1 month in the new 150
- Thread starter saltn00b
- Start date
saltn00b
Active Member
dam!
its been a week since this last post, and since then, the skimmer was adjusted and seems to be working properly.
but now the nitrates are back up to 50ish ?!! how did they jump so high out of nowhere?! nothing was added until yesterday, when
my two black ocellaris clowns had done there time in the QT - aka juvy hall. they could not have jumped it up that much, so quickly.
the tank is still way under stocked, this is not making sense to me. there must be something giving off nitrates somehow?
what should i do??
its been a week since this last post, and since then, the skimmer was adjusted and seems to be working properly.
but now the nitrates are back up to 50ish ?!! how did they jump so high out of nowhere?! nothing was added until yesterday, when
my two black ocellaris clowns had done there time in the QT - aka juvy hall. they could not have jumped it up that much, so quickly.
the tank is still way under stocked, this is not making sense to me. there must be something giving off nitrates somehow?
what should i do??
hagfish
Active Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
dam!
its been a week since this last post, and since then, the skimmer was adjusted and seems to be working properly.
but now the nitrates are back up to 50ish ?!! how did they jump so high out of nowhere?! nothing was added until yesterday, when
my two black ocellaris clowns had done there time in the QT - aka juvy hall. they could not have jumped it up that much, so quickly.
the tank is still way under stocked, this is not making sense to me. there must be something giving off nitrates somehow?
what should i do??
You say the tank is way under stocked, but it's a month old and after adding two clowns I believe I count 10 fish. Your have a fairly big tank and it can hold those fish over time, but that's a lot to put in within the first month. Plus, I count at least 4 anemone's. They can add a little to the bioload too, especially if being manually fed frequently.
I think you just need to slow down a little. If you're keeping anemone's and can't get your trates below 30 then you definitlely don't want to add more fish. The anemone's are going to end up dying and then you'll have all kinds of problems. Just give the bacteria a chance to catch up to the bio-load.
Also, I would hold off on more starfish regaurdless as to whether or not this tank was transferred from an established one. Those particular starfish you had are not really very easy to keep and need stable conditions. It's difficult to have the stability in the first few months of having a tank up and running.
All that said, the tank looks nice. I like your variety of fish.
dam!
its been a week since this last post, and since then, the skimmer was adjusted and seems to be working properly.
but now the nitrates are back up to 50ish ?!! how did they jump so high out of nowhere?! nothing was added until yesterday, when
my two black ocellaris clowns had done there time in the QT - aka juvy hall. they could not have jumped it up that much, so quickly.
the tank is still way under stocked, this is not making sense to me. there must be something giving off nitrates somehow?
what should i do??
You say the tank is way under stocked, but it's a month old and after adding two clowns I believe I count 10 fish. Your have a fairly big tank and it can hold those fish over time, but that's a lot to put in within the first month. Plus, I count at least 4 anemone's. They can add a little to the bioload too, especially if being manually fed frequently.
I think you just need to slow down a little. If you're keeping anemone's and can't get your trates below 30 then you definitlely don't want to add more fish. The anemone's are going to end up dying and then you'll have all kinds of problems. Just give the bacteria a chance to catch up to the bio-load.
Also, I would hold off on more starfish regaurdless as to whether or not this tank was transferred from an established one. Those particular starfish you had are not really very easy to keep and need stable conditions. It's difficult to have the stability in the first few months of having a tank up and running.
All that said, the tank looks nice. I like your variety of fish.
saltn00b
Active Member
thanks for your input. i am not planning on adding anything else until i can get this under cotnrol.
are you suggesting the 2 months after a move from an established tank, that this one is still cycling?
the ammonnia and trites have been zero for two months now. no new fish had been added for over a month, until these clowns. but they were already in the QT, so would it have been best to keep them in there? most likely...
but these 2 juveniles could not have raised trate level from 25 -> 50 in 24 hours in a 150g .
so something else must be adding to it, alot. right?
are you suggesting the 2 months after a move from an established tank, that this one is still cycling?
the ammonnia and trites have been zero for two months now. no new fish had been added for over a month, until these clowns. but they were already in the QT, so would it have been best to keep them in there? most likely...
but these 2 juveniles could not have raised trate level from 25 -> 50 in 24 hours in a 150g .
so something else must be adding to it, alot. right?
hagfish
Active Member
I wouldn't assume that adding those 2 fish didn't cause a quick increase in nitrates. Unless you find some deaths in the tank or unless you've been overfeeding, there's really no other explanation. As I'm sure you know, nitrates come from waste. That means something died or something went potty basically.
Do you have a skimmer? Maybe it stopped working well for a day or two. Also, do you have a fuge?
Do you have a skimmer? Maybe it stopped working well for a day or two. Also, do you have a fuge?
saltn00b
Active Member
well i had a great corallife skimmer on my 75, but when i transferred over, i couldnt use it cause its too tall for the cabinet, so im using the one that came with the 150g set up. its a no-name very basic skimmer about 3+ years old. but it is set up and running. not alot of stuff is getting skimmed, but i was told that because it is a new(ish) set up, there isnt much there for it too skim...
we are pretty careful not to over feed, especially now since we caught the first trate problem.
if the skimmer isnt working perfectly, does it somehow add to the problem?
we are pretty careful not to over feed, especially now since we caught the first trate problem.
if the skimmer isnt working perfectly, does it somehow add to the problem?
hagfish
Active Member
Yes, the skimmer will remove some nitrates. I believe it actually removes the waste before it turns to nitrates. If you have around 50 nitrates showing up, then you definitely have plenty to skim. I assume the skimmer you had before is the Coralife super skimmer 65. I've got the one rated for a 125 and it works great. You can actually use them as HOB skimmers if you don't have room under the tank or in the sump. If I were you, I think I'd get a Coralife super skimmer 220 (with needle wheel, not venturi) if you want to stick with that brand. It's probably not the best skimmer you could use, but for the money they work very well. An ASM G3 or G4 would probably be even better, but would cost more. Also, they need to be in a sump I believe.
Do you have a fuge? If not, adding one can really reduce nitrates.
Oh, one other thing to consider is your flow. How much flow do you have? Check for spots where there is no flow and waste might be collecting. Also, do you have a good sized cleanup crew?
Do you have a fuge? If not, adding one can really reduce nitrates.
Oh, one other thing to consider is your flow. How much flow do you have? Check for spots where there is no flow and waste might be collecting. Also, do you have a good sized cleanup crew?
saltn00b
Active Member
the skimmer i cant use im pretty sure is the coralife 220, if not then the 125. ill have to double check. i noticed that the (brand?) prizm type skimmers are much more squat design that would fit underneath. my sump is pretty large and should easily hold any skimmer that isnt too tall, or i have room to put one down there externally.
what is the difference between venturi and needlewheel? do all of them have the 'venturi chamber' ?
i cant do HoB because the tank is not 'open top' the acryllic partially covers the top of the tank, so there is no lip for it to hang on. i would have to build a piece of wood and attach it to the outside, which would look sloppy.
No fuge yet but i was thinking of building a 10g fuge for exactly that purpose.
i think there is adequate flow, the main pump flow is diverted into openings in the center of the tank, facing either direction. there is also a rio 1300 on one side, two rio 600 on the back wall pointed somewhat downwards to flow over the sandbed. and two rio 600 on the other side.
the return to the sump is durso style plumbing which i have read increases GPH higher than the bulkheaded is rated for.
what is the difference between venturi and needlewheel? do all of them have the 'venturi chamber' ?
i cant do HoB because the tank is not 'open top' the acryllic partially covers the top of the tank, so there is no lip for it to hang on. i would have to build a piece of wood and attach it to the outside, which would look sloppy.
No fuge yet but i was thinking of building a 10g fuge for exactly that purpose.
i think there is adequate flow, the main pump flow is diverted into openings in the center of the tank, facing either direction. there is also a rio 1300 on one side, two rio 600 on the back wall pointed somewhat downwards to flow over the sandbed. and two rio 600 on the other side.
the return to the sump is durso style plumbing which i have read increases GPH higher than the bulkheaded is rated for.
lemonpeel2
Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
its a LTA, they are supposed to be white.
LTA'S are supposed to have a light brown tint to a very dark purple to them not pale white like yours. Ask thomas. Anyways ur tank is off the hizzie'
its a LTA, they are supposed to be white.
LTA'S are supposed to have a light brown tint to a very dark purple to them not pale white like yours. Ask thomas. Anyways ur tank is off the hizzie'