RECYCLE?

[koranman]

I have a 125 that I just lost most of my fish to ick a month ago. I added 45-50 lbs lr to the tank that already had 70 lbs lr and a 4" sand base. I still have a maroon and a blue velvet damsel alive in the tank with cleanup crew and 1 coral banded shrimp 2 brittle stars. I can not seem to get the nitrate level to go down. My lfs says don't worry about the nitrate levels. All other levels are at 0. Should I wait to see if the lr makes a difference? Is it ok to add some fish back into the tank?
Americal wet/dry
802, 2-301 power heads
Sea Clone and 1 unknown brand skimmers
fluvol 404 with just carbon and biomax rings
120 lbs. lr
4" dsb- use to be live sand but I don't ever see anything live in it. How do you tell??
Walt

 

[carrie1429]

Don't worry about your nitrate levels! I wounldn't listen to the LFS, a lot of times they don't know what they are talking about. To reduce nitrate levels do a water change if not already, nitrates can come from overfeeding or too much fish waste so if your not doing water changes I would do like 20%. Also ,IMO, you shouldn't add any fiah yet, chances are your remaining fish could have ich even though its not visible, I would wait a couple more weeks before adding fish.
You can tell if you sand is live because if you look closely you can see little worm trails underneath the sand, least I see worm trails in my LS.

 

[sinner's girl]

Just so you have a second opinon.
"My lfs says don't worry about the nitrate levels." lose that lfs. nitrates are deadly.
if you haven't already bring a sample of your water to a lfs and have them test it. (to make sure it's not your test kit)
then do a water change. do not add fish till you have nitrates under control and you know for sure ich is gone (though i don't know how long that is. but if you ask on the treatment board they'll tell you)

 

[heavenly damsel]

The best long term control of nitrates is a refugium with caulerpa. I have no trate problem since adding this. Added it to grow the caulerpa for my tangs, trate control was an added bonus. HTH

 

[killyah]

i aggree with Heavenly Damsel about the refugium with caulerpa, i have done this too and very pleased with the results. i used to have 40-80ppm trate, now 0.5 - 10ppm.