For the first time since I started a SW tank!

flower

flower

Well-Known Member

For the first time…I have 0 nitrates!

I had my red algae in there for a month already. No matter what nitrates were at 20, which is what I had at the start.
I did a water test before I began, API test read 20 nitrates. I added my little fuge, got Fiji mud everywhere, but when the tank cleared 24 hours later…my corals looked like they were smiling, everything was out and fully bloomed even the cloves that were not doing well. Every flower is now fully open.
After all had cleared I did a small water change, 13g and this morning I decided to test and got my much desired 0 nitrate reading.
When the tank was cloudy, I was a tad worried I had made a huge mistake, but the mud instructions said it would clear in 24 hours..Naturally, I worried until it did. Whew.
Thank you Beaslbob for recommending macroalgae!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by mooseythemoron
http:///forum/post/3293853
That's Cool, So did the Fiji Mud do the trick??

I think it helped to push it over the edge...The macroalglae had been in there a month and I started doing water changes 2xs a month instead of once, all combined got it down so I will continue. The test now is if I can maintain the 0 reading. If I can keep it down for a while and I am sure I have things under control I will get another SPS frag and see how it goes. I always by a frag if I’m not sure..coral cost so much, even a small frag will run $40.00 on the cheap side.
I don’t want to rush, I want to be sure..LOL..I’m so happy and I couldn’t believe my eyes so I showed the test results to my mom..she saw yellow too.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3293836

For the first time…I have 0 nitrates!

...
Thank you Beaslbob for recommending macroalgae!
You're welcome and I am glad they finally dropped to 0.
I also remember how long it initially took my 55g to do that. LIke over a year with nitrates then in a week they finally dropped down.
Now your next "goal" is 0 phosphates.

And look for cyano in a few weeks. If that happens kill your lights for a few days until the cyano dies off.
congrates and glad the corals are doing well.
my .02
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by beaslbob
http:///forum/post/3293866
You're welcome and I am glad they finally dropped to 0.
I also remember how long it initially took my 55g to do that. LIke over a year with nitrates then in a week they finally dropped down.
Now your next "goal" is 0 phosphates.

And look for cyano in a few weeks. If that happens kill your lights for a few days until the cyano dies off.
congrates and glad the corals are doing well.
my .02

Phosphates have been 0 for a long time. I started rinsing my frozen foods after it was thawed...Meowzer taught me that one.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3293868

Phosphates have been 0 for a long time. I started rinsing my frozen foods after it was thawed...Meowzer taught me that one.
dern.
you may have a tank that just stays awesome.
ps do you think the gracillaria (spelling) was what consumed the nitrates?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by beaslbob
http:///forum/post/3293872
dern.
you may have a tank that just stays awesome.
ps do you think the gracillaria (spelling) was what consumed the nitrates?

Well the mud was in there for 24 hours, the algae for a month...I also upped my water changes to 2xs instead of just once each month...but only 13g instead of 37g...can 24oz of Fiji mud really make that much of a change in a 90g tank of water over night?

I think it was a combo of all the things I was doing. Until I wanted SPS corals I never worried about a reading of 20 nitrate because I was told and read that under 40 was fine for a reef and considered normal.
Now phosphates I knew were very bad, so if I got any reading of phosphates I added purigen, and if it still didn’t go down I would dose the tank with Phosphate E or phos-buster pro. After Meowzer told me to rinse my frozen foods I very seldom had to do anything to keep phosphates down. The only thing I feed my critters are frozen food cubes ( I change up for variety) and once in a while a few chunks of shrimp..one for the fish to play tag with each other and the other to feed the anemone and star fish.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by nikeSB
http:///forum/post/3293939
congrats on the nitrates. aim for 10% water changes a week now and it keep it away

That's allot of work, every other week plus a few days won't do it you don't think?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by dc2mlbsm
http:///forum/post/3293950
Is your cyano gone?

I haven't had an outbreak of cyano in three maybe more years.
Do you have me confused with someone else? Easy to do on this site, so many folks with so many different problems.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by dc2mlbsm
http:///forum/post/3293970
lol never mind I just assumed red algae was cyano for some reason but now I know it's good algae


Oh the Red Gracillaria! I agree it's hard to remember there are other things red...I have red coraline too, first time I posted pictures everyone gave me advice on how to get rid of it.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
How do you all do your water changes? Just put your tube in the tank and let it go down your sink and then just hook it up to your faucet and let it fill back up? My friend has a 40 some gallon tank and said he doesn't change his water more than 3 or 4 times a year... am I able to do that with a 125 without killing everything? He claims it doesn't hurt his fish... he also has FW though. Does that make an extreme difference?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Sparty059
http:///forum/post/3293990
How do you all do your water changes? Just put your tube in the tank and let it go down your sink and then just hook it up to your faucet and let it fill back up? My friend has a 40 some gallon tank and said he doesn't change his water more than 3 or 4 times a year... am I able to do that with a 125 without killing everything? He claims it doesn't hurt his fish... he also has FW though. Does that make an extreme difference?

Yes FW is a whole different world. For Saltwater you need RO (Reverse Osmoses) water never tap unless it can’t be avoided. Tap water is not pure enough and you will land up with hair algae and all kinds of water troubles.
This is what I do on my 90g 2xs each month:
Step #1…When I plan a water change I use a plastic garbage can marked FISH ONLY and has never been used for anything else.
Step #2…I get my RO water, I have my own unit, but I have gotten it from Wal-Mart for .37 a gallon. And fill my container,
Step #3…After I have enough water in my container, I add my salt..1/2 cup per gallon. I use a power head to churn the water and let it mix for 24 hours before I use it. I cover my container with a tablecloth to keep dog hair out ( I have 2 dogs that shed everywhere) and it looks nice in my livingroom so I don’t have to look at an eye sore.
Step #4…Remove the old water from your tank, I put the old water in a FISH ONLY marked bucket, then use that water to rinse the filter media in. The last bucket I save just in case I remove too much water and I have to put it back in. This has happened to me twice so I always do it.
Step #5…refill the tank from my container with the new mixed saltwater
Mission accomplished.
Saltwater water changes are easier than freshwater tanks. Because of the CUC (clean up crew) of crabs and snails there is no need to vacuum the sand, no cleaning algae off of everything and you only remove a small amount of water so the critters don’t have to be placed in buckets while you do it.
 
langlandjoshua

langlandjoshua

New Member
I am slightly new to the whole reef tank deal, but my tank is working on the seven month mark. What I do know is that it is recomended to do a 10-20% water change every month or two. My suggestion for how should do your water change is this; if you have a sump pull water from there, not your main tank(no need to create any uneeded stress on the fish), use a syphon hose to pull water outmine has an attatchemt to the sink so i do not need to start the syphon myself), only pull out enough to drop the water lvl about 4-5 inches in your sump( mine is a 20 gallon so that works out to about 4-5 gallons), then clear the hose and fill an empty 5 gallon bucket, many people use water purification machines to clean the water before hand I( for now) use a chemical to get rid of any chlorine in the water among other things, then i get the salinity where I want it in the bucket, from there I add the water to the sump. It is a rather simple thing to do, even though the salinity can be a bit tricky. It has done well for me my last chemical levels were; 0 Amonia, 0 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, PH of 8.3, 54ppm Calcium, 12 Carbonate, and 0 phosphate. I hope this helps any questions you have for me feel free to E-mail me at langlandjoshua@gmail.com
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by langlandjoshua
http:///forum/post/3294026
I am slightly new to the whole reef tank deal, but my tank is working on the seven month mark. What I do know is that it is recomended to do a 10-20% water change every month or two. My suggestion for how should do your water change is this; if you have a sump pull water from there, not your main tank(no need to create any uneeded stress on the fish), use a syphon hose to pull water outmine has an attatchemt to the sink so i do not need to start the syphon myself), only pull out enough to drop the water lvl about 4-5 inches in your sump( mine is a 20 gallon so that works out to about 4-5 gallons), then clear the hose and fill an empty 5 gallon bucket, many people use water purification machines to clean the water before hand I( for now) use a chemical to get rid of any chlorine in the water among other things, then i get the salinity where I want it in the bucket, from there I add the water to the sump. It is a rather simple thing to do, even though the salinity can be a bit tricky. It has done well for me my last chemical levels were; 0 Amonia, 0 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, PH of 8.3, 54ppm Calcium, 12 Carbonate, and 0 phosphate. I hope this helps any questions you have for me feel free to E-mail me at langlandjoshua@gmail.com

Just in case nobody has said it...WELCOME to the site!
There are more chemicals in tap water besides the chlorine, your methods work for freshwater, but you are going to run into trouble with saltwater. Your calcium level is way low..it should be around 400 to 500.
Have you gone to the fish store and had your water tested there to double check your readings? I think there may be something off with your kit, what test kit do you use? Oh, what level is your SG and temp?
P.S.
I don't have a sump so naturally I wouldn't use one in my method. I would never dump the water into the sink with a hose unless I was VERY sure of my new water matching exactly and that is hard to do when you are new. Not everyone has the same size sump or tank as you so inches are not much help..
 
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