I don't know what to do!

Socalx45 · 08/21/2016, 08:46 PM

Well I have had my 125g tank since may. I fully cycled it. I started with just 2 clowns. After cycle then 2 weeks after that I added a flame angel and yellow tang. Also two zoas frags. In beginning of July my nitrates spiked to 50 and I haven't been able to get them down. I added a gfo and carbon reactor. I have a refugium with chaeto growing like crazy. My skimmer (sca 302) seems to be working well. I have been dosing red seas NOPOX for a week and no budge in the nitrates.
I came home today to find that my flame died. It was sudden because it never acted weird and it was eating yesterday. My clowns and tang are acting normal.
My salinity is 1.026, ammonia and nitrites are 0. Alk is 10. Ca is 300 and Mg 1600.
I'm just running out of ideas to lower nitrates. I have been doing 20-25% water changes every 2-3 weeks. I was told to run bio pellets. Any other suggestions would be helpful.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Dogshowgrl · 08/21/2016, 09:06 PM

Sorry for your loss.

I doubt it was due to nitrates. Nopox is a great product. But it does take 6-8 weeks to be effective. (Nitrates are absorb in the rock, they leach it out until it is all used up) gfo takes some time too, but it doesn't touch nitrates it only does phosphates. It will eliminate algea. No phosphates, no algae, but that doesn't address the nitrates. Slow is the goal. Yes 50 is high but it is not even close to eminent danger high. Keep up WC (maybe more often) and doing what you are doing you are in the right path. Are you feeding frozen foods or adding any supplements? If you are feeding frozen try rinsing it before feeding. They are packed in nasty water. Make sure you are not over feeding.

Bio pellets are fine but it is doing the same thing NoPox does but "automated" it should be one or the other in most cases.

Just stick with the program. You are on the right track, it takes time.

Btw you Ca is a very low. Retest or cross check it. At that level the water starts striping it from corals. I see you only mentioned softies, but it is easier to figure out now than when you have more invested. Shoot for 420-450.

Take a breath, this hobby is fun. Most days. Good luck. Enjoy.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Socalx45 · 08/21/2016, 09:11 PM

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah I was reading some reviews on NOPOX and people were saying in a week their nitrates were cut in half. So I was like what the hell am I doing wrong. I'll increase my water changes.
I feed a half cube of frozen mysis and a small pinch of new life spectrum once a day. I also have a bunch of snails and 3 peppermint shrimp and 3 emerald crabs. All seem to be doing fine.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Sk8r · 08/21/2016, 09:15 PM

THat's likely half of 'not much." I worked through 2 bottles and several months getting down 20-30 points.

If the problem persists, take a look at your skimmer efficiency.

Xxero · 08/21/2016, 09:24 PM

If you're looking for a significant reduction in Nitrates, small water changes are a waste of salt, water, time, and energy.

50% or larger if you're trying to reduce Nitrates using water changes or you will only be spinning your wheels.

Dkuhlmann · 08/22/2016, 04:45 AM

FYI, Flame Angels are routinely collected using cyanide and thus have this sudden death syndrome from a few weeks to a month or two after they're collected. More than likely this is what you experienced. There is a lot of reading about it if you do a search.

NoPox is a great product and works well. Just the instructions are a little vague. I agree with Xxero small wc's don't do a thing to lower nitrates, need 50% min to make a decent impact.

billdogg · 08/22/2016, 05:38 AM

I agree 100% about the demise of your Flame Angel. They either die in a month or so for no apparent reason or they live for years.

As for the Nitrates - I am not a fan of adding any chemicals I don't have to, especially for something that can be taken care of without. I would just do, as suggested, 50% water changes a couple times a week - not every 2-3 weeks as you are. You will be on top of them in no time at all, and without having to add any chemicals. As a added bonus, it will bring your Calcium level up to where you want it assuming you are using a decent brand of salt.

hth

Dogshowgrl · 08/22/2016, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socalx45

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah I was reading some reviews on NOPOX and people were saying in a week their nitrates were cut in half. So I was like what the hell am I doing wrong. I'll increase my water changes.
I feed a half cube of frozen mysis and a small pinch of new life spectrum once a day. I also have a bunch of snails and 3 peppermint shrimp and 3 emerald crabs. All seem to be doing fine.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

That's true it can drop them quickly but the rock has the be free of nitrates, or not have absorbed much in the riser place.

Your cuc and your fish shouldn't have any issues at the level of nitrates, except long term exposer (years.)

Big water changes, more water changes, check the skimmer, rinse your food!

fishchef · 08/22/2016, 10:37 AM

Are you using any absorption media like GAC, Purigen, or Poly-Bio Marine products? Also do you have any corals? Your CA seems low with all those PWC''s. We battled NO3 in our 125 for years, how are you testing? Keeping it clean is the only answer.

nmotz · 08/22/2016, 11:38 AM

You can also try vinegar dosing. That helped me drop my nitrates big time. Here is a good article: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....arine-aquarium.

I followed that method and reduced my nitrates significantly over a few weeks.

mcgyvr · 08/22/2016, 12:06 PM

Nothing good happens quickly in reefin'

Xxero · 08/22/2016, 12:48 PM

I want to expand on my comment a little bit because I know the frustrating feeling that comes with Nitrates being stuck:

The 10-20% routine partial water changes that we (most) perform every 1-2 weeks are one weapon to help "stay on top of" Nitrate removal --- after they are already in a low'ish range. If yours are stuck at 50, you need to make sure that you have enough weapons in place to keep them low before you start to try to bring them down:

* Protein skimmer - You have one (and a good one IMO), and like Sk8r said, make sure that it is performing well.
* Do you have enough Live Rock/sand or other bacteria populating surfaces such as Marinepure Block? If not, make sure that you do. Don't skimp on the rock.
* And I would also suggest that you have at least one more weapon in place, as has been previously suggested: Carbon dosing (Vodka/Vinegar), an Algae Turf Scrubber, NoPox, a de-nitrator, Deep Sand Bed, Macro Algae, etc.

If all of these are in place, then you need to attack your current 50ppm Nitrate situation:
1. Clean everything. Pumps, sump, siphon/tumble 1/3 of your sandbed, blow off your rocks, etc. Manually stir up and remove as much junk as you can.
2. Then, perform as large of a water change as you possibly can. Drain your tank as low as you can, leaving just enough water for your fish to swim in, and then re-fill your tank with new RO/DI saltwater with excellent parameters. Make sure that the temperature and salinity (probably alkalinity as well) match what your livestock is used to.

This might sound dramatic and like a lot of work (and it is): Making up that much water, cleaning, stressing the fish, etc., but if you're looking to knock the Nitrates out right now, then I would follow the layout above. It works and I never saw a single negative effect from doing it. Afterwards, my Nitrates went down to <5ppm (after being stuck at 30 for months), and they have stayed down ever since. But if you don't have enough weapons in place to keep the Nitrates down afterwards, they will bounce right back up every single time. Grrrrr.

If you have the time and the patience, then just stay steady on the NoPox path, and perform a couple of 50%+ water changes until the Nitrates eventual decline. As mentioned, fish can tolerate higher Nitrates but you definitely need to increase means of exportation.

HTH

sil40sx · 08/22/2016, 02:10 PM

Like other people mentioned, your parameters looks fine and in range. (75deg is on the low side though)

The angel probably was sick to start with. Don't be too hard on yourself, you're already doing the right things.

On a side note, I didn't noticed if you mentioned you QT your fish or not,. if you dont, you should consider QT'ing

Socalx45 · 08/22/2016, 02:11 PM

Thx for all the help. Well I'm in the process of blowing off all my rocks and vacuuming the sand. I removed my skimmer and cleaned that out along with vacuuming the bottom of my sump. I'm going to raise my sump a little bit because I think it's to deep, according to the manual anyways. I took a few pics. Maybe if you guys spot anything else wrong.
Oh I do have 130 lbs of LR. I think that's enough for a 125g or should I add more? Also my friend gave me this reef foundation. Should I start dosing that to raise my CA. I know my Mag is high and I think this would raise it as well.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

NS Mike D · 08/22/2016, 02:43 PM

Nopox, vinegar, vodka and bio-pellets are all carbon dosing, so stick with the no pox and don't start the others.

Reef Foundation is for tanks with corals that are using up a group of elements - you don't need to raise the KH, Mg etc so stick with just CA dosing for now. Only dose what you need.

Once you add corals, you'll probably only need to do 2 part dosing (CA & KH). Keep an eye on Mg, if it's not keeping up with water changes, then ABC Reef foundation.

Speaking of corals, add some more soft corals, they will help bring down the nitrates (corals consume N&P).

+1 on adding an algae turf scrubber or macro algae to your sump.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. It's going to take time to develop the desired life that will consume the nutrients that come from fish waste.

Socalx45 · 08/23/2016, 10:25 AM

Did a 50% water change and all the maintenance I mentioned above, nitrates were cut in half ! I will continue to dose NOPOX.
I was just curious and tested my salt water that was in a 55g barrel. The Nitrates were 5. Should there be any nitrates in my "clean" water?

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Xxero · 08/23/2016, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socalx45

Did a 50% water change and all the maintenance I mentioned above, nitrates were cut in half ! I will continue to dose NOPOX.
I was just curious and tested my salt water that was in a 55g barrel. The Nitrates were 5. Should there be any nitrates in my "clean" water?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

That's so weird...I discovered the same thing whenever I was battling high Nitrates. My new water was reading 5ppm.

The answer is 'No'. Your new water should read 0 Nitrates. I was purchasing my make up water from the LFS, and stopped right after the discovery. I believe they were behind on their filter replacements.

Do you have an RO/DI unit?

Socalx45 · 08/23/2016, 11:20 AM

Yes I have a six stage. I make a barrel once a month and get 2 water changes out of it. So the water was sitting for about a month but it's sealed. So I'm in the process of cleaning it all out.

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Socalx45 · 08/26/2016, 02:10 PM

Well that deep clean and water change really helped. My nitrates are hanging out around 5! How long should I continue to dose NOPOX?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Sk8r · 08/26/2016, 02:47 PM

Until you get results. HOwever, if you stall out, go for the big water changes again. THis is a long haul problem, quite often. It's a 'system' problem, meaning that your chemistry is out of adjustment and needs to be worked with up and down the board. I just got through this, with water changes, major sump overhaul, and a new skimmer, plus two bottles of NoPoX. There is another shore to this vast problem, but getting there is just a matter of gaining ground on several fronts.

Buddy55 · 08/26/2016, 03:43 PM

Why is the skimate so light colored. Would skimming dryer improve efficiency of that skimmer? I'd think it would allow more contact time

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk

Socalx45 · 08/26/2016, 04:05 PM

I think it was to low in the water so I built a little platform and now it's working a lot better. Also I am going to start dosing CA. I'm not adding anymore livestock until I get my parameters in place. So when I start dosing CA should my alk start to come down as my CA rises?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Socalx45 · 08/28/2016, 10:06 AM

So after removing the sponge filter around my return pump and dosing NOPOX and CA today my numbers are finally where I want them! Nitrates are 0 for the first time! CA is 470 and mag is 1320. My Alk is 8.4! Time to start adding some live stock finally! Thx for all the advice and help

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Hitch08 · 08/28/2016, 12:00 PM

Glad to hear it! Congrats!

08/21/2016, 08:46 PM	#1
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	I don't know what to do! Well I have had my 125g tank since may. I fully cycled it. I started with just 2 clowns. After cycle then 2 weeks after that I added a flame angel and yellow tang. Also two zoas frags. In beginning of July my nitrates spiked to 50 and I haven't been able to get them down. I added a gfo and carbon reactor. I have a refugium with chaeto growing like crazy. My skimmer (sca 302) seems to be working well. I have been dosing red seas NOPOX for a week and no budge in the nitrates. I came home today to find that my flame died. It was sudden because it never acted weird and it was eating yesterday. My clowns and tang are acting normal. My salinity is 1.026, ammonia and nitrites are 0. Alk is 10. Ca is 300 and Mg 1600. I'm just running out of ideas to lower nitrates. I have been doing 20-25% water changes every 2-3 weeks. I was told to run bio pellets. Any other suggestions would be helpful. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/21/2016, 09:15 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	THat's likely half of 'not much." I worked through 2 bottles and several months getting down 20-30 points. If the problem persists, take a look at your skimmer efficiency. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

08/21/2016, 09:24 PM	#5
Xxero Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,054	If you're looking for a significant reduction in Nitrates, small water changes are a waste of salt, water, time, and energy. 50% or larger if you're trying to reduce Nitrates using water changes or you will only be spinning your wheels. __________________ "You Can Lead A Gift Horse To Water... But You Can't Make Him Look In Your Mouth." Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef Display - 15g Macro Algae/Refugium - 40b Sump

08/22/2016, 04:45 AM	#6
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	FYI, Flame Angels are routinely collected using cyanide and thus have this sudden death syndrome from a few weeks to a month or two after they're collected. More than likely this is what you experienced. There is a lot of reading about it if you do a search. NoPox is a great product and works well. Just the instructions are a little vague. I agree with Xxero small wc's don't do a thing to lower nitrates, need 50% min to make a decent impact. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

08/22/2016, 05:38 AM	#7
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I agree 100% about the demise of your Flame Angel. They either die in a month or so for no apparent reason or they live for years. As for the Nitrates - I am not a fan of adding any chemicals I don't have to, especially for something that can be taken care of without. I would just do, as suggested, 50% water changes a couple times a week - not every 2-3 weeks as you are. You will be on top of them in no time at all, and without having to add any chemicals. As a added bonus, it will bring your Calcium level up to where you want it assuming you are using a decent brand of salt. hth __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

08/21/2016, 09:06 PM	#2
Dogshowgrl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North Central Florida Posts: 298	Sorry for your loss. I doubt it was due to nitrates. Nopox is a great product. But it does take 6-8 weeks to be effective. (Nitrates are absorb in the rock, they leach it out until it is all used up) gfo takes some time too, but it doesn't touch nitrates it only does phosphates. It will eliminate algea. No phosphates, no algae, but that doesn't address the nitrates. Slow is the goal. Yes 50 is high but it is not even close to eminent danger high. Keep up WC (maybe more often) and doing what you are doing you are in the right path. Are you feeding frozen foods or adding any supplements? If you are feeding frozen try rinsing it before feeding. They are packed in nasty water. Make sure you are not over feeding. Bio pellets are fine but it is doing the same thing NoPox does but "automated" it should be one or the other in most cases. Just stick with the program. You are on the right track, it takes time. Btw you Ca is a very low. Retest or cross check it. At that level the water starts striping it from corals. I see you only mentioned softies, but it is easier to figure out now than when you have more invested. Shoot for 420-450. Take a breath, this hobby is fun. Most days. Good luck. Enjoy. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

08/21/2016, 09:11 PM	#3
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah I was reading some reviews on NOPOX and people were saying in a week their nitrates were cut in half. So I was like what the hell am I doing wrong. I'll increase my water changes. I feed a half cube of frozen mysis and a small pinch of new life spectrum once a day. I also have a bunch of snails and 3 peppermint shrimp and 3 emerald crabs. All seem to be doing fine. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/22/2016, 10:37 AM	#9
fishchef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,222	Are you using any absorption media like GAC, Purigen, or Poly-Bio Marine products? Also do you have any corals? Your CA seems low with all those PWC''s. We battled NO3 in our 125 for years, how are you testing? Keeping it clean is the only answer.

08/22/2016, 11:38 AM	#10
nmotz Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: FL, USA Posts: 1,433	You can also try vinegar dosing. That helped me drop my nitrates big time. Here is a good article: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....arine-aquarium. I followed that method and reduced my nitrates significantly over a few weeks. __________________ Mantis shrimp are the best! Current Tank Info: 20L Peacock mantis shrimp tank

08/22/2016, 12:06 PM	#11
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Nothing good happens quickly in reefin' __________________ Who me?

08/22/2016, 12:48 PM	#12
Xxero Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,054	I want to expand on my comment a little bit because I know the frustrating feeling that comes with Nitrates being stuck: The 10-20% routine partial water changes that we (most) perform every 1-2 weeks are one weapon to help "stay on top of" Nitrate removal --- after they are already in a low'ish range. If yours are stuck at 50, you need to make sure that you have enough weapons in place to keep them low before you start to try to bring them down: * Protein skimmer - You have one (and a good one IMO), and like Sk8r said, make sure that it is performing well. * Do you have enough Live Rock/sand or other bacteria populating surfaces such as Marinepure Block? If not, make sure that you do. Don't skimp on the rock. * And I would also suggest that you have at least one more weapon in place, as has been previously suggested: Carbon dosing (Vodka/Vinegar), an Algae Turf Scrubber, NoPox, a de-nitrator, Deep Sand Bed, Macro Algae, etc. If all of these are in place, *then* you need to attack your current 50ppm Nitrate situation: 1. Clean everything. Pumps, sump, siphon/tumble 1/3 of your sandbed, blow off your rocks, etc. Manually stir up and remove as much junk as you can. 2. Then, perform as large of a water change as you possibly can. Drain your tank as low as you can, leaving just enough water for your fish to swim in, and then re-fill your tank with new RO/DI saltwater with excellent parameters. Make sure that the temperature and salinity (probably alkalinity as well) match what your livestock is used to. This might sound dramatic and like a lot of work (and it is): Making up that much water, cleaning, stressing the fish, etc., but if you're looking to knock the Nitrates out right now, then I would follow the layout above. It works and I never saw a single negative effect from doing it. Afterwards, my Nitrates went down to <5ppm (after being stuck at 30 for months), and they have stayed down ever since. But if you don't have enough weapons in place to keep the Nitrates down afterwards, they will bounce right back up every single time. Grrrrr. If you have the time and the patience, then just stay steady on the NoPox path, and perform a couple of 50%+ water changes until the Nitrates eventual decline. As mentioned, fish can tolerate higher Nitrates but you definitely need to increase means of exportation. HTH __________________ "You Can Lead A Gift Horse To Water... But You Can't Make Him Look In Your Mouth." Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef Display - 15g Macro Algae/Refugium - 40b Sump

08/22/2016, 02:10 PM	#13
sil40sx Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 686	Like other people mentioned, your parameters looks fine and in range. (75deg is on the low side though) The angel probably was sick to start with. Don't be too hard on yourself, you're already doing the right things. On a side note, I didn't noticed if you mentioned you QT your fish or not,. if you dont, you should consider QT'ing

08/22/2016, 02:11 PM	#14
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	Thx for all the help. Well I'm in the process of blowing off all my rocks and vacuuming the sand. I removed my skimmer and cleaned that out along with vacuuming the bottom of my sump. I'm going to raise my sump a little bit because I think it's to deep, according to the manual anyways. I took a few pics. Maybe if you guys spot anything else wrong. Oh I do have 130 lbs of LR. I think that's enough for a 125g or should I add more? Also my friend gave me this reef foundation. Should I start dosing that to raise my CA. I know my Mag is high and I think this would raise it as well. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/22/2016, 02:43 PM	#15
NS Mike D Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 391	Nopox, vinegar, vodka and bio-pellets are all carbon dosing, so stick with the no pox and don't start the others. Reef Foundation is for tanks with corals that are using up a group of elements - you don't need to raise the KH, Mg etc so stick with just CA dosing for now. Only dose what you need. Once you add corals, you'll probably only need to do 2 part dosing (CA & KH). Keep an eye on Mg, if it's not keeping up with water changes, then ABC Reef foundation. Speaking of corals, add some more soft corals, they will help bring down the nitrates (corals consume N&P). +1 on adding an algae turf scrubber or macro algae to your sump. It's a marathon, not a sprint. It's going to take time to develop the desired life that will consume the nutrients that come from fish waste. Last edited by NS Mike D; 08/22/2016 at 02:50 PM.

08/23/2016, 10:25 AM	#16
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	Did a 50% water change and all the maintenance I mentioned above, nitrates were cut in half ! I will continue to dose NOPOX. I was just curious and tested my salt water that was in a 55g barrel. The Nitrates were 5. Should there be any nitrates in my "clean" water? Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/23/2016, 11:20 AM	#18
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	Yes I have a six stage. I make a barrel once a month and get 2 water changes out of it. So the water was sitting for about a month but it's sealed. So I'm in the process of cleaning it all out. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/26/2016, 02:10 PM	#19
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	Well that deep clean and water change really helped. My nitrates are hanging out around 5! How long should I continue to dose NOPOX? Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/26/2016, 02:47 PM	#20
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Until you get results. HOwever, if you stall out, go for the big water changes again. THis is a long haul problem, quite often. It's a 'system' problem, meaning that your chemistry is out of adjustment and needs to be worked with up and down the board. I just got through this, with water changes, major sump overhaul, and a new skimmer, plus two bottles of NoPoX. There is another shore to this vast problem, but getting there is just a matter of gaining ground on several fronts. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

08/26/2016, 03:43 PM	#21
Buddy55 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 171	Why is the skimate so light colored. Would skimming dryer improve efficiency of that skimmer? I'd think it would allow more contact time Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk __________________ 90 gallon DT w/40 gallon sump

08/26/2016, 04:05 PM	#22
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	I think it was to low in the water so I built a little platform and now it's working a lot better. Also I am going to start dosing CA. I'm not adding anymore livestock until I get my parameters in place. So when I start dosing CA should my alk start to come down as my CA rises? Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/28/2016, 10:06 AM	#23
Socalx45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 123	So after removing the sponge filter around my return pump and dosing NOPOX and CA today my numbers are finally where I want them! Nitrates are 0 for the first time! CA is 470 and mag is 1320. My Alk is 8.4! Time to start adding some live stock finally! Thx for all the advice and help Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

08/28/2016, 12:00 PM	#24
Hitch08 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Philly Suburbs Posts: 665	Glad to hear it! Congrats! __________________ 120g tank with 40g breeder sump. SVS-30 LifeReef Skimmer. EcoTech Radion Pros.