Picture of tank: https://ibb.co/DWG6Jcp
Only read last sentence for TL;DR.
I'll try my very hardest not to make this a wall of text... but as I found out as I was writing this, it turned out to be one after all. If any info is missing, tell me and I'll edit and/or comment.
Info on tank will be further down.
I'll start out with my algae problem has been adressed by maybe 50 people on other sites and forums and long story short I will be trying ROWA and water changes and biopellets and skimmer later down the line if I can not get rid of my algae problems with more natural and simpler means. Also I know about NoxPhox or whatever and other phospate binding solutions, and know about carbon dosing. I am currently thinking about which route I want to try down the line, but I am not gonna try everything at once, and will take my sweet time deciding and trying.
Currently only gonna try with the following: 3 day blackout, and an algae scrubber running on 18 hours light during the entire blackout. Will be trying the algae scrubber for some months onward probably, then I'll probably go with a skimmer if no results, most likely.
But back to my question! Why have my nitrates suddenly decided to break free from my 6 months continuous 15 ppm golden number and dived down to 2 ppm? First time since day 1 of the tank nitrates have been this low.
Only thing I have done recently was add some small amounts of aminos some weeks ago, and I made an algea scrubber 3 weeks ago. Added 2x Lionfish 2 weeks ago.
2 days ago I blacked out my tank with big black trash bags. Then, one day later, took a nitrate reading, and it showed 6 ppm. Then, earlier today, took a new reading, and it showed 4-5 ppm. And took one some hours ago, and it showed 3 ppm.
I am completely baffled, as I thought algae dying from no light would mean insanely high nitrates, because as you can clearly see in my picture, I have alot of algae. Is this all just a calm before the storm? Will my nitrates be in the 300ish tommorow?
As I said earlier, I have had my nitrates stuck at 15 ppm for like 6 months, never going up or down. Algea growing at insane speeds, not seeming to stop or slow down. Every SPS I added dying within days/weeks, LPS somehow unaffacted, but slow growth.
Info on tank:540 liters, or like about 140 gallons-ishhh.
Don't have a phospate reader yet, getting it soon.
Started with only dead rocks, added a few pieces of live rock from various sources to seed. Things I have noticed is Vermetid snail, other snails, bristleworms, bristle star fish, small shore-shrimp-like things, and I think I might have a mantis/pistol shrimp somewhere because god awful annoying frigging clicking noises sometimes. Have not seen it yet, might be snails or hermits playing tricks on me. Don't know. Maybe something else. Some tiny sponges aswell.
Only first started feeding for the first time, two weeks ago with the Lionfish, feedin' em shrimp tails once a week (yay started eating dead food really early ((also please tips on what else I can feed the Lionfish that is readily available, don't have a reef shop in like a 5 hour radius around me, and I know shrimp is bad for Lionfish but I don't have anything else atm)). I'll say it again, NO FEEDING for almost a year. Nothing.
TDS readings, 45 ppm from the tap, 12 ppm after RO filter. Getting new filters as soon as I have the money.
Stock is 1x Blue tang, 2x Lionfish, tiny CUC consisting of 4 snails and 4 Kenya mix hermit crabs.
Skimmerless, sumpless, no water changes. Only have algae scrubber on the right side of picture, installed 3 weeks ago.
Been running for about a year, 90% of that time a Blue Tang has been in it after it was cycled ofc, and 2x Lionfish was added 2 weeks ago.
Maxspect 420R. Lights on for 12 hours at 80/80. Always moonlight at night. I have had my lights at 30/30 for the majority of the time, long story short in an attempt to save SPS bleaching and stopping algae growth but of course it was a stupid idea and did nothing. Learned my lesson. After upping to 80/80 slowly, colors are returning to my corals and everything has looked ALOT better. Funny little example is my Kenya tree was blue when I got it, and glowed under blue lights. Then it turned pink and stopped glowing, probably because of 30/30 light. Turned up lights to 80/80, started turning blue, and glowing again. Also have some Kenya's that are at the top of rocks, and I think they are even starting turning green, and glowing ALOT in blue light?
Water values are normal +10-20% more. Temp 24c, Ph 8.2. Some values higher because I f'ed up recently adding too much, and I don't have much corals using Ca and KH so values are slooowly getting lower. Have been testing for Ca, KH, Mg, No3. Mg above 1500, and have always been high for some reason (by the way, any tips on maybe lowering Mg alone without affecting anything else?). My phone died recently along with my records, so can't tell exact numbers. I suppose I could take some tests right now if exact numbers are needed.
I am using Red Sea's Foundation Skeletal Elements powder to keep Ca, KH, Mg and trace elements up. Seperate Ca dosing powder if Ca is getting low, dosing Sodium Bicarbonate if KH is low. Please comment if this stuff is horrible and I should stop using it.
Not dosing or adding anything mysterious to the tank. Added tiny amounts of amino stuff some months ago, noticed brown algea (dino???) started appearing around then.
_______________________
TL;DR: 15 ppm nitrates for 6 months straight, blackout for 2 days, nitrates now 2 ppm. Why?
Only read last sentence for TL;DR.
I'll try my very hardest not to make this a wall of text... but as I found out as I was writing this, it turned out to be one after all. If any info is missing, tell me and I'll edit and/or comment.
Info on tank will be further down.
I'll start out with my algae problem has been adressed by maybe 50 people on other sites and forums and long story short I will be trying ROWA and water changes and biopellets and skimmer later down the line if I can not get rid of my algae problems with more natural and simpler means. Also I know about NoxPhox or whatever and other phospate binding solutions, and know about carbon dosing. I am currently thinking about which route I want to try down the line, but I am not gonna try everything at once, and will take my sweet time deciding and trying.
Currently only gonna try with the following: 3 day blackout, and an algae scrubber running on 18 hours light during the entire blackout. Will be trying the algae scrubber for some months onward probably, then I'll probably go with a skimmer if no results, most likely.
But back to my question! Why have my nitrates suddenly decided to break free from my 6 months continuous 15 ppm golden number and dived down to 2 ppm? First time since day 1 of the tank nitrates have been this low.
Only thing I have done recently was add some small amounts of aminos some weeks ago, and I made an algea scrubber 3 weeks ago. Added 2x Lionfish 2 weeks ago.
2 days ago I blacked out my tank with big black trash bags. Then, one day later, took a nitrate reading, and it showed 6 ppm. Then, earlier today, took a new reading, and it showed 4-5 ppm. And took one some hours ago, and it showed 3 ppm.
I am completely baffled, as I thought algae dying from no light would mean insanely high nitrates, because as you can clearly see in my picture, I have alot of algae. Is this all just a calm before the storm? Will my nitrates be in the 300ish tommorow?
As I said earlier, I have had my nitrates stuck at 15 ppm for like 6 months, never going up or down. Algea growing at insane speeds, not seeming to stop or slow down. Every SPS I added dying within days/weeks, LPS somehow unaffacted, but slow growth.
Info on tank:540 liters, or like about 140 gallons-ishhh.
Don't have a phospate reader yet, getting it soon.
Started with only dead rocks, added a few pieces of live rock from various sources to seed. Things I have noticed is Vermetid snail, other snails, bristleworms, bristle star fish, small shore-shrimp-like things, and I think I might have a mantis/pistol shrimp somewhere because god awful annoying frigging clicking noises sometimes. Have not seen it yet, might be snails or hermits playing tricks on me. Don't know. Maybe something else. Some tiny sponges aswell.
Only first started feeding for the first time, two weeks ago with the Lionfish, feedin' em shrimp tails once a week (yay started eating dead food really early ((also please tips on what else I can feed the Lionfish that is readily available, don't have a reef shop in like a 5 hour radius around me, and I know shrimp is bad for Lionfish but I don't have anything else atm)). I'll say it again, NO FEEDING for almost a year. Nothing.
TDS readings, 45 ppm from the tap, 12 ppm after RO filter. Getting new filters as soon as I have the money.
Stock is 1x Blue tang, 2x Lionfish, tiny CUC consisting of 4 snails and 4 Kenya mix hermit crabs.
Skimmerless, sumpless, no water changes. Only have algae scrubber on the right side of picture, installed 3 weeks ago.
Been running for about a year, 90% of that time a Blue Tang has been in it after it was cycled ofc, and 2x Lionfish was added 2 weeks ago.
Maxspect 420R. Lights on for 12 hours at 80/80. Always moonlight at night. I have had my lights at 30/30 for the majority of the time, long story short in an attempt to save SPS bleaching and stopping algae growth but of course it was a stupid idea and did nothing. Learned my lesson. After upping to 80/80 slowly, colors are returning to my corals and everything has looked ALOT better. Funny little example is my Kenya tree was blue when I got it, and glowed under blue lights. Then it turned pink and stopped glowing, probably because of 30/30 light. Turned up lights to 80/80, started turning blue, and glowing again. Also have some Kenya's that are at the top of rocks, and I think they are even starting turning green, and glowing ALOT in blue light?
Water values are normal +10-20% more. Temp 24c, Ph 8.2. Some values higher because I f'ed up recently adding too much, and I don't have much corals using Ca and KH so values are slooowly getting lower. Have been testing for Ca, KH, Mg, No3. Mg above 1500, and have always been high for some reason (by the way, any tips on maybe lowering Mg alone without affecting anything else?). My phone died recently along with my records, so can't tell exact numbers. I suppose I could take some tests right now if exact numbers are needed.
I am using Red Sea's Foundation Skeletal Elements powder to keep Ca, KH, Mg and trace elements up. Seperate Ca dosing powder if Ca is getting low, dosing Sodium Bicarbonate if KH is low. Please comment if this stuff is horrible and I should stop using it.
Not dosing or adding anything mysterious to the tank. Added tiny amounts of amino stuff some months ago, noticed brown algea (dino???) started appearing around then.
_______________________
TL;DR: 15 ppm nitrates for 6 months straight, blackout for 2 days, nitrates now 2 ppm. Why?
