What way should I go...

[Skimmerking]

So here is my problem Canreefer's. I just tested my tank for Nitrates and they are at 25PPM or alittle less, but pretty much they are sitting around 25. I run a BB tank with a Euro reef RC250, algae in my sump lite by a 175 ushio 10K bulb that is on for 14 hrs pre day. I hardly feed and I used Carbon and I suck out the crap that pools in the corner of the tank and I'm replacing with 5 gallons of frsh SW everytime. Monthy I'm doing 35 gal to.

I know that 35 gals isn't lots on my system where i have a display of 170 + 75 gal sump 40 of that is the aglae growning.

So here is the next step
1. do 30 % waterchanges every month
2. buy another Ozone unit again, since I traded my other one off
3. get a Sulphur reactor for the tank.

I'm kinda at a loss here I loosing SPs corals from somthing, but don't know what. Myself and Doug were talking and he thinks that the corals wouldn't be dying from just the nitrates. But they don't like lots of Nitrates..


your thoughts


mike

[Ruth]

How old is your live rock Mike? It might be that the nitrates are being stored in the LR and being released. I know that I have read about that happening with old LR.
You might want to consider weekly water changes of 30-40% until they come down a bit more.
I know that when my nitrates have been high on my now FOWLR and anemone tank I was loosing SPS corals too. The heat and no skimmer finished them off and with the fish load in this tank I just decided not to add any more corals.

[Beverly]

Michael,

First of all, you make me check the nitrate level in our 120g before I stated that we don't have nitrate in our reef 0 ppm nitrate in there, btw

Second, I have doubts that you have any nitrate in your reef and suspect your test kit may be wrong. You have a well-lit refugium and lots of macroalgae to suck up nitrate, you feed sparingly, and you have a good skimmer (I presume as I know squat about skimmers).

I don't know how often you are removing the crud from your tank or if you are getting all of it - which may be part of the nitrate problem, if indeed you have one. We baste under our rockwork each week to get the hidden crud out into the open so we can siphon it out. This weekly habit may contribute to our 0 ppm nitrate, but I also think that the loads of macroalgae in the reef suck up most of our nitrate.

Anyway, with declining corals, I would first suspect that chemistry in your reef may not be taken care of on a regular basis. You did not mention alk, Ca or Mg levels, or how often you test and adjust these levels.

There may also be a problem with the chemistry of the pail of salt you're using, which must also be checked to eliminate this as a possible source of chemistry problems.

In our reef, I used to test and adjust alk, Ca and Mg every 1-3 weeks. However, our halimeda had always grown poorly, even though we dosed kalk nightly. Corals and coralline algae were okay, but not growing much. pH also was kind of whacky, sometimes being as far out as 7.98 in when the lights go on and climbing to 8.45 by lights out.

A few weeks ago, I went to dosing buffer, Ca and Mg daily, though I only test every 1-2 weeks. I have already noticed a positive difference in the growth of coralline and corals. pH has also stabilized between 8.10 and about 8.35.

Actions I would take if your reef was mine:

- double check nitrate levels using a different test kit
- test current pail of salt for chemistry problems
- set up a weekly schedule for chemistry testing and adjusting and keep a notebook of what your results are and what/how much you dose
- set up a weekly schedule for siphoning out all the crud, including the stuff that's under your rockwork

HTH and let us know what you find

[Skimmerking]

holy crap that would be 90 gal per week. that would end up being alot of money to keep going for water changes...

My friend Bob has a sand bed and his nitrates are aver 60 and he ended up using a sulphur reactor. but I know that everytank is different...

[Skimmerking]

Thanks Bev I do suck out the crufd weekly and somtimes every 3 days depending on what i see in there. I'm always in the tnak and believe in a clean very clean tank. Im in the Army if its not perfection Im not happy. the levels are as follows
CAL-420
Alk 10 DKH
temp 80
PH 8.2
salinity 1.024 ya i know that doesnt matter but i put it in any ways.

I dont test Mag, or phoshates

But i have a Cal reactor going to balance out the magnesium

[Doug]

I can add his tank is as clean as any bare bottomed tank could be, with all the current & the siphon cleaning. So its not accumulated detritus causing problems, or if it was most all dsb type tanks would fail.

I have to wonder if Bev is correct on the test kits Mike. Even more so, with a nitrate test. If its at that level and/or you have phosphates, then all the algae, bananna trees & halide lighting over your honkin sump, is all for not?? Not to mention that huge skimmer??

But what can account for the darn turf algae. {scratches his head}. Maybe Doc Ron was right a few years ago, when he said the rock stores up the crap. I dunno. I once said when the time comes that I need to throw out my gazzillion bucks a lb. rock and buy new stuff, is the day I take up something else.

It seems strange to have to fight problems that normally plague newer aquarists & newer tanks, not someone with a seasoned tank and all that equipment cleaning it? Perhaps the bleaching that happened in a couple corals, could be attributed to where the colonies came from but that does not account for the frag bleaching AND all the rest doing fine.

Even if it was a bad pail of salt or something, still does not help us with the problem of the turf algae. It would be interesting to see a nitrate & phosphate measure done with very good tests kits. That would help show us if or how a sump with calerpa works or not.

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by Doug

still does not help us with the problem of the turf algae.

yes with that I have red turf algae on lots of rocks does any one know why and how we get this stuff

[Farrmanchu]

Sounds like your tank is overfed, but you don't. Are you sure no one else is treating the fish to a little snack now and then?

[MobyDick]

I find over dosing Iodine (Kent,brand may vary)and Essential elements(Kent,brand may vary) can lead to problem describe in the above.

[Beverly]

Michael,

I don't know if a Ca reactor does anything for raising Mg. You should have a test kit for it to make sure what your level is at. Having enough Mg is as important as having enough buffer and Ca.

As for phosphate, with your excellent lighting, skimmer and refugium, I doubt that you would measure any phosphate. I'm pretty sure that whatever phophate nutrients that would be produced in your reef, that whatever your skimmer isn't removing that they are being utilized by your macroalgae.