Nitrate / Phosphate Refugium

[windwaterwaves]

Step 2 in my process.. feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 75 gallon tank I converted to reef with large fish in it. I have been unable to reduce nitrate/phosphates and keep them down. I upgraded the lighting and it is ready to go.

I am adding a 55 gallon tank in series with this tank. I am planning to have this tank use my old lights, have some sand, throw in some chaeto, maybe some shrimp or a goby and move some live rock over.

How should I populate this secondary tank/refugium and what should I try to grow to reduce my nitrates?

 

[Boomer]

I would go with Cheatomorpha in the fug and get some Warner Marine PhoSar HC GFO Iron oxide/hydroxide PO4 binder and a high quality activated carbon.

What are they at now ?

 

[windwaterwaves]

anyone else have some ideas? Should I just make this a softy tank with chaeto and some gobies or...? maybe some clownfish to breed? then add another 5 gallon pure refugium?

 

[returnofsid]

I'd agree with Boomer...AND I think everyone else will too. Boomer's going to give you about the best advice you could possibly get when it comes to anything to do with chemistry! The only thing I'd add is be careful with the GFO and start out at a much smaller dose than recommended. I'm sure Boomer or Don can elaborate on this, much better than I could.

 

[windwaterwaves]

Sera test - Nitrates 50mg/l, PO 1 mg/l, Salt 1.05

75 gallon tank, 3 gallon sump, in sump protein skimmer, 1 bag carbon, 1 cup phosgen (2 weeks old), several large fish, live rock, deep sand, corals, xenia. I have been changing 10-15 gallons of water per week for 2 months.

I am connecting a 50 gallon tank and cascading it into the 75 today. There is nothing in the tank today but water. I plan to add some chaeto today, possibly sand for the bottom as well as reducing the sand in the other tank and moving over some of the live rock to open up space.

Having plumbed it in, the zoo's and paly's are opening up bigger than ever (in 1 hour), and my favia has really expanded. Now if I can just keep the water quality that way...

TIA,
Ray

 

[returnofsid]

Nitrates are WAY high. How are you measuring your salt? A result of 1.05 is pretty high. You wanna be around 1.024-1.026.

 

[windwaterwaves]

Heh.. 1.025 on the salt, fat fingered it

 

[returnofsid]

LOL I suffer from that disease at times too. Well, that's a much better number.