New maintenance schedule !!!!

RAYRAY

RAYRAY

Tiny Tank Club A+ Member
So....I have been in this GREAT hobby now for over a year. Loving and hating every part of it !!!!!
And now that I have the tank set up pretty much the way I want it. With the LR and LS, powerheads, skimmer, FUGE w/ LR and Chaeto and Sump, I am still battling a NITRATE problem. At 1st I thought the test was bad, so I bought a NEW Nitrate test and its the same. At least 80 ppm. NOT GOOD !:frustrat:

Now I know tap water is not a great idea, but that is the way I have to do it. I test my tap water for NITRATES and they are below 10ppm. I also use water conditioner when adding topoff water.
So then that leaves me with battling the nitrate proble with a better maintenance schedule.

I just went out a bought 50 gallons of OCeanic Salt mix which is already in a tub with a powerhead and heater getting ready for the first water change. I will now be doing at least 2 5 gallon water changes a month. This should help a great deal. Also I heard that Xenia will help with Nitrates, is this true ?????
I can get a nice piece at my LFS and place the in the fuge also, or in the main tank. They are really nice looking pieces, a off pick color so I wouldn't mind them in the main tank but I heard they grow fast????

Any other suggestsions will be GREAT !!!
 
As long as you are prepared for the algae outbreaks that tap can result in the only thing that I can suggest would be to do the water changes once weekly instead of bi-weekly. With having 80ppm nitrates I would start off by doing a larger change to start with maybe to a 10 or 12 gallon change to get them down quicker.

In my opinion you should really re-consider the tap but you know this. I wont harp on you...too much.
 
Have you tested the new water after putting the conditioner in. If you are only doing 5 gallons every 2 weeks I would think you go by a grocery store or walmart and get some ro water.
Doesn't the water conditioner mess with your skimmer?
 
+1 Oscarsdad, I was just gonna say that.
I would also suggest upping the water changes, maybe 15gals/month.
Do you have a good skimmer? That would help your nitrates.
Xenia will not lower your nitrates significantly, at 80ppm, they'd probably be hurting.
If you're low on cash, go to reefcentral and do a search on carbon dosing (sugar or vodka). 3/4 tsp a day for 5 weeks plus a bigger skimmer dropped my nitrates from 50ppm to 0.2 in my 110g. HTH
 
I just did a 10 gallon change. They went from 80 ppm to between 40 ppm & 20 ppm.

Ryan .... That's just the thing.... I dont have algea break outs. Never did. KNOCK ON WOOD!!!! Even with the high nitrates. I am going to do 10 gallons evenry 2 weeks. But I will do one more 10 gallon on Tuesday to cut them down agai I didn't want to do them too close together.
My skimmer is a CCS 65. It is what I could afford at the time and it does pull some crap out of the water. I clean the cup every week.
I wasnt going to purchase the Xenia's until I get the water in check. I dont want to hurt them.
I guess the animals I have now are used to the water, because they all seem to be ok.
 
just did another 5 gallon water change. The nitrates are now down to 20 ppm.
that is 15 gallons about. So almost a 50 % water change. I will keep with the water changes now 2 times a week doing 10 gal each time. Hopefully this will make a big diffence.
Another question. How long does it take for the cheato to start absorbing the "BAD" Nutrience in the water? Such as NItrates and Phosphates????
 
Xenia would probably love the nitrates.
Is your cheato growing?If its growing,its using the nutrients.Just may not be using them quick.
 
I really cant tell yet if it is growing. I have only had it in there for a week. It is not tightly compacted anymore like when I bought it.
 
Keep up with the water changes, but you nitrate can not drop that fast....especially since you are adding water with 10 ppm nitrate.
Just do the math.
If your nitrate is 80 and you did a 50% water change with water that had 0 nitrates, your nitrate would drop to 40. There is no way your nitrate can be 20 after doing less than 50% with water that had 10 ppm nitrate...if the 80 was correct to begin with. If it was correct, your new nitrate should be around 45.
 
With all his sand and LR, it's probably more than 50% because the actual water volume is much less than 35gal IMO
 
the API test was yellow on the color chart when Itested my tap water. which says 10 ppm. It could be less then that. I'm not sure how to calculate my total water volume with all the live rock and sand. I know the tank is 35 gallons. and the sump is 20 gallons which isn't full with water (maybe 15 gallons at the most).
I will just keep doing the water changes and see what happens. If all else fail I will have to find RO water at Walmart or the supermarket. I just want to know why they are so high without the tell tell signs of high nitrates. (fish breathing hard, bad algea outbreaks, corol looking bad, snails dying off) I have none of this.
 
I have a 30g tank and I do MINIMUM 5g every Sunday. I have a hunk of cheato the size of a volleyball in my refugium. I cut it back monthly and toss it in the trash.

You asked if your cheato was eating the nitrates. Of course. Thats food for the cheato.

If I was you, I'd adopt the following maintenance schedule:
RO water -- NEVER tap water of any kind. Thats just setting yourself up for failure.
Change 5g EVERY week.
Get a DSB in the system somewhere. Either in the tank or in the sump/refugium. The whole purpose of a DSB is to convert nitrates to harmless nitrogen gas. It's not a myth. They work.
Cheato. It's a plant, so it is going to eat nitrates and phosphates.

Thats what I do and I don't have nitrates. I don't even test for nitrates anymore. I do a test for giggles about once every 3 months. I just tested this past Friday night, for giggles. 0 nitrates, as usual.

If you're adding 10ppm nitrates with every water change, I can't understand why you don't have dead fish and a tank full of algae. Bought any lotto tickets lately?
 
Maybe your API test kit is bad? I had 2 kits, both API, one tested 10, one tested 40 at the same time. Has it expired? They lose accuracy the older they are.
DEFINITELY need to use RO or at least distilled water, which you can get at the grocery or wal mart. Hey whats another $5 a week in this hobby?
Better yet get your own RO unit, which will pay for itself in a few weeks. DO IT :)
 
THANKS GUYS..... My API test is brand new. I was thinking that my older test kit was bad so I bought a new one.
RC.... I am now going to do a 5 gallon once a week.
2. I tested my nitrates again on the tap water and the color was BRIGHT YELLOW.
3. Will a pure water filter work if I cant hook a RO unit up?????
4. I have about 4 inches of LS in the fuge along with LR and the CHEATO !!

I was thinking ....CCapt was saying that the numbers dont match. Meaning I adding nitrates when I add fresh water. But the last test I did after the third water change brought then down to 20 ppm. So my water changes are working. I am going to WALMART today to see about RO water they sell. I think it's 33 cent a gallon. So I might start getting it there.
thanks for the help. And will be doing the 5 gallons a week from now on.
 
Good to here you are going to get some ro water. Like everyone said if you are adding new water with nitrates you will never ever have any result that you want. Those 1oppm probably turn into 20ppm in no time.
 
Have you considered buying salt water from your lfs? Mine sells saltwater for $1/gallon, and freshwater for $.50/gallon. Why don't you try, for just one big water change, buying enough saltwater from them. Then test your nitrates. If you see a significant drop with that first change, then you know that the only way is to not use your tap.

I learned this the hard way. I wasted $40 on salt by using my tap...when I tested my tap water (which I added the salt to), I had 10-20pm -- more than yours....but then again, after using tap, I had nitrates of 120ppm+!! No sooner than I got my ro/di, did my first 20% change with it, guess what -- Nitrates dropped SIGNIFICANTLY to around 80ppm with just that one change. Don't doubt the power of a nitrate free water source :) I thought my nitrates would never drop in the past 2 months since setting up my tank, but it did.

I sound like an infomercial testimonial LOL I've seen so many posts all over the place just talking about using proper water. One person told me there's no point in water changes if you keep putting nitrates back in. It will cost you more in salt because you'll have to do more to keep the nitrates down. Plus I've heard it said over and over again -- get to the source and fix it rather than trying to cover it up.
 
My LFS sell natural salt water in 2.2 gallons and 4.4 gallons but it is expensive. 11.00 for the 2.2 and 19.00 for the 4.4 gal. I was doing that for a while. but it only help at the initial change. That why I bought the mix. 50 gal mix for 20.00 of oceanic mix.
RO WATER IS A MUST !!!!!!
 
Sheesh!! That IS expensive! Is it the water that comes in a bucket/box? My LFS makes their own ro water. They have a constant supply that they use in their tanks and sell to customers. Maybe that's the difference. Isn't there any other specialty fish store (reputable) near you that would sell you ro water cheaper?
 

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