Need advice bringing back neglected tank

[mgmcaleer]

25 gallon Nuvo. I changed 5 gallons of water last night and cleaned my back chambers. Here are the test results as of 6/25

Phosphate 3
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
Amonia .125
High pH 8
Calcium 400
KH 10
Salinity 1.026
Temp 77 F

Still dosing capful of MicroBacter7 and half cap of Reef BioFuel daily.
Skimmer runs except for 4-6 hours after dosing.
I have a reactor running with 1/6 cup of Seachem PhosGuard.

 

[Reefing102]

I guess, just for verification, what is the measurement of your phosphate (ppm or ppb)?

 

[mgmcaleer]

I guess, just for verification, what is the measurement of your phosphate (ppm or ppb)?

It’s ppm. I’m using the Salifert test kit.

 

[mgmcaleer]

It looks like things are starting to come down. My Nitrates were around 20 and my Phosphate was below 3. I changed the PhosGuard material and increased the amount a bit. I have 10 gallons of fresh saltwater to change today.

 

[Reefing102]

Good to hear things are coming down

 

[mgmcaleer]

I changed 5 gallons yesterday and 5 gallons today. I am at 2 ppm Phosphate and 15 ppm Nitrates.

At what point would it be safe to add an anemone to the tank for my clownfish?

 

[Reefing102]

In my opinion, the phosphate still needs to come down quite a bit. Here’s the generally reccomended levels:

 

[BeanAnimal]

Just keep doing what you are doing. Don't fall into the chemical trap though - one solution begets other problems. I had nearly the same (larger tank) rehab to do 2 years ago. I did not do water changes though.

Aggressive skimming and good set of snails (turbo and astrea) and an urchin take care of most of the problem. I did stir everything up pretty well and run a filter sock to clear it up (for an hour or two) a few times. You took care of most of that with the siphon and rock cleaning. It will self correct in a few months if you don't go back to neglect and overfeeding.

 

[mgmcaleer]

Just keep doing what you are doing. Don't fall into the chemical trap though - one solution begets other problems. I had nearly the same (larger tank) rehab to do 2 years ago. I did not do water changes though.

Aggressive skimming and good set of snails (turbo and astrea) and an urchin take care of most of the problem. I did stir everything up pretty well and run a filter sock to clear it up (for an hour or two) a few times. You took care of most of that with the siphon and rock cleaning. It will self correct in a few months if you don't go back to neglect and overfeeding.

Thanks for the info. I have added four turbo snails, five astrea snails and a sand sifting star. I ordered a cleanup crew but waiting for the heat to decrease before shipping. I added filter socks for each overflow to filter the water along with my auquamaxx skimmer. I run a Phosban 150 reactor with PhosGuard. I am dosing Reef BioFuel and Microbactor7. I want an urchin. I have vacuumed the sand pretty well. I think most of my phosphate is leaching from the rocks but it is coming down gradually now. I am looking to add some sort of wave maker or gyre to the tank becaus my goal is to add anemones.

 

[Alexzayn]

You're on the right track by addressing equipment issues and performing maintenance; keep up with water changes and consider checking phosphate levels and adding carbon to help further stabilize the tank.

 

[mgmcaleer]

I picked up some ROWAphos and put that in the reactor with some carbon. My phosphate is now at 0.5 ppm and my nitrate is at 20 ppm. I also added five blue leg and 5 red leg hermits.

 

[mgmcaleer]

And thank you to everyone who has responded with suggestions and has helped me stabilize my tank. I am almost there.

 

[Reefing102]

That’s awesome to hear!

 

[griss]

Good to hear things are coming along nicely.

 

[JaxsonBen]

You're on the right track by addressing equipment issues and performing maintenance; keep up with water changes and consider checking phosphate levels and adding carbon to help further stabilize the tank.

Great steps! Have you tried monitoring phosphate levels too?
Insta Pro ♕

 

[mgmcaleer]

Great steps! Have you tried monitoring phosphate levels too?
Insta Pro ♕

Yes, phosphate levels are listed above. I was off the charts. Now I am below 1ppm. I am running a reactor with Phosguard to continually get it down. I have vacuumed all the sand to get everything out and I am reducing the amount of sand bed in the tank. I also added a Sicce Voyager Nano pump in the rear of the tank and a AI Nero 3 wave pump in the front of the tank for more flow.

 

[griss]

Just remember, unlike the old days, you don't want to zero out your nitrate and phosphate.

 

[mgmcaleer]

Here are the latest test results.
Phosphate .75 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Calcium 400
Alk 11.2 dKH
Ph 8.0
Nitrite 0
Temp 77 f
Salinity 1.026

 

[griss]

Phosphate could come down a bit and nitrate on the high end of the “good” range. That said, I the tank looks good, I wouldn’t do anything drastic. Some people get into chasing numbers and tend to make things worse.

 

[mgmcaleer]

Thanks griss. I think my tank was dirty for so long it may take time for the phosphate to come down. It’s a 25 gallon reef AIO and I am running 1/6 cup of Phosban in the reactor. I’m changing about 5-7 gallons weekly. I am dosing MicroBacter7 and Reef BioFuel. I dose Red Sea Reef foundation ABC+ as needed for calcium for the frags I have. The calcium was low.