Hey dick_headers,
I have a large hippo, medium sailfin, large yellow tang, cleaner wrasse, maroon clown, two damsels, 4 peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, 50 hermits, 15 astrea, 2 turbo, 5 sand sifting snails, serpent star, large rose tip bubble anenome, 1 leather, 2 sps corals.
Your right about the nitrates and the water changes. I've been doing water changes every three days or so for the last 3 weeks, since I bought the damn tank. My nitrates went from 80ppm this morning to 40 ppm after I changed out 15 gallons this afternoon and cleaned half the live rock in some clean salt water. It was pretty damn dirty. I also used one of my powerheads to clean off all of the other rock and hosed down the sand throughout the tank. I then cleaned out the sock in my sump. I've been doing that daily for the last week. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone who could take all of my livestock for me to start the whole system from scratch. I would if I could, but I don't think it's feasable at this moment.
Do you guys have any other suggestions? I appreciate all of your guys help and hopefully it gets better. Is there any animals or plants that will help me reduce the nitrates. I read about Mangroves.
Thanks,
newbie916
Have you heard of using sugar to reduce nitrates?
16 posts • Page 2 of 2
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Schigara was right. Refugiums are the best natural nitrate removers, besides all the other pros. I have a HOB refugium on my 10G, and the nitarates are undedectable.
It is so very easy to take care of a refugium, once it's been set up is basically maintance free. Cut back the macroalgaes, that's all. Do some good research on refugiums, It'd be the best solution for you.
In case you're new to this hobby, DO NEVER GIVE UP! Lots of headaches and hard work will bring smile on your face..sooner or later.
G O O D L U C K!!!!!
It is so very easy to take care of a refugium, once it's been set up is basically maintance free. Cut back the macroalgaes, that's all. Do some good research on refugiums, It'd be the best solution for you.
In case you're new to this hobby, DO NEVER GIVE UP! Lots of headaches and hard work will bring smile on your face..sooner or later.
G O O D L U C K!!!!!
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
Hey Dick, you might want to look into using Xenia in the refugium instead of macroalgae. I have found that it consumes nitrates faster than Chaeto and when it needs pruning, the frags are valuable and most LFS's will give credit or cash for them.
This link is where I first read about it a "Xenia Scrubber"
http://kipsreef.com/forum/showthread.php?t=654
This link is where I first read about it a "Xenia Scrubber"
http://kipsreef.com/forum/showthread.php?t=654
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newbie916 - Posts: 375
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:12 pm
Hey guys,
I think the next step is a refugium and I will get started next week. I have a Tru Vu Platinum Prof. Filtration Series sump that I believe could be set up as a refugium. I also have a 20 gallon sump that came with the tank, when I bought it. hmm I guess I have my homework to do and I'm going to take Schigara's advice and set it up with Xenia.
No more adding sugar to my water. It didn't do anything anyways, but make me worry some more.
How are your refugiums set up? What's the best place to research them and how to put them together?
Thanks again
I think the next step is a refugium and I will get started next week. I have a Tru Vu Platinum Prof. Filtration Series sump that I believe could be set up as a refugium. I also have a 20 gallon sump that came with the tank, when I bought it. hmm I guess I have my homework to do and I'm going to take Schigara's advice and set it up with Xenia.
No more adding sugar to my water. It didn't do anything anyways, but make me worry some more.
How are your refugiums set up? What's the best place to research them and how to put them together?
Thanks again
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
This site is a great place to get some ideas for sumps and refugiums.
http://www.melevsreef.com/links.html
A refugium can be made in many different ways. An HOB filter can be turned into a refugium. The area in a sump used for bio balls can be converted into a refugium. My secondary refugium is just a 29g tank on a stand next to the display that is supplied water via a Maxijet 1200 from the 55g sump under my 75g and it drains back into the sump.
A refugium is just a tank or container where you grow something that is safe from predators of what you want to grow.
Also, Xenia is not for everyone. For some people/tanks, it grows like wildfire and others can't grow it at all.
I think I know why. Xenia has been known to grow better in tanks with higher nutrient levels.When I was growing Chaeto or Caulerpa, I was feeding lightly like every other day and small ammounts and nitrates were hovering around 5.
I set up the second refugium, took the macroalgae out of the refugium built into the sump and introduced Red sea Pulsing Xenia and Silver Elongata Xenia and within 2 weeks, the Xenias were growing nicely and the nitrates dropped to undetectable levels.
I got to thinking....... maybe I could feed more and the SPS could benefit from the extra fish poop so I started feeding everyday and the nitrates remained undetectable. A nice side effect of more food and 0 nitrates is the SPS has better polyp extension, color and is growing and encrusting faster.
Myself and a few others have had very good results with Xenia as a nutrient export but I must concede that macroalgae has a very long and proven track record for this purpose where Xenia is still the new and much less documented thing in this area. Macroalgae requires light to grow and can do so nicely with just a cheap flourescent light from Home Depot. Xenia, on the other hand, needs better lighting. It can live and grow under PC's but does much better under T5's or VHO's and does a ton better under halides.
I currently have just 96w of T5HO's over the Xenia and am considering putting a 175 Halide over it to push the growth faster.
http://www.melevsreef.com/links.html
A refugium can be made in many different ways. An HOB filter can be turned into a refugium. The area in a sump used for bio balls can be converted into a refugium. My secondary refugium is just a 29g tank on a stand next to the display that is supplied water via a Maxijet 1200 from the 55g sump under my 75g and it drains back into the sump.
A refugium is just a tank or container where you grow something that is safe from predators of what you want to grow.
Also, Xenia is not for everyone. For some people/tanks, it grows like wildfire and others can't grow it at all.
I think I know why. Xenia has been known to grow better in tanks with higher nutrient levels.When I was growing Chaeto or Caulerpa, I was feeding lightly like every other day and small ammounts and nitrates were hovering around 5.
I set up the second refugium, took the macroalgae out of the refugium built into the sump and introduced Red sea Pulsing Xenia and Silver Elongata Xenia and within 2 weeks, the Xenias were growing nicely and the nitrates dropped to undetectable levels.
I got to thinking....... maybe I could feed more and the SPS could benefit from the extra fish poop so I started feeding everyday and the nitrates remained undetectable. A nice side effect of more food and 0 nitrates is the SPS has better polyp extension, color and is growing and encrusting faster.
Myself and a few others have had very good results with Xenia as a nutrient export but I must concede that macroalgae has a very long and proven track record for this purpose where Xenia is still the new and much less documented thing in this area. Macroalgae requires light to grow and can do so nicely with just a cheap flourescent light from Home Depot. Xenia, on the other hand, needs better lighting. It can live and grow under PC's but does much better under T5's or VHO's and does a ton better under halides.
I currently have just 96w of T5HO's over the Xenia and am considering putting a 175 Halide over it to push the growth faster.
