Dieing Angelfish... help please

[entice59]

ok i just tested the water today, nitrites/ammonia/nitrates are at 0 and the ph looks like its 8.2, just to make sure, is there a sign that a ph level is either too high or too low.... im at a blank right now ..im guessing the water is the main problem because the cyno is bigger and all over the place now and theres a sign of algae growing on the glass or is there something else i should test for?because my master test kit doesnt have it...
i'll post a picture of the tank tomorrow when i turn on the lights.... i feel sooo helpless
also if you guys reply to this... can you answer the question above this reply about using water. its right above this one. thanks

 

[entice59]

anyone?

 

[entice59]

ok i found out the reason why my tank has been so "crazy" its the NITRATES!!! NOOO!!!!!!!!!! its at 40!!! AHHHHHH
is there any quick way to fix the problem? is there any product i can buy to fix this problem before something else dies?

 

[entice59]

Kent Superbuffer-dKH is a specially formulated pH buffer and alkalinity or carbonate hardness (KH) builder, designed to adjust the pH of saltwater aquariums to the range of 8.0 to 8.3 and build the KH. Superbuffer-dKH is the finest buffer available for either fish only or reef type marine aquariums and is designed to mix clear with little or no cloudiness or precipitation
thats what it says on the superbuffer, so what would happen if my ph was higher then 8.0? would it make my ph even higher?making it jump .3 times what it is now?

 

[beth]

Plant some macroalgae in your tank. Nitrates and phosphates are a food source for macros. You may want to set up an algae tank, but you don't have to. I have several macros growing right inside my tank. Zero nitrates and phosophates. I never clean the substrate. I do water changes about every 2 mos. I feed my tank so much, most people would gasp.
I do have a reef with lots of LR and a 6" dsb. The only equiptment filter is a HOT RemoraPro. This setup has been the easiest setup I've ever had.

 

[entice59]

i actually have a crap load of macro algae in my tank i guess i dont have enough, but its actually covering my tank...i cant afford a realk refuge, i'll try the intank refuge thing (making a L shaped formation with two pieces of plexiglass with some holes in the corner in of my tank) but i dont even have time for that now, but is there a quicker way to lower it, and if i lower it a lot will it shock the fish?

 

[entice59]

beth,do you know answer the question about the ph buffer i asked, im cluess about ph buffers....
thanks =)

 

[entice59]

anyone?

 

[beth]

That buffer is the same as I use. Just be careful not to go overboard. Follow the directions!
How deep is your sand bed? And what LS are you using? That might be the nitrate problem. As for a refruge, they do sell HOTs.

 

[entice59]

whats a HOT, ok, so if my ph was 8.1 and if i added the buffer it would be 8.4? or will it stay at a 8.3? the directions confuse me... i actually dont know what kind of live rock i have.. = i have 20 lbs of live sand, about a little less then an inch or just about, i want toget more live sand but i have no cash...

 

[beth]

Originally posted by entice59
whats a HOT
Hang on [the back of] Tank
ph was 8.1
That's not a bad pH. 1teasp of the buffer per day per 20 gal of tank.
i have 20 lbs of live sand, about a little less then an inch or just about, want toget more live sand but i have no cash...
Here is your nitrate problem. 1" of LS will not produce the denitrifying sandbed that you need to achieve low to no nitrates. What type of LS??? Particle size? Do you know what kind of sand you got and how small or large the grain range is?

 

[entice59]

i believe the live sand is carib sea aragonite- alive sand which comes in a 20 lb bag, its pretty fine but not as fine as real sand but the grain is pretty small . how much should i have? my tank is 15 gallons. When i get enough money, if i did add it in, do i just put it ontop of the sand i have now??? wouldnt that just over up the stuff thats causing the nitrate?
sorry to bother you about the ph buffer, ok lets say i added new water in the tank which im going to do soon, when i add the water to the tank shouldnt i add the buffer? but if the new water is 8.2 and the water i have now is 8.1... and i add the buffer wouldnt that make my water's ph jump to 8.4? or does the buffer just keep the rate of 8.3 always? thats what im afraid of... the buffer adding a boost .3 to my ph when i only need a ph boost of .2 or .1

 

[beth]

I wouldn't even worry about your pH at this point. Its fine. My pH is 8.1 and has been since I set up the tank. Its a reef tank and it is thriving! I've your add water is 8.2, then leave it be.
You should have, at least a 4" of sandbed [the deeper the better] as well as sandbed-friendly detrivores, such as bristle worms, narssarius snails, etc.

 

[entice59]

hm... 4 inches i'll try to get that asap once i get some money.... i wish i had a job =(
so just overlapping the cyno and other things with new sand would be okay? or would i have to stir it up?

 

[beth]

There's a thread in the Reef Forum that discusses how to add LS to an existing substrate. Go join the topic.

 

[entice59]

ok thanks beth and everyone for the info!!!!