Can anyone please advise me?

[jokelly61]

Hello guys

I'm quite a newbie on here and was wondering if anyone can give me some advice please on my Nitrate and KH levels....I have a 58 litre nano set up which has been through its cycle and has been set up by previous owner for a little over a year now....I have been testing everything which is all looking good so far accept the nitrate and Kh balance...done a water change today readings before were Nitrate = 160, Nitrite 0 - 0.5, Kh 240, Ph = 8 - 8.5, Gh = 180 after change all was the same accept for the Nitrate has gone up now to 200 and I'm concerned about the Kh level, the salt level is 0.24 - 25. I have live rock a couple of fish and feed them frozen shrimp every day, also hermits, snails and some bristle worms. I dont want to lose any of them, I have also been putting in Pure Marine balls into the filter at the back as the guy at the Aquatics last time who tested the water said the Nitrate was only up by 2?? so now very concerned could anyone please advise?

 

[snakeblitz33]

What brand test kits are you using? When was their expiration date?
What are your exact parameter readings? Are you saying that your specific gravity is 25ppt? or are you saying that your salinity is 1.025?
IF you have a fish only tank, nitrate levels should be at least under 100, unless you have a bad algae problem. Usually "high" nitrate content is usually a test kit error instead of an actual reading.
Post a picture of your tank...
I'd also like to know the rest of your live stock and what other unnecessary chemicals you are adding to your tank...

 

[jokelly61]

Thank you for the reply ......the salinity is fine its reading 1.024 - 25, I am using the API 5 in 1 test kit which i recently bought from the Aquatic center, expirey date is 2014! I have a damsel and humbug fish, 2 hermits, 2 turbos, at least 3 bristle worms, a brittle star some mushrooms which have just emerged and some feather dusters which are just starting to grow. I also have recently bought a pink tipped anemone and a purple candelabra coral. they seem to be doing fine!
So far that's all I have added is the Pure Marine, are you saying this is unnecessary? The bloke in the shop said that I need to add some bacteria in the system??


I also do not have an algae problem as this little guy is greedy, i have no idea what it is but its eating what algae there is along with the snails and crabs, he hitch hiked on the candelabra coral from the shop!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Looks like a coral eating nudibranch. lol.
I don't know what "pure marine" is... but if it is some bottled bacteria... then you've just been sold something unnecessary. If you have live rock, the bacteria on the live rock will colonize the surfaces of the rock, substrate and filtration system. There is no reason to add additional bacteria to the system, especially now that you have fish in your tank, and I assume that you have cycled your tank properly.
That anemone needs a lot of light... what kind of lighting system do you have? An inadequate amount of light over the tank will cause pre-mature death of the anemone.
Also... do you have a picture of this "humbug fish" I'm unfamiliar with that name.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Ah, interesting the different nomenclature. I just looked up "humbug fish" on google and it came up with a three stripe damsel.
Both of your current fish, while they were cheap, are EXTREMELY aggressive. Once they establish their territory - it's difficult for you to introduce any new fish.

 

[jokelly61]

Coral eating?? OMG more worries! lol!
yes it is a 3 striped black and white fish which is being kept to one corner of the tank the damsel is dominating the tank at present...the nudibug is doing a great job of cleaning up things as it is very greedy but i dont want it eating my candelabra!! what to do now?? ....Pure Marine comes in like transparent balls which you add to the filteration system to add healthy bacteria the guy said?? he said it will keep the nitrates down...I know these people just want to sell you things in these shops so was curious as to whether I actually need them my main worry is the Kh level which is reading 240 and Gh is reading 180? is there anything I can put in the tank to level these out??

 

[jokelly61]

I also added some healthy algae called Chaetomorpha which is a natural Nitrate reducer!! but it looks like it isnt helping much!

 

[snakeblitz33]

No, it's a gimmick. There are a few things you can do to manage nitrates and phosphates.
1. Add a macroalgae to a refugium. Since you don't have the room, I wouldn't worry about this.
2. once a month 50% water change.
3. reduce the amount fed to your fish.
4. add a protein skimmer to the system.
These are all good ways of reducing nitrates. What the bacteria does is convert ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. Since that cycle is constantly happening without the help of your *hhhmmhhh* balls, then you don't need them.
Alkalinity, in America, is typically measured in dKH and mEq/L. So... taking your kH and dividing it by 18.9 shows me that your alkalinity is roughly 12.6 dKH. Which is actually pretty high. If you are using a pH buffer... STOP IT IMMEDIATELY. pH buffers do not fix your pH problems.
If you also know your calcium and magnesium levels, I could tell you if everything is in balance or not.
Then again, you are using an API test kit that gives really weird and often incorrect readings.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Chaetomorpha is actually a kinda temperamental algae. lol. I've never gotten it to grow very well for more than a few weeks before it disintegrates.
A better choice would be an algae with roots... such as Caulerpa Racemosa, C. prolifera, C. mexicana, red grascillaria, or some other fast growing algae. An algae that just floats around the tank is doomed to get chopped into pieces by a powerhead or clog up a filteration pipe.
There are several macroalgae websites out there that are great for purchasing not only macroalgae but also copepods.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Oh, I just realized that I never told you want to do with that nudibranch. .... pick it out of the tank and throw it away. Simple as that.
If you like the look of a nudibranch and you have a lot of algae in your tank that you want to get rid of, a lettuce nudibranch is a nice little addition.

 

[jokelly61]

Oh ok thanks for that I will rid the tank of the nudibranch....yes i have noticed the algae is disappearing slowly and is floating bits around the tank and attaching itself to the wave maker, also I do have a protein skimmer already in place! I haven't put in any buffer as yet , although have been reading up on them. Also we have the T5 lighting for the anemone 2 white and 2 blue which I was told was adequate for it to thrive. Although saying that, it has disappeared behind the live rocks at present.....so what fish to put with what fish? since they're all terrortorial...I was going to get a clown fish but have since found out that they too are terrortorial? I will deffo look at getting some the algae you suggested as the one I have put in place isn't suitable and bits are just floating around....thank you for your help

 

[snakeblitz33]

Don't use buffers. Simply remove your glass tops and let air circulate. If you can, get a closed canopy and have your lights well ventilated. Removing your tops help with gas exchange... by limiting CO2 in your tank you decrease the amount of acid, which increases your pH.
That system is adequate for an anemone to survive... just keep an eye out.
If you want other fish in your tank - remove the damsels that you have now and buy the more expensive ones that you want. Unless you simply want a damsel dominated tank - nothing wrong with that. Clownfish are a type of damsel, and some can be quite aggressive - but I still wouldn't want to put a little clown in with a yellow tail or other damsel. Especially a three stripe. I've had one of those draw blood before!
Your welcome. I like helping new aquarists as much as I can. You can find additional information about the hobby at my website, dixiereef.

 

[jokelly61]

thank you, I will invest in a more appropriate test kit in the future and look at other fish to replace the damsels, I will also look at other algae to introduce into the tank....can a high Nitrate kill the fish?? I will do a 50% water change mid month to get it down though as I am concernet about that!

 

[snakeblitz33]

I do believe it is your test kits that are inaccurate about your nitrate levels. Nitrate consistently above 100ppm with cyanobacteria problems is a concern. But right now you have nothing to worry about.

 

[jokelly61]

Phew!! thank you so much for your help and I will check out your website for more info, at least now i may be able to get some sleep lol, off to bed now as it is 3.27am here in the UK! but I had to find out from the experts....hope you have a good day and night and hopefully things will start improving in my tank soon!