Help this noob!

[Hodori]

Hey guys,

I have had my Biocube 29G set up for about 1 1/2 months now. So far I have 3 damsels 1 maroon clown, 1 shrimp, 5 snails.

about 20 lbs of crushed coral, and about 20 lbs of LR

I was monitoring my ammonia, ph, nitrite, and nitrate. Everything seemed fine except my nitrate was at 20.

I'm currently running the biocube stock (w/ bioballs)

I was wondering is that nitrate level ok? or is it too high.

If its too high what do I have to do to lower it?

I did a water change last night (5 gallons) and even after the water change the nitrate levels were pretty similar.

any advice is appreciated. thanks!

 

[alexb518]

of course you want to get it as low as possible, but honestly 20 is not that bad

 

[hmello@bermexin]

How often are your water changes? Have you rinsed the sponge in the return pump compartment? Have you changed out the filter media? Have you rinsed the bio-balls?

Just some questions and things for you to look into.

 

[blkdrgn]

how often do you do water changes and at what %? it takes time for nitrates to go down. if you want to keep the nitrate down for longer periods you should take out the bioballs and crushed coral.

 

[Avi]

Alex is right that the 20 isn't horrible. But, it is a good practice to get it lower if you can. I'd agree that discontinuing the use of the bio-balls is a good idea and so, too, with the crushed coral. Increasing the frequency of your water changes may help, but if you're water source is high in nitrates (you ought to test that) then you should consider using RO/DI water in the future for the water changes. You may also want to look into the newer small protein skimmers that are available now.

 

[Gluestick]

20 is not bad, but since this is a uniquarium, an easy solution to a refugium would be to add some cool looking macro algaes. I don't know what fish you have that may eat it, but you can always stuff some chaeto in the back, under rocks and stuff, and put some prettier looking ones in the front. This may help lower the nitrates. It will also be a place for pods to grow and reproduce, plus it looks natural.

 

[Hodori]

Thanks for all the replies:

hmello: This was my second water change. I let the tank go about 1 month without doing a water change. Then 2 weeks later I did this water change.

Both times I between 4~5 gallons.

I have not rinsed the sponge, and I will do that tonight.

I have not rinsed the bio balls

I did change the filter media (I gutted it and put a new filter pad, replaceable, and a bag of aquaclear carbon under it, in between the bioballs and the filter.

Avi: All the water I ever used was from the LFS that I got my set up from. I hear crushed coral is bad for the tank, but I dunno, it seems like a huge hassle to take it out now... whats done is done, have to try and make the best of it right?

I have been looking into the sapphire protein skimmer, but its $$$ maybe when I begin to do some coral...

Gluestick: I'm confused (being a noob) as to what macro algaes and chaeto is, and what it does? and even what a refugium is. haha sorry. maybe a little more explanation and how it all works? thanks

THANK TO ALL who helped me!!

 

[Gluestick]

I would do some research on the benefits of refugiums.

 

[Avi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10058816#post10058816 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hodori


Avi: All the water I ever used was from the LFS that I got my set up from. I hear crushed coral is bad for the tank, but I dunno, it seems like a huge hassle to take it out now... whats done is done, have to try and make the best of it right?

I have been looking into the sapphire protein skimmer, but its $$$ maybe when I begin to do some coral...

Gluestick: I'm confused (being a noob) as to what macro algaes and chaeto is, and what it does? and even what a refugium is. haha sorry. maybe a little more explanation and how it all works? thanks

It is a bit of a pain to change from the crushed coral to something less problematic...I know because when I first set up my 120-gallon reef I did it with crushed coral. My elevated nitrates finally motivated me to take a number of measures including taking out the crushed coral. I did the very best I could considering that there was a massive amount of live rock in the tank that I wasn't about to move. I used my hands, a fish net and a turkey baster to blow the stuff from under the rock to the extent that I could. I got what I figure is 90 to 95% of the crushed coral. It's hard to say how much it contributed to the eventual reduction in the nitrates because I did some other things at about the same time, including starting to grow macro-algae in the sump. I use one section of the sump for that.

It's really very simple...a refugium is nothing more than an area in which you grow some kind of macro-algae like "chaeto" (Chaetomorpha.) Of course, you have to have a suitable light over it so that you can foster a good growth of the macro-algae. A refugium can be a separate container, fish tank, etc,…it can be a special one that they sell to hang on the back of the tank, or it can be a particular section of a sump. The idea is that there are many benefits to be had….the chaeto consumes nitrates and phosphates, so that there is less available for unwanted nuisance micro-algae and there is less in the water column to negatively effect corals and other inverts which are sensitive to elevated nitrates. There are other, unrelated benefits like the chaeto being a place where “pods” can flourish and serve as supplemental food for various fish, some of which require that kind of food in their diet (like Mandarins) and also the increased water volume you get if you add a refugium to an already existing system increased the water volume in the system to make it more stable. Beyond that, if you have the lights over the refugium over night when the tank lights are off in a reverse photo-period, there are lesser pH swings in the tank over the course of the day. So, there are plenty of reasons to have a refugium.

But…also work in that protein skimmer…I know there are different opinions on it but I bet anything it will make your entire experience with a marine tank a better one.

 

[hmello@bermexin]

Sponges, bio-balls need to be cleaned with each and every water change. Water changes need to be weekly at a rate of 10%. In a tank this small it is imperitive to having a chance at clean water.
You should investigate taking out the bio-balls. If you do this take out a few at a time so that you other biofiltering can catch up, don't take them all out a once. Then you can put a skimmer in there or change it into a fuge.

 

[Hodori]

Awesome thanks for the tips guys. I'm gonna be doing some bio ball and sponge cleanup and definitely going to be looking and researching more on the refugium. Thanks guys I'll do my best to keep you all updated.

 

[Hodori]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10058619#post10058619 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gluestick
20 is not bad, but since this is a uniquarium, an easy solution to a refugium would be to add some cool looking macro algaes. I don't know what fish you have that may eat it, but you can always stuff some chaeto in the back, under rocks and stuff, and put some prettier looking ones in the front. This may help lower the nitrates. It will also be a place for pods to grow and reproduce, plus it looks natural.

I know this Topic is pretty much closed, but as I am getting closer to making some modifications to my Biocube 29, I am leaning towards putting some chaeto in the 2nd chamber (taking out the bio balls)

but as I was reading over the post again Gluesticks post caught my eye.

Instead of making a refugium in the back, is it possible to just put chaeto around my tank? Does that have the same benefits?

I did another water test last night and its pretty much the same, I want to get my nitrates down before I start adding more stuff.

Thanks all~

 

[hmello@bermexin]

I have some Chaeto in my display behind the rock out of site with a power head blowing that way. Pretty new don't know if is doiing anything but must at least be some refuge for the pods.
If you are going to take out your bio-balls, a good idea, take them out slowly. A handful at a time every three or four days until they are gone. As they have been in you tank for a while they are now part of your bio filtration and if you take them out too quickly you will get another cycle. A little at a time allows the rest of the system to catch up. Then you can look into live rock rubble in that chamber, or as I and many have done a protein skimmer. Take a look at sapphireauqatics.com. They make one that is designed to fit into that space and still allow the cover to close.