What Am I Doing Wrong?

[DaBird]

look, I don't want to sound mean and please don't take this the wrong way but it seems to work in this neck of the woods...stick out your neck and try something new, seems to me that you're already having problems so what could it hurt?..

[lcstorc]

Much as I agree with the removal of the bio-balls don't do it unless/until you have something else to convert the amonia to nitrites to nitrates. The bio-balls work fine for the first part of the cycle. The thing that they don't do is reduce the nitrates to a harmless gas. This is why you don't have amonia or nitrites but do have nitrates. If you remove them without having another biological filkter you are going to have an amonia spike.
If I was in your situation the first thing I would do is change the marble chips to sand or go bare bottom with no substrate. Lots of debris is getting traped in the chips and then rotting which is part of the problem.
Next I would get good LR. The recommendation is 1 - 2 pounds per gallon. You can put it in the display, or the sump but it must be submerged. Once the LR is fully cured and is working for you then remove the bio-balls slowly. Do not take them all out at once. You need to give the bacteria in the rock a chance to catch up so it is taking care of the nutrients your bio-balls were partially processing.
This whole process is going to take time. Do not rush it or you are likely to lose more fish.
Also with the levels you report I suspect you are overfeeding and the food you use is high in phosphates. I would start rinsing all food in ro water prior to feeding and cut back on your feeding as well. Most commercial fish foods are high in phosphates so that should help reduce the phosphates. Also I would start running a phosphate reducing media like Phosban or Rowphos. Preferably you will run it in a reactor but if you don't have one they can be used passively in your sump.
Once all of that is taken care of you should have a lot less problems. You can add a fuge if you have room. They really do help a lot, but following what has been suggested will put you in a much better place to begin with.
Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[cheeks69]

Steve I recommend some good books:

"Natural reef aquariums" by John Tullock
A simplified approach to creating living saltwater microcosms

"Reef Invertebrates" by Anthony Calfo & Robert Fenner
In addition to great info on inverts there's a section on refugiums and sand beds.

Here's some good starter info on sand beds:

DeepSandBeds

[sasquatch]

The big problem with internet information is the lack of time stamps, there is tons of stuff online and its peppered with very outdated info, the beauty of RS is its current and in practice, and just reading here is like a refresher coarse

[Scuba Steve]

I intend to apply most if not all your ideas to my aquarium but have just a few more enquiries if you have the time.

Could you please suggest a skimmer that would be appropriate for my system? A brand and possibly where to get it would be good.

I intend to get rid of the marble chips. Coral sand, Live sand or sand? Which do I use and what are the differences? I tend to lean toward the 4" deep angle but more recomendations would be great. Hopefully I can source it over here.

The biggest concern I have is the refugium. This is going to be difficult to add due to space and logistic requirements. Could I convert my sump into a refugium?

What order should I undertake all this to do and what time period?

I suspect I may have doubled up on my posts. If this is the case I apologise.

Thanks again to all for your invaluable assitance.

Kind regards

Scuba Steve

[sasquatch]

Hey Steve! double postings ok man, the object is to get and understand the answers,please give us a pic or two of the sump,do you have room for the skimmer or maybe a hang on?

[Scuba Steve]

I intend to apply most if not all your ideas to my aquarium but have just a few more enquiries if you have the time.

Could you please suggest a skimmer that would be appropriate for my system? A brand and possibly where to get it would be good.

I intend to get rid of the marble chips. Coral sand, Live sand or sand? Which do I use and what are the differences? I tend to lean toward the 4" deep angle but more recomendations would be great. Hopefully I can source it over here.

The biggest concern I have is the refugium. This is going to be difficult to add due to space and logistic requirements. Could I convert my sump into a refugium?

What order should I undertake all this to do and what time period?

I suspect I may have doubled up on my posts. If this is the case I apologise.

Thanks again to all for your invaluable assitance.

Kind regards

Scuba Steve

[Scuba Steve]

In considering all the replies I have had I think my only alternative is to start again. ( Don't ask me how I tell my partner this lol) Could someone please tell me the appropriate Protein Skimmer to get for my system?

Cheers

[lcstorc]

Personally I love my ASM skimmer. They are nice in sump skimmers that pull out a lot of nasty skimmate. I have read many times that the manufacturers overrate their skimmers so the one I have is actaully rated for double my water volume. I got mine from Premium Aquatics. They are one of our sponsors and have great customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to order from any of our sponsors. I have always gotten great service regardless of which one I use.
For the sand it is really a matter of opinion. You could go bare bottom if you like or have a shallow sand bed or a deep sand bed. It is really a matter of opinion. I have heard all of them recommended by various people. As to what kind of sand there is really no need to buy live sand. You can use a nice sugar sized dry sand and soon it will be live for you. The stuff that they sell as live sand really has very little in it that is alive by the time you purchase it and it is really expensive. If you know any reefers near you, you could ask them for a cup or two of their sand to seed yours but that will just speed the process.
If you have extra room in your sump you can have a combo sump/refugium. Many people use this method. Check out the DIY section here and check out Melevsreef.com for plans that will show you various ways that poeple have accomplished it. There are many options depending on your setup.
Hope that helps.

[cheeks69]

Where are you located ? Many of the skimmers common here in the States may not be available where you are. There really is many good skimmers, what is your price range ?

[Scuba Steve]

I Live in the state of Victoria in Australia. I am prepared to spend what is required to skim my 800 litre tank appropriately. Thanks! If I go with anything less than a deep sand bed aren't I losing the denitrifing effect of this?

Steve

[lcstorc]

Deep sand beds are a topic of much debate. Some people love them for their denitrifying capablities, but some people have had problems particularly if the sand bed becomes stagnant once it is a few years old. That is why some go with bare bottom tanks or a shallow sand bed. Personally I have a DSB in my pony tank and my fuge, but a SSB in my display. i figure this give me a good combination of the two methods.

[KimPossible]

A lot of excellent advise. Good luck Steve on the rebuild. and remember, patience is a virtue. It will all come together and I suspect you will be very pleased with the outcome. I will be going with a SSB in my current build and a smaller DBS in my refugium. I am ordering CaribSea Seaflor Fiji Pink Reef Sand for my needs.

[cheeks69]

If I go with anything less than a deep sand bed aren't I losing the denitrifing effect of this?

You can get some denitrification even with a SSB but the deeper it is the more surface area for anaerobic bacteria.

Here's a couple of sites that have some good skimmers I believe they're located in Australia.

Reef Octopus Australia

The Deltec is excellent

Protein Skimmers

[Snelly40]

Deltec's are sweeeet, i love my asm and here that the octopus is similar to it