terri_ann
10/11/2009, 04:48 AM
Will GFO reduce nitrates? My nitrates are 2.5-5.0 and I want to get them lower. I have done weekly water changes for the past 2 months ranging from 30g to 50g in a 135g tank. I have a 4" DSB with aragonite (oolite to 2mm). The tank is 16 months young with 9 small fish, approximately 125lbs rock. No refugium as have no room :-( I have tried chaeto in DT but doesn't grow (lighting: 4-96w true actinic blue,3-150w 10,000K super daylight mh). Fish only now but working toward reef. (I started using GFO 3 weeks ago...high capacity from BRS and was spent in 3 weeks:eek1:!!)
PH is low since doing all the water changes. Par's are: 1.026, KH 10, CA 440, pH running 7.76-7.8 during 12hr photoperiod-down to 7.58 lights out(3-5am), and get ready for this--Mg 1800 with Red Sea test and Elos test I couldn't get the color to change...went only from "black to green"!! Yes, I OD the Mg (it was an accident:wildone:) and ran out of Elos solution when testing only 3 times! :fun2: Instant Ocean salt used and will go with Oceanic with next water change. At a minimum, I want my pH at 8.0 so as not to drop below 7.8 when lights are off. Before all the wc, my pH ran consistently at 8.2-8.3 My CA and Mg was on the low side when the pH ran consistently. Have good CO2 and indoor air quality. PH meter new and calibrated. Not dosing other than CA prn. What can I do? Am I missing something? I have read Randy H-F's articles 'several times' and do not want to create more problems trying to fix pH... ps...I still consider myself a "newbie":confused: Thanks!!;)
PH is low since doing all the water changes. Par's are: 1.026, KH 10, CA 440, pH running 7.76-7.8 during 12hr photoperiod-down to 7.58 lights out(3-5am), and get ready for this--Mg 1800 with Red Sea test and Elos test I couldn't get the color to change...went only from "black to green"!! Yes, I OD the Mg (it was an accident:wildone:) and ran out of Elos solution when testing only 3 times! :fun2: Instant Ocean salt used and will go with Oceanic with next water change. At a minimum, I want my pH at 8.0 so as not to drop below 7.8 when lights are off. Before all the wc, my pH ran consistently at 8.2-8.3 My CA and Mg was on the low side when the pH ran consistently. Have good CO2 and indoor air quality. PH meter new and calibrated. Not dosing other than CA prn. What can I do? Am I missing something? I have read Randy H-F's articles 'several times' and do not want to create more problems trying to fix pH... ps...I still consider myself a "newbie":confused: Thanks!!;)