Readings that go hand in hand?

NYIntensity · 04/04/2008, 07:09 PM

I know Calc/Alk/Mag go hand in hand, but what about the standard 3, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?

My ammonia and nitrites are at 0, my PH is at 8.0, but my nitrates are at 20ppm.

What can I institute biologically that will help the nitrates? I don't really have a well-established clump of chaeto yet...(it's growing), but there isn't much of a bioload in the tank either, it's a 180g with 2 maroon clowns, a BTA, sebae anemone, some misc polyp, and a baseball sized frogspawn and acan coral. The CUC is primarily snails.

horwitzs · 04/04/2008, 07:17 PM

Macroalgaes help, but you'll have to harvest them regularly as well.
Until those get going, water changes are in your future.

NewFish3 · 04/04/2008, 07:21 PM

+2 on the water changes

adammreef · 04/04/2008, 07:25 PM

how often do you do water changes now and how much do you do

BLKTANG · 04/04/2008, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by adammreef
how often do you do water changes now and how much do you do

On a 210?

Depending on the bioload anywhere between 30-40g weekly.

NYIntensity · 04/04/2008, 07:44 PM

The tank is only 2 months old...I added the bioload from my 55. Yes, the total water volume is ~210g, and I do ~70g monthly. It just seems odd to me that the nitrates are so high for such a small load.

JimmyS · 04/04/2008, 07:52 PM

Do you have any sponge filters, bio-balls or filter socks? Those can be nitrate factories if not kept clean.

BLKTANG · 04/04/2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NYIntensity
The tank is only 2 months old...I added the bioload from my 55. Yes, the total water volume is ~210g, and I do ~70g monthly. It just seems odd to me that the nitrates are so high for such a small load.

Do smaller more freequent WC's (30g) & watch the nitrates go away.Trust me.

adammreef · 04/04/2008, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BLKTANG
On a 210?

Depending on the bioload anywhere between 30-40g weekly.

lol not for me. i do weekly water changes of about 30- 40g.

for nyintensity instead of doing monthly water changes try doing weekly or at least bi weekly this will help bring your nitrates down and watch how much you feed make sure food does not fall to the bottom of the tank and lay there.

NYIntensity · 04/04/2008, 08:25 PM

No sponge filters, bio balls, or sock filters, as I knew they're bad. I feed 4-5 pellets at a time until the fish are disinterested; then stop. The anemones get fed big pieces of shrimp; if they let go I scoop it back out. Right now there's a bit of a bryopsis breakout in the DT, but it's seceeding to the chaeto in the sump. I'll be picking up a hippo tang and probably a lettuce nudi or sea slug here in the next week or two. I just don't understand how it can get so high; in my 55 it never got that high, and I'd gone a month between WC's before. I guess everything is still being established though....

04/04/2008, 07:09 PM	#1
NYIntensity Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 330	Readings that go hand in hand? I know Calc/Alk/Mag go hand in hand, but what about the standard 3, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? My ammonia and nitrites are at 0, my PH is at 8.0, but my nitrates are at 20ppm. What can I institute biologically that will help the nitrates? I don't really have a well-established clump of chaeto yet...(it's growing), but there isn't much of a bioload in the tank either, it's a 180g with 2 maroon clowns, a BTA, sebae anemone, some misc polyp, and a baseball sized frogspawn and acan coral. The CUC is primarily snails. __________________ -Jeremy "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur"

04/04/2008, 07:17 PM	#2
horwitzs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Kitsap Penninsula Posts: 470	Macroalgaes help, but you'll have to harvest them regularly as well. Until those get going, water changes are in your future. __________________ -Seth Current Tank Info: 120g fresh, 150g salt.

04/04/2008, 07:21 PM	#3
NewFish3 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,096	+2 on the water changes __________________ On a scuba dive in the Cayman Islands, I kept thinking.........Why is that Fish getting bigger.........Then it hit me Current Tank Info: 7 years saltwater.. Setting up a 120 gal reef. Office BioCube 14...1 perc clown, 1 royal gramma, 1 six line wrasse, fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, green stripe, brown shrooms, coco worm, purple leather, Misc CUC

04/04/2008, 07:25 PM	#4
adammreef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: new jersey Posts: 266	how often do you do water changes now and how much do you do __________________ Adam Current Tank Info: 210

04/04/2008, 07:44 PM	#6
NYIntensity Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 330	The tank is only 2 months old...I added the bioload from my 55. Yes, the total water volume is ~210g, and I do ~70g monthly. It just seems odd to me that the nitrates are so high for such a small load. __________________ -Jeremy "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur"

04/04/2008, 07:52 PM	#7
JimmyS Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Edmond, Ok Posts: 743	Do you have any sponge filters, bio-balls or filter socks? Those can be nitrate factories if not kept clean. __________________ Jimmy Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder drilled, 20L sump, QuietOne 3000 return, 2 Koralia 1025 evolutions, ~60lbs dry rock, 40lb sand

04/04/2008, 08:25 PM	#10
NYIntensity Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 330	No sponge filters, bio balls, or sock filters, as I knew they're bad. I feed 4-5 pellets at a time until the fish are disinterested; then stop. The anemones get fed big pieces of shrimp; if they let go I scoop it back out. Right now there's a bit of a bryopsis breakout in the DT, but it's seceeding to the chaeto in the sump. I'll be picking up a hippo tang and probably a lettuce nudi or sea slug here in the next week or two. I just don't understand how it can get so high; in my 55 it never got that high, and I'd gone a month between WC's before. I guess everything is still being established though.... __________________ -Jeremy "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur"