chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
ive tried the NO3 removing resins in the past. save your money
Help! How do I clean my sump?
- Thread starter miNiChher
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ive tried the NO3 removing resins in the past. save your money
miNiChher
Well-known member
last night after class i checked my nitrate and pH: each were 5 and 8.4 respectively. 
I rinsed out my filter sock in RO water and cleaned my skimmer.... but am sure I need to replace that dumb sock all together can't wait to find those... must travel to an LFS immediately!
I rinsed out my filter sock in RO water and cleaned my skimmer.... but am sure I need to replace that dumb sock all together can't wait to find those... must travel to an LFS immediately!LakeEd
Achilles
Don't worry too much about your pH. You'll find it will swing slowly upward during your light cycle every day. I would guess it is probably starting out in the morning about 8.2ish... then ending up at that 8.4 just before lights out... which is normal.
miNiChher
Well-known member
oh I forgot, my salinity jumped to about 1.027 and I have a tunze osmolater but don't quite have it going just yet
those things are nifty contraptions but I am afraid to set it up just yet as I am not home all day
my thoughts are to have it connected to a 5 gallon container of RO water and just hope that it recognizes the water level changes aaaaaahhhh but it is still tooo confusing...
*sigh.... i need to do some more reading on that
those things are nifty contraptions but I am afraid to set it up just yet as I am not home all day
my thoughts are to have it connected to a 5 gallon container of RO water and just hope that it recognizes the water level changes aaaaaahhhh but it is still tooo confusing...
*sigh.... i need to do some more reading on that
chris&barb
Reef-Geeks
you are topping up you evaporation with plain RO right?
miNiChher
Well-known member
yes plain fresh RO nothing added into it
but it's not installed yet... still have to do some more reading before i get it going...
but it's not installed yet... still have to do some more reading before i get it going...
sc18702
Well-known member
Major water change this weekend. Close to 30% ( I know, too high but nitrates were getting closer to 40ppm). Amazingly, the long tenacle seemed much happier. Came out from behind the rocks and opened up to double the size I have seen recently. I also cleaned all filter pads and sponges and started the slow removal of bio balls.
Curious on feeding. Does everyone feed their fish daily ? My LFS said they feed 3 or 4 times a week and that this would cut down on nitrates. They indicated that most fish have natural items to eat in the tank so they are not going to starve.
Curious on feeding. Does everyone feed their fish daily ? My LFS said they feed 3 or 4 times a week and that this would cut down on nitrates. They indicated that most fish have natural items to eat in the tank so they are not going to starve.
LakeEd
Achilles
I used to feed (overfeed???) twice daily. Had a high nitrate problem then. Since I moved, I cut back my feedings to every other day, only ONCE a day. Yes, fish sure enjoy feeding time now, but honestly they don't look any thinner (and, I have some FAT fish!!!) and I haven't had anything higher than a 1 on my Nitrates.
To be fair though, when I moved, I also went bare-bottom on my tank (had about a 2" substrate before), as well as installing a Hammerhead Closed Loop pump for circulation. Both of these changes, along with changing my feeding habits I'm sure have contributed to my now non-existent Nitrates.
To be fair though, when I moved, I also went bare-bottom on my tank (had about a 2" substrate before), as well as installing a Hammerhead Closed Loop pump for circulation. Both of these changes, along with changing my feeding habits I'm sure have contributed to my now non-existent Nitrates.
miNiChher
Well-known member
Hello Ed,
Do you have any pointers on feeding Acropora's? Mine went from having a greenish tint to becoming brownish and tan to having some really WHITE areas on it... does this mean she's dying???
Do you have any pointers on feeding Acropora's? Mine went from having a greenish tint to becoming brownish and tan to having some really WHITE areas on it... does this mean she's dying???
LakeEd
Achilles
Lots goes on with Acro's...
They want good quality water... low nitrates & phosphates.
They want intense light
They like higher flow
Your water quality is now getting better for you, so you are doing what you can there.
As I remember from your earlier post, you have dual 175 MH on your system. These will work, for Acro's placed higher in your tank, and mostly directly under the lights.
I don't know, or remember, what type flow you have in your tank. If you have power heads or Seio's helping what ever flow through your sump? Acro's tend to like the higher flow rate, not directly on them, yet a good flow of moving water around them.
This also leads back to your original question here... about Feeding. Acro's, for the most part, are Detritus eaters. What that means is, the BEST food you can give them, is what your fish in your system waist! Having a good flow, helps keep this fish waist moving around the water column, feeding your corals.
SPS's don't (again, generally) do anything with stuff like Phytoplankton... so I keep away from that.
For me, I make my own food for my fish. I purchase the frozen Shrimp, Scallops, Squid... toss that in my blender, add some of the jared oysters, toss in a few sheets of Nori, add some Selcon and RO/DI water. Blend, then pour into freezer ziplocks. Place this mush in the freezer laying flat on a box, so the mush is about 1/4" thick, and when its feeding time, I break off a chunk and thaw in RO/DI, then feed to my tank. Gives me a little of everything, without the preservitives some prepaired foods give. Not to mention it being much more cost effective also.
They want good quality water... low nitrates & phosphates.
They want intense light
They like higher flow
Your water quality is now getting better for you, so you are doing what you can there.
As I remember from your earlier post, you have dual 175 MH on your system. These will work, for Acro's placed higher in your tank, and mostly directly under the lights.
I don't know, or remember, what type flow you have in your tank. If you have power heads or Seio's helping what ever flow through your sump? Acro's tend to like the higher flow rate, not directly on them, yet a good flow of moving water around them.
This also leads back to your original question here... about Feeding. Acro's, for the most part, are Detritus eaters. What that means is, the BEST food you can give them, is what your fish in your system waist! Having a good flow, helps keep this fish waist moving around the water column, feeding your corals.
SPS's don't (again, generally) do anything with stuff like Phytoplankton... so I keep away from that.
For me, I make my own food for my fish. I purchase the frozen Shrimp, Scallops, Squid... toss that in my blender, add some of the jared oysters, toss in a few sheets of Nori, add some Selcon and RO/DI water. Blend, then pour into freezer ziplocks. Place this mush in the freezer laying flat on a box, so the mush is about 1/4" thick, and when its feeding time, I break off a chunk and thaw in RO/DI, then feed to my tank. Gives me a little of everything, without the preservitives some prepaired foods give. Not to mention it being much more cost effective also.
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LakeEd
Achilles
Ohhh,
As for, is your acro dying???
Does it appear to be losing tissue? If that is the case, then yes, it may have seen better days. If not, the change in color you are seeing is more than likely an acclumination of the problem you had with the higher nitrate level, finally catching up with the coral. Like I said in the post above here, SPS need good quality water, and those higher nitrates could of quite possiblly had their tole on them. Things don't change quickly with SPS's (Especially when it comes to coloring back up), so what ever you are seeing now has been something that has built up with them to this point. If you aren't seeing tissue loss, just sit back and watch for a couple weeks, and hopefully now that your nitrates are better under control, you will notice things looking much better for you!
As for, is your acro dying???
Does it appear to be losing tissue? If that is the case, then yes, it may have seen better days. If not, the change in color you are seeing is more than likely an acclumination of the problem you had with the higher nitrate level, finally catching up with the coral. Like I said in the post above here, SPS need good quality water, and those higher nitrates could of quite possiblly had their tole on them. Things don't change quickly with SPS's (Especially when it comes to coloring back up
), so what ever you are seeing now has been something that has built up with them to this point. If you aren't seeing tissue loss, just sit back and watch for a couple weeks, and hopefully now that your nitrates are better under control, you will notice things looking much better for you!LakeEd
Achilles
How has your tank been progressing for you this last month? Seem to have your Nitrates under control now (under 10), and starting to see more color out of your SPS's? How did your clown do? Inquiring minds wanna know.
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miNiChher
Well-known member
oh wow! Hello, Sorry with it being Tax Season it's been incredibly busy in my world. As for my tank.... it's doing quite well... at least i think :\ well here's a pic of the front part of my display tank... Is there something I should be doing with my sand, (maybe clean it)? I am afraid to move it as there are greens and purples in there and they might be nitrates or other bad gases. Here's a pic ummm let me know what you think. Should I worry about a Nitrate buildup?
miNiChher
Well-known member
you know i should probably repost this question else where...
LakeEd
Achilles
What you are seeing is normal, so don't worry too much about it. When you do your water changes, you can use one of the undergravel cleaners, and kinda suck the top layer of your sand (since you only have about 2" in there), and that will help ensure it isn't trapping any food stuffs in there, but you will still see the color against the glass as you are. IF you had a "deep sand bed" (6" or so), then you have the availability of having the anarobic (non-oxygenated) area, that you wouldn't want to disturb... but at only 2" deep, you're good to go for cleaning.
Just wanted to see how everything was doing for you. I fully understand how things can get hectic, so no worries there!
Just wanted to see how everything was doing for you. I fully understand how things can get hectic, so no worries there!
miNiChher
Well-known member
phew! thanks for the info... i was starting to think i might have to undergo yet another fire drill... :| hehe well the whole filter sock changes have HELPED TREMENDOUSLY! thanks a million... I'll post new pics and new water parameters by the end of this week just to get some feedback on my progress...
until then au revoir
until then au revoir
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