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Nitrates off the charts! Help please! - Page 4

post #61 of 74
1/6/12 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
Today my ammonia was 0, nitrites .5, and nitrates 80+. I also got a phosphate test and it was 5ppm.


Mike Hayes
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post #62 of 74
1/6/12 at 3:42pm

At this point I would do a 15 g water change test the water before introducing it into your tank. Test one hour after introduction.  Something just does not sound right

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post #63 of 74
1/6/12 at 5:53pm

tap water?

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post #64 of 74
1/6/12 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
I'm buying water from my lfs. And I thought I was headed in the right direction with my ammonia and nitrites dropping. I just figured my cycle was coming to an end and that the nitrates and phosphates were due to the very dirty tank and it would get better after a cleaning and a wc. I was going to do a cleaning and a water change tomorrow. I will test their water before I use it, but Im sure its just a lot of junk in the tank. How big of a wc should I do? It holds 15 gallons. I was thinking a 10-12g change?


Mike Hayes
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post #65 of 74
1/6/12 at 8:08pm

I would test the water from your lfs. Get the water to temp and test before adding the salt, after the salt test you phosphates. I agree with Joe, something is fishy *no pun intended*. I can see the initial cycle not being complete yet, but test frequently.

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post #66 of 74
1/7/12 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
Did a good cleaning today and did an 80% water change. I also switched the stock pump for a maxi-jet 1200 and installed the oceanic uv sterilizer. I know, that pump is probably too much flow for that uv, but I had it and installed it. My salinity is now at 1.023. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 40, and phosphates about .5. When should I do my next water change, a few days? When can I add some of the cuc I plan to have? Thanks for all the help so far. I'm loving this already


Mike Hayes
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post #67 of 74
1/7/12 at 1:02pm

We are talking about a 29g tank. And you changed 80% of 29G. Did you test the water before you introduced it into your tank? Are you carrying out the test procedure exactly as called for?

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post #68 of 74
1/7/12 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhayes462 View Post

Did a good cleaning today and did an 80% water change. I also switched the stock pump for a maxi-jet 1200 and installed the oceanic uv sterilizer. I know, that pump is probably too much flow for that uv, but I had it and installed it. My salinity is now at 1.023. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 40, and phosphates about .5. When should I do my next water change, a few days? When can I add some of the cuc I plan to have? Thanks for all the help so far. I'm loving this already
Mike Hayes


 A UV sterilizer will not do a thing to the parameters...it will kill the good little critters that swim at night in the water (why we buy live rock)...and control hair algae spores which you don't have a problem with. Ditch the UV sterilizer. My .02 

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post #69 of 74
1/7/12 at 1:08pm

+1 uv sterilizer=waste of money.

the only place i would consider a uv is for a qt.

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post #70 of 74
1/7/12 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
Yes I tested the water, it was good. I did 80% because that's what a few people recommended I do. It seems to have worked. I'm doing the tests exactly as it tells me to do. My numbers are going down, isn't that a good thing? Will ditch the uv, just figured it wouldn't hurt anything since I already had it. Also added a bag of purigen where the sponge used to be in the return chamber


Mike Hayes
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post #71 of 74
1/7/12 at 1:37pm

well you have better readings because almost all the water is new.let the tank go for a while no matter what readings you get.you cant force nature

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post #72 of 74
1/8/12 at 12:03pm

agree with jeff, the reading are better. sorry for asking, but do you have fish in the bio cube? I'm not trying to insult your intelligence but never do an 80% water change with critters in your glass cage, it will shock them.

For now, let it cook down, eventually it will come down, ghost feed in small amounts.

 

Peace out.

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post #73 of 74
1/8/12 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
No livestock in it yet. How big of a water change should I do from now on?


Mike Hayes
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post #74 of 74
1/8/12 at 8:21pm

Personally, if you have nothing in the tank....... none, let it take care of itself. If it's killing you to do a water change, 10 gallons. I believe the rule of thumb is 10% water change. 10% of 29 is ????

Lol

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