Ideas on what to add or upgrade/modify my reef aquarium.

[DragonForce]

Hello. Currently I have a 37gallon reef with about 80lbs of LR. 3-4 inch sand bed prizm hob skimmer nano artica chiller 2 mj1200 poweheads. I would like to stay sumpless but am open to any ideas about how to make my system more stable and keep no3 down

It contains 2 true percula clownfish and 1 randalls shrimp goby
Also the inverts are;
20+ snails
8+ hermits
1 rock boring urchin
1emerald crab
1cbs
1tigertail cucumber that i never see anymore because he hides in the back of the tank and eats sand sticking a tiny bit of hit head out a hole i can barely see sometimes
2 peppermint shrimp
1pistol shrimp (not paired with goby)
1 serpent starfish

also various soft and LPS corals

I am looking to add some new things. and am open to lots of ideas of different things to add or upgrade the performance of my tank.

 

[roka64]

What is your No3 reading now?
How often/what/how much do you feed?
Are you just looking to get the No3 down or are you looking at adding more fish or equipment?

 

[DragonForce]

I can't seem to get it to drop below 10ppm. Maybe if I upgrade the skimmer that might helpreduce nitrates. I will probably add 1 more fish then just add corals and clean up crew as I need it. Feed every other day pellet and frozen. Doing 5-10g water changes every week to every 2 weeks.

 

[roka64]

Is all the food being consumed? It sounds like you might be adding a little too much food and what doesn't get eaten will produce nitrAtes. Do you have excess food on the bottom?

 

[austinsdad]

can't seem to get it to drop below 10ppm

I think that's just fine. Lot's of folks would kill for nitrate that low. 20 or below is acceptable from what I hear most.

 

[roka64]

I agree! Sorry, I forgot to add that.

 

[melosu58]

IF you are at 10 on your nitrates then you are OK. Weekly PWC`s will keep it there and maybe get better but if you can keep it at 10 you`ll be OK.

 

[DragonForce]

I usually throw in a half a cube of frozen, I like to throw it in while its frozen so it breaks up slowly and then my clown fish grabs it and rubs it in my frogspawn. Much of the foot gets blown around then they go and find it.


Does anyone think a better HOB than the prizm would help my cause? i really do hate this skimmer.

 

[Squado]

Have you ever considered adding a refuge? I have had no problems with my trates after adding a fuge and noticed a somewhat better pod population in my tank as well. Def one of the better add ons to a tank imo...

 

[brad3314]

asking silly questions here but can someone tell me how a refuge actually works and what it does

 

[austinsdad]

I usually throw in a half a cube of frozen,

That doesne't work well for some. That water its frozen in can contain phosphates and cause algae outbreaks I believe.

A 'fuge" is an additonal filtration that absorbs excess nutrients 'cause it's usually loaded with rock, sand, plants (mangroves), macro algaes, etc.

Google on it.

 

[melosu58]

Brad read this for refugium

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=33

 

[angelscrx]

I usually throw in a half a cube of frozen,

That doesne't work well for some. That water its frozen in can contain phosphates and cause algae outbreaks I believe.

This is true you don't want to throw the whole thing in. Thaw it out, pat it dry if you want then feed it to the fish. I put mine in a cup, let it thaw, and then scoop it with my finger while pressing it on the side of the cup to get the water out. Works fine for me.

 

[lando]

I agree that your feeding technique is likely the cause of your NO3 issue (although at 10ppm, it is not too bad). The "juice" produced when the food is thawed is very high in NO3 and PO4. Get yourself a fine mesh brine shrimp net from the LFS and thaw your food in that, rinse it well with RO/DI water so it is clean. One feeding every other day is plenty for most community tanks. It is also a good idea to soak the thawed food in dietary suppliments like Selcon or Vita-chem for a few minutes prior to adding it to the tank.

Making sure your source water is free of NO3 will also help. If you are not using RO/DI water for top-offs and water changes it is a good thing to look into. I also recommend getting another NO3 test kit and doing a comparison.