Dont want to tease my Tang

cmonti

cmonti

Member
Have a 20 gal nano with nitrates always hovering around 20-30. Want to add some corals and need to get this number way down. Planning a small fuge build that Im hoping will help pull some nitrates out of the tank. Changed out about 8 gallons a few weeks ago and now my weekly 3 gal water changes arent making that big of an impact. Had to move the tank a few months ago into my new house and ever since then, have had a spike in nitrates that have been difficult to get down.
In the meantime, would it be cruel if I placed some cheato in a filter media bag inside the display tank? Would this drive my baby Tang crazy??? (dont worry...plan to move the tang into a bigger tank in the near future). Has anyone ever tried this?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
This is a difficult one to answer....reason being I am sure most people are holding their tongues about the tang....baby or not....it should not be in a 20G.
BUT....let's start here...what are ALL of your water parameters? What type of filter do you have? What else is in the tank (as far as other fish or cuc)? What do you feed, and how much?
Do you use ro/di water for top off and/or water changes?
OH....Do not put chaeto in a filter bag....it needs light to live
 
cmonti

cmonti

Member
Plan to start a bigger tank in the next few months so the tang will be moved. I understand your concern.
SG 1.024
No ammonia/nitrite
Calcium levels are 450
KH is 14
...everything seems to be OK expect for Nitrates
Tank has 2 powerheads which provides ample flow. Have an undersink mounted water filter for water changes which I know isnt the best but is way better than tap. Ive tested new water for Nitrates before doing a water change and it reads below 5, which lends me to think the water Im putting back in is OK.
Hang on red sea skimmer with carbon in the filter media canister. (isnt the best skimmer but pulls a ton of scum out)
Aquaclear 50 hang on with a sponge, Seachem DeNitrate, live rock rubble in media bag on top.
coral life double bulb T5 10,000K and blue actinic lighiting with an additional light hood housing an additional blue
Bio load is 2 small clowns and the Tang which ive had for a few months. Assorted corals include all softs (kenya tree, various mushrooms, florescent star poly). These corals have been doing well. I want to someday add frogspawn, brain, acans, etc to make a cool littl reef but need to get rid of Nitrate problem.
So if I put the Cheato in a bag on a seaweed clip right below lighting...this wouldnt work??
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
You can't put it in a bag...
I'm not sure that getting chaeto will solve your nitrate issue.....I really think the tang has to go....if you had it for a few months, it has to be too big....I am sure it is causing issue with the bio-load
p.s. not saying it wasn't too big to start off with ;)
 
F

frakes

Guest
i myself have a 20 gal, and the reason i had high nitrates was because of some dead rock and dead live sand. just do a 5-6 gal change every weekend and keep monotoring the salt and ph. nitrates can spike from stressed coral that can die off, or from over feeding, and all of that rotting stuff produced bad nitrates!!! and what types of fish do u have other than the tang you are planning on getting?
 
1snapple

1snapple

Active Member
I have a 3g and I don't test. I just don't.
Nothing has ever died, except for hermits killing each other.
I tested nitrates 2-3 weeks ago and they were 30-35 and i am not concerned.
(and meowzer, my flatworms are gone so the sixline is going into the huge 95g (big smile smiley here)
 
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