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

[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/articl...q=2&fldAuto=33

[angelscrx]

Originally Posted by austinsdad

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.