Water params

[Joshifer]

Very odd. My nitrates stay below 5. I even dosed zooplankton to try to raise it. Nothing.

Yeah I'm using api but with the fluval edge it was reading 10-20. So the kit picks up something. This is like. Not 0 and not 5 but somewhere in between. No ammonia or nitrite.

 

I want it like 5. I have mostly LPS and softies they need some dirty water.

 

Media I run chaeto. purigen. Carbon sometimes. Phosgaurd til my Chemipure elite gets in. Oh and dragons breath in the DT Which is growing fast

 

I also vaccume uneaten food left by the CUC. Maybe I should let some rot I don't know.

 

I also stuffed it with a million corals. Don't they filter water?

I have 4 very messy fish. 2 very messy turbos.

And I don't know like 10 hermits. And a coral banded. And a trochus that poops ALOT.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Joshifer

[Joshifer]

I need something that eats snail and fish and hermit poop.

 

Cerinth snail? Brittle star ?

[Rob A]

The items in your tank might just be consuming the nitrate, making it hard to get a reading higher than you are getting.

[Origami]

Don't chase numbers. Instead, look for signs that things are healthy and happy. When they're not, use water parameters to help diagnose what's wrong. 

 

Maybe all you need to do is to feed a little more often to get a little more fish waste in the water. This will raise dissolved nutrients available to bacteria and to the Xenia. But, as things (bacteria and Xenia) grow, the nitrate level be driven toward zero. So don't chase the numbers. 

[madweazl]

Don't chase numbers. Instead, look for signs that things are healthy and happy. When they're not, use water parameters to help diagnose what's wrong. 

 

Maybe all you need to do is to feed a little more often to get a little more fish waste in the water. This will raise dissolved nutrients available to bacteria and to the Xenia. But, as things (bacteria and Xenia) grow, the nitrate level be driven toward zero. So don't chase the numbers. 

I helped a couple buddies set up tanks about five years ago and that was the recommendation I really tried to drive home (dont chase numbers). One of them listened and had a great little 20g reef. The other didnt and had a 50g death trap. He was constantly changing things and trying to hit a magic number instead of observing and enjoying what he had created. I think observation (via your eyeballs) is the single most important tool you have (with the added benefit of seeing the beauty).

 

Weekly, I'm testing KH to get a feel for consumption and PO4 to track the impact of our heavy feeding in relation to macro growth to help determine if I need more area for the refugium or not. Over the years, I've found little value in the other test kits (I would like to have a conductivity probe connected to the controller to warn me of ATO issues though).

[Joshifer]

Thanks guys your all right I shouldn't chase numbers. Everything does seem happy. I just didn't want a sterile tank. But everything seems happy. Cept the Xenia it hates the new power head lol. I turned it off til I nem proof it to restrict flow.