How am I doing?

[SxyBrat]

Here are my water specs for today using the redsea test kits.
I just got my phosphate and calcium today.. so please let me know what you think... Am I ok or not.

29gal
magnum350 running carbon
280 bio-wheel.... i know get rid of it..Getting the ramora pro w/mag 3 as soon as I can.
30lbs LR
40lbs sand
2 hermit crabs and 8 turbo snails
1 gold stripe maroon clown


salt-1.025...... just topped off after test
PH-8.2
alk- looked in normal range
ammonia-0
nitrite-0.1 might be lower it's really hard to tell
nitrate- reads 2.5...but if I follow the directions that means 0...cuz nitrite readings. let me know if I doing that 1 right plz...
calcium-450ppm
phosphate-.2

[Maxxumless]

Looking good… Your phosphates are a little high (you want to be <0.03mg/L), but probably won’t cause problems. What week are you in?

[SxyBrat]

i'm in week 6.... I was going to change carbon and filter tomorrow... I got 2 new carbons
1- kent reef carbon says it doesn't leak phphosphates but to only use 3 days a month... and I run it 27/7
2- Detox2... this 1 says removes phosphates and I can run 24/7
what do you think???

[Maxxumless]

Personally, I use Black Diamond and PhosBan. I’m impressed with it as my phosphates have remained undetectable for more than a month now. As for the carbon I only run a very small bag and replace it monthly. The carbon is a safety net just incase something happens to the skimmer. I had my skimmer go out for 3+ days and it took months to recover from the algae bloom than ensued.

6 Weeks you say, no skimmer and still no nitrates?

[SxyBrat]

thats what the test says.. going to have it tested this weekend at a few LFS just to make sure... I had some nitrates last week but I did a water change... i think u were the 1 who told me to that....
This detox stuff says only to use 4 table spoons per 10 gal's but my carbon holder uses 15 oz's.

[Maxxumless]

Well, if it was me that said it then it must be right. :D

Ahh, yes I think I remember now. Adding LR after your tank has cycled? Was that you? Sometimes I forget whom I say what to. Sometimes I wonder how the RC Staff/Team do it with so many people needing help; I only get like 10-12 PMs/e-mails ever couple of days – they must get hundreds.

In any case, then your nitrates should start climbing again. Red Sea isn’t the most precise testing so you probably have some amount of nitrates but the nitrites are messing up the readings.

[SxyBrat]

Yuppers that was me.....:p
You always seen to answer my water questions.. heehee
so what do you think if I use that detox2 to get my phosphates down (as I already have it) Then on next carbon change go back to using the BlkD with a small bag of phosban or something like that???

[Bosk]

heck i ran my 55 with no skimmer for 6 months...and nitrates were <5....course my rock and sand setup was different..now with 4 fishies at 9 months nitrates are undetectable. and i do run a skimmer....keep it simple, run only black diamond but switched to chemi-pur just because heard great stuff about it from people with hands on exp.thought i'd experiment and try it..so far so good, also a poly pad for other bad stuff...

bosk

[Maxxumless]

I’ve never used it personally. Have you done a search here on RC to see what people are saying about it? I refrain from tell people what they should do, but instead say what ‘I’ would do. Have to remember there is more than one way to make a working reef. If it works don’t try to fix it is my motto. And as Bosk pointed out – every system has its equilibrium. My reef for some reason remains at 1 regardless of what I do i.e. water changes, filtration, adding fish/inverts/corals and I’m in month 3 with it.

Oh, and a little to the right of topic, but this is also the first time using aragonite (I use regular beach sand in my other systems). I’m simply stunned that I can maintain calcium levels of 460 w/o dosing where other people can’t break 400 for some reason.

[SxyBrat]

Cool thanks Hun.... I take everything with a grian of salt as I was told to do on day1 here on RC... I listen, read then I give it try and wait to see what happens. I have learned to slow down BIG TIME... When I feel all is right and everything seems to be set I'll finally get my 1st coral...GOD It's hard to wait!!!

[SxyBrat]

UDATE: week 7

PH-8.2
Nitrires-0
Nitrates-0
alk-in normal range
calcium-450
S.G- 1.0245 grrrr I can't seem to get this down
Phos-.2 ....still grrrrrrrrr
ammonia-.25... I have no idea why this went up... All I added was a cleaner shrimp on sun. But I have started feeding 3 times a day now.

[Maxxumless]

Feeding 3/day is a little excessive and will probably raise your levels if you feed too much or don’t clean regularly. Is the cleaner shrimp the only thing in there? Its been my experience that reef or tanks with 1.5-2 lbs of LR can sustain many types (particularly herbivores/omnivores) of creatures with only minimal feedings (1-day).

And why do you want to lower your gravity? 1.021-1.026 is fine unless you are going to have corals – then 1.024-1.026 is what you should be aiming for.

[SxyBrat]

well the LFS told me 1.023.. figures! Yes I do want to have corals when i'm sure I have this down.
The only other fish I have is my maroon clown. I started feeding more cuz... at feeding time the shrimp would jump in front of the clown and get it be4 the clown had a chance... now it's the other way around tho... smart clown heehee. So I figured they were hungry.

[SxyBrat]

Oh and I ordered the Phosban... should be here tomorrow. I hope that will help.. :)

[DaveJohnson]

Fish are hopeless beggars. They *always* appear hungry. Overfeeding can cause ammo, nitrate & phosphate buildup.

Agree with Maxxumless, SG of 1.0245 is fine. I keep mine right about 1.026 or slightly under.

Cheers,
Dave Johnson

[SxyBrat]

OK.... I'll slow down on the feedings....They are going to hate me :(

Should I do a water change cuz of the ammonia???

[Maxxumless]

Wait a day to see what happens... in 24-36hrs the ammonia should be gone and there might be a slight rise in nitrites. If the ammonia is still there siphon out as much detritus as you can with a 10% water change. 1-2 month I blow off the excess detritus from the substrate - it provides critters with a second chance to eat and lest the excess be taken by the skimmer/filtration.

Tomorrow, place 1/3 of the PhosBan in the provided bag and zip tie it, give it a good shake over the sink to get the powder out (not supposed to rinse it) and place it in a flow/filter area. It should be OK for 3 months (I replaced mine after 2 though).

And if you want to eventually have corals I would try to get my salinity to 1.025. Why 25 and not 26? Because in smaller tanks it gives you a buffer area for variations due to mistakes and evaporation. To raise it, instead of doing top-offs with RO water refill the tank with a low salinity mix (say 1.020) until you are at 1.025. It should take about 3-4 days to raise it – maybe longer if you don’t have a lot of evaporation. Then you should go back to using regular RO water for top-offs again.

[SxyBrat]

Thanks Hun.......... Your the best! :)