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05/06/2014, 05:53 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 600
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Low nitrates w/o skimmer
My tank is approaching 4 months old and it has maintained a constant 10ppm nitrate since it has cycled. This makes me curious about the following!
Would I be able to forego a skimmer with such low nitrate readings without one? It would still be in my plans to get one, but I'm curious if I could do that and upgrade my lighting and maybe toss a BTA in there in a month or two. Curious about the nem because I think I want to start there and let it get settled before I add corals. I know they can sit in one spot for years and just up and move one day, but I want to minimize any risk of coral loss after the addition of a nem. I also added some dragon's breath macro algae to the tank and wondering if that is going to be a good source of nutrient export once it really starts to take off growth wise. OR is all this moot and I'm going to need a skimmer anyway to ensure the good health of the nem and corals? |
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05/06/2014, 07:06 PM
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#2 |
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12-5 Chiefs record
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NW Iowa
Posts: 10,134
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You dont need a skimmer, you just have to keep up with water changes,and wath how much you feed. If nitrates start to rise, do bigger water changes or more fequantly
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75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder |
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05/06/2014, 09:06 PM
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#3 |
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Grizzled & Cynical
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
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It's a relatively simple matter of input and export. Any food you put into the tank will drive up nitrate levels over time unless you are exporting it via skimmer, scrubber, water changes.
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Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs |
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