multicincta
New member
I realize it is a sign of at least 1 thing gone wrong, probably more, but is it something that is really bad for the tank?
I'm really trying to work on all the major contributors. I have what I think is a good RO system, TDS is usually 0-3. I'm darn near starving my fish. I'm vodka dosing for nitrates and phosphates. I'm doing regular water changes. I'm "blowing" off the cyno regularly and cleaning my sock filter each time I do a "blow off". I have a skimmer, but that is one part of the equation I'm questioning. I'm not sure what make or model it is, but it is large (bought whole reef system second hand). I do get gunk out of the skimmer trap, but it's not all that often. Either my water is pretty dang clean or the skimmer is not working all that well. That said, it does work and there are times when I do see it bubbling up with that nastiness into the cup.
I have an algae turf scrubber coming, so I'm hoping that will help with my nutrient issues.
Back to the RO system. I had my water tested by a local company called "NEXT RO". Like I said, it tested from 0 to 3 TDS. The RO guy thought that was great, so I assumed it was good. It's not his RO unit either, he's just being nice and testing my water from a competitor's RO unit, then speaking highly of it. I figured that's got to be good then. But now, after doing some searches, I've found reference to RO water needing to read 0. So what's the scoop on this? Must it be 0? or is 0 to 3 within acceptable range?
Lighting?
I'm using the MH that came with this system and they likely need to be changes. However, I'm in the middle of a 120 LED array build. So I wanted to avoid buying new MH bulbs if I can. At this rate, I'm not sure how long it is going to take me to build the array though. It seems like I've got a few things holding me up.
Back to the original question. Is cyno all that bad? Will it cause harm to the tank system other than looking ugly? Or can I continue working on keeping it cleaned up best I can until I get my light finished, ATS in place and possibly a new skimmer? (FYI - current skimmer is pretty large, but no name of maker is on the unit anywhere, that's usually a sign of a cheap unit in my book).
Numbers:
The only big concern is the nitrates, which usually reads 10 or 20 ppm. I need to get a phosphate test kit so I can monitor that too. I suspect it is high based upon the cyno and the green hair algae I have growing. But again, doing what I can to fix that problem.
The rest of my numbers are in check - ammonia - 0, nitrite - 0, PH, Alk, calcium all good.
Thanks for any input you may want to provide.
I'm really trying to work on all the major contributors. I have what I think is a good RO system, TDS is usually 0-3. I'm darn near starving my fish. I'm vodka dosing for nitrates and phosphates. I'm doing regular water changes. I'm "blowing" off the cyno regularly and cleaning my sock filter each time I do a "blow off". I have a skimmer, but that is one part of the equation I'm questioning. I'm not sure what make or model it is, but it is large (bought whole reef system second hand). I do get gunk out of the skimmer trap, but it's not all that often. Either my water is pretty dang clean or the skimmer is not working all that well. That said, it does work and there are times when I do see it bubbling up with that nastiness into the cup.
I have an algae turf scrubber coming, so I'm hoping that will help with my nutrient issues.
Back to the RO system. I had my water tested by a local company called "NEXT RO". Like I said, it tested from 0 to 3 TDS. The RO guy thought that was great, so I assumed it was good. It's not his RO unit either, he's just being nice and testing my water from a competitor's RO unit, then speaking highly of it. I figured that's got to be good then. But now, after doing some searches, I've found reference to RO water needing to read 0. So what's the scoop on this? Must it be 0? or is 0 to 3 within acceptable range?
Lighting?
I'm using the MH that came with this system and they likely need to be changes. However, I'm in the middle of a 120 LED array build. So I wanted to avoid buying new MH bulbs if I can. At this rate, I'm not sure how long it is going to take me to build the array though. It seems like I've got a few things holding me up.
Back to the original question. Is cyno all that bad? Will it cause harm to the tank system other than looking ugly? Or can I continue working on keeping it cleaned up best I can until I get my light finished, ATS in place and possibly a new skimmer? (FYI - current skimmer is pretty large, but no name of maker is on the unit anywhere, that's usually a sign of a cheap unit in my book).
Numbers:
The only big concern is the nitrates, which usually reads 10 or 20 ppm. I need to get a phosphate test kit so I can monitor that too. I suspect it is high based upon the cyno and the green hair algae I have growing. But again, doing what I can to fix that problem.
The rest of my numbers are in check - ammonia - 0, nitrite - 0, PH, Alk, calcium all good.
Thanks for any input you may want to provide.
