Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 10:25 AM
Background:
Tank: 125L approximately 10 years old FO with decorations until last August.
Since last August it has had a small stock of inverts including a coral banded shrimp, peppermint shrimp, a large hermit crab, numerous small hermits/snails, and a serpent star. No fish since last August.
About a 3" sand bed. Wet dry bioball system. Protein skimmer.
Ammonia is just above zero.
Phosphates are just above zero.
The rest is all good...just nitrates are sky high. Tube turns red almost immediately.
I minimally feed the inverts a variety of food including pellet, raw shrimp, and some mysis.
3 months ago I bought and added 150 pounds of live rock from a local refer.
About two months ago I bought a new API test kit as my old Fastest kit had expired. I found my nitrates to be off the chart. I confirmed this with several other test kits.
I have done several 50% water changes that temporarily dropped the nitrates to mid levels but would climb back to the max reading on the chart within 4 days.
I have vacuumed the top layer of sand 3 times during water changes. Over the last couple months I have done about 150 gallons in water changes.
I have a brand new 125 gallon tank and sump with fuge sitting here. I believe my sandbed is just shot???
I had planned on cleaning the sand VERY well and seperating the sizes using the more coarse sand in the new display at about 1-2" depth and putting fine sand, which I have a lot of, in the new refugium.
My water clarity looks amazing. I have good coraline growth and no algae issues. I have some sponges, christmas tree worms, small feather dusters all thriving.
I would like to get the nitrates down before changing things over if possible. I have an opportunity here to try just about anything I want.
Tank: 125L approximately 10 years old FO with decorations until last August.
Since last August it has had a small stock of inverts including a coral banded shrimp, peppermint shrimp, a large hermit crab, numerous small hermits/snails, and a serpent star. No fish since last August.
About a 3" sand bed. Wet dry bioball system. Protein skimmer.
Ammonia is just above zero.
Phosphates are just above zero.
The rest is all good...just nitrates are sky high. Tube turns red almost immediately.
I minimally feed the inverts a variety of food including pellet, raw shrimp, and some mysis.
3 months ago I bought and added 150 pounds of live rock from a local refer.
About two months ago I bought a new API test kit as my old Fastest kit had expired. I found my nitrates to be off the chart. I confirmed this with several other test kits.
I have done several 50% water changes that temporarily dropped the nitrates to mid levels but would climb back to the max reading on the chart within 4 days.
I have vacuumed the top layer of sand 3 times during water changes. Over the last couple months I have done about 150 gallons in water changes.
I have a brand new 125 gallon tank and sump with fuge sitting here. I believe my sandbed is just shot???
I had planned on cleaning the sand VERY well and seperating the sizes using the more coarse sand in the new display at about 1-2" depth and putting fine sand, which I have a lot of, in the new refugium.
My water clarity looks amazing. I have good coraline growth and no algae issues. I have some sponges, christmas tree worms, small feather dusters all thriving.
I would like to get the nitrates down before changing things over if possible. I have an opportunity here to try just about anything I want.