Recent content by Carpious

A trip to Egypt and the wonderful Red Sea planted the seed. Then a year later when our first son was born I bought a tank for him and I now have a complete obsession with reefs and am loving every second. My new tank is under way and looking good for stock very soon.

There is a possibility of some quite nasty gasses being released. Have a read > Hydrogen Sulfide and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com Only a possibility of course and more likely with DSB but I never see the point in taking ANY risks with my tanks. Too much to lose...

OK, thats cool. IMO, you need to start as I have suggested. Start at 20% now and then monitor NH4 levels daily. Make sure you check for that missing stock. Once you get that back down then we'll tackle the NO3. NO3 will probably have dropped by then, but let's see. HTH. :thumb:

I really wouldn't worry too much about 50ppm NO3 for now, as previously stated that is easy to tackle with water changes. High NO3 is not terribly surprising considering you have high NH4. IMO you need to address the important issue of the 0.25ppm NH4. Have a good look around for any deceased...

True, the problem is the NH4 [Ammonia] is at 0.25ppm which is toxic, it needs to be 0. It's never good to see in a tank with any stock in. NO2 [Nitrite] is 0, which is as it should be. NO3 [Nitrate] isn't toxic but can be an issue due to excessve nutrients. It has been said that at very high...

I haven't, do you have a link? I'll take a look.

In case you can't see it this is the site > The Alternative Reef

If you follow the link and go to the site, that is exactly what they do.

Do you mean ceramic like this > Magnetic ceramic branch rock from The Alternative Reef can support coral and hide pumps

+1 on thoroughly rinsing in loads of fresh water then a final rinse in RODI. If any doubt is remaining lay it out to dry in the sun. Yes, it will be devoid of all life but it doesn't take long before it's thriving again.

Stability is more important, trying to avoid swings if possible, so a chiller is a great investment. I use a bank of 12v fans over the top of my water and that is sufficent for our summer over here. Have a read here > Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com...

Canister filters are OK as long as you are cleaning very regularly, if not they become nitrate factories. Once a week really is best. How much rock do you have? How old is your tank? Have you noticed any stock missing recently? Although if you have sufficent rock it would have to be big to...

I would be more concerned about the ammonia. Do you have livestock in the tank? We need to establish why you have NH4 present. Should be 0 under normal circumstances.

Your welcome, I waited for 6 months before adding fish. I think that generaly most LFS will tell you what you want to hear. I wanted to hear: "Yeh, add fish now, your tank is ready.." I heard it alright. Stability is more important. The stock could and should live years.. The micro eco...

OK. I'm from the 'take it slow and let it grow' camp so forgive me. Too much too soon IMO. Steady on.. Best things come to he/she who waits... :thumb: