Joboo
07/16/2004, 06:30 PM
I just finished curing 180lbs of Kaelini LR. I Cured it in a separate 100g Container in my basement partly because of smell and partly because my stand for my 90g was not completed yet. About 10 days ago I setup my 90G and put the LR in. Evrything seems to be going well so far. For the next 4-6 months I plan on tweaking my water chemistry and try to get some stability going before I introduce some Livestock. The only thing I have added at this point is some Chaeto in my fuge.
Here are my parameters
Temp - 79F
SG - 1.025
PH - 8.1
NO3 - 15ppm
PO4 - 1ppm
ALK - 10dkh
CA - 500ppm
I'm alittle concerned about the PO4 readings as I would like to get this under control quickly to prevent any unwanted algea from growing. I added Chaeto about a week ago and it looks to be doing well. I haven't noticed too much growth but since I haven't seen any die-off I figured I'd give it some time to settle in. Now Finally to my questions:
1) How long should I give the Chaeto to start pulling down the PO4 & NO3 before using other methods such a phosban/reactor. I would like to try to bring the levels down naturally before I introduce chemicals.
2) What About the Nitrates? I have done a 30 percent water change and it seemed to bring them down from 20ppm to 15ppm. I am wrong in assuming the Chaeto/ weekly water changes and Syphoning should keep NO3 in check?(I have a BB system)
3) What about a cleanup crew? When do I need one. So far I do not have any Hair Algea or Diatoms. Should I wait till I have a problem?
Thanks
John
Here are my parameters
Temp - 79F
SG - 1.025
PH - 8.1
NO3 - 15ppm
PO4 - 1ppm
ALK - 10dkh
CA - 500ppm
I'm alittle concerned about the PO4 readings as I would like to get this under control quickly to prevent any unwanted algea from growing. I added Chaeto about a week ago and it looks to be doing well. I haven't noticed too much growth but since I haven't seen any die-off I figured I'd give it some time to settle in. Now Finally to my questions:
1) How long should I give the Chaeto to start pulling down the PO4 & NO3 before using other methods such a phosban/reactor. I would like to try to bring the levels down naturally before I introduce chemicals.
2) What About the Nitrates? I have done a 30 percent water change and it seemed to bring them down from 20ppm to 15ppm. I am wrong in assuming the Chaeto/ weekly water changes and Syphoning should keep NO3 in check?(I have a BB system)
3) What about a cleanup crew? When do I need one. So far I do not have any Hair Algea or Diatoms. Should I wait till I have a problem?
Thanks
John