High Nitrates!!!

[magdelan]

I checked my nitrates again tonight and they seem to be holding strong at 15ppm. The whole match the color of the water to the coinsiding color on the test key is a bit tough though. Everytime I go to buy a new test kit, I ask for Salifert and they are always out. If anyone in the area has some calurpa that they need to prune, I'd happily take it off of your hands. I am going to try setting some up in a container of sorts and stick it behind my rock. All my corals are looking better though.

 

[cardiffgiant]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11238449#post11238449 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redrider911
Thanks Tom. The hardware store thing threw me off. I hope Lowes or HD will have the sand so I can get this up and running. I am having a hard time getting my candy and sun coral to extend and eat Everything is in check except my trates (30 ppm). I don't know what else to do at this point. It will be my 3rd sunstar to die

Man, I hate to see the coral not make it. If I wasn't going out of town, I'd even offer to house it until you got your nitrates down. My sun coral has been doing very well (knock on wood), but I don't know if I can talk the girl that watches our fish into feeding a second one

For the first few days it was on its own feeding schedule. It would open first thing in the AM, 8PM, and at night when the lights went out. Now it opens at all feeding times. Before it was on schedule, I would feed the tank, and it would fully extend 10 minutes later.

 

[cardiffgiant]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11238559#post11238559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by magdelan
If anyone in the area has some calurpa that they need to prune, I'd happily take it off of your hands. I am going to try setting some up in a container of sorts and stick it behind my rock.

I'm back in town Monday and Tuesday, and I'll actually need to prune my caulerpa before I go back out of town. I'll be happy to give you the prunings if you want to stop by.

My yellow tang has never let it take root in the display, but I'd still be hesitant to let it reside there.

 

[magdelan]

Cardiffgiant- It looks like you live in Buffalo? I live about 25 minutes east of the city of Rochester. After re-reading a couple posts, I realized that it is Chaeto that I want and not calurpa.

Thanks

mike

 

[tmz]

Well I have lots of chaetomorpha but I'm in Buffalo also.

 

[cardiffgiant]

Is that your sun coral in the upper left of your tank? I read that they were more of a low light coral that is found in caves. I keep mine partially tucked under an overhang. Have you tried putting it lower in your aquascape?

 

[magdelan]

you are absoutely correct. They are found under overhangs and in caves in nature however, they are a nonphotosynthetic coral and do not require light. They are also not effected by light so they can esentially be placed anywhere in the tank. I have had it lower in the aquascape however I prefer it to be higher up so that I can see it's nice coloring when it is out. Also, if you keep your polys fed well, they will produce offspring. You might find a small polyp here and there in your tank, but if you will notice, they aren't always in the shade. I'm not one to be confident about giving advice, but if you have any questions about keeping suncoral, let me know. I have successfully kept mine for many, many months now and it is growing and speading nicely.

Good luck.

 

[cardiffgiant]

That's good to know. I was worried about keeping it somewhere where it wouldn't get much light, but that makes it little harder to target feed each mouth.

 

[LFS_worker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11120116#post11120116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thriceanangel
Skimming will NOT remove nitrates. It removes some of the precursors that will produce nitrates. I would just do a few water changes instead of a big one to export the NO3, then see how the skimmer hold them back.

Skimmate collection was tested several times and it is true that skimmate does contain more Nitrate than the tank water.


Brian

 

[magdelan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11242415#post11242415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LFS_worker
Skimmate collection was tested several times and it is true that skimmate does contain more Nitrate than the tank water.


Brian

That's really interesting Brian. I don't think many people think to test their skimmate for things like SG and Nitrate.

 

[magdelan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11242415#post11242415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LFS_worker
Skimmate collection was tested several times and it is true that skimmate does contain more Nitrate than the tank water.


Brian

That's really interesting Brian. I don't think many people think to test their skimmate for things like SG and Nitrate.

 

[tmz]

Actually, Eric Borneman is in the middle of a study of the contents of skimmate which should provede useful information.

 

[magdelan]

Do you have a link to this study or is this something you heard through the grapevine? I would love to see his findings.

 

[tmz]

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic52254-9-1.aspx

That's the link. happy reading

 

[redrider911]

I just got the empty kitty little bucket, but I think it is way to small. It only contained 3 lbs of kitty litter..
I have an empty salt bucket. Is it possible to use a standard bulkhead on the round bucket?
Are there any cat lovers that have a empty bigger box?

 

[magdelan]

I have 3 empties, but are of no use to you 60 miles away,

 

[tmz]

Would a dollar store rectangular trash bin work with in and out bulkheads on the side? I don't think it need to be covered.

 

[magdelan]

Why does it have to be rectangular? The Reef Crystals buckets are bigger than the kitty litter buckets and imo are more durable.

 

[tmz]

If you go back on the thread you'll see that in the design presented the flat side will accomodate standard bulkheads. The curved buckett will not.

 

[magdelan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11240663#post11240663 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cardiffgiant
That's good to know. I was worried about keeping it somewhere where it wouldn't get much light, but that makes it little harder to target feed each mouth.

I'm still trying to get used to taking pictures with my new camera in manual mode, but this is a pic of my sun polyps. It was taken with only one 96w actinc on.