No worries. We’ve all tried to micromanage our tanks. That’s how we know it doesn’t work ;D
12/12 update:
Have heeded advice and not mucked with chemistry at all… suprise suprise, chemistry seems to have settled out. All staying within normal parameters. although according to api tests calc is still round 600.
Ok, Tank is still extremely couldy. I’m convinced must be bacterial bloom? (another 20 gal water change had no effect)
Now for the ? for u guys, we kicked around a skimmer a bit. I will be ready to purchase and add one friday. Do we have suggestions? asm? reef octupus? …crud.
Bottom line is i don’t want junk, just good, fairly quiet and reliable!! I"m parting with cash somehow, somewhere friday :SURRENDER
75 gal rr with 30gal sump
Thoughts most appreciated.
I’ve been happy with my asm g2 skimmer, it sits in a 30g sump. everyones seems to like the newer cone style skimmers out there also.
I just did a lot of research for a skimmer for my setup. I bought a Bubble Magnus NAC 9. I have a friend who has a similar system to yours with a 75DT and 30 gal. sump who uses the Bubble Magnus NAC 7.
This one:
But there are a number of good skimmers available, and you’ll find many people who have a favorite, so lots of opinions here.
I would suggest SRO 2000int no modding needed plug and play very easy to empty and clean and the New Bubble Baster pumps are awsome IMO
i love my sro 2000int, as hudzon says.
Sorry to get repetitive, but jumping on a bit later and didn’t realize some had already answered.
Cycling and maturing of a tank takes time and shouldn’t be rushed.
“Ph 8.4 drops to 8 almost daily” (is this with a pH test kit(aka trash) or a pH probe?)
Phosphates with a chemical test kit?(aka more trash and waste of money)
You likely should not have a clean-up crew in the tank already. These critters are often more sensitive and harder to keep then many of the other animals you’ll keep in your aquarium. Zoanthids or Protopalthoa would be better beginning animals, but from the sounds of the issues you may not be ready for animal in the tank yet.
In the first three months of maintaining an aquarium you shouldn’t need to test calcium, alk, and mg. These should not be dropping significant enough to matter. Test kits aren’t cheap(and those that are…are trash)
“Something is a miss here, dkh 4 ? pH 8?” Ah, so we’ve already discovered at least one of your kits is trash.
“Went back to familiar seachem reef builder…realized that using the aquavitro balance and 8.4 may have been too soon…too much…etc”
Woah, woah, woah. If you see massive growth of coraline after months then your Ca, Mg, and alk are dropping. If your stony corals are growing rapidly then these are dropping. If your tank is young and doesn’t have either of these going on… those levels are not dropping.(well maybe 400ppm Ca to 399ppm, but you’re not adding 1/100 of a teaspoon or .0005ml of product liquid)
Take your chemical pH test kit and throw it in the trash. If you keep your alkalinity above 7(when it actually goes below this you can buffer, but it likely is not) then your pH will remain high enough for beginner corals.
Folks,
thanks for the skimmer suggestions, I’m headed to lfs on friday.
btw the tank is calming down. Yes, a week ago now i did add reef builder 1 time, to get the alk back in alignment.
I have not added anything, and the api test kits show me being in line and staying there…
I get that I could potentially use, and will eventually upgrade some things, same as the rest of us here. Does something like the api test kit that the lfs store uses not get u " close" especially with a new tank?
Still pretty cloudy, but getting a bit better daily. I’m sure the skimmer will help.
again, all that is there is assorted hermits, snails… and a couple zoos… (all active and looking good)
I told the mrs that all her xmas presents are in the family room… her response was good, i’m buying u a piece of rock for your present! Funny, i’m ok with that! Saint:)
LFS are very limited on Skimmers don’t limit yourself to what is available at the LFS.
[quote=“Hudzon, post:29, topic:4933”]
LFS are very limited on Skimmers don’t limit yourself to what is available at the LFS.[/quote]
+1, however. If you’re in Dover area. Stop by the Fish Bowl, they have Ellen’s ATB cone skimmer for $100. You can’t beat the price for one of the top of the line skimmer.
and in Newark DPA can order just about anything you want.
“I get that I could potentially use, and will eventually upgrade some things, same as the rest of us here. Does something like the api test kit that the lfs store uses not get u " close” especially with a new tank?"
I would say close enough yes. I recommended throwing away the pH test kit, but didn’t recommend upgrading it. The best way to test your pH is via a probe. You can buy an individual meter for pH, but at $100 your better off saving your money and buying a full controller for about $400 that includes one. You like do NOT need to test your pH to have a thriving reef tank, but it would certainly help down the road.
As far as Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates the off the shelf test kits will give you an ok idea for starting up, but you may also want to use other ques as well. For instance if your tank gets full of algae and you have to scrub the glass daily in order to see your animals… doesn’t matter what the Nitrate and Phosphate kits tell you, the algae is growing off of Nitrates and Phosphates and you need to react.
Sounds like your headed in the right direction. Just do your research before purchasing animals. Never trust just one source as gospel.(read in multiple places and make sure you understand what your doing not just following blindly)
Best of luck to ya!