HI! All I'm new to this forum and I came accross thsi forum due to a friend. Anyways, the problem I have is with my setup. I have a 40 gallon saltwater tank that I try to convert to reef but I'm having some problems with my nitrates. The tank consists of 60lbs+ of live rock, a coralife super skimmer, 211 watts of metal halide, a fluval msf 304 filter with two biowheels for a return to the tank. The fluval was added about a month ago and the tank has been setup for about a year. At the beginning I was using only the live rock and the skimmer for filtration due to advise from advance reefer experience person. Water was change twice a month (1/3 of it). I use to buy corals but they only lasted 2 months at most and they died, I only had three small fish. When I did test I only found nitrates (80-100 Measurement) and everything else was zero. I also canot get my live rock to color. I have another small setup an eclipse system 6 with the stock light and canopy filter that cost me $60. The funny thing is that tank does very well with anything I put in there even if I don't change water for a month and all the live rock there colors pretty well. Anyways, because of that I decided to add extra filter (flival 304) and I'm waiting to see if I can get my nitrates down. I use instant ocean sea salt, DTs, liquid PH 8.2 and liquid calcium as my main ingredients when feeding my fish because all corals had died. Any advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated since I consider myself a begineer since I cannot seem to keep anything but fish in my tank. Thank You all for your help. Keep up the good work.
Need filtering advice for a small reef setup
- Thread starter Joaquin
- Start date
Electrobes
Montipora type guy
Well I don't think I would have gotten the fluval. I too have a sumpless 40 tank (mine's a breeder). I have almost the same things you have aside from the canister filter... a HOB skimmer, AC 110 (HOB filter) with live rock, but I also run a phosban reactor with carbon.
My question to you is if you have used copper based medicines to treat your tnak when it was freshwater? Copper is a big ouchie to live beings in the saltwater world.
Oh.. and how do you have 211 watts of metal halides? you mean 250? or 175?
Live rock colors or not for a lot of reaons. Few types of corraline algae (the purple stuff you see in other tanks) can withstand being under halide light. Most do well in much lower light situations (like being under a coral's shadow or something) not necessarily in lower light from bulbs.
I would probably halt using DT's as that may be fueling your nitrate issue more than you think. It's not that the product is bad but it could possibly be that you are dosing it a bit much or the product may have gone bad.
I use I.O. as well and think it to be fine salt. Your water change schedule seems just fine so no worries there. Do you have any living things in your tank presently? You say you only HAD three fish, but I am interpreting that as "these fish are now dead".
Keep asking questions and welcome to Reef Central
My question to you is if you have used copper based medicines to treat your tnak when it was freshwater? Copper is a big ouchie to live beings in the saltwater world.
Oh.. and how do you have 211 watts of metal halides? you mean 250? or 175?
Live rock colors or not for a lot of reaons. Few types of corraline algae (the purple stuff you see in other tanks) can withstand being under halide light. Most do well in much lower light situations (like being under a coral's shadow or something) not necessarily in lower light from bulbs.
I would probably halt using DT's as that may be fueling your nitrate issue more than you think. It's not that the product is bad but it could possibly be that you are dosing it a bit much or the product may have gone bad.
I use I.O. as well and think it to be fine salt. Your water change schedule seems just fine so no worries there. Do you have any living things in your tank presently? You say you only HAD three fish, but I am interpreting that as "these fish are now dead".
Keep asking questions and welcome to Reef Central
Thank you Electrobes for your reply.
Basically I have now a maroom clown and a damsel in the tank as well as a blue leggeg crab. MY metal halide consist of one one 175W HQI 20,000k bulb two 18W compact fluorescent actinic blue bulbs with two LEDS. I'm waiting for my fluval canister filter two cycle to take parameter measurements again. The fluval has premium carbon, and porous and nonporous ceramic pre-filter media. The tank has no cover. I have not treated the tank with any copper based medicines and the tank has only been saltwater. Thank You again for all your help.
A Very grateful
Joaquin
Basically I have now a maroom clown and a damsel in the tank as well as a blue leggeg crab. MY metal halide consist of one one 175W HQI 20,000k bulb two 18W compact fluorescent actinic blue bulbs with two LEDS. I'm waiting for my fluval canister filter two cycle to take parameter measurements again. The fluval has premium carbon, and porous and nonporous ceramic pre-filter media. The tank has no cover. I have not treated the tank with any copper based medicines and the tank has only been saltwater. Thank You again for all your help.
A Very grateful
Joaquin
