Jobu
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi folks,
I've had my 80-gallon up and running for about 7 months now (specs can be found in MyInfo). I'm currently stocked fairly light because of the Volitan Lionfish who currently resides in there. My problem is that for months now I've not been able to get my nitrates much lower than 15 ppm. I do weekly 20%-25% PWCs, and have a skimmer that is rated for a much larger tank size (220 gallons), but still can't ever seem to get them any lower.
I was planning on connecting a refugium to my sump in an attempt to combat the nitrates. However, space limitations underneath the stand limit me to only a small 5-gallon rubbermaid container. Hooking up the fuge looks like it will be somewhat of a hassle (with all of the re-plumbing that I'll have to do). Is it even worth my time to go through all of this even if the fuge will be so small? Or will I need a bigger one to have any noticeable impact (and if so, how big would you recommend)?
One thing that I'm sure is contributing to the nitrate problem is the fact that I don't use RO/DI water. I never really looked into an RO/DI filter much because my tap water tests at < 5ppm, so I never thought it was that big of a deal. Lately I've been considering getting one more and more though...
Do you think getting an RO/DI system would be a more effective means of nitrate reduction than adding the tiny fuge? Would a fuge as small as I've mentioned even be worth the hassle of setting up? Thanks!
I've had my 80-gallon up and running for about 7 months now (specs can be found in MyInfo). I'm currently stocked fairly light because of the Volitan Lionfish who currently resides in there. My problem is that for months now I've not been able to get my nitrates much lower than 15 ppm. I do weekly 20%-25% PWCs, and have a skimmer that is rated for a much larger tank size (220 gallons), but still can't ever seem to get them any lower.
I was planning on connecting a refugium to my sump in an attempt to combat the nitrates. However, space limitations underneath the stand limit me to only a small 5-gallon rubbermaid container. Hooking up the fuge looks like it will be somewhat of a hassle (with all of the re-plumbing that I'll have to do). Is it even worth my time to go through all of this even if the fuge will be so small? Or will I need a bigger one to have any noticeable impact (and if so, how big would you recommend)?
One thing that I'm sure is contributing to the nitrate problem is the fact that I don't use RO/DI water. I never really looked into an RO/DI filter much because my tap water tests at < 5ppm, so I never thought it was that big of a deal. Lately I've been considering getting one more and more though...
Do you think getting an RO/DI system would be a more effective means of nitrate reduction than adding the tiny fuge? Would a fuge as small as I've mentioned even be worth the hassle of setting up? Thanks!