Hi all! After a several month period of a break from any tank upgrades due to an electrical problem and just being plain busy, I have finally gotten back on board!
The biocube has been up for about 2 years now, though the stock is bare minimum- a pair of clowns and a bicolor dottyback.
Now onto the question.
I'm having a nitrate issue. I'd rather not remove the bioballs, so I'm looking elsewhere. Throughout the past 2 weeks or so I have been doing every other day water changes (larger ones; 30%-50% and have made progress from nitrates above 160 ppm to my current level (which I had tested last night after a water change; not sure about now) of around.. 30 ppm, closer to 20?
How would I go about reducing these nitrates more, aside from water changes, of course, like this for another week or so?
I was thinking a liquid nitrate reducer (although I don't have a skimmer), more live rock, and... a refugium in the first chamber, as to not interfere with the bioballs!
How would I go about doing this? I was planning on keeping chaeto, unless anyone else has input!
Once the nitrates are back at hand, I plan to stick to more aggressive/quicker fish (since that dottyback is MEAN, man! he also killed my blood shrimp!) such as damsels, a possible pistol shrimp/goby pair, wrasses, or a valenti puffer? And then cleaning crew, corals, etc.
Other question- how long should I wait until the nitrates have reduced to stock up my cleaning crew/possible fish again?
To summarize- how would I set up a refugium in the first chamber of my biocube (not the second!)/lower nitrates more and the previous question in regards to fish.
Thank you!
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
The biocube has been up for about 2 years now, though the stock is bare minimum- a pair of clowns and a bicolor dottyback.
Now onto the question.
I'm having a nitrate issue. I'd rather not remove the bioballs, so I'm looking elsewhere. Throughout the past 2 weeks or so I have been doing every other day water changes (larger ones; 30%-50% and have made progress from nitrates above 160 ppm to my current level (which I had tested last night after a water change; not sure about now) of around.. 30 ppm, closer to 20?
How would I go about reducing these nitrates more, aside from water changes, of course, like this for another week or so?
I was thinking a liquid nitrate reducer (although I don't have a skimmer), more live rock, and... a refugium in the first chamber, as to not interfere with the bioballs!
How would I go about doing this? I was planning on keeping chaeto, unless anyone else has input!
Once the nitrates are back at hand, I plan to stick to more aggressive/quicker fish (since that dottyback is MEAN, man! he also killed my blood shrimp!) such as damsels, a possible pistol shrimp/goby pair, wrasses, or a valenti puffer? And then cleaning crew, corals, etc.
Other question- how long should I wait until the nitrates have reduced to stock up my cleaning crew/possible fish again?
To summarize- how would I set up a refugium in the first chamber of my biocube (not the second!)/lower nitrates more and the previous question in regards to fish.
Thank you!
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
