Tank stats, any advice for a new FOWLR tank...

treminga · 10/05/2006, 05:52 PM

I just went and took readings on my tank that is just being setup and cycling. Currently it is just some old live sand, and about 80-90 lbs of live rock, some has been in there for a month, some about a week or so. It is a 72 Gallon bow front, with a Cascade canister filter and a Remora Pro Skimmer. Tank will be a FOWLR, and maybe some very minor coral- polyps, etc.

Ammonia: approx .4ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 10 ppm
pH: 8.2
Temp: around 82* but I need a better monitor then the strip thermo on the glass

Wondering what others thought, I have been out of the hobby for some time, and I have never used a canister filter before. I have the remora and canister running 24x7 and no lighting. I did run the lighting a while back for a few days and noticed some green hair algae, so I turned them off right away, and it has not been back since.

Thoughts would be great... I know my ammonia should be 0 before adding any bio load to the tank, what about Nitrates, seems like it is the only thing with a reading. Also how does pH look and temp- at least for the cycle, and what should they be for fish and inverts?

Avi · 10/05/2006, 07:11 PM

These days, the common wisdom is to pass on the canister filter, on the theory (or science) of they're being a source of nitrates...as would be the case with other filters like wet/dry filters with bio-balls, powerfilters, etc. Your protein skimmer, together with the live rock should be all you need to keep the water quality high. I can't say that this is the reason for your traces of nitrates but it could be. I'd suggest that you get some more live rock...maybe total of 110-pounds or so. That together with the skimmer will be adequate along with good maintenance like water changes. One other thing...If you're using tap water for your changes, test it to see if there are nitrates in it. If there are, I'd switch to a better source of water like RO.

showtime305 · 10/05/2006, 07:26 PM

Looks like your tank is cycling well. Adding more live rock at this point could help, but if there is any die off it could extend the cycle. Just give it another week. Once your Ammonia is down, you can add some of the clean up crew and a fish. One thing that stands out is your temp reading. If your temperature is reading 82 with the lights off, it could go higher with them on.

Shagsbeard · 10/05/2006, 07:51 PM

Watch that ammonia... until it's gone, I wouldn't add anything more to the tank. Live rock is ok, but you're likely to start over again. As the ammonia goes down, you should see nitrites go up and then down.

When you get to where ammonia and nitrites are zero, you should still have 20 or so nitrates. It's ok to add stuff at this point, but add stuff slowly. Some say one or two fish a month is about all a new tank can handle.

treminga · 10/05/2006, 09:37 PM

Im thinking I should remove the bio rings from my canister filter... im using the filter for water clarity and some mechanical filtration of waste.

I knew not to add anything with any ammonia, but good to know that the Nitrites come after the ammonia cycle. Should I always expect to see some Nitrates?

I only use a 6 system RO filter, my partical meter shows less then 2, so the water is pretty much as clean as it can get. I have NEVER used tap water in a salt water tank.

Going to do one more water change tomorrow and see where my levels go from there.

showtime305 · 10/05/2006, 09:44 PM

You will most likely always see nitrates. There are a few variables that would decipher whether you will have them or not. Water changes and macro algae would probably the two best ways to remove nitrates from your system.

10/05/2006, 05:52 PM	#1
treminga Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Port Washington, WI Posts: 122	Tank stats, any advice for a new FOWLR tank... I just went and took readings on my tank that is just being setup and cycling. Currently it is just some old live sand, and about 80-90 lbs of live rock, some has been in there for a month, some about a week or so. It is a 72 Gallon bow front, with a Cascade canister filter and a Remora Pro Skimmer. Tank will be a FOWLR, and maybe some very minor coral- polyps, etc. Ammonia: approx .4ppm Nitrites: 0 ppm Nitrates: 10 ppm pH: 8.2 Temp: around 82* but I need a better monitor then the strip thermo on the glass Wondering what others thought, I have been out of the hobby for some time, and I have never used a canister filter before. I have the remora and canister running 24x7 and no lighting. I did run the lighting a while back for a few days and noticed some green hair algae, so I turned them off right away, and it has not been back since. Thoughts would be great... I know my ammonia should be 0 before adding any bio load to the tank, what about Nitrates, seems like it is the only thing with a reading. Also how does pH look and temp- at least for the cycle, and what should they be for fish and inverts?

10/05/2006, 07:11 PM	#2
Avi Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Westchester County, NY Posts: 7,327	These days, the common wisdom is to pass on the canister filter, on the theory (or science) of they're being a source of nitrates...as would be the case with other filters like wet/dry filters with bio-balls, powerfilters, etc. Your protein skimmer, together with the live rock should be all you need to keep the water quality high. I can't say that this is the reason for your traces of nitrates but it could be. I'd suggest that you get some more live rock...maybe total of 110-pounds or so. That together with the skimmer will be adequate along with good maintenance like water changes. One other thing...If you're using tap water for your changes, test it to see if there are nitrates in it. If there are, I'd switch to a better source of water like RO. __________________ I'd keep the whole ocean if my den were big enough Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef with 210 lbs. of live rock, Aqua-C EV180 Skimmer, Aquactinic double 250W MH with blue plus t5 support; 58 gallon freshwater planted tank using CO2 and T5s; 30-gallon cube with a few fancy goldfish; and a 110 gallon FOWLR

10/05/2006, 07:26 PM	#3
showtime305 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 87	Looks like your tank is cycling well. Adding more live rock at this point could help, but if there is any die off it could extend the cycle. Just give it another week. Once your Ammonia is down, you can add some of the clean up crew and a fish. One thing that stands out is your temp reading. If your temperature is reading 82 with the lights off, it could go higher with them on. __________________ AJ Current Tank Info: 24g SPS Reef...in progess, 10g SPS/Zoanthid Prop Tank

10/05/2006, 09:44 PM	#6
showtime305 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 87	You will most likely always see nitrates. There are a few variables that would decipher whether you will have them or not. Water changes and macro algae would probably the two best ways to remove nitrates from your system. __________________ AJ Current Tank Info: 24g SPS Reef...in progess, 10g SPS/Zoanthid Prop Tank

10/05/2006, 07:51 PM	#4
Shagsbeard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Morro Bay, CA Posts: 2,143	Watch that ammonia... until it's gone, I wouldn't add anything more to the tank. Live rock is ok, but you're likely to start over again. As the ammonia goes down, you should see nitrites go up and then down. When you get to where ammonia and nitrites are zero, you should still have 20 or so nitrates. It's ok to add stuff at this point, but add stuff slowly. Some say one or two fish a month is about all a new tank can handle.

10/05/2006, 09:37 PM	#5
treminga Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Port Washington, WI Posts: 122	Im thinking I should remove the bio rings from my canister filter... im using the filter for water clarity and some mechanical filtration of waste. I knew not to add anything with any ammonia, but good to know that the Nitrites come after the ammonia cycle. Should I always expect to see some Nitrates? I only use a 6 system RO filter, my partical meter shows less then 2, so the water is pretty much as clean as it can get. I have NEVER used tap water in a salt water tank. Going to do one more water change tomorrow and see where my levels go from there.