Mhucasey's SPS obsession

[wheelman76]

Matt,

When did you purchase your Salifert nitrate test kit? If you happen to keep the colour card of your old Salifert test kit, then please compare it with the present one you are using now. I have read reports on this forum that there was a print error on one of the batches. I have recently helped a fellow reefer in the UK who found an unexplained sudden jump in his nitrate readings. When I prompted him about the colour card issue, he compared the colours on different cards and found discrepancy.

I always test my test kits using FM multi-reference solution to rule out things like this.

Just a thought ...

I noticed this with the latest salifert nitrate kit I bought. It has a different colour card then all the previous kits , it's a larger card and the colours are slightly different which give you a higher nitrate reading than the old colour card would have.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

I noticed this with the latest salifert nitrate kit I bought. It has a different colour card then all the previous kits , it's a larger card and the colours are slightly different which give you a higher nitrate reading than the old colour card would have.

FWIW, here is the link that describes the confusion created by Salifert:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2480664&highlight=salifert

 

[wheelman76]

FWIW, here is the link that describes the confusion created by Salifert:



http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2480664&highlight=salifert

Interesting read , thanks. I guess I'll go back to using the old colour chart.

 

[gregkn73]

Matt what do you thing are the pro's of sulphur denitrator comparing it to macroalgae for NO3 reduction?

 

[FloformAustria]

Matt your coolness is remarkable!
if my nitrate test would have that color i would drop dead immediatley ^^

i´m very curious on how good the new filter will work!!

Good luck

Flo

 

[mhucasey]

Matt what do you thing are the pro's of sulphur denitrator comparing it to macroalgae for NO3 reduction?

Well, algae won't grow in my system so I don't think it would work, plus in California caulerpa algae is illegal. sulfur dentiration is effective, cheap, and no harvesting is needed.

 

[mhucasey]

Matt your coolness is remarkable!
if my nitrate test would have that color i would drop dead immediatley ^^

i´m very curious on how good the new filter will work!!

Good luck

Flo

Thanks Flo, I don't know about remarkable

This was the tank Nitrate value 1 week ago:

Yesterday morning, the tank was still high:

But the reactor output showed "higher" because of the presence of Nitrites and Nitrates, indicating that the reactor wasn't processing the nitrate fast enough:

I reduced the flow a bit more and let the reactor grow some more bacteria and this is the reactor effluent today:

Booya!

 

[FloformAustria]

wow :bigeyes:

that´s what i call a change!! looking good

interesting that your corals did mind the high nitrate...

Cheers

 

[Scorpius]

wow :bigeyes:

that´s what i call a change!! looking good

interesting that your corals did mind the high nitrate...

Cheers

There's a growing consensus that having nitrates and phosphates are not quite the demons we once thought they were.

 

[reefmutt]

There's a growing consensus that having nitrates and phosphates are not quite the demons we once thought they were.

Unless you have frickin' algea problems!
But true, the corals seem to do just fine within quite a range..

Very cool, Matt.
Do you have to feed the sulfur denitrater?

 

[scrapz]

There's a growing consensus that having nitrates and phosphates are not quite the demons we once thought they were.

For me its always been the rocks look too clean, time to feed more and get some algae!

 

[mhucasey]

There's a growing consensus that having nitrates and phosphates are not quite the demons we once thought they were.

Correct, nitrates aren't a problem as you can see in my tanks- but there are toxicity levels where high nitrates can affect sensitive fish, which is why I want to lower mine. Ideally I would like nitrate around 5ppm.

 

[mhucasey]

For me its always been the rocks look too clean, time to feed more and get some algae!

Hee hee! With the right trace element regimen the rocks are clean no matter what the nutrient numbers- that's where I am right now. I couldn't feed much more if I tried- I like happy, fat fish.

 

[mhucasey]

Unless you have frickin' algea problems!
But true, the corals seem to do just fine within quite a range..

Very cool, Matt.
Do you have to feed the sulfur denitrater?

No feeding, just sulfur media and slow flow- the media should last 3 years from what I understand. I bought 10 lbs for 32 bucks and am using 3lbs in the reactor now.

 

[Diesel3443]

For me its always been the rocks look too clean, time to feed more and get some algae!

Lets switch rocks! lol

 

[Pife]

Well I guess I need to fire up my Sulphur reactor too. I was so hoping the test was a false negative.

 

[JB NY]

And here I am still trying to get Nitrates to stay in my tank. I had been keeping N around 5 ppm, then the other day I measure them and they are just under 2 ppm.

 

[mhucasey]

And here I am still trying to get Nitrates to stay in my tank. I had been keeping N around 5 ppm, then the other day I measure them and they are just under 2 ppm.

I used to have the same problem before the one tank with liverock became two, with the SPS tank filled with plastic rock and the flubber tank carrying the liverock. After that Nitrates rose to around 10 before starting Aquaforest, then continued to rise. Somehow I have bypassed the denitrification that used to occur.

 

[FloformAustria]

There's a growing consensus that having nitrates and phosphates are not quite the demons we once thought they were.

for sure... but going from n.n. to 100 and back to 2-3mg/l seem like the corals would show some reaction to it...

i´m not for everything at 0 but around 2-5 mg/l nitrate feels right... for me

Flo

 

[aggie13reef]

Unless you have frickin' algea problems!

+1 :lolspin: