My 125G SW tank.

[dezso]

What brand test kit are you using?

I have API Reef Master Test Kit and Nutrafin, the API over 1 year old and the Nutrafin is no more then 5-6 month.

How many fish are in the tank?

17 =
3x Clown fish, 2x Damsel, 1x Blue Regal Tang, 1x Niger Trigger 1x Fox face, 1x Six-line Wrasse, 1x Sand sifting Goby, 1x Watchmen Goby, 2x Sergeant Major Damsel, 4x Green Chromis,3x shrimp, 30+ snail and hermit crab.

How often and what do you feed?

About 2x 3x a day, In the morning they get a pinch of New Life Spectrum pellets, around 6 one more pinch, main feeding at8-9 Pm
2-3-4x frozen cube of brine shrimp dissolved in aqua water.
1-2x a week some Reef-Roids and or Phytoplex and or Zooplex

Do you have a skimmer and what brand?

My skimmer is SA-2014 and seems working fine, in one week will fill up the container 1.5x or more.
The skimmer runs 22hr a day, its turns off at the feeding time and turn back on 2hr later.

Are you running any GFO

Nop, turned it off when the Algae experiment was in progress.

, but I did have a sponge on the overflow and that was cleaned every few days.

I do have them to, clean it once a week, my sump first chamber has 2x 1.5" foam filter this way I dont have to clean them very often.
I noticed every time I take out the foam filter it was full of tiny creatures, it was really hard to clean it.

No bio ball's for me anymore, toke them out and replaced them with 10~20lb of broken live rocks.

The latest test from last night:

Temp: 79
Salt: 1.026
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite:0
Calcium: 480
Alkalinity :9.3
PH: 8.2
Phosphate:0.25
Magnesium: 1200
Ammonia: 0

All was done with the API test kit except MAG was done with RedSea.

Will see, as for safety I change 20G every week from RO/DI, also the water airated for 2-3 days b4 water change.

For salt I use either Instant Ocean or Coralife Scientific Grade Salt.

Additives are from Fauna Marine 7 part Trace element kit.

 

[ccCapt]

17 fish being fed 2-3 times/day? WOW Your lucky your nitrate isn't higher, which it may be since API is not very accurate at low ranges. A Salifert test kit is much more accurate at low ranges.

I would suggest cutting your feeding down to 1 time every other day and run some GFO to get rid of the high phosphate readings.

 

[dezso]

ok
I'll try to keep feeding to every 2nd day, the 2-3x feeding only 1 time frozen food and the 2 other time is just a few grain of dried food.

Went out and got a new Nutrafin NO3 and NO2 test kit, it was a waste of money, exactly same result.

The other brand you mentioned is not available in my LFS.

 

[ccCapt]

Doesn't Big Al's carry Salifert test kits? They have a store in Edmonton.
Edmonton

 

[dezso]

Here is the latest result, water change coming up later tonight, again !
Tested 2 water 1 from the display and 1 from the output of the denitrification coil

Not " 0 " but better then no different at all.
I will give it 2 full month b4 drop it like its hot

 

[pat8you]

That is a pretty big improvement over the display water though. Seems like it is helping.

 

[dezso]

WOW

Tested the water again, since everyone in the tank jumping like a six years old in Christmas day..

The water test result is shocking, I dont know if the feeding or the denitrification coil, nitrate from the coil output is near "0", in the display ~5-10 hard to see in the picture since the camera flash reflecting on the test tubes.

Now I just have to figure it out how to keep it this way

 

[dezso]

Question about test tubes.
This API tube cups are so tight and even like this ist leaking some time specialy when you need to shake it for a minute. Hate when the liquid leaks on me.
Do you guys figure out the way to stay dry?
Is any of the other brand has better caps?
Thx

 

[austinsdad]

Rinse the frozen food also with fresh water.

Now that you're getting the nitrates in order, how's you phosphate readings? Gotta wonder will all the unrinsed frozen food, flake, and pellet food so often in the recent past.

 

[dezso]

Like thawing first the rinse it ? Usually I thawing it in aqua water, is that ok ?
As for the Phosphate, the reactor back on again, will test it later, also cleaned all the filter pads, and siphoned the bottom of the sump, the UV filter also back for daytime.
I hope I got this part figured out !

Now the next fight is on against the aiptasia. Just started yesterday, 1 tsp of kalkwasser diluted in half cup of fresh water, using 1ml diabetic syringes try to inject the aiptasia base, so far looks like works.


Other things, finally finished my temperature logger using DS18B20 sensor, very accurate and easy to use, measure 0.0625 C increment, that's 0.112 F steps. Noticed my temperature drops to 77F by the morning and it will go up to 80.5F by the end of the day.
Most likely the 500W of light warms up the water so much, is this swing in temperature to much ?


dezso:

 

[austinsdad]

Just put the frozen cube in a net a rinse and thaw at the same time. Even better to add a drop or two of Garlic Guard afterwards.

 

[bestfish]

nice looking rock.

 

[dezso]

Hello

At this time I can clearly recommend anyone who trying to reduce NO3.
The whole setup cost not more than $50, in salt I will save it in no time.
I can see significant improvement, hope to keep it this way.
The coil output is '0", the displays water are not more than "5", my test set might be not the most accurate in low range but if you look at the previous pictures this is the most improvement I made with the least amount of effort .

 

[ShannonFaas]

Dez, where did you find the info on the coil? I have been fighting nitrates and everything else for awhile now. My fish have been in QT for 4 weeks, 2 more to go. I have finally lowered my nitrates from 160+ to 20. It has been a fight, and lost some fish in the process from stress and ich. I would love to figure something else out to keep the nitrates down. We did have a UGF which I think started all the nitrate in the first place. Also...love the tank! You have the look we are trying to get on a smaller scale. we have a 65g hex and will be picking up more LR on monday. Unfortunately we have been picking up not so good hitch hikers...bristle worms, stone crab..aptasia...but they just got a really great shipment in my LFS...I am glad we only have a FoLR tank. The nitrates only bugged a few fish.

 

[dezso]

Hi

I was following this design.
Do It Yourself Coil Denitrator | Freshwater Cichlids Info

My tube is 75' long, the bottom 4" is winded up 3x tick so the end of the tube is near the bottom.

I did used 2x 2.5ml dose of vodka to jump start in the first week only.


Good luck

dezso:


Good luck


edit:
I did not use cooper fittings, after some running around found quick connect plastic fitting's.
This is the type of tube I used.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Any more tank shots?

 

[dezso]

There is nothing new to report, my tank right now in the chilling state
Will see if Santa Clause bring me a Canon Rebel or not

 

[dezso]

2 of 6 Xenia died today.
Water test looks A+.
PH:8.2
NO3:0
NO2:0
CAL:460
PHO:0
AMO:0
DKH:10
Temp:26.3C

I read from warious site Xenia onece in a blue moon just die.
Anything else I can check or just leave it and see what's next

 

[Mitchell0605]

Xenia are well-known to just fall off the perch. Don't worry too much. Happened to me too.

 

[dezso]

There is war going on, my Hammer coral sting the Brown Acropora.
I saw the hammer attack the acropora, by the morning half of it turn light green.
Now I see one of the Kenya tree fighting to stay alive.
I was so happy to see the hammer branching, I guess once he will kill everything around him he will be happy to.