Any one done this?

tagg

tagg

Member
I'm still rather new to all this, and just joined this forum.
I started with a 55 gal. Overloaded it with too many fish. I have a mix of chicken grit and crushed coral, 40 lbs LR, 2 medium airstone powered skimmers, a 330 biowheel filter, and lots of learning to do.
After about 6 months, many losses, and lots of water changes, I got that tank established. (sort of)
I always have nitrate 80, nitrite 0, ph 8.3, The rest I have no clue.
To lower the nitrate level (instead of constant water changes),
I hooked a 40 gal to it. (pump & return).
When the levels were down (1 day) I would add afew more fish.
etc...etc...etc....
Now I have all these tanks connected togeather:
55, 55, 40, 45, 15, 25, 30, 30, 33 gal. (in that order)
Strange? I think so. These have all been set up from 1 1/2 years to the end one at 3 months. When I need more room, I just add anothet tank, and afew hours later its ready for new fish.
All water is pumped from the 40, and runs through all of them, back to the 40 again.
Fish: 3 percula, 3 tomato, 3 clarkii, 3 maroon.....clowns
3 black stripe cardinal, 3 pajama cardinal, 2 yellow tang, 1 sailfin tang, 1 koran angle, 1 blenny, 2 neon goby, 1 spotted hawk, 1 pork puffer. pile of snails, 4 star fish, 3 condy anemone, 2 curly Q anemone, 1 bubble tip anemone, a blob of planted feather algae, and some hermit crabs.
I don't ever get any sick fish, WHY?
The 33 gal is in front of a window (4 foot long tank) direct sunlight
I feed them anywhere from 1-5 times a day, and have no expensive lighting, and no set time on when I turn on the lights.
My only problem is a purple slimy type algea that forms on the glass in some of the tanks, and lots of a greenish-brown hair algea that forms in some fake plants.
Any comments? Thoughts?
Tagg______
 
aarone

aarone

Active Member
i dont get what you are saying...You put a 40 gallon tank on the cycle to reduce nitrates?
aaron
 
T

thomas712

Guest
First Comment: Welcome to the board.
Second Comment: I want to see a picture of these tanks, please?
Thomas
 
tagg

tagg

Member
I know....I'm crazy. :)
The nitrate levels were always high in my first 55. Anywhere from 80-120ppm. To this day, all these tanks are still at 80ppm.
Instead of starting a new tank from scratch, I just filled it with new water, (mixed and added all at once) )(throw in new gravel/crushed coral). Then I pumped the old water from the tank into the "totaly new setup". in afew hours the nitrates would be down to 30-40. (mixing the two togeather) The new tank gets established/cycled from the old oneafter time.
I just kept doing the same thing.... connect another new tank.
But I'll be darn'ed if I can keep the nitrate levels below 60-80 ppm
Now I have nearly 300 gals on fish/water all at 80 ppm.
I do have more tanks, but holly cow, the floor will give way pretty soon....and water changes would take forever now. I think I'll add another 55 to the string this week. (it's same as doing a 55 gal water change) ya think?
I'd love to have the nitrate levels lower, but how? what next without spending a small fortune on all that fancy stuff I know nothing about.
I don't have a digital camera, or I would try to post a pictute or two
Tagg_____
 
ross

ross

Active Member
So all those tanks hooked together? If your are worried about nitrates then do a search for "refugium".
 
tiencvu

tiencvu

Member
This is very interesting, I am glad you share your story to
everyone. I wish I could give opinion, but the only thing I could
think of is constant water change might reduce the nitrate.
 
tagg

tagg

Member
Hi DevilBoy,
Nitrites should be "0"
Nitrates should be as low as possible. 0-20 is reasonable. I think.
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
welcome to the board,
i have plenty of ideas and thoughts, some pictures would be a big help here, I think too. It would give us a little bnetter insight as to what is going on, as well as the envy factor, b/c it does sound pretty interesting. Esp since your new tanks are cycling in hours.
do you have any LR or corals? and how much of this homemade conction of substrate do you have?
If you have had this tank for that long, you must have some pics of it that you could scan in. Maybe not todays but last months would be interesting to gander at.
Cahnces are taht your substrate is part of your problem, as well what kind of filtration are you using in your tanks?
Lighting would probably be akey in your algae problem as well, esp with the one that is in direct sunlight. Another part of your nitrate prob is, that addig another tank may just be adding to an incompleted cycle. At this point you would think the cycle is over and adding a smaller tank would not compound it too awful much, but if it never completed to start with, you do the math. Cycle is partly over, then you add newly uncolonized equipmet and such, thus adding more items to put through the cycle.
 
tagg

tagg

Member
Howdy tiencvu,
Doing all the water changes is really a pain, but I do a 50 gal change if the nitrates get above 80ppm
Here's a thought.....
I wonder if the test strips I use are accurate. I use the "Quickdip" ones that test both nitrate & nitrite. I used some type of drop method long time ago, and it registered "0", then got the strips, and they register around 80 on the same water.
I go by the strips....
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
that is easy enough to check. And I completely dislike strips to begin with anyway. So my opinion on them really should be left where it is(in the back of my head and not on my finger tips). There are far better and more accurate ways to test.
JMVEO
 
m.rogers

m.rogers

Active Member
tagg welcome to the board, i as one would love to see some pics of this set up and i would do a search on a refugium with all the tanks you have or the 55 you are going to add make a refugium and are all the tanks fish only.
mike
 
tagg

tagg

Member
Hi fshhub,
I think you are right that the 1st tank may have not fully cycled, but its been set up 1 1/2 years now.
I originaly had a under gravel in it. Now there is 3" of 1/2 crushed granit (chicken grit) and 1/2 crushed coral. (same with all the tanks)
I had 60 lbs of LR to begin with (sold some) about 40 lbs now. There is some in each tank (want to get more LR).
The main 55 has most the fish in it. The others only have 2-3.
The LR could be part of the problem too. I got it 2 winters ago, and the airline dropped the box and made quite a mess. Plus the temperature was only about 10 degrees out. For the most part, the rock died, it may have got too cold. Its been slowly coming back.
For the entire setup, there are only 2 Lee's protine skimmers. The kind that work off of an air pump. They can be regulated to the point that I need to empty the cup every other day. They remove alot of junck....the water I throw out is real filthy (brown).
All tanks have crystal clear water... pH at 8.2 -8.3 (I use a digital meter)....I keep the temp at 75 degrees. sal 1.023
I haven't bought any coral because of the nitrate level. But the anemone are doing great.
The 33 gal long tank has west exposure, so on sunny days it gets about 4-5 hours direct sun. The snails take care on the algae in that tank. It also if heavely plantes with Feather Caulerpa I had sent up from the FL Keys. There is also a Condylactus gigantea anemone in it with 2 Gold stripe maroon clowns, and a serpent star, and afew blue-leg hermits.
This is the end tank, my so-called Filter Tank.
I get alot of hair algae, main tank, but I just figured that was because of the nitrate levels. I also think it's good for water quality,(so I was told anyway).
Lighting is just those standard aquariun tops with the marine lights, some give off blue light, some are the high intensity? not sure.
The only outside filter is a 330 dual bio-wheel (in one tank, so it's for nearly 300 gals). Should set up more.
I have some wet-dry filters, but don;t know if I should use them. The kind with the silica sand in them.
I have another 55 with a Panther Grouper, (15 inch) a Blue Stripe Grouper, (9 inch) and a Bahama Star.....Not connecled to the others because on the strain it would put on the others.
What else can I tell you, or would be helpfull?
Thanks, Tagg_____
 
bdubbya

bdubbya

Member
Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested the water before you put it in the tank, just to make sure there's no nitrates present in your water source?
Good luck
 
tagg

tagg

Member
I type... s l o w
Yes to the hair algae...looks cool though.
All the tanks are a cross between a reef and fish only. I have the time....so I try different combinations of things.
I have lots more tanks to use, but very limited on funds to buy much in the way of critters and more equipment.
Truth be told..... I have another 30+ tanks of all sizes I could add.
I don't think thats the answer though. It would kill me to do too many more.
Tagg____
 
tagg

tagg

Member

Originally posted by Bdubbya
Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested the water before you put it in the tank, just to make sure there's no nitrates present in your water source?
Good luck
I don't know what RO/DI means.
I have well water pH at 6.97
Nitrates / Nitrites at "0"
Very low on iron (very good water)
 
cnlight

cnlight

Member
Wow, thats amazing that you have all of those tanks together, and you could add more.
Well I was thinking about how to lower your nitrates. I think part of the problem might be that you are using chicken grit. That might be the cause of the nitrates and the toxins in the grit are causing more nitrates. How often do you siphon your substrate? What about your filter, when was the last time you changed the pads and replaced the carbon. I would try those things and see if that maybe helps.:)
 
tagg

tagg

Member
Yes-um
You can buy it at a feed store. Its called Cherrystone, a type of quartz. Size #2 for chinkens. There is also turket grit, size #4
A 50 lb bag is about $4.00
I raised FW tropicals at one time, mainly angles. The chicken grit was what I used in all the tanks.
In 1 years time I sold 4,000 angles at a buck each. Thats why I have so many aquariums sitting around.
Now I want to try to raise clowns, goby, and cardinals. LOL
 
tagg

tagg

Member
Hi cnlight,
The rock wouldn't raise the nitrates, but yes the crud that goes down into it will.
I get out the vacume cleaner about every other week, and clean a bunch of it. When I add the new water, nitrates go down a hair, but are back up in a few days.
Filter gets changed///// actually, I just wash it out, once e month.
What would a wet/dry filter do for me?
Any thoughts on those?
Tagg_____
Edited to add: I was told not to use carbon, but never knew why.
 
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