stocked. I did rather knowingly throw the kitchen sink at myself here because the tank was for my kid’s birthday any my own distraction from my masters degree. I like uphill battles, barefoot in the snow, both ways, carrying a sack full of lead.... 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I just need to know where to go in the blizzard I guess. It hasn’t been a disaster just an expensive trek. 

Looks really nice! I’d recommend switching to a refractometer, they tend to be more accurate than a hydrometer... and I would recommended a Milwaukee digital refractometer if you can squeeze it in the budget... I feel like mine was a great investment in my tank.

 

Haha just saw your post about the hubs getting after you for the spending... scratch that idea for now... maybe down the road. 🙂

[Clown79]

What water are you using for top ups and waterchanges?

 

If it's not rodi or distilled, that can be a major contributor to your nitrates.

 

 

1 waterchange a week is good for regular maintenance.

But during an issue like high nitrates/phos, doing 2 small waterchanges or 1 regular one won't cut it, if more is being put in than taken out nutrients wise it just won't put a dent in the numbers unfortunately.

 

Waterchanges will also be ineffective if the source of the problem is corrected.

 

Do you vacuum your sand, Turkey baste rock during waterchanges?

 

With your filter, how often is floss changed?

 

The cyclops every night is only going to aid in the issue. If you have nothing eating it, its waste. 

So will the micro- vert.

 

With fish in the tank, the corals you have don't need to be fed. I would feed the fish and not worry about the other stuff at this point.

 

[Tamberav]

37 minutes ago, Nursecop818 said:

I guess I should include a picture of the tank. I did move the wave pump down in that corner to aim up toward the return Skimmer. And yeah it’s the Fluval bio rings, which came with the tank and “good” bacteria is supposed to live on and supposedly eat nitrates. My pH has been solid at 8.0 the whole time, so that’s lucky. I don’t think I actually have anything to treat the tank with other than water changing, the media stuff (carbon, clearmax, floss) and the Fluval bio enhancer you’re supposed to add when you do water changes. Seems to do nothing. I don’t have any algae- would that help? 

 

And yes, it is fully stocked. I did rather knowingly throw the kitchen sink at myself here because the tank was for my kid’s birthday any my own distraction from my masters degree. I like uphill battles, barefoot in the snow, both ways, carrying a sack full of lead.... 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I just need to know where to go in the blizzard I guess. It hasn’t been a disaster just an expensive trek. 

Nice looking tank 🙂

 

 

[righttirefire]

This is an awesome thread! 

Personally, my RODI and 44gallon brute can has been the best thing I've done for my tank along with a refractor, I use red sea, and a calibrating fluid everytime I use it.

 

Its hands down cheaper and more convenient.

 

I would hit the LFS every Friday for 5 gallons of rodi ($0.50/gal) and salt ($1/gal) $7.5. But I'd look and bullshit and ask questions and typically find something else to buy. $25 a week was normal for me. The looking around and talking to people and the the employees can be valuable information and can be misleading.

 

So at $25 a week it was easy to buy spectrapure "aquarium special" and now I can fill my two 7.5 gallon RODI jugs (about 2.5 hours each) and my brute (with a float swith) over night (8hrs.) So my life doesnt depend on getting to the LFS and since I go less, I spend less. I mix enough salt water for a month and typically I get 5-6 months worth of salt (1 box) about $50.

 

My wife wasnt happy about me spend that kind of money either. But its been 3 years and I'm will to bet if you added everything up Ive spent about $3000, thats 3 different systems and live stock, total less than $100 a month. We spend that on gym memberships we dont use and useless crap. But i still have my original clowns, some of my original corals and enjoyed this more long term, than the other crap.

[ECLS Reefer]

It’s RODI water from my LFS, and it doesn’t take much. I didn’t start losing any water to evaporation until I took the tops off for the light. I’d say I have to add about 20-50 ml a day to the third chamber. The saltwater for actual changes is from the LFS too. I vacuum the sand every time, around the rocks and under the arch, around the walls. I didn’t know about the turkey basting thing until today so I told the hubs to get one- have to do that when I get home from work cause the tank is due for a water change and clean tonight. The nitrates were 40ppm last night but I was too beat from work to get into a whole cleaning, plus everybody looked happy. 

 

I didnt know that about the MicroVert. How does having the fish in the tank make the MicroVert unnecessary? Though I have noticed the coral eating the cyclops and the pellets too... 

[ECLS Reefer]

3 minutes ago, righttirefire said:

This is an awesome thread! 

Personally, my RODI and 44gallon brute can has been the best thing I've done for my tank along with a refractor, I use red sea, and a calibrating fluid everytime I use it.

 

Its hands down cheaper and more convenient.

 

I would hit the LFS every Friday for 5 gallons of rodi ($0.50/gal) and salt ($1/gal) $7.5. But I'd look and bullshit and ask questions and typically find something else to buy. $25 a week was normal for me. The looking around and talking to people and the the employees can be valuable information and can be misleading.

 

So at $25 a week it was easy to buy spectrapure "aquarium special" and now I can fill my two 7.5 gallon RODI jugs (about 2.5 hours each) and my brute (with a float swith) over night (8hrs.) So my life doesnt depend on getting to the LFS and since I go less, I spend less. I mix enough salt water for a month and typically I get 5-6 months worth of salt (1 box) about $50.

 

My wife wasnt happy about me spend that kind of money either. But its been 3 years and I'm will to bet if you added everything up Ive spent about $3000, thats 3 different systems and live stock, total less than $100 a month. We spend that on gym memberships we dont use and useless crap. But i still have my original clowns, some of my original corals and enjoyed this more long term, than the other crap.

I was keeping up with the expenses until it gave me literal heartburn and I just quit. I’ve been seeing people talk about making their own salt water and RODI and figured that has to be more cost effective than me trotting to the LFS where I buy something else every time, plus they usually make me feel like an idiot. Which I know I’m not. I keep small humans alive for a living and I’ll be damned if I let one of these animals die easily either by god. I just seriously have to space out the spending before my husband breaks my phone and computer and puts a boot on my truck. 

 

Ive been keeping an ornamental koi pond of about 105 gallons for the last five years, and we now have a 10gallon fresh tank too for my other kid. I feel like I live at the Houston Aquarium.

[ECLS Reefer]

40 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

What water are you using for top ups and waterchanges?

 

If it's not rodi or distilled, that can be a major contributor to your nitrates.

 

 

1 waterchange a week is good for regular maintenance.

But during an issue like high nitrates/phos, doing 2 small waterchanges or 1 regular one won't cut it, if more is being put in than taken out nutrients wise it just won't put a dent in the numbers unfortunately.

 

Waterchanges will also be ineffective if the source of the problem is corrected.

 

Do you vacuum your sand, Turkey baste rock during waterchanges?

 

With your filter, how often is floss changed?

 

The cyclops every night is only going to aid in the issue. If you have nothing eating it, its waste. 

So will the micro- vert.

 

With fish in the tank, the corals you have don't need to be fed. I would feed the fish and not worry about the other stuff at this point.

 

Oh I’m sorry also I change that filter floss pretty frequently actually. I only started using it last week, lol and it got filthy within 3 days so I tossed that one, then I threw away the one last night when I saw the nitrates were high and put in a new one. So, so far every four days or so. 

[righttirefire]

You need to find another LFS. I spend a far amount of time talk to the guys at my LFS and seldomly about aquariums. What I've witnessed is the people genuinely asking questions are treated decent. The people trying to "argue" about what they read on the internet are often treated poorly. We have developed a repor that we say hi they leave me alone until i ask about something or just start bs'ing with them.

 

If youre asking questions they should share their experiences and knowledge with you. Thats their job and they should earn your repeat business

[Tamberav]

1 hour ago, Nursecop818 said:

It’s RODI water from my LFS, and it doesn’t take much. I didn’t start losing any water to evaporation until I took the tops off for the light. I’d say I have to add about 20-50 ml a day to the third chamber. The saltwater for actual changes is from the LFS too. I vacuum the sand every time, around the rocks and under the arch, around the walls. I didn’t know about the turkey basting thing until today so I told the hubs to get one- have to do that when I get home from work cause the tank is due for a water change and clean tonight. The nitrates were 40ppm last night but I was too beat from work to get into a whole cleaning, plus everybody looked happy. 

 

 I didnt know that about the MicroVert. How does having the fish in the tank make the MicroVert unnecessary? Though I have noticed the coral eating the cyclops and the pellets too... 

Coral lives off light, nutrients in the water, whatever it catches from pods to leftover fish food and fish poop. You don't have to feed mushies and zoas. You don't even have to feed LPS that have mouths but doing so, they grow faster. 

 

There is no harm in feeding if the filtration can keep up with it but they certainly won't starve without it in a balanced tank. I bet if you put some water under a microscope you would find all sorts of tiny life in it, especially in a mature tank!

 

I don't feed mine anything on purpose, I don't even directly feed my anenomes. I have been considering feeding the LPS so they start growing big though 🙂 They are growing, just slower. 

 

I would check your test kits though just to be sure since you have no algae. It could also be PO4 is low/being processed but Nitrate is not or that you really have no Nitrate problem at all. 

 

[deetu]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think she is keeping the tank too clean.  Vacuuming the sand and rocks every three days when doing water changes... sounds like she is causing it to keep cycling.  The tank just looks too clean.

 

It is so easy to overfeed with pellets.  You think you aren't feeding much but those pellets are concentrated... fact showing that you threw away your floss after three days.  Cut down the amount you are giving to a quarter and alternate with flakes... again, a quarter of what you would think you would need to feed   I used to work in a pet store and that was usually the biggest problem... we would ask people to show us how much they were feeding with our food and then we would show them how little they should be feeding.  🙄

I spend 60 cents a gallon for distilled water at Walmart and the bag of salt is lasting forever....in a seal locking dog food container.

I think if you want to put some macro algae in the tank until it is under control, that wouldn't hurt either.  You can always remove it later.  And it looks pretty but I am bias, having a macro and fish only tank.

[mitten_reef]

1 hour ago, Nursecop818 said:

I guess I should include a picture of the tank. I did move the wave pump down in that corner to aim up toward the return Skimmer. And yeah it’s the Fluval bio rings, which came with the tank and “good” bacteria is supposed to live on and supposedly eat nitrates. My pH has been solid at 8.0 the whole time, so that’s lucky. I don’t think I actually have anything to treat the tank with other than water changing, the media stuff (carbon, clearmax, floss) and the Fluval bio enhancer you’re supposed to add when you do water changes. Seems to do nothing. I don’t have any algae- would that help? 

 

And yes, it is fully stocked. I did rather knowingly throw the kitchen sink at myself here because the tank was for my kid’s birthday any my own distraction from my masters degree. I like uphill battles, barefoot in the snow, both ways, carrying a sack full of lead.... 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I just need to know where to go in the blizzard I guess. It hasn’t been a disaster just an expensive trek. 

Let's just back up a little - the initial question was concerning the rise and fall of nitrates, based on test results. Well, based on this picture, I wouldn't have guess you have nitrate issue, just saying.  Sometimes doing a single test could give you a false result, some people run their test 3 times just to make sure they take the average (ya know, like back in science class).  @jbb_00 also mentioned that test kit brands matter. I don't test for nitrate, so I can't comment on specific 😁.  But I'd lean to go along with API being the basic/beginner kit, and the results would tend to be more of a guideline than definitive answer. 

 

Also, drop in on the tank journals of @Clown79, @banasophia, @Tamberav and @WV Reefer.  If you don't know how to find it, maybe they will drop in their journal links here for you. Not only that these ladies are always happy to answer questions and give any advices where they can, all of them have really nice tank journals for both inspirations and also the stories that you can learn from.   You will see some distinct ways of running successful tanks among those 4 examples - it just goes to show that there isn't just one correct way/method to reefkeeping.  Good luck with your tank, looks like it's off to a good start. 

[A Little Blue]

For someone new it can get overwhelming. The amount of knowledge, basic chemistry, various equipment/filtration methods etc. and infinite number of opinions on line, on various subjects can get depressing. 

Don’t get caught up in this blackhole of practical/anecdotal knowledge and occasional opinions that are pure nonsense that will lead to failure. 

 

Mentor is a great idea. Someone local would be best. Or someone online with years of success and result to show for it. 

There are plenty of tutorials online, YouTube etc that might be helpful. 

BulkReefSupply, Marine Depot, Reef Builders, AmericanReefChannel, Melevsreef (all on YouTube) are just a few from a number of great content providers. 

 

Saltwater isn’t difficult. Set your goals, learn the basics, be patient, apply good husbandry and safeguard to keep you reefing for years to come. 

Pick few sources of knowledge that you trust and feel compatible with and stick with it.  No one knows your tank like you do and you must apply ways that work for you to be successful. 

I have few tanks that are run and setup in very similar way but behave differently and both tanks deal with their own set of challenges. So trying to replicate someone else’s tank setup and practices don’t necesserly guarantee success. But it helps. At the end, you need to make it your own and figure out what works best for YOU. 

Good luck. 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

6 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

For someone new it can get overwhelming. The amount of knowledge, basic chemistry, various equipment/filtration methods etc. and infinite number of opinions on line, on various subjects can get depressing. 

Don’t get caught up in this blackhole of practical/anecdotal knowledge and occasional opinions that are pure nonsense that will lead to failure. 

 

Mentor is a great idea. Someone local would be best. Or someone online with years of success and result to show for it. 

There are plenty of tutorial online, YouTube etc that might be helpful. 

BulkReefSupply, Marine Depot, Reef Builders, AmericanReefChannel, Melevsreef (all on YouTube) are just a few from a number of great content providers. 

 

Saltwater isn’t difficult. Set your goals, learn the basics, be patient, apply good husbandry and safeguard to keep you reefing for years to come. 

Pick few sources of knowledge that you trust and feel compatible with and stick with it.  No one knows your tank like you do and you must apply ways that work for you to be successful. 

I have few tanks that are run and setup in very similar way by behave differently and both tanks deal with their own set of challenges. So trying to replicate someone else’s tank setup and practices don’t necesserly guarantee success. But it helps. At the end, you need to make it your own and figure out what works best for YOU. 

Good luck. 

 

Holy cow yes! The amount of information and videos and opinions is vast!! I have found it hard to find a good answer to anything because there’s so many. 

 

Thank you you all for your welcoming advice! So for tonight, since I’m exhausted from work, I’m gonna actually restrain myself from either testing the water or changing it. Everyone looks pretty happy now that I’m home to check on them. I did come home to find that my hubs put microbacter 7 “just one capful” in the tank, while I was gone. That would be the first ever “dose” of that. I hope that wasn’t a bad thing. 

 

Also— why does my black oacellaris rub his face in the hairy mushroom coral? It’s not going to eat him whole like I saw on someone else’s horrible post is it? That was the stuff nightmares are made of 😬😬, and I’m pretty sure I’d have a difficult time explaining that “facts of life” speech to my 9 year old whose tank this is supposed to be. Very lightly defined- I do all the work on this tank and research. It’s my tank in all but name.

[vegasgundog]

Lol your clown is hosting the mushroom. My pair go between the green hairy and the underside of chalice skeleton. Bob my hairy green mushroom, wife named it, has never shown a sign of eating a clown. If the clow was sick or died..... fair game I guess. A healthy clown don't get eaten. 

[ECLS Reefer]

2 hours ago, deetu said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think she is keeping the tank too clean.  Vacuuming the sand and rocks every three days when doing water changes... sounds like she is causing it to keep cycling.  The tank just looks too clean.

 

It is so easy to overfeed with pellets.  You think you aren't feeding much but those pellets are concentrated... fact showing that you threw away your floss after three days.  Cut down the amount you are giving to a quarter and alternate with flakes... again, a quarter of what you would think you would need to feed   I used to work in a pet store and that was usually the biggest problem... we would ask people to show us how much they were feeding with our food and then we would show them how little they should be feeding.  🙄

I spend 60 cents a gallon for distilled water at Walmart and the bag of salt is lasting forever....in a seal locking dog food container.

I think if you want to put some macro algae in the tank until it is under control, that wouldn't hurt either.  You can always remove it later.  And it looks pretty but I am bias, having a macro and fish only tank.

Thank you for saying it’s clean! But I thought you had to keep them super spotless? Especially the little tanks. Being in the Houston area with the stupid weather here my koi pond goes from needing a heater to having an algae bloom every other day so I live in fear of that in this little tank. The koi can handle such shenanigans, but I don’t know about this system. 

[ECLS Reefer]

1 minute ago, vegasgundog said:

Lol your clown is hosting the mushroom. My pair go between the green hairy and the underside of chalice skeleton. Bob my hairy green mushroom, wife named it, has never shown a sign of eating a clown. If the lien was sick or died..... fair game I guess. A healthy clown don't get eaten. 

I’ve wondered what the heck he’s doing to it. It’s like watching a dog sink his face in a good shoe. 

[A Little Blue]

12 minutes ago, Nursecop818 said:

Also— why does my black oacellaris rub his face in the hairy mushroom coral? It’s not going to eat him whole like I saw on someone else’s horrible post is it? 

Clowns aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. They feel like they can host anything that’s fuzzy. Occasionally, they could be just d!cks and try to move things over that bothers them for whatever reason, including corals. 

[ECLS Reefer]

Yeah there’s at it again. So, evidently my blue spotted goby dislikes my Orbit marine light, and now refuses to come from under the rock complex he lives under. Will he stop that eventually or is that the last we’ve seen of J Edgar Hoover the disapproving goby?