I need help!!!!
- Thread starter Reef lover24
- Start date
- Location
- Brooklyn - Dyker Heights
Test fresh made water with a reliable test kit. Vacuum your sand bed. Also you might want to check out prodibio as a way of lowering your nitrate.
- Location
- Long island
Always vacuum sandbed when do water changes. And I'll look Into that. Thanks
Before you start pouring vodka or any other product I there - throw out the that sponge between your baffles in your sump and don't use tap water for the final rinse of your filter socks.
Lay off the daily water changes & filter sock changes too. Socks once or twice a week and weekly water changes about 10 % of total water volume.
Bacteria multiplies very quickly in our tanks..you have things in there that it will grown on (sponges, socks..) and then you take them out and throw the balance off, and add them back in and let the bacteria start to grow again..not a good idea.
Let your bacteria find it's own natural balance in your tank and then take your nitrate reading.
..and keep your hands out of the tank.
Sometimes too much is too much.
Lay off the daily water changes & filter sock changes too. Socks once or twice a week and weekly water changes about 10 % of total water volume.
Bacteria multiplies very quickly in our tanks..you have things in there that it will grown on (sponges, socks..) and then you take them out and throw the balance off, and add them back in and let the bacteria start to grow again..not a good idea.
Let your bacteria find it's own natural balance in your tank and then take your nitrate reading.
..and keep your hands out of the tank.
Sometimes too much is too much.
- Location
- Long island
Thanks Kathy. I will get rid of the sponge. What should I do with the filter socks? Or how should I clean them?
- Location
- Long island
Appreciate the info Kathy. Thanks. I will buy another pair so I can clean these ones and then change the socks.
- Location
- NYC
There are several ways you can take care of this situation, it can be corrected in time. Here's one way.
50% water change with instant ocean
Add a small bottle of Dr.Tim's one and only bacteria.
Change your carbon weekly
Keep the sump free of any detritus by siphoning it out.
Feed light every other day,
Change your micron socks 1 time a week
Make sure you have a good even circulation
And change 10% of your water weekly until your nitrates are at a lower level.
It seems like you just need to boost the bacteria in your aquarium in order to lower nitrates and phosphates.
In a month you will add another bottle of Dr.Tim's one and only bacteria.
If you need an all out water test done on your aquarium water please feel free to drop by our store.
Your aquarium can be back to normal in a month. Also make sure you keep the temperature between 76 and 78.
50% water change with instant ocean
Add a small bottle of Dr.Tim's one and only bacteria.
Change your carbon weekly
Keep the sump free of any detritus by siphoning it out.
Feed light every other day,
Change your micron socks 1 time a week
Make sure you have a good even circulation
And change 10% of your water weekly until your nitrates are at a lower level.
It seems like you just need to boost the bacteria in your aquarium in order to lower nitrates and phosphates.
In a month you will add another bottle of Dr.Tim's one and only bacteria.
If you need an all out water test done on your aquarium water please feel free to drop by our store.
Your aquarium can be back to normal in a month. Also make sure you keep the temperature between 76 and 78.
- Location
- NYC
Special blend is a different type of bacteria that is not as efficient. It takes much longer to work in the aquarium because it is a different strain typically used in waste facility's. Dr.Tim's is cultured with bacteria strains that handle fish waste better and it cultures faster. It also has a great shelf life. We aren't advertising the product we just know how well it works after many trials on several different tanks of many sizes. It is the only bacteria we use in our service department and it has brought us a really long way. Check out the website for a much better explanation.
- Location
- Long island
I am going to do a 14g water change hopefully Thursday. Will take out the sponge between the baffles, clean the socks as well as clean the sump and see how it goes. Thanks for the info all.
- Location
- Carmel, NY
tagging along
- Location
- staten island,ny
I would change your socks 1 time a week...same with water change...I think doing water change every day is way to much...
- Location
- Long island
Yeah I'm going to start doing that with the socks. And water changes yes that's what I do. The tank has 5 fish, which isent a lot.
- Location
- Connecticut
You did not mention how old your aquarium is or how this problem occurred, that is, all of a sudden or gradually. Could be important to know before you start throwing solutions at the problem.
I calculated that your water change regime should have reduced your nitrates from 40 to 14 ppm in seven days if nitrates were being produced slowly. I assume from you message that you nitrates have not budged in a week.
Before you do anything, confirm you have a nitrate problem. You might have problems with your coral unrelated to nitrates. Get you water tested by another person, or with a new kit (I use Salifert).
You did not mention phosphates which I would expect to be elevated. And you did not mention high rates of algae growth, red slime or the need to scraped the tank walls.
Nitrates accumulate because your feeding is exceeding you aquarium's capacity to remove them which also includes your maintenance on the tank. It will take some detective work to determine what part of your system is the weak link in denitrification system (to much food in vs not enough waste being transported out), but the suggestions by the forum to remove waste accumulation on the bottom of the sump and to remove sponges seem like prudent, cheap, low risk actions you can take today.
I would also consul setting a goal to lower nitrates over weeks rather than days.
I calculated that your water change regime should have reduced your nitrates from 40 to 14 ppm in seven days if nitrates were being produced slowly. I assume from you message that you nitrates have not budged in a week.
Before you do anything, confirm you have a nitrate problem. You might have problems with your coral unrelated to nitrates. Get you water tested by another person, or with a new kit (I use Salifert).
You did not mention phosphates which I would expect to be elevated. And you did not mention high rates of algae growth, red slime or the need to scraped the tank walls.
Nitrates accumulate because your feeding is exceeding you aquarium's capacity to remove them which also includes your maintenance on the tank. It will take some detective work to determine what part of your system is the weak link in denitrification system (to much food in vs not enough waste being transported out), but the suggestions by the forum to remove waste accumulation on the bottom of the sump and to remove sponges seem like prudent, cheap, low risk actions you can take today.
I would also consul setting a goal to lower nitrates over weeks rather than days.
- Location
- Long island
Just saw this now dan. Thanks for the information. I had removed the sponge yest and put new filter socks in. I was going to do the bleach today of the socks that were in there just don't know if I should let them sock in the bleach then rinse them with the ro or what. The phosphates are at 1. There is no algae growing in the actual tank or not visible because my cleanup crew must be doing a hell of a job lol. Also brought a red sea pro test kit for nitrates that I will be using because I did a 14g water change yest vaccumed the sand and etc.
- Location
- Connecticut
I don't understand the bleaching and excessive scrubbing of filter pads and filter socks. They basically capture organic matter and hold it until you clean it out, or you forget and it decomposes and generates nitrates and phosphates. I am an advocate of frequently cleaning with water and not being overly fastidious because it represents a fairly small surface area relative to the rest of the aquarium surfaces. I replace the filtration medium when it seems to be clogging (if you are really thorough, you can judge filtration medium degradation by measuring how fast a new filter bag drains versus a used bag. Get rid of it when flow slows to 80% of new or something like that).
Good luck.
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