debating on doing a water change

[elan]

I finished cycling two weeks ago. Nitrate is slowly gaining (up 5 parts from last week) even though i constantly see nitrogen gas coming up from the DSB.
I want to do a water change in order to maintain proper levels of trace elements in my tank. But I dont want to do it too soon for reasons that still remain unanswered. everyone just tells me to wait.... but no real reason on why.
I stopped adding all trace elements (iodine, strontium, calcium) The only thing i am a little concerned about is the Strontium level which droped very significantly because i stopped adding it to my tank, but this may be due to poor test kit readings (salifert) last week reading of 25, now its 5.... this weekend i will try and get it checked at a LFS but I will check on the strontium again in a few days.
For my Iodine, i gave up testing for it, so i have no clue what the level is, but my calcium seems to be good.
To top it off, my nitrite went up slightly. probably due to me taking out my base rock and moving rocks in my tank around. I do plan on doing a major rearanging of the rocks in two weeks.
So, should i do a water change now? (25%) or wait about a week after i move my rocks around in a few weeks?
I do want to get a system where i need to do minimal water changes. Sorta like Plum's System.. but i need to figure out how to adequately get trace elements into my system once they get used up. until that happens, water changes it is!
Thanks again!
latest readings:
10-AprDate
0(NH3/NH4)) Ammonia
10(NO3) Nitrate
430(Ca) Calcium
0(PO4) phosphate
0.1(NO2) Nitrite
8.2pH
5Strontium

 

[broomer5]

Well .....
If you want my opinion - I don't think we should be adding additives to a new tank until it has completely finished cycling and the water chemistry becomes stable.
You set this tank up in mid February.
It's a pretty new tank to be dosing all those additives in my opinion.
You have live rock - do you have fish or inverts in there ?
I highly doubt if the deep sand bed is developed enough, for the bacteria to start converting nitrates to nitrogen gas.
I suspect these bubbles are either O2 gas from sandbed algae, or are trapped air pockets in the sandbed - and air bubbles are working there way out.
It can takes months for a sandbed to become mature enough to start kicking in on the nitrate removal.
I may be wrong here too.
The reason people normally advise waiting awhile before making a lot of changes ( additives, fish additions, etc ) on a new tank ... is to let the water chemistry settle down and become stable.
When the cycle is done - and your ammonia/nitrite readings are zero - most would agree that a water change is in order.
It all depends on the nitrate that was produced during the intial cycle - and whether you have fish in the tank yet.
It's very easy to get ahead of ourselves with new tanks.
Sometimes we can easily overdo things, add things, make changes, etc.
This can acutally make things worse in my opinion.
Letting the tank simmer a couple of months, just letting it be, continuing to monitor the test results - is often advised.
Let it marinate - then when things are stable - you begin to slowly add creatures.
This is how I see it - others may agree/disagree.
Good luck elan

 

[elan]

both of you have been a major help in giving me sound advice on my tank. I really thank both you you very much.
I also got ahead of myself with the tank, even after i found this board, and i am kicking myself in the A$$ for not listening to you in the first place.
My tank was set up in mid feb with damsels to cycle.
in early march, a DSB was installed with lots of live rock creating havock. (Damsels were removed and given back to LFS)
End of march was when my tank finished its cycle.
Paramaters have been stable since.
My plan now is to hold off on the water changes, redo my aquascaping in the 3rd week of april, let that settle down for two more weeks, then do a water change at that point. I also plan on installing a refugium at the same time. but i am doing my research first, and then will post my suggested designs for comments. hope you all will reply to that one as well.
PS.
The reason i really want to do a water change (I actually want to do several large water changes) is to somehow either replace/dilute my tap water with RO/DI water, and replenish any trace elements with the water changes.

 

[elan]

opps... forgot to tell you what i have added (please dont scold me)
(SP? on all)
2 peculia clowns
7 very small bluegreen chromis
3 small fire fish
2 very tiny pepperment shrimps
5 emerald green crabs
2 fighting conchs
2 Teakwell snails
5 austria snails
10 blue leg crabs
5 red leg crabs
1 UNWANTED (mantis/lobster/still unknown)

 

[elan]

opps... forgot a few more items.
torch coral
plate coral
buble coral
another coral i forgot the name for.
and a sponge
all added over a three week period and seem to be doing well. all was added over one week ago.

 

[hookedonreefs]

Let me get this straight -
My tank is almost done cycling. It only has sand, water and salt now. Once that's done I was going to add LR. (I assume that still OK)
After that, <according to broomer> I should let it sit again for a couple of months? What about a cleanup crew? I'm OK having just LR,LS, salt & water in the tank, but I'd guess I'm going to have some algae outbreaks.
Also, if I'm installing a fuge, can I put some macroalgae in it? That would be - main tank = LR,LS salt & water,
fuge = same as main with some macro. Then let it sit for a couple of months. Yes/No
Thanks.

 

[broomer5]

hookedonreefs
I re-read what I wrote and I should have made myself more clear.
When I mentioned that I let the tank settle and simmer awhile - I was referring to the addition of additives and such - not the slow addition of a clean up crew or a fish.
I suppose it was easy to misunderstand what I wrote - cause I was very unclear.
My point is that it's very easy to mess up the tankwater chemistry by "adding" supplements or additives - that have no real benefit to a brand new tank.
A couple months of running - with a clean up crew and fish or two is common. Adding too many miracle products in a bottle unfortunately is very common too.
I've always held the opinion that it's up to each of us to choose what we do or don't do with our marine tanks.
Sometimes if we back off, slow down and be patient ~ some wonderful things will happen with the tank.
If we rush it, go too fast and are impatient ~ some very bad things can and do occur.
I've set up tanks both ways.
Rushed through a few - and took my time on a few.
The tanks I refrained from rushing - and withheld many of the additives - have done much better.
That's all ~ thanks for bringing that up

 

[hookedonreefs]

Thanks for the reply broomer.
I totally agree with the patience vs. rushing thing. I also agree with doing things your own way, as long as we can comunicate the results of our personal "tests" on boards such as this.
I just want to benefit as much as possible from people such as yourself that have so much more experience than I. Once I get things going, I'm sure I'll explore my own paths, but in the beginning it's easier, less expensive, and more caring for you pets to follow tride-and-true paths to success.
So, just for clarification:
Don't go crazy with additives from the start
Do feel free to add a fish or two and a cleanup crew -I didn't mean for that to rhyme-
And what about the refugium. Start setup from the begining? I don't see why not.
Thanks again all.

 

[broomer5]

Don't go crazy with additives from the start
Man I couldn't have phased it any better than that !
I don't see any reason why you shouldn't plumb up the refugium from the start either.
You may find that the macroalgae/caulerpa will do better when the tank settles down some too. Or not
Thanks hookedonreefs !!
Have fun !

 

[elan]

thanks for all the advice!
here is another question.
If i am testing for calcium and strontium, and i find my strontium levels too low, do you still feel that i should not add any into my tank?....Something in the tank must be using it....