btldreef
Moderator
PART 1
We've used Coralife salt's for over a year now.
Finally jumped on the "Brightwell's Is the Best" band wagon going on in my area and everything has turned into a disaster. I can't fully pinpoint that it's the salt, because my 14G is using the same water and everything is fine, but the 155G is just a mess. This isn't what we need right as we get ready to move.
We've now been using Brightwell's salt for 8 weeks. In the past 5, nitrates will NOT go below 20ppm (API kit [3months old] and confirmed with the store's digital tester [can't remember the name] and a brand new API kit). We do weekly water changes, and when I test the water in the bucket before and after adding salt, nitrates are 0, which is making me question where the nitrate is coming from. I also can't get by pH to go higher than 8.0 and the KH is HIGH!
There have been no new additions to this tank either coral or fish for months now. We run carbon in three forms now:
1) bag of chemi pure elite (the large bag to handle our size tank) in the sump in a high flow area
2) chemi pure elite running in a phosphate reactor
3) fluval carbon in a bag running in a fluval fx5
**Yes we are running a Fluval FX5 AND have a 30G sump. We wanted a little extra filtration, more water volume (we can not upgrade to a bigger sump until we move) and it gives us a little more water movement in the tank. The fluval basically just has LR and carbon in it. We basically gutted out everything else and it is really acting almost like a second sump.
120lbs of live sand
250lbs of live rock
We cut back on feeding, basically cut it down to 1/3 what we used to feed and lost our Red Mandarin in the process :-( We never found him, but with a clean up crew, I can't imagine that he'd cause 20ppm nitrate for weeks on end, I've had bigger fish die and not do this, he was a baby, maybe 2 inches long if that.
We added a PhosBan reactor (two little fishies - forget which model, but big enough to run our tank).
We've now increased water changes to twice a week, still no difference. We do about 30G, which is ABOUT 20%. Also have an ATO that goes through about 10G a week.
So here's where the parameters are at as of this moment (12:45PM EST)
I'm doing all API because the Salifert Ca and Mag test is a PITA and I'm not dealing with it right now:
Nitrite: 0ppm or undetectable
Ammonia: 0ppm or undetectable
Nitrate: 15ppm
pH: 7.9
KH: 14 (where the hell did this come from, it's been 10-11)
Ca: about 400 (we know the API test kit isn't 100% accurate with this)
Temp: 79.0 at bottom of tank, 79.3 at top (day lights have been on for 2 1/2 hours so far)
Set up:
Fluval FX5 with LR in it and Carbon
30G sump w/ carbon reactor, phosphate reactor and ASM G3 skimmer and bag of carbon and LR (don't remember how many pounds, it's not that much because the ASM is a monster)
I do not remember off the top of my head what GPH our return pump does, but that and one EcoTech Vortech MP40w and the Fluval return is more than enough water movement.
Stock List:
Fish (it is a heavily stocked tank, but this has never caused an issue until now)
1 Yellow Watchmen Goby
1 Green Mandarin
2 Ocellaris Clowns (not fully grown, they're about 1 1/2 inches)
1 Bullet Banded Sleeper Goby (aka dragon goby, he's about 4" now)
1 Coral Beauty Angelfish
1 Flame Angelfish
1 Blonde Naso Tang 4"
/>3 Lyretail Anthias (babies, about 1-2")
3 PJ Cardinals (not full grown, about 2")
1 Tail Spot Blenny
1 Black Combtooth Blenny
1 Sailfin Tang (full grown, I can't catch her, and I need to so any ideas would be great)
We are moving in the next 6 months now that everything is in order and when we do the Sailfin, possibly the Naso, the watchmen and the cardinals are going.
We feed:
1 cube Emerald Entree
1 cube Mysis or a chunk of PE mysis, alternate days
1 cube Marine Cuisine
(this food is mixed together and a small amount goes into the 14G)
2 2" algae/seaweed strips a day
Again, this tank has had all these fish in it for months, so I don't think/know that they're the issue
We've used Coralife salt's for over a year now.
Finally jumped on the "Brightwell's Is the Best" band wagon going on in my area and everything has turned into a disaster. I can't fully pinpoint that it's the salt, because my 14G is using the same water and everything is fine, but the 155G is just a mess. This isn't what we need right as we get ready to move.
We've now been using Brightwell's salt for 8 weeks. In the past 5, nitrates will NOT go below 20ppm (API kit [3months old] and confirmed with the store's digital tester [can't remember the name] and a brand new API kit). We do weekly water changes, and when I test the water in the bucket before and after adding salt, nitrates are 0, which is making me question where the nitrate is coming from. I also can't get by pH to go higher than 8.0 and the KH is HIGH!
There have been no new additions to this tank either coral or fish for months now. We run carbon in three forms now:
1) bag of chemi pure elite (the large bag to handle our size tank) in the sump in a high flow area
2) chemi pure elite running in a phosphate reactor
3) fluval carbon in a bag running in a fluval fx5
**Yes we are running a Fluval FX5 AND have a 30G sump. We wanted a little extra filtration, more water volume (we can not upgrade to a bigger sump until we move) and it gives us a little more water movement in the tank. The fluval basically just has LR and carbon in it. We basically gutted out everything else and it is really acting almost like a second sump.
120lbs of live sand
250lbs of live rock
We cut back on feeding, basically cut it down to 1/3 what we used to feed and lost our Red Mandarin in the process :-( We never found him, but with a clean up crew, I can't imagine that he'd cause 20ppm nitrate for weeks on end, I've had bigger fish die and not do this, he was a baby, maybe 2 inches long if that.
We added a PhosBan reactor (two little fishies - forget which model, but big enough to run our tank).
We've now increased water changes to twice a week, still no difference. We do about 30G, which is ABOUT 20%. Also have an ATO that goes through about 10G a week.
So here's where the parameters are at as of this moment (12:45PM EST)
I'm doing all API because the Salifert Ca and Mag test is a PITA and I'm not dealing with it right now:
Nitrite: 0ppm or undetectable
Ammonia: 0ppm or undetectable
Nitrate: 15ppm
pH: 7.9
KH: 14 (where the hell did this come from, it's been 10-11)
Ca: about 400 (we know the API test kit isn't 100% accurate with this)
Temp: 79.0 at bottom of tank, 79.3 at top (day lights have been on for 2 1/2 hours so far)
Set up:
Fluval FX5 with LR in it and Carbon
30G sump w/ carbon reactor, phosphate reactor and ASM G3 skimmer and bag of carbon and LR (don't remember how many pounds, it's not that much because the ASM is a monster)
I do not remember off the top of my head what GPH our return pump does, but that and one EcoTech Vortech MP40w and the Fluval return is more than enough water movement.
Stock List:
Fish (it is a heavily stocked tank, but this has never caused an issue until now)
1 Yellow Watchmen Goby
1 Green Mandarin
2 Ocellaris Clowns (not fully grown, they're about 1 1/2 inches)
1 Bullet Banded Sleeper Goby (aka dragon goby, he's about 4" now)
1 Coral Beauty Angelfish
1 Flame Angelfish
1 Blonde Naso Tang 4"
/>3 Lyretail Anthias (babies, about 1-2")
3 PJ Cardinals (not full grown, about 2")
1 Tail Spot Blenny
1 Black Combtooth Blenny
1 Sailfin Tang (full grown, I can't catch her, and I need to so any ideas would be great)
We are moving in the next 6 months now that everything is in order and when we do the Sailfin, possibly the Naso, the watchmen and the cardinals are going.
We feed:
1 cube Emerald Entree
1 cube Mysis or a chunk of PE mysis, alternate days
1 cube Marine Cuisine
(this food is mixed together and a small amount goes into the 14G)
2 2" algae/seaweed strips a day
Again, this tank has had all these fish in it for months, so I don't think/know that they're the issue
