Since I have been doing both freshwater & saltwater I always though that when you had nitrates at a level and kept them there it was the holy grail of some sort and you now had a successful tank. In the last week I have added a AC20 that I had laying around, ordered a In Tank media basket & 10W submersible light for it to grow some Chaeto in if for nutrient export. My trates were never that high but phosphorus has been as its only 2 months old and has quite a deep sand bed and the live rock I purchased was only partly cured.
Last week my nitrates were between 2-5, I’m thinking that good for a weeks level after a wc and lets see what happens now with the chaeto.....well a day after my weekly 15% wc my trates are now .2 (Salifert, looking from the side barely detect a color change). Below are the rest of my parameters:
SG 1.025
Ph 8.0
Mg 1350
Phosphorus 36 ppb or .11 phosphates in ppm
Ca 531
Alk 119
My questions are as follow:
1) I know some corals like "Dirty" water, will nitrates this low cause an issue?
2) Depending on what if any levels of nitrate rise next week should I skip a water change?
3) Phosphorus levels still being high be a concern?
Here is my set up below with hardware, livestock and corals. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and recommendations.
Hardware:
Aqueon 15 gallon column tank kit w/8W Power-Glo 18K T5 light fixture, 2* TrueLumen Pro 12” Marine Fusion LED’s, 1 * TrueLumen Deepwater Blue 12” LED, TrueLumen 10” LED Moonlight, Fluval 105 External Canister filter (Live Rock, Filter Floss, ChemiPure Elite, Purigen, Phosgard), Fluval Surface Skimmer, AquaClear 20 w/InTank Media Basket, 10W submersible 6500K light(Cheato) Fuge Conversion, Marina 100W heater.
Livestock/Invertebrates:
Hi Fin Goby mated w/ Pistol Shrimp, 2* Peppermint Shrimp, Rock Flower Anemone
Coral:
LPS Hard Corals: Frogspawn, Candy Cane, Branching Hammer, Orange Tube Coral
SPS Hard Corals: Orange Montipora Digitata, various Birdsnest, Hyacinthus Acropora, Neon Green Horn Hydnophora
Sea Fans: Corky Finger Gorgonian
Soft Corals: Devil’s Hand, Colt Tree, Toadstool Mushroom Leather, White Pom Pom Xenia
Mushrooms: Hairy Green Rhodactis, Various Rhodactis, various Ricordea, Watermelon, various Mushrooms
Polyps/Zoas: GSP, Bam Bam, Devils Armour & various Zoas, Button & various polyps in various colors.
CUC:
Snails: 7 Ceriths, 5 Nassarius, 2 Bumble Bee & 4 Trochus
Décor:
15 lbs Live Rock, 10lbsCaribSea Fiji Pink Aragonite sand
Last week my nitrates were between 2-5, I’m thinking that good for a weeks level after a wc and lets see what happens now with the chaeto.....well a day after my weekly 15% wc my trates are now .2 (Salifert, looking from the side barely detect a color change). Below are the rest of my parameters:
SG 1.025
Ph 8.0
Mg 1350
Phosphorus 36 ppb or .11 phosphates in ppm
Ca 531
Alk 119
My questions are as follow:
1) I know some corals like "Dirty" water, will nitrates this low cause an issue?
2) Depending on what if any levels of nitrate rise next week should I skip a water change?
3) Phosphorus levels still being high be a concern?
Here is my set up below with hardware, livestock and corals. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and recommendations.
Hardware:
Aqueon 15 gallon column tank kit w/8W Power-Glo 18K T5 light fixture, 2* TrueLumen Pro 12” Marine Fusion LED’s, 1 * TrueLumen Deepwater Blue 12” LED, TrueLumen 10” LED Moonlight, Fluval 105 External Canister filter (Live Rock, Filter Floss, ChemiPure Elite, Purigen, Phosgard), Fluval Surface Skimmer, AquaClear 20 w/InTank Media Basket, 10W submersible 6500K light(Cheato) Fuge Conversion, Marina 100W heater.
Livestock/Invertebrates:
Hi Fin Goby mated w/ Pistol Shrimp, 2* Peppermint Shrimp, Rock Flower Anemone
Coral:
LPS Hard Corals: Frogspawn, Candy Cane, Branching Hammer, Orange Tube Coral
SPS Hard Corals: Orange Montipora Digitata, various Birdsnest, Hyacinthus Acropora, Neon Green Horn Hydnophora
Sea Fans: Corky Finger Gorgonian
Soft Corals: Devil’s Hand, Colt Tree, Toadstool Mushroom Leather, White Pom Pom Xenia
Mushrooms: Hairy Green Rhodactis, Various Rhodactis, various Ricordea, Watermelon, various Mushrooms
Polyps/Zoas: GSP, Bam Bam, Devils Armour & various Zoas, Button & various polyps in various colors.
CUC:
Snails: 7 Ceriths, 5 Nassarius, 2 Bumble Bee & 4 Trochus
Décor:
15 lbs Live Rock, 10lbsCaribSea Fiji Pink Aragonite sand
