new tank, everything ok but...

[mchabot]

I just purchased a 75 gallon tank from someone who wasn't interested in the hobby anymore. I am using an eheim 2227 external canister filter and currently I am keeping the tank dark to reduce algae growth. Before you jump all over me about the canister filter I have read about it and I clean it / change the filter media regularly and have added bioballs to facilitate bacteria growth. It had some cured live rock in it (I would say 60 - 80 lbs) and I just added 100 lbs of bioactive aragonite reef sand. My ph, amonia, and nitrite test just fine but my nitrates are off the charts. The salinity is a bit high (1.028). I don't have anything live in the tank just yet except for one snail that climbed out of the rocks I got with the setup. I need to get this under control and would like advice on what to add to the tank next. I have been told by many that the next step is snails and hermit crabs to get ready for fish waste. Would chaeto algae work? I'm trying to move slowly and carefully so that this tank will look great for a long time.
Matt

 

[oceansidefish]

how long has it been set up and have you done a water change??? Are you amn and trites 0?

 

[mchabot]

It has been setup for about a week. I've been trying to give it time to stabilize because of the initial shock of moving the live rock. Amonia and nitrites are 0 (unmeasurable). I have a protein skimmer that I haven't set up yet because there isn't anything livinng in the tank. I was under the impression that it would only help with new sources of nitrate and not nitrate that was already there. Correct me if I'm wrong. No water change yet but the water is new since I got the tank going.
Matt

 

[lexluethar]

Was the LR already established. If you have nitrates already i would assume that you've already gone through your cycle. If this is the case then you should do a 20-30% water change. That should help your nitrates.
If they are still out of control (20+) i would continue to do 10% changes every other day until they are under control. I would also make sure the media for the canister filter is clean (which i'm sure it is since you're not feeding).
Hope this helps.

 

[m0nk]

Well, if you didn't save any of the original water you may need to keep a good eye on your levels for a while, I'm not sure if you'll need to cycle it again. Nitrates should go down with future water changes and if you decide to run additional media in your filter, with some time.

 

[jasonmarc]

Hi Matt,
The first question I have is - did you use the water that was in the tank when you purchased it, or is it a new batch of water that you made up and set-up the tank? If it's the old water, it may have been off the charts with the nitrates before you even got your hands on it.
My limited advice would be, especially if it is old water, to follow Lex's advice and change the water every other day until you get them under control.
Good luck!
Jason

 

[mchabot]

Lex,
The LR was already established, I kept it wet and just moved it.
Jason,
The water is new, the old stuff looked pretty cloudy so I used a new batch
Monk,
What additional media can I use in the filter to combat nitrates? I would be interested to read about it.
Anyone have any comments on algae (chaeto maybe?), plants, or other living things I can add to the tank at this point to help control nitrates and to continue moving forward towards getting fish in there?

 

[lexluethar]

I would first take care of the nitrates before adding fish. Fish will only add to your nitrate problem, and there is a chance w/ all of the water changes that you may lose them with large water changes.
Personally i would first do water changes. It is the most effective way of combating nitrates. Once the nitrates are under control, then you could add fish.
IMO

 

[mchabot]

I understand that I need to get the tank stable before I add fish. I was more interested in if I can add snails and hermit crabs to help get the tank ecosystem going.

 

[lexluethar]

You can, but with extremely high nitrates they may die. It is the same reason that I said not to add fish, the nitrates are high and may be toxic to the fish / inverts. Your tanks ecosystem is already up and running if you have high nitrates AND your LR is already established. All you are going to do now is add to the bioload.
Again, i would try to get the nitrates to a reasonable level before adding anything. Just my opion.

 

[mchabot]

So it seems like the opinion here is that algae will not work, just do water changes until the problem goes away and then start slowly increasing the bioload. I would still be intersted to know about the additional filter media that might help control this problem in the future.
Matt

 

[lexluethar]

Filter media that would reduce Nitrates would include adding things like Refugiums and Cheato. But then again all you are doing with a FUGE is putting Nitrate absorbing life into the system, like adding Cheato, LR, certain types of mud and other plant life, bioballs, ect.
Adding more mechanical filtration will not reduce your nitrates (to my knowledge). What mechanical filtration will allow is for you to catch the debris floating in your aquarium, then you will have to dispose of the uneaten food and waste yourself. The mechanical part of the filtration process won't reduce the nitrates, but adding things like LR, plant life, and bio-balls will.

 

[mchabot]

Now I have a followup question. I want to use my tap water for these water changes. I have tested it and ph, amonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all ok. I know I need to dechlorinate it and mix in salt but are there any other things I need to consider? What is the best way to take the chlorine out?

 

[lexluethar]

I wouldn't use tap water. You will notice problems with algea down the road if you continue to use tap water.
IF you are unwilling to change to RO/DI water (about 30 cents a gallon) then i've heard leaving water out for a certain period of time will get the chlorine out. Again just what i've heard.

 

[mchabot]

The cheapest RO/DI water I can find around here is $1 per gallon. Is it still worth it? Any suggestions on what brand of salt to mix in? I'll eventually have corals and fish.

 

[lexluethar]

Could you purchase a RO/DI unit to make your own? If water is that expensive around there maybe a filter would be the best solution.

 

[mchabot]

I was wondering that. I don't really want to sink 300 dollars into one right now. Do you know of any that are a good deal and still work well? It might be better just to bite the bullet and get one now since I'm planning on doing this for a while.