Need some help with 5 year established tank

[rcdude1990]

Hey guys, havent been on this site in a whileeeeee but im getting back into my tank.
ive had my tank for a good 5 years started out as a FOWLR but looking to step up a little in the game
let me tell you equipment first and what im looking to do.

130 Gallon saltwater tank with a few mushrooms and 1 toadstool leather (cant call it a FOWLR and cant call it a reef haha)
trigger systems 36 gallon sump - it has a refuge part however i tried growing chaeto but it always dies!
super reef octopus 2000 skimmer
BRS dual media reactor (gfo and carbon)
4 AI Vegas
2 MP40WS
160 lbs LR
fish = 2 clowns, 1 blue hippo, and 4 fox faces
water changes 6 gallons every 2 weeks

now im looking to make my tank a "simple" fish with coral reef.

im really interested in like the coral that is soft, waves and moves with the water current type corals.
mostly like leathers, definitly would love xenia and GSP, and a few mushrooms and such

ive received a free green mushroom about 6 months ago and its been growing a lot, probably split into 10 separate mushrooms.
i recieved xenia and GSP however they never came out, almost like they just were not alive.

the toadstool i purchased about 1 month ago and i do see the polyps popping out and such, however at night it like discharges this stringy mucus stuff (sorry dont know what its called lol) but my lFS said its fine and that's how it grows; not sure how true that is haha


so anyway i see people with BEAUTIFUL reefs and almost not as much equipment as i have, so im just wondering am i missing something? i know people with like dosing pumps and the whole nine yards, do i need all that? also like phosban reactors and such. i see people with great tanks and all they say is "i simply have a skimmer that's all and they use natures ocean boxed water for their water changes.

please if anyone can help and suggest things it would be greatly appreciated. im about to do a water change, so tomorrow i can post tank parameters as i know most of you will first ask what the tanks parameters are lol

 

[goldrush]

Not sure where to start. Since what you have right now seems to be doing well, I assume your readings (ph, alk, dkh,phos.,nitrates, etc.) are all good. It's pretty hard not to grow cheto. Maybe your skimmer isn't leave enough for it to feed on. Also it needs some light. What are your lights in the display tank? You should be able to transition nicely with just a few changes.

 

[tthemadd1]

The Vegas are more than sufficient for softies even sps if you wanted the tech stuff. As long as your water quality is good you should fine. Even with some phosphates the corals would be fine.
Maybe you got some bad stock. Otherwise if this is the route you want it sounds like your on the right path.
Post your water test numbers and that will help to see if there is an issue. Especially nitrates and phosphates. Old tanks get bogged down with waste over years of heavy fish bioload. Might be a red flag

 

[eric b 125]

Biweekly 6 gallon water changes on a 170 gallon system might not be enough to replace certain elements. You might want to think about doing some larger water changes. I have a 125 gallon w/ 40 gallon sump and do 30 gallon w/c every other week. Water changes not only keep certain things like nitrates low, but they also replace non-conservative elements needed to keep live stock alive. You may be getting a low nitrate reading, but that doesn't mean the other elements are at acceptable levels.

 

[rcdude1990]

sorry for late responce.. just tested water... unfortunetly i do not have a calk or iodine test kit... an anyonerefer me to a good complete test kit i can buy

as for the results

salinty= 1.027
temp = 77-79
ph = 8.3
ammonia = 0 ppm
nitrate = 0
nitrite = 0

these are all the tests i can do as per my test kit

i went to the LFS yesturday and picked up a ball of chaeto so ill give it another try

 

[tthemadd1]

Test for phosphates. If you have none your chaeto will die back. No nutrients in the water column equals no algae.

 

[rcdude1990]

hmm gonna have to buy a test kit.. ay suggestions?

 

[tthemadd1]

Plenty on the site. I use API but they have been known to give false readings. I use Red Sea for calcium. Just stay away from test strips. Not very accurate.

 

[rcdude1990]

I ordered my test kits, refractometer which shoukd come maybe tomorrow.. I will update when i have new readings

 

[rcdude1990]

test kit are in-- using API Reef master test kit marine... i was going to buy a iodine test however many reviews have said that the test kits are very innacurate.,.. can anyone suggest a test kit for iodine?


calcium level is at 480mg/l -- might be a little higher as im still understanding how this test kit works (number is determined by drops and such until a certain color appears)
carbonate hardness KH = 161.1 ppm kh
phosphate =.25
nitrate = 5.0
waterchange coming up on sunday so nitrate should come down

 

[rcdude1990]

a little confused on how to read a refractometer... marine depot pro

i look into the scope and the line lands on 1.028 on the left side and on the right side its at about 38 (lines are so close together lol)
so what does that mean?
im confused cause the intructions say like sg reading at 77 degrees... and then sg reading at 68 degrees

so is my tank at 1.028? lol tank is at about 77 degrees

 

[snakeblitz33]

If your water has been heated up to 77 degrees, there will be a slight temp difference from the tank to the refractometer, but it shouldn't be significant enough to cause a highly inaccurate reading. I'd suggest diluting your salt mix down to 1.026 salinity for 36ppm SG at maximum. At a salinity that high, you should have an accurate auto top off system to keep salinity stable. Most reef keepers end up keeping their salinity at 1.024-1.025. Most fish only keepers keep it much lower... 1.022 on down to 1.020 to save money on salt mix.

 

[rcdude1990]

well yes i sappose the salt level is high since the crappy hydrometer isnt very accurate apparently lol... so i guess on sunday when i do the water change ill put new salt water to about 1.024 so i can bring down the level?

 

[snakeblitz33]

Yeah, usually, people do small water changes to get their salinity down. Bt, there are several methods out there and each one has its benefits.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rcdude1990 http:///t/396650/need-some-help-with-5-year-established-tank#post_3534775
a little confused on how to read a refractometer... marine depot pro

i look into the scope and the line lands on 1.028 on the left side and on the right side its at about 38 (lines are so close together lol)
so what does that mean?
im confused cause the intructions say like sg reading at 77 degrees... and then sg reading at 68 degrees

so is my tank at 1.028? lol tank is at about 77 degrees


Hi,

Just adding a tiny bit to Snakes answer... As long as the SG level is constant ... That's the goal.

1.028 isn't all that off if you haven't topped the tank off yet. SG rises as the water level drops, which is why I personally go for 1.024, it offers some wiggle room when the SG rises, since I don't use an auto top unit.. Whatever the reading is for your tank, that's the reading you always shoot for when you do your water changes. No matter which side of the refractometer you want to read from, or the temperature of your tank. To do everything super perfect, you would have to heat the change water to match the tank water, before you swap it out and do the water change....it really isn't a big thing to be concerned about.

The only time using a refractometer will really matter, is if you are doing hypo. The SG measures must be precise when you do that, otherwise it's not that big of a deal as long as you always match the SG level when you do water changes. If you want to raise or lower the SG...always do it very slowly. The hydrometer was fine, you always matched what was in the tank, a little higher wasn't an issue. Corals and fish adjust themselves to the SG, that's why we acclimate a new critter on arrival.