Multiple Problems
- Thread starter fmelindy
- Start date
fmelindy
Member
how regularly do I need to vacuum it? Also, I've only done that once and it seems to be harder than it sounds. I was only able to vacuum a very small amount of the substrate before I had a 3 gallon bucket full of my tank water! I had to stop there because that was all the replacement water I had prepared at the time. Any way to do this without getting so much water? Maybe I'm just a moron and can't manage that simple task!
greatfullreefer
Active Member
Wow nitrates are really high no wonder your hammer wont open (he is scared..lol) IMO you are overfeeding your tank i feed mine 3 times per week and have done this with no ill effects for the past 3 years. If you have room under the tank for a refugium it would work wonders for nutrient export and then get rid of the bio wheel system. Look into a r/o di unit as tap water is ultimately not the best choice. Make sure you use a good tap water conditioner to remove as much of the nasty stuff in there as possible, additionally let the water sit for 24 hours with a small power head for airation and preheat to your tank temperature then add salt. Test the parameters of the pre mixed to see if you need to buffer. Seems like a pain right now but after a while becomes second nature.
eg_hatch
Member
How much flow do I need in a tank this size with next to 100 lbs of live rock? I've got 1 powerhead turning over 300 gph and another turning over 160 gph with my biowheel filtration unit turning over 120 gph (I think). It seems like I get a lot of sediment settling on my LR and a lot of "dead spots". I don't think I have enough flow but my calculation indicate that this turns over the volume of my tank over 10 times an hour. How much is too much flow?
I have my 55 turning over about 28x an hour(1500gal/hr) You usually want your display tank turning over about 20-30x an hour..
I have my 55 turning over about 28x an hour(1500gal/hr) You usually want your display tank turning over about 20-30x an hour..
scotts
Active Member
FM, as I said before I am no expert, but CC and tap water are not real favorites on this board. You can do a search and find many posts about people changing from CC to LS. Also all tap water has "stuff" in it that is not good for your tank. You should be able to buy some RO water from any gorcery store that would be better for your tank.
One other thing if I may (I don't want to sound like I am preaching to you) that is a lot of stuff to have in a new tank. You had a pretty heavy bio-load in your tank and the new rock just pushed it over the edge. One thing that is often said in this hobby is patience. You need to let your tank build up all of the good bugs and bateria before you add something else.
I think now would be a good time to switch from CC to LS and then add to your tank slowly.
Like I said I don't want to sound preachy to you, just trying to help you out.
Scott
One other thing if I may (I don't want to sound like I am preaching to you) that is a lot of stuff to have in a new tank. You had a pretty heavy bio-load in your tank and the new rock just pushed it over the edge. One thing that is often said in this hobby is patience. You need to let your tank build up all of the good bugs and bateria before you add something else.
I think now would be a good time to switch from CC to LS and then add to your tank slowly.
Like I said I don't want to sound preachy to you, just trying to help you out.
Scott
fmelindy
Member
That's OK, Scotts, I'm not offended. I can't get live sand because I can't find anyone willing to ship to Newfoundland. If I could have, I definitely would have went with live sand from the beginning. I just ordered a RO/DI unit as well so soon water quality won't be a problem. I also want to set up a refugium for exporting nitrates but I don't have a clue how to go about it. Anybody have any good ideas about anything simple + effective + idiot-proof? Thanks!!!