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angelofdeath132
Guest
changed over from c.c. to a DSB a week ago today, my nitrates were high b/4 i changed over and they're still high. how soon can i do a water change to try and get the nitrates down a little?
cboyfan2020
Active Member
when you start seeing bubles in the sand then you know your DSB is starting to work.
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angelofdeath132
Guest
i guess what i'm wondering is; will it harm anything in the DSB if i do a water change now since the DSB has only been set up for a week? want to lower my nitrates(40) or do i wait? the algae on the sand looks terrible! afraid if i don't do anything the algae will permanantly discolor the sand.
cboyfan2020
Active Member
what kinda algae is it? Doing a water change wont affect the sand bed i dont think.
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angelofdeath132
Guest
brown/green algae
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angelofdeath132
Guest
was told not to stir the sand, correct?
cboyfan2020
Active Member
checked your phosphates recently? dont stir the sand . You could float a pastic bowl on the water and dump the water in it so you wouldnt have all that force going down to the sand.
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angelofdeath132
Guest
what's the best way of keeping phosphates down? water changes? i do 10% every 2 weeks, maybe i need to up the %?
cboyfan2020
Active Member
are you using ro/di water? If not start. you can also use a phosphate sponge. Kent Marine makes a good one.
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angelofdeath132
Guest
yeah, i use RO/DI water from Culligan for top-offs and changes, I'll try the phosphate sponge and see how that goes. what about PhosGuard? thanks for all your advice!
cboyfan2020
Active Member
never used phosguard but heard it works too.