FS 180 gallon tank
- Thread starter pewter_jean
- Start date
pewter_jean
New member
If you don't mind a cat that will try to steal you away from your wife your more than welcome to come by. But I warn you, she is a little tramp.
Schplitter
New member
Rena,
are you sure your test kits are ok? Your tank looked awesome just a few days ago. Not sure what you have in the sump but maybe some algae will help. I can give you a bunch. Maybe some of the other folks here can do the same and we can bring the levels back to where they are. I would hate to see that tank go. It is a beautyfull tank.
BK
are you sure your test kits are ok? Your tank looked awesome just a few days ago. Not sure what you have in the sump but maybe some algae will help. I can give you a bunch. Maybe some of the other folks here can do the same and we can bring the levels back to where they are. I would hate to see that tank go. It is a beautyfull tank.
BK
Schplitter
New member
Not to where they are but where they are suposed to be.
pewter_jean
New member
I have added cheto to my sump on three different occasions, and each time it totally disappears. Don't know what happens to it. but it is not there.
I have a nice coat of red and white scum on top of the water in my sump, don't know why, but at least it stays in the sump.
The nitrates are at 100, this is with two different test. So I doubt they are wrong. It has been this way since the end of Oct. I did get a 20 once about a month ago, but I think that one was wrong now. I tried water changes like crazy, 2 and 3 a week, no good. I was told to just leave it sit and see if something would take hold and fix it self. So I haven't done a water change for 6 weeks, still no difference. I've tried to vacum the sump, overflow boxes where I see alot of junk building up. Still 100.
I've tried for the longest time to get my alk up. But it just wont go above a 3.00. The highest I have been able to get it is around a 2.64. I tried Randy Farley calculator. I spent about a month adding 2 teaspoons baking soda twice a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. After a month, it still wouldn't budge. Then I tried the Bionics. Two of the dosing caps every night. For the last two weeks, still nothing. As of this morning my alk is 2.29. which I know is way low. The only thing I can be thankful for is no one has died yet. Well the SPS's didn't make it. But the softies, anemonies, fish and snails are all good so far.
I guess it is like living in LA. after a while you get used to the smog.
I have a nice coat of red and white scum on top of the water in my sump, don't know why, but at least it stays in the sump.
The nitrates are at 100, this is with two different test. So I doubt they are wrong. It has been this way since the end of Oct. I did get a 20 once about a month ago, but I think that one was wrong now. I tried water changes like crazy, 2 and 3 a week, no good. I was told to just leave it sit and see if something would take hold and fix it self. So I haven't done a water change for 6 weeks, still no difference. I've tried to vacum the sump, overflow boxes where I see alot of junk building up. Still 100.
I've tried for the longest time to get my alk up. But it just wont go above a 3.00. The highest I have been able to get it is around a 2.64. I tried Randy Farley calculator. I spent about a month adding 2 teaspoons baking soda twice a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. After a month, it still wouldn't budge. Then I tried the Bionics. Two of the dosing caps every night. For the last two weeks, still nothing. As of this morning my alk is 2.29. which I know is way low. The only thing I can be thankful for is no one has died yet. Well the SPS's didn't make it. But the softies, anemonies, fish and snails are all good so far.
I guess it is like living in LA. after a while you get used to the smog.
pewter_jean
New member
Forgot all test results.
Amonia - zero
Nitrite - zero
Nitrate - 100+
Calcium - 400
ALK/DK - 2.29/6.4
PH - 8.3
Salinity - 1.025
Temp - 81.7
Amonia - zero
Nitrite - zero
Nitrate - 100+
Calcium - 400
ALK/DK - 2.29/6.4
PH - 8.3
Salinity - 1.025
Temp - 81.7
geoxman
Premium Member
Your ALK is too low and if you followed the calculator then your test kit is probably bad.
What test kit are you using for Nitrate? I feed my tank so much that the water turns red/brown when feeding and my trates stay at about 20. I also don't change the water but twice a month about 15%. If your Nitrates are that high the cheato should have lived?? What light did you have on it? What is the TDS coming from your RO? The red scum is probably from phosphates-have you used a phosphate remover?
Something does not sound right and going to a smaller tank you will still have the same problems if they are not addressed now. I would take Nook and the others up on the testing and problem solving idea, before you sell. JMHO and good luck
What test kit are you using for Nitrate? I feed my tank so much that the water turns red/brown when feeding and my trates stay at about 20. I also don't change the water but twice a month about 15%. If your Nitrates are that high the cheato should have lived?? What light did you have on it? What is the TDS coming from your RO? The red scum is probably from phosphates-have you used a phosphate remover?
Something does not sound right and going to a smaller tank you will still have the same problems if they are not addressed now. I would take Nook and the others up on the testing and problem solving idea, before you sell. JMHO and good luck
DrBDC
Active member
As of right now you need 14-15 teaspoons of baking soda to get up to about 9 dKh. Ignore that "try this amount per day" stuff. I'd mix it in about a gallon of water and add throughout the day.
Then when you have your ca/alk/mag balance at your chosen levels, just test the next day and see how much it dropped. If it drops 2 dKh then that's how much of each of the 2 part you need. Repeat the test and addition the next day. If you are gettting about the same drop per day, then you can just add that much daily for a few days and then retest and see if your numbers are drifting. If not, then you are still good to keep adding that much per day. Slowly stretch the testing days apart until you get them up to a couple weeks apart.
2 teaspoons a day isn't going to do much on that system or keep up with a daily alk demand. It will slowly drop on you to the 5's or 6's and plateau. Maybe if you have no corraline algae and no corals it would keep up. You have to go by the daily demand/useage not just a recommended amount on a bottle or an article. And remember if starting with a balanced amount of ca/alk you need to add equal amounts of each.
I think we may need ca/alk supplementation as a topic for a meeting. I think that may help a lot of people. It would need to be somewhere with a chalk board and overhead or a way to project from a powerpoint presentation.
Def. test the ro/di tds and see if it's fighting you. Many times people don't realize that even those larger vertical di units need the resin changed every 200-300 gallons so a 15-25 dollar inline tds meter can become very handy. The horizontal di chambers aren't good for more than about 50-100 gallons.
But that's the ca/alk and it may contribute to nitrate increase if it is causing decay of organisms etc. Cheato should be growing like wild for you. There has to be something keeping that from happening. Only 2 things can mess that up. Either not enought/right kind of light, or not enough flow on it. Every time you add it and it decays, it puts all the phosphate and nitrates back into the water that it used to grow. To keep replacing it when it doesn't grow is like adding a nitrate/phosphate supplement to the tank.
Then when you have your ca/alk/mag balance at your chosen levels, just test the next day and see how much it dropped. If it drops 2 dKh then that's how much of each of the 2 part you need. Repeat the test and addition the next day. If you are gettting about the same drop per day, then you can just add that much daily for a few days and then retest and see if your numbers are drifting. If not, then you are still good to keep adding that much per day. Slowly stretch the testing days apart until you get them up to a couple weeks apart.
2 teaspoons a day isn't going to do much on that system or keep up with a daily alk demand. It will slowly drop on you to the 5's or 6's and plateau. Maybe if you have no corraline algae and no corals it would keep up. You have to go by the daily demand/useage not just a recommended amount on a bottle or an article. And remember if starting with a balanced amount of ca/alk you need to add equal amounts of each.
I think we may need ca/alk supplementation as a topic for a meeting. I think that may help a lot of people. It would need to be somewhere with a chalk board and overhead or a way to project from a powerpoint presentation.
Def. test the ro/di tds and see if it's fighting you. Many times people don't realize that even those larger vertical di units need the resin changed every 200-300 gallons so a 15-25 dollar inline tds meter can become very handy. The horizontal di chambers aren't good for more than about 50-100 gallons.
But that's the ca/alk and it may contribute to nitrate increase if it is causing decay of organisms etc. Cheato should be growing like wild for you. There has to be something keeping that from happening. Only 2 things can mess that up. Either not enought/right kind of light, or not enough flow on it. Every time you add it and it decays, it puts all the phosphate and nitrates back into the water that it used to grow. To keep replacing it when it doesn't grow is like adding a nitrate/phosphate supplement to the tank.
pewter_jean
New member
I understand what you are tell my Roy. Maybe I wasn't adding enough, But I was going by the chart that I looked up and put in my level The flow in the sump I think is too much, I am useing a mag 24. The flow is so strong it pushes the filter pads right out of it. I have even tried to wrap the filter pads around eggcrate and put a few rock on it to hold it in place, that still didn't help. I am useing a corallife 24 in pc over the sump. I might need new bulbs by now, they are about 8 months old. But that doesn't answer the problem months ago when the bulbs were new.
As far as the TDS, I got that new spectruapure RO unit last month. It has the built in duo meters. They say everything is still good. RO out is still zero. Before that, with the old unit, the DI was starting to go bad. I think I got it tested at 3. But that is as bad as the water got.
As far as the TDS, I got that new spectruapure RO unit last month. It has the built in duo meters. They say everything is still good. RO out is still zero. Before that, with the old unit, the DI was starting to go bad. I think I got it tested at 3. But that is as bad as the water got.
pewter_jean
New member
That is why I figured that if I restarted and set up the sump differently, maybe figure out what I did or am doing wrong, I would be more successful the second time around.
I'm using a mag 24 as my return pump and no problems if you think you have to much flow then install a ball valve and cut the return pump back some,your overflow will only flowas much as you put back in the tank until you reach the max. amout they can flow.Just to compare I add 400 ml. of each of Randy's two part each day to my tank to keep the Alk/Cal in check.
Schplitter
New member
If you really want to restart. It would be my pleasure to design and build a sump for you. Maybe with some pictures we can figure out what is wrong with this one. Maybe we can still fix it!!!
Schplitter
New member
If your readings are correct then your water must be contaminated with something. Test your tap water for Nitrates. Just to see what it looks like.
StupidsReef
Premium Member
RENA!!!!!!! (thats me yelling at you) Now U listen here young lady, You need to take Nook's offer & listen to Roy.
You should give US that's the member's a chance to do what we do best. Help our friends in need. I know I've said this as well as many other member's but read it again. ROY (DrDBC) know his shizznizzle in this field, so let's take his advice first. If that doesn't work, then we go to step #2. A few of us come out to your place and attack this issue. I once heard that 2 heads are better than one, 3 heads are better than 2, 4 heads are better than 3 and so on. Selling your tank will not fix the problem, It's NOT the tank nor the system its self. This is an issue with your water. I know your sump issue, that can be fixed it may not be the easyest thing to do but it can be fixed, we know Lonnie and he builds good stands that work for sumps. You need to call the Highland water department and ask them for a print out of the water prams as well as how hard or soft the water is first. Then we chatty chat chat with Dr Roy and see what we come up with. I still have that hagen lab masters test kit in the big blue suit case, It's one of the best IMO. You are more than welcome to use it. We won't stand buy and watch you lose a worthy good tank over a water issue.
Stupid.
You should give US that's the member's a chance to do what we do best. Help our friends in need. I know I've said this as well as many other member's but read it again. ROY (DrDBC) know his shizznizzle in this field, so let's take his advice first. If that doesn't work, then we go to step #2. A few of us come out to your place and attack this issue. I once heard that 2 heads are better than one, 3 heads are better than 2, 4 heads are better than 3 and so on. Selling your tank will not fix the problem, It's NOT the tank nor the system its self. This is an issue with your water. I know your sump issue, that can be fixed it may not be the easyest thing to do but it can be fixed, we know Lonnie and he builds good stands that work for sumps. You need to call the Highland water department and ask them for a print out of the water prams as well as how hard or soft the water is first. Then we chatty chat chat with Dr Roy and see what we come up with. I still have that hagen lab masters test kit in the big blue suit case, It's one of the best IMO. You are more than welcome to use it. We won't stand buy and watch you lose a worthy good tank over a water issue.
Stupid.
pewter_jean
New member
Well Stupid my very vocal friend, I said they were more that welcome to come by. Heck I even mopped the floor this weekend. That throws my whole spring cleaning thing out of whack:lol:
As I said before I wasn't going to quit the hobby. And I wasn't going to just set up another tank in few a weeks, I was figuring more along the lines of the "Reefing with Nook" Have an empty tank sitting there until I figure out every last detail, then wait six months to see if there is anything new I should consider.
As far as the Nitrates go, They were excellent until I lost all those fish. They didn't even register, They were a flat zero. Part of me was wondering if one or two of those fish didn't die under rocks and is still there decomposing. I know that it has been a long time. But after reading Roy's post now I am wondering if: With my ALK being so low. would my coral line slowly die off and would that raise my nitrates. Or maybe it is my sand bed. It keeps getting disturbed, Powerheads fall and blow the sand over to the one side, then the other would fall and blow it over the the otherside. I've noticed a few black areas in the sand bed. But I don't really have a clue want I am talking about. I did do like told and over the weekend added enough baking soda to raise the
ALK/KH to 3.66/10.2 (I hope I didn't hurt anything raiseing it that fast over the weekend) The calcium is at 420, and the ph is 8.3. I will test it later today to see how much it has dropped if any.
pewter_jean
New member
Now that sounds like a plan. I talked with Dave "lost marbles" tonight, We think it may have something to do with my skimmer not skimming enough. In the last month I have only gotten the skimmer collection cup to fill about a 1/4th of the way. It has never really pulled. That is why I wanted to do the mesh mod on it. But I can't get the skimmer out of the sump to do anything to it. Bad sump design on my part. So I will try to clean it again as best as I can, maybe that will help. other than that, meaning getting this skimmer to work properly. I am at a lost. My skimmer is the ASM G4 plus, with the gate valve mod on it. Lost marbles it thinking that may have alot to do with why my nitrates are not dropping. The skimmer isn't pulling them out of the tank.
