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February 11th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| Nitrate Help Please!
Ok so i set up my salt water tank a week ago, it is 90 gallons with 80 lbs of live sand, and 90 lbs of Fiji live rock, a Ehiem wet/dry trickle canister filter, and mag 3 driven remora pro skimmer. I added enough bio spira a day ago to cycle a 120 gallon tank after testing the tank and getting both a nitrite and nitrate reading. I tested last night and the nitrite levels had shot up, and so did the nitrates. My problem is that i have changed about 60 gallons of water since i set the tank up ( my remora pro skimmer was going crazy even after i raised the cup removing dirt and milky silt). Needless to say now that the tank is clear, i am sick of doing water changes for a little while. I just hate throwing away saltwater. I know all the trace elements and calcium levels are fine, so i was wondering if once my tank has cycled, will the nitrates drop to a safe level, and or would it be ok to use a chemical that neutralizes nitrates? it just seems stupid to remove 80 gallons or so of perfect salt water with just a nitrate problem. Of course this would be a one time thing. I know water changes are necessary. I just want to get some use out of this 200 gallon box of mix i used lol. | 
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February 11th, 2010
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| | Fish Keeper
| Why are you doing water changes while the tank is cycling? Nitrites and nitrates are suppose to shoot up and you would wait until it goes down. The bacteria will handle that and I suggest you don't do that much water change and make a bigger gap. IMO, the maximum ammount of water changes is 25 percent once a week. I only do 10-15 percet once a month. | |
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February 11th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Where did you purchuse rock was it non cured or precured, are you using RO water? tell me more! | |
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February 12th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| well im not really "changing water" im replacing what the stupid skimmer is taking out. i was set almost as high as it will go. I just placed the collection cup as high as possible, we will see what happens. And the rock was fully cured from drsfosterandsmith their live aquaria site. I am using tap water that has been treated to remove metals, chlorine and chloramine. | |
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February 12th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Even fully cured rock will have to pretty much start again on nitrite cycle but pulls thru it fairly rapidly after tank cycles nitrite levels back to zero then check nitrate levels as for water you really need to use a RO water! faucet water is not pure and will have a big impact on your setup eventually you will end up losing everything! | |
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February 12th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| ewww..ok i guess i could start using it. But back to my main question. Are the chemicals that neutralize nitrates safe for a FOLWR tank? | |
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February 12th, 2010
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate41590  ewww..ok i guess i could start using it. But back to my main question. Are the chemicals that neutralize nitrates safe for a FOLWR tank? | I would not recomend any chemichals for nitrates, ins FOWLR you can stand to have higher nitrates and usually the regular water changes keeps that in check. Also if you really want to reduce nitrates I would recomend to look into a refuge with microalge or a turf filter. | |
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February 13th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| eww i hadnt thought about that | |
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February 15th, 2010
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| | Fish Keeper
| All you really need to do is STOP changing water during hte cycle, and put the skimmer on low, so it doesn't take out so many water.
I only do water changes when my skimmer fills (1 time a month??) or top up when it evaporates with fresh RO. | |
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March 2nd, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| i have read that people get their nitrates to 0. how do you do that?!?!?!?! and a refug. isnt an option. | |
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March 2nd, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Thru water changes and keeping on top of it When replacing water RO is the only way to go! | |
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March 5th, 2010
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate41590 i have read that people get their nitrates to 0. how do you do that?!?!?!?! and a refug. isnt an option. | Well if a refug is not an option, than look into turf filters. If that's not an option either, than you are going to have to rely on water chages to reduce the nitrate level. It can get very costly, depends on how high the rate of accumulatio of the nitrates is. | |
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March 5th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| i havent heard of a turf filter before. and i dont have a very heavy bio load. i only have 3 damsels, one pepermint shrimp, and a clownfish. I only plan to add one or two tangs and maybe a wrasse. I am also planning on increasing my clean up crew, obviously. since i only have one small shrimp | |
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March 5th, 2010
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate41590 i havent heard of a turf filter before. and i dont have a very heavy bio load. i only have 3 damsels, one pepermint shrimp, and a clownfish. I only plan to add one or two tangs and maybe a wrasse. I am also planning on increasing my clean up crew, obviously. since i only have one small shrimp | You will have a siggnificant bio-load with the additional fish. You can goolge it and read on it. Basically it is just a filter that runs water trough a plastic pads where turf algea grows. As the water passes trough it absorbes the nitrates and phosphates. | |
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March 5th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hey Nate Don't worry about nitrate right now just get the filter we talked about then do RO water like we had talked about and it will happen soon ! Have you moved yet!!! Let me know!! | |
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March 6th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| ok i'll work on that thanks guys. and no ihaven't moved to RO yet...im looking at units. they are pretty expensive. I just bought my clownfish today and he is only like 2 inches and he seems to just be swirled around the tank in the current. he swims into it and stuff, but he hasnt explored the live rock or anything. and he refused to feedings. is this normal on the first day? i switched my korala (cant remember how to spell it) 3 off and left my number 2 on, before bed. thinking this might give him a rest. I just dont want to make it to difficult for him to swim. He seems to be having a little trouble. any thoughts? | |
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March 6th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Give him a efw days he'll come out of it he just needs to adapt to his new surroundings. How are water test? | |
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March 7th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| everything is good. the pH is about 8.0. the only thing that is not perfect is the nitrates, they are still at 20ppm. and i honestly think my clownfish is blind. He doesnt react to anything. not to a net trying to catch him, not even a fast approaching hand. He doesnt even move when i was sweeping the sand. He has got to be blind....its just so weird. | |
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March 9th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| That should be your new nickname BLIND FISH!!!! Sounds cool man!! Maybe we should start a band!!! Lol | |
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March 9th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| well he did catch a few pieces of food today...sooo mayyybe he is just a poorly sighted fish. or retarded.....i love my retarded clown fish | |
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March 10th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate41590 well he did catch a few pieces of food today...sooo mayyybe he is just a poorly sighted fish. or retarded.....i love my retarded clown fish | Good for the retarded clown fish!! Too funny! | |
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April 16th, 2010
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| | Fish Helper
| I read all the postings... you've got a nice little story happening nate, keep the postings going on 
Id like to just say... about RO water... thoe im in england so maybe our water supply differs haha but ive not had any problems so far... in fact ive grown a hitch-hiker crab from a hatchling to what it seems to be near on adult now.. and hes fine, ive also added more live rock... which has yet another hitch-hiker crab in it... hes also fine too, i added a big turbo snail... and hes loving the glass algae i had another snail.... but it looked like my big turbo snail was sucking the face off of the small turbo snail during transportation as they were in the same bag together, he looks dead to be honest, not moved an cm. could it of been the big turbo snail?
My water parameteres are fine! Amm 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 20, copper 0, PH 8.2
They recommend nitrates @ 0 for inverts... my FS's invert tank had outstandingly high nitrate levels... my parameters wiped the floor with the fs's, im wondering could that of been the reason my smaller turbo snail died?
Have no sump, nor a skimmer (heard it drains neutrients from coral reefs & anemones) which i want to have in due time. refugium is in the making.. will consist of beneficial algae (various types), copepods/mysis shrimp (got tones of these in my display tank - they've just populated and over populated) & LR.
But basically just wanted to say, it might be my location, but my "tap" water doesnt seem to be doing much harm at all! Its been boiled first (app can stablise PH, and as we know kills bacteria) then treated and left to stand for 12 hours... b4 put into use! | |
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April 24th, 2010
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| | Fish Bum
| well thanks for your input!! my tanks water is also far better than my LFS's so i would say that your tank will be like a breath of fresh air for your new arrivals. im not sure why you had a death already, i have heard that the cleaning inverts, have very random deaths | |
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April 25th, 2010
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| | Fish Mentor
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ibiaquariums I read all the postings... you've got a nice little story happening nate, keep the postings going on
Id like to just say... about RO water... thoe im in england so maybe our water supply differs haha but ive not had any problems so far... in fact ive grown a hitch-hiker crab from a hatchling to what it seems to be near on adult now.. and hes fine, ive also added more live rock... which has yet another hitch-hiker crab in it... hes also fine too, i added a big turbo snail... and hes loving the glass algae i had another snail.... but it looked like my big turbo snail was sucking the face off of the small turbo snail during transportation as they were in the same bag together, he looks dead to be honest, not moved an cm. could it of been the big turbo snail?
My water parameteres are fine! Amm 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 20, copper 0, PH 8.2
They recommend nitrates @ 0 for inverts... my FS's invert tank had outstandingly high nitrate levels... my parameters wiped the floor with the fs's, im wondering could that of been the reason my smaller turbo snail died?
Have no sump, nor a skimmer (heard it drains neutrients from coral reefs & anemones) which i want to have in due time.
Refugium is in the making.. will consist of beneficial algae (various types), copepods/mysis shrimp (got tones of these in my display tank - they've just populated and over populated) & LR.
But basically just wanted to say, it might be my location, but my "tap" water doesnt seem to be doing much harm at all! Its been boiled first (app can stablise PH, and as we know kills bacteria) then treated and left to stand for 12 hours... b4 put into use! | I disagree on that part you need a skimmer a skimmer is a must to acheive to the ultimate so get one! second you must test for phosphates and nitrates when using any type water as well as ammonia and metals to if your using a R/O water that is good!You should not have any Phos or Nitrates as mentioned above. Can you tell me what your doing in these areas. And at what stage of algae are you having? | |
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