Dad and daughter tank

Sorry been off. Closing out work year. Having some issues with tank. Both my wife and kid were feeding the fish causing high nitrates and have lost 2 fish now. Our royal gramma and our damsel.

Clown and Bengai seem to be on. Starting to get water parameters back in order and lost my red mushroom. Once water got cleaned up. Silly world we play in.


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Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Stability is key to long term success.

For fish I test these 5 parameters weekly, my numbers are included fir reference

Temp 78.9 - 79.1 Maintain a flux below .5
Salinity, 1.026. Maintain with ATO
PH 8.2. Can't really maintain this but higher Alk helps
Nitrate 5 ppm. Weekly water change keeps this low
Phosphate 0.07. Weekly water change keeps this low

Add Stoneys and clams, Manual daily dosing of
Alk 10 DKH
Ca 430-450 ppm
Mg 1360 ppm

If you maintain all 8 of these consistently, all the Indo and Austrialian stuff will flourish.

The only real difference to NSW is the Alk, I run this higher in the range.
Increased Stoney growth a lot.
 
Thanks for the advice. Busy time at work and been fighting a phosphate issue. Has to be leeching from the live rock is what my LFS is telling me. I’m currently dosing with phosguard but it’s not helping much. My phosphates are at 50-60 and I’m doing weekly water changes.


Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!




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Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Do you have an algae problem?
What's your phosphate level?
How do you know it's phosphates?

If you want to know for sure, put the rock in new RODI saltwater in a bucket, wait 24 hours, if the test shows phosphates, then it leaches, if test is 0ppm, then not true. Most of the time phosphate is in the water, not rock, but possible.

Need to reduce imports.....i.e......reduce feedings......reduce hands in water, look at feeds, some contain phosphates!

Need to increase exports.....ie.....good dark skim....yup water changes....consider carbon dosing with NoPox.......use Chemi-Pure Elite to mop up phosphates, and other minor crap, makes fir stunning water clarity.

In my DT, which has no sump, I manage nitrates in the 2-5ppm range dosing NoPox daily. I run the Chemi-Pure Elite 24-7 in a aquaclear, change out every 6 months. Removes phosphates fast, the range I run is 0.02 -0.07.

When the import and the export of nutrients in your system are balanced, in the range and remain stable and consistent, your tank will stay relatively clean........and free of the algaes and/or cyano.

Maybe some of that might help.
image.jpeg
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Test your new water before you do your water changes. Make sure that isn't part of the problem.

If it's not, you may need to do larger water changes. In my opinion, phosguard is not nearly as good a media as GFO. Consider getting a GFO reactor, and the GFO to use in it. You'll need quite a bit at least the first time you use it. Yea I know, even bulk GFO is not exactly cheep.
 
My LFS measured my water parameters. I measure and track nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, salinity, and of course water temp.

0 nitrite
.04 nitrates had been running .1-.2 so cut feeding and now its handled.
0 ammonium
78.2 water temp
Phosphates all of a sudden jumped up to .5 so got some phosguard and was running that but doesn’t seem to be helping. Tested it this week and was up to .6!

I’ll definitely try the rock in a bucket of water. And if that is it I’ll try the chemicals you suggested.

Thanks!


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Uncle99

Well-Known Member
0.04 for nitrate seems ultra low, 2-10 ppm is the range I would have expected.
0.5 I agree is really high for phosphate, this one needs to reduced to 0.02-0.07 range.
 
Anyway to keep some of my frags alive during the process of lowering the phosphates?

I started carbon dosing, continuing phosguard, and did a 10gallon water change which I do weekly.

How long will the rocks leach phosphates? Once the phosphates are out of the rock will this happen again or should this be it?


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Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Rocks can leach for years. Chemical export is the easiest and cheapest way to export phosphate. Keeping on top of weekly water changes also helps maintain low levels during this time. It all depends on how much phosphate they have in them. Don't give up on it, you will soon get there. You plan to have the tank for years as your daughter grows, so make this part of the learning experience. You mentioned in your first post that you want to teach about chemistry, science, and bio while having a little fun... you can learn about the phosphate cycle.

Phosphorus moves in a cycle through rocks, water, soil and sediments and organisms.
phoscycle2.gif


https://enviroliteracy.org/air-climate-weather/biogeochemical-cycles/phosphorus-cycle/
http://www.geography4kids.com/files/cycles_phosphorus.html
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/cj/index.php
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php
 
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