Go bare bottom or continue to endure?

[boxfishpooalot]

Try this test:take some sand and put it in a cup of tank water. Wait one day and test the phosphates.

 

[NoSchwag]

What type of becket and what pump are you using for your 250g?

 

[Nem0]

I will try to soak the sand in a cup of tank water and test. Good idea.

What type of beckett and pump? It is a 3ft tall beckett running using an iwaki MD-55. Any comments?

 

[kbmdale]

How long has the tank been running? I may have missed it if you said. What are you using for flow in the tank? How much flow do you have? What kind of food are you feeding? What kind of salt are you using? How often are you doing water changes?

I can't beleive no one has asked this. This is must know info before a good assesment can be made.

 

[NoSchwag]

I'm just curious how the neck is. Does it get real tight at the top? Do you have a picture of it?

The becket is the biggest piece of equipment you would have to buy, that's why I'm asking.

 

[NoSchwag]

Could a po4 level that high be coming from a salt mix?

How long has this sandbed been set up?

Some people would tell you to add this and add that to reduce them. I personally wouldn't ADD anything to the system to take something out. Then again i'm still new, I may be way off track with that.

You already know that the nutrients are comming from your sandbed and/or liverock (unless you have a dirty sump/refugium/bioballs).

To remove the sandbed I would get as much water out as possible, then suck it out with a shop vac, all at once. By removing the a little at a time you run the risk of releasing stuff.

 

[Nem0]

Hi kbmdale,

Some of your questions are answered in the thread. In any case, here it is:

1. How long has the tank been running?
- 2 years.

2. What are you using for flow in the tank?
- I'm using 2x tunzes even though I have 3. The wave is too powerful for my LPS.

3. What kind of food are you feeding?
- I'm using Ocean Nutrition Formula one

4. What kind of salt are you using?
- Coralife Salt

5. How often are you doing water changes?
- Once every 2-3 weeks with 20% water change

 

[mmd]

im not an anthia expert but i have a bartlet, i feed my tank 5-6 times a week but feed my bartlet 1-2 a day with some pellets, i drop them in one at a time till he stops chasing them, he has grown significantly since i got him 3 months ago, so i assume im doing ok...i would reduce the feedings...just my 02

 

[kbmdale]

Ok that covers the basics then...I am not familiar with your brand of salt but I wouldn't think it would be a problem. When was the last time you cleaned your skimmer? Are you getting algae blooms?

 

[NoSchwag]

Do you have a picture of your skimmate and a close up of the skimmer running? A lot of people wait until the food breaks down before removing it with the skimmer. This would cause high nutrient levels.

 

[Nem0]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6564749#post6564749 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
Ok that covers the basics then...I am not familiar with your brand of salt but I wouldn't think it would be a problem. When was the last time you cleaned your skimmer? Are you getting algae blooms?

I clean my skimmer once every 3 days. I don't have algae bloom in my tank, but I worry with such high phosphate it may happen soon.

 

[Nem0]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6564760#post6564760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NoSchwag
Do you have a picture of your skimmate and a close up of the skimmer running? A lot of people wait until the food breaks down before removing it with the skimmer. This would cause high nutrient levels.

Don't have a picture of my skimmate. Seems to have problem tuning for wet skimmate and so just keep it as dry skimmate. A thick layer accumlate on the neck in 2-3 days.

 

[jay24k]

Test the PO4 after you mix your salt. There was a few things about coralife salt that I read awhile ago.