Truth or not....

[jaspian]

Yeah I use the Fluval cause the tank is wedged in the corner in my kitchen area so I didnt want anything hanging off... but tonight is actually my first time cleaning it.... oops!... the instructions said rince once a month... Well I have the 304 model with 4 compartments filled with carbon... 3 old... 1 new... and biomax in 2 compartments.... i just rinsed, didnt remove anything... just added a new carbon bag. Should I add more biomedia?
What is that brown dustbunny looking stuff on my rock...???? I dont have any snails... maybe I should go get some.
"Feeding my tank anything?" You mean food for the inhabitants?? or Chemicals?? I have been feeding small amounts everyother day. Chemicals.... I added Cycle as directed... and some Kent Liquid Reactor.
Today my protein skimmer chilled out on the foaming... what does that mean? It has been foaming out of the waste cup the last 2 days.

 

[jaspian]

Alright my Nitrates are 30ppm again today. I have no clue of how else to go about fixing this problem.... I cant do another water change.. ive done two 12 gal changes in the last 3 days. I havent feed my fish in two days. I did put photoplankton in the tank without thinking... could that do it??? thanks

 

[birdy]

It is not uncommon for a fish tank to have nitrates of 30, you do not have anything in your tank to break down the nitrates, this can only be done a few ways, A DSB, a refugium with macro algaes.
What is kent's reactor? if it is a calcium additive you need to be sure you are testing pH, alk and Ca, don't just add additives blindly.
Skimmer slowing down is normal especially if you have reduced feeding. Also the cheaper skimmers just don't work efficently. That could also be part of your nitrate problem.
If you got a good skimmer and added a refugium (get rid of the fluval) then I bet your nitrates would be close to 0.

 

[jaspian]

What is a DSB?? I am adding Kents Reactor Calcium buffer (was told to do it every night and that i didnt have to test calcium). I think the alkalinity is high... but i used a dip test stick which wasnt accurate with my nitrates so I dont trust it. My pH is stable 8.2. I do have Hema____ (cant remember) algae plant.
Can I make my old wet dry a refugium?? I wouldnt even know where to begin but I dont want a hang on.. I want it in the cabinet (hense getting the fluval since its just tubes in/out the tank). Any reccommendations on a skimmer that wouldnt hang off the back??????? As you can see in the pic the tank is crammed in the corner and if I pull it out it looks retarded plus my cats try and go behind it..... they can almost squeeze behind it now. Thanks for your help.

 

[birdy]

Many times you can convert an old wet/dry into a sump/refugium, you may even be able to put a skimmer in the sump. If you cannot use the old wet dry, you can often make your own out of rubbermaid container. Do some searches on DIY sumps/refugiums.
I don't care what anyone told you, do not ever dose calcium without testing, pH, alk and Ca, you could have some major problems if you do.
A DSB is a deep sandbed 4-6", the deep anerobic layers of the sand convert the nitrates.