SG: 1.024
Temp: 76-78 - always have my chiller set
pH: about 8.2
Ammonia: about 0-.25 ppl
Nitrate: seems a bit high? 10-50 ppm high low range
Nitrite: about .005-.1 ppm
i know i dont have 0-0-0 but pretty **** close. there will always be a little bit of ammonia nitrate nitrite. has always been as long as i tested. and my fish have been fine the entire time.
Calcium: ? - ran out of testers.i use red sea salt mix, when i tested Ca and alk, was always at optimum
Alkalinity: ? - normal 1.7-2.8 milli eqivilants/L
Phosphate: 0.5 ppm
Fish: yellow tang, hippo tang, 2 blue/yellow damsels, 1 b+w damsel, small blue emperator angel (about 2.5-3 inches long now)
Inverts: 3 tiny polyps
Other Corals: just whatever corraline is on my live rock
Lighting: t5's blue white combo light 2 hours in the am and about 7 at night (the times i am generally home)
Filtration: protein skimmer, sponges in my internal oveflow, 40g sump w/bio balls, uv filter
Do you add any chemicals to the tank? nope. i have some calcium supplements/buffers but never use them
What do you feed the tank? (Frozen, Flake or Pellet) frozen brine, frozen formula 1, frozen formula 2, and pellets. 1/2 cube of 2 choices. (ex 1/2 cube brine and formula 2 (day 1), pellets the next feeding (day 3), 1/2 formula 2, 1/2 formula 1 (day 5), etc. alternate and feed only every other day.
Do you use RO/DI water? How do you Top Off evaporated water?
i have always used tap, and add half a cap of PRIME to every 5g bucket. usually do about a 20% water change every 1- 2 weeks. i have not changed this routine for the entire year and 1/2 i have had the tank. and the same fish have been there since november and very happy/completly healthy. feeding , lighting, and water changes have been consistant in the past year, and never had this problem since about 1 month ago. I also have a pretty good clean up crew. about 10-15 snails, 3 good sized crabs, and 1 blood shrimp.
i have tried ro water in the past for a very short amount of time - 2 months, it just took too long for me to prepare so i went to tap. my water was actually better and lower ammonia-nitrate-nitrite
the only thing i could think of is that i have been busy working so much/lazy that i change every 2 weeks or so when i used to do it once a week. its the only variable that i have changed if i could pin it down.
had very much sucess until the last 1 month or so.
Thanks guys, just busy at work all day and couldnt respond.