davelin315 January 24, 2012 Author Share January 24, 2012 OK, so an update on the nitrate issues... they are still here... 2 years into the "remote" deep sand bed (garbage can full of sand) and it has not had an impact on my nitrates. I added this in January of 2010 with nothing to show for it since being added. Biopellets are now about 15 months since they were started and for the first time ever I saw that they were smaller and had been used up slightly. That said, never had my skimmer go nuts and still have not seen a drop in my nitrates. Last test a few days ago was at probably 75 ppm nitrates. I've also been GFO free since then and I have seen my macro algae completely die off. Sadly enough, I'm encouraged by nuisance algae growth now and thinking that perhaps my system has finally balanced itself back out with the appropriate nutrient balance. Tonight I added some Brightwell NitratR that I got from Justin/Avast to see if this will make a difference. I used 1 of 3 containers I have and it is tumbling very slowly in a media reactor. I'm going to add 2 more media reactors to the mix but need to do reconfigure some plumbing to do this. Also thinking of removing one of the trays and placing it elsewhere so that I can put things in more accessible places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberFrog January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 Sounds frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 Try vinegar... It's too easy not to give a shot. I am doing it, and my nitrates dropped from 15 to 5 in a week. I split the dose during lights on to prevent a noticeable drop in PH. Starting dose is 1ml per 25 gallons daily. I think some are doing >5ml per 25 gallons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 24, 2012 Author Share January 24, 2012 Is vinegar just carbon dosing in another format? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 Is vinegar just carbon dosing in another format? Yes. Supposed to NOT cause cyano issues like vodka. Also, 8x weaker so less chance of overdose. I have not heard of any downsides. I keep reading how RC's Randy is a big proponent, and uses this method himself. This article http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php is for vodka, but the same concept applies for vinegar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 I have been dosing vodka for 3 weeks now and what a difference! My NO3 was already very low, but after I started dosing vodka (I also followed the instructions on reefkeeping.com ^^) and nuisance algae has been dying off steadily. I say, what is there to lose? If dosed under control, carbon makes wonders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 24, 2012 Author Share January 24, 2012 I think the biggest issue for me is that I believe that the system was out of balance before and that was what was preventing the bacteria from functioning properly. This would also include carbon dosing which is essentially what the biopellets are anyway. I'm going to see how it works with the resins since I have already added them and then may try the vodka or vinegar next if I continue to be frustrated. Honestly, if I could get this tank in balance without additional methods for doing so I'd be happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 I think the biggest issue for me is that I believe that the system was out of balance before and that was what was preventing the bacteria from functioning properly. This would also include carbon dosing which is essentially what the biopellets are anyway. I'm going to see how it works with the resins since I have already added them and then may try the vodka or vinegar next if I continue to be frustrated. Honestly, if I could get this tank in balance without additional methods for doing so I'd be happy! Yea, I hear ya. The thing with vinegar is you can drop your nitrates down fast (less than 2 weeks). I have no experience with the pellets, but I don't think I would do both at the same time either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberFrog January 24, 2012 Share January 24, 2012 Randy really sings the blues about pellets compared to vinegar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 29, 2012 Author Share January 29, 2012 Added another media reactor with the NitratR and put another one together. I'm planning on running three of them with the NitratR to see if it can put a dent in my nitrates. I have only seen a few references for it on the internet and haven't seen a single review on it as far as how effective it is other than one person saying it reduced their nitrates by 10 ppm over the course of 2 weeks. If I can get it to do this, I'll be a happy camper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 6, 2013 Share January 6, 2013 How about an update, it's been about a year. Did you ever get the nitrate issue taken care of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy February 19, 2013 Share February 19, 2013 any updates? been fun following along! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE February 19, 2013 Share February 19, 2013 any updates? been fun following along! X 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengeeee October 25, 2013 Share October 25, 2013 Awesome tank thanks for directing me here. Get some updates going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffyGeos February 14, 2015 Share February 14, 2015 Dave- Do you even still have a tank? It has been 3.5 years since we have seen pictures. Thank you again for all that you do behind the scenes for WAMAS, while you were VP, and now with MACNA. So I do understand if you don't have the time, (along with that heard of kids!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 21, 2015 Author Share December 21, 2015 Well, today marks the end of an era for me. For the past few years I have been debating on what to do with my tank as the fish all died from a bout with either velvet or brook. Today I found at I had lost the snowflake eel from my teaching days who had occupied the sump since I left teaching so I pulled the plug. The water is draining now and I will either be chopping the tank into pieces or trading it for beeakdown labor if it can move up my stairway. Won't leave the hobby but it was time to move on to the next chapter. Will miss this tank as it gave me hours of pleasure, but looking forward to new tanks and bigger and better projects! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco December 22, 2015 Share December 22, 2015 bigger and better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 22, 2015 Share December 22, 2015 Bigger...more mantis shrimp...better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 23, 2015 Author Share December 23, 2015 Ha ha, one of my proposed exhibits is mantis shrimp. Tim, good to see you're still lurking in the background! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 23, 2015 Share December 23, 2015 Ha ha, one of my proposed exhibits is mantis shrimp. Tim, good to see you're still lurking in the background! Hi Dave, Mantis are awesome! I licensed a bunch of my footage to national geographic and have seen it on TV multiple times with my name in the credits, I love that. I'm pretty much out of it at this point, though...been pursuing other hobbies. Happy holidays! tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals December 26, 2015 Share December 26, 2015 I think starting over will be good for you, just take it slow so you can enjoy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 27, 2015 Author Share December 27, 2015 Still have a 500 gallon "cube" sitting in storage and now have the possibility of up to a 1500 gallon display in the Children's Science Center Lab to plan out. Not sure that I'll do that one but I have access to the tank itself, just nowhere to store it and a potentially costly move of the tank itself (and the chance that we may go in another direction with some smaller displays). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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