Tmot99
05/13/2011, 08:43 AM
I don't mean to sound like a worry-wart, but I've made some changes in my tank and just want to make sure I'm on the right track.
I've had my 29g nano for about 7 weeks. My parameters have all been in "normal" range, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates, Phosphates all at zero. pH and alkalinity have always been on the low side (pH about 8.0, Alk at 9-10). Salinity is 1.022. I have coral only except for a CUC of a few different snails, a couple of hermits, and a peppermint shrimp.
Coral population is a bunch of zoas, a small trumpet, GSP, xenia, a fox, a slipper coral, a montipora cap, favia, an acan frag, branching hammer, a few ricordia, and a clove polyp. Everyone has been happy for weeks.
This week, I added a sun coral. I know, not smart for the beginner, but I think I can handle the feeding without any problems and they just look cool. But I have been feeding them the past 3 days trying to get them comfortable at home and they have been responding nicely. But there has been plenty of food that has gone to the floor of the tank. I understand that this can cause issues, which is the purpose of my post.
We are at day 4 of having the sun coral. I did a water change yesterday and have now retested all my parameters. The results are:
pH=7.7
Alkalinity=9
Phosphates=0
Ammonia=0
Nitrite=0.3
Nitrate=0
Calcium=480
Salinity=1.022
I have added some buffer to get the pH back up. But should I be concerned with the nitrite going up? Now that the sun coral is opening up a lot more, I am going to back off on the feedings to every other day, plus now that they are open, it is a lot easier to spot feed and not have waste in the tank.
I've had my 29g nano for about 7 weeks. My parameters have all been in "normal" range, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates, Phosphates all at zero. pH and alkalinity have always been on the low side (pH about 8.0, Alk at 9-10). Salinity is 1.022. I have coral only except for a CUC of a few different snails, a couple of hermits, and a peppermint shrimp.
Coral population is a bunch of zoas, a small trumpet, GSP, xenia, a fox, a slipper coral, a montipora cap, favia, an acan frag, branching hammer, a few ricordia, and a clove polyp. Everyone has been happy for weeks.
This week, I added a sun coral. I know, not smart for the beginner, but I think I can handle the feeding without any problems and they just look cool. But I have been feeding them the past 3 days trying to get them comfortable at home and they have been responding nicely. But there has been plenty of food that has gone to the floor of the tank. I understand that this can cause issues, which is the purpose of my post.
We are at day 4 of having the sun coral. I did a water change yesterday and have now retested all my parameters. The results are:
pH=7.7
Alkalinity=9
Phosphates=0
Ammonia=0
Nitrite=0.3
Nitrate=0
Calcium=480
Salinity=1.022
I have added some buffer to get the pH back up. But should I be concerned with the nitrite going up? Now that the sun coral is opening up a lot more, I am going to back off on the feedings to every other day, plus now that they are open, it is a lot easier to spot feed and not have waste in the tank.