Pjanssen Posted June 29, 2021 Author Share Posted June 29, 2021 Been feeding the snails (I think there are 2) a couple of pellets here and there Nitrates still high Did a 25 gallon water change Added another cup of sand from the 14-likely another snail or 2. My intention is to add the Royal Gramma tonight. Any reason I shouldn't? Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 1 hour ago, Pjanssen said: Been feeding the snails (I think there are 2) a couple of pellets here and there Nitrates still high Did a 25 gallon water change Added another cup of sand from the 14-likely another snail or 2. My intention is to add the Royal Gramma tonight. Any reason I shouldn't? Personally I didnt want to start my tank with high nitrates so I did a 100 percent WC then added livestock... think about it let's say you have 100 on your niatate then do a 50 percent wc. Ok so then you have at lease 50 niatate next week and do another 50 percent wc ok now you have 25 niatrate and so on and so on. That's a lot of wasted salt imo. With no live stock there is no issue with doing a 100 percent wc and starting fresh.. 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 29, 2021 Author Share Posted June 29, 2021 @FISHnChix, what would the downside be to putting a fish in the tank while the Nitrates are still high? (you'd think i'd know after 11 years in the hobby, but...🤷♀️ Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 10 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: @FISHnChix, what would the downside be to putting a fish in the tank while the Nitrates are still high? (you'd think i'd know after 11 years in the hobby, but...🤷♀️ I mean how high is high? I wouldn’t put them in there if they’re super high. I think I’ve read where high nitrates decrease water oxygen levels so you’d be in effect kind of suffocating them if the water is still junky. I’m as impatient as anybody else and I know (I SO know) how hard it is to wait. But I’d sit on your hands until the nitrates are at least at 5-10, maybe no higher than 20, so they’d be in a more manageable range. I know my big tank ran with nitrates in the 20s for a while but I did fairly frequent water changes and monitored closely to make sure they never looked stressed. 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 29, 2021 Author Share Posted June 29, 2021 8 minutes ago, ECLS Reefer said: I mean how high is high? Just ran a test, Think around 20 at this point(I hate the color comparison charts!). My problem with doing a 100% water change is that I don't currently have the means to have 65 gallons at 1 time. I can wait. 2 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 5 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Just ran a test, Think around 20 at this point(I hate the color comparison charts!). My problem with doing a 100% water change is that I don't currently have the means to have 65 gallons at 1 time. I can wait. Yeah a brute 55g trash can with wheels isn’t too bad off Amazon, if you’re looking. I keep a 55g and 30g in the garage for mixing and storing both salt and RODI water Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 29, 2021 Author Share Posted June 29, 2021 16 minutes ago, ECLS Reefer said: Yeah a brute 55g trash can with wheels isn’t too bad off Amazon, if you’re looking. I keep a 55g and 30g in the garage for mixing and storing both salt and RODI water I buy natural seawater from LFS. Have considered getting a RODI unit and making my own at this point. Just another thing to do and find a place for... Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 40 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Just ran a test, Think around 20 at this point(I hate the color comparison charts!). My problem with doing a 100% water change is that I don't currently have the means to have 65 gallons at 1 time. I can wait. Shoot 20 isnt bad at all I thought you said like 70.. but if it was me I would still want them more in the 5 range. As far as doing a huge water change with a fish. meh not that big of a deal just chance or shocking the fish not unlike when you buy it from the store . Not much of a risk on 1 fish tbh.. I was just thinking you had planned on doing a few medium sized wc with a fish in there. Doing one big one is cheaper and would be less risk bc the fish wasnt in there.. but with 20 nitrates and 1 cheaper fish I'd add it now lol 1 Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 29 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: I buy natural seawater from LFS. Have considered getting a RODI unit and making my own at this point. Just another thing to do and find a place for... Whoa that's gunna kill ya in top off water too? How has the ato been doing ? What's water consumption like? Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 11 minutes ago, FISHnChix said: Whoa that's gunna kill ya in top off water too? How has the ato been doing ? What's water consumption like? Not as much as I would have thought. I've only gone through a gallon in the past week. I actually thought that maybe the ATO wasn't really working. Maybe because I don't have a heater running yet-temp is around 75. I probably should get a heater sooner rather than later. Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 2 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Not as much as I would have thought. I've only gone through a gallon in the past week. I actually thought that maybe the ATO wasn't really working. Maybe because I don't have a heater running yet-temp is around 75. I probably should get a heater sooner rather than later. Well I assume the humidity down there might help too. But also seems like you may not have enough surface agitation as well🤔 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 8 minutes ago, FISHnChix said: But also seems like you may not have enough surface agitation as well🤔 Plenty, i believe Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 3 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Plenty, i believe That looks ok to me too. Should have some cross flow from a wavemaker as well but dunno if that would increase the evap. Very intriguing to me🤔.. I go through this in about 10 days. About 10-12 gallons 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 1 hour ago, FISHnChix said: Should have some cross flow from a wavemaker as well I have a maxspect gyre that will go in eventually. 1 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 1 hour ago, FISHnChix said: That looks ok to me too. Should have some cross flow from a wavemaker as well but dunno if that would increase the evap. Very intriguing to me🤔.. I go through this in about 10 days. About 10-12 gallons Same. I have a 5g ATO and fill it up maybe twice a week? Mostly because I am afraid to have it not topped off when I have to go to work. I try not to leave anything but feeding seaweed or Masstick for the boys and making them fill the ato would demand complicated instructions. 3 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted June 30, 2021 Author Share Posted June 30, 2021 11 hours ago, FISHnChix said: 1 cheaper fish I don't want to sacrifice my fish , she's been with me a couple of years now, even though I never see her because she just hides behind her rock. I'll wait. 1 Quote Link to comment
mitten_reef Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 11 hours ago, ECLS Reefer said: fill the ato would demand complicated instructions. "pour clean water in here" "taste it before you pour it. if it's salty, wrong water" there ya go. 3 2 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 1 hour ago, mitten_reef said: "pour clean water in here" "taste it before you pour it. if it's salty, wrong water" there ya go. Lol it’s not that it’s that the ato container is inside the sump cabinet and so to refill it you use a pump with tubing, to move the water from the refill jug over to the ATO container. Keeps you from having to wrestle the ATO container out of the sump area 3 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted July 3, 2021 Author Share Posted July 3, 2021 Picked up a RO/DI unit from Marine Depots liquidation sale. It's probably not what I would have picked, but the price was good and replacement cartridges seem easy enough to get. There was a 6 stage Marine Depot brand that I might have preferred, but I worried that with the company going out of business that I wouldn't always be able to get the replacement cartridges. So now I guess I have to buy a 50 gallon drum, stand, spigot or pump...$$$$. I still need lights, a heater, and eventually a protein skimmer. What else? 2 Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 3 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Picked up a RO/DI unit from Marine Depots liquidation sale. It's probably not what I would have picked, but the price was good and replacement cartridges seem easy enough to get. There was a 6 stage Marine Depot brand that I might have preferred, but I worried that with the company going out of business that I wouldn't always be able to get the replacement cartridges. So now I guess I have to buy a 50 gallon drum, stand, spigot or pump...$$$$. I still need lights, a heater, and eventually a protein skimmer. What else? Buy a pump like the jeabo for wc and mixing 100 bucks and it makes it soooooo fast , plus you have a back up for the tank when/if yours fails... might not be a big deal for you if you have a good lfs but I would have been screwed with out that as a back up when mine went out.. 4 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted July 4, 2021 Author Share Posted July 4, 2021 We have fish! Did a large water change yesterday and added the 2 fish-a GB Goby and a royal gramma-and a cleaner shrimp from my IM 14. I also put one of the rocks growing macro algae into the rufugium section of the sump. Of course the fish immediately went into hiding. I'll probably never see the gramma again. RGB came out to eat this morning, but not the gramma. 5 Quote Link to comment
Murphs_Reef Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 That's odd about the Gramma. I think it will come out in the bigger tank you know.. but we will have to wait and see .. best of luck! All coming together now 😉 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 Gobies getting ready for their new home 5 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 18 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Gobies getting ready for their new home What kind of gobies are those? 1 Quote Link to comment
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