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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.

Psirex
04/05/2012, 10:32 AM
Any livestock missing?

gbru316
04/05/2012, 10:33 AM
1. Remove the wet dry system

2. Remove crushed coral, replace with sand with grains roughly sugar sized (gradually) at a depth of 1-2". I prefer bare bottom, or 1" sand at most. There is nothing that will clean your sand well enough to be able to ignore it for years, so it's best to make it easy to clean.

Wet/dry setups are nitrate factories, coarse substrate traps detritus, leading to nutrient problems.

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 10:39 AM
1. Remove the wet dry system

2. Remove crushed coral, replace with sand with grains roughly sugar sized (gradually) at a depth of 1-2". I prefer bare bottom, or 1" sand at most. There is nothing that will clean your sand well enough to be able to ignore it for years, so it's best to make it easy to clean.

Wet/dry setups are nitrate factories, coarse substrate traps detritus, leading to nutrient problems.

Already did that excpet for removiing the deeper sand. That will happen when the switch over is made.. My sandbed is very fine with only a little larger grain. Nobody missing but this has been going on for MONTHS.

gbru316
04/05/2012, 10:42 AM
Have you tested your source water?

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 10:42 AM
During this time I also (not surprisingly) had a bad cyano outbreak. Finally treated with Chemi-Clean and it has not returned....yet.

BigCountry74
04/05/2012, 10:58 AM
which skimmer are you running? brand/model etc.

if its up to par, x2 the deep fine sand bed is the culprit. it's prob compacted a ton of stuff over the last 10 years which is leaching.

Humuhumunuku
04/05/2012, 11:02 AM
During this time I also (not surprisingly) had a bad cyano outbreak. Finally treated with Chemi-Clean and it has not returned....yet.

Generally you should try and stay away from that stuff, it causes more problems than it's worth. Sure the cyano may be dead (for now) but who knows what other beneficial bacteria already bit the dust.

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 11:46 AM
Generally you should try and stay away from that stuff, it causes more problems than it's worth. Sure the cyano may be dead (for now) but who knows what other beneficial bacteria already bit the dust.

I was deep in a hole already and used it as a last resort. My cyano was so thick on the rocks it looked like coralline algae in some spots.

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 11:48 AM
which skimmer are you running? brand/model etc.

if its up to par, x2 the deep fine sand bed is the culprit. it's prob compacted a ton of stuff over the last 10 years which is leaching.


Skimmer is an Aqua Life Systems rated for a 125 gallon tank. It produces well enough that I dont think it is the cause. A bigger newer skimmer might help a little but I think the sand is just a mess.

I may just siphon out the sand I can get to for now and see what happens.

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 11:50 AM
Heading off to the accountants office now. Hopefully he will have better news than my test kits!

Humuhumunuku
04/05/2012, 11:57 AM
Heading off to the accountants office now. Hopefully he will have better news than my test kits!

Sorry Sir, it seems your bank account has excess nutrients and is now growing cyano instead of money.

Mr. Demeanor
04/05/2012, 07:33 PM
Sorry Sir, it seems your bank account has excess nutrients and is now growing cyano instead of money.

I survived.

Mr. Demeanor
04/08/2012, 11:22 AM
Just tested on for the first time without doing a water change, levels have dropped. I have continued vodka at 2ml per day and tested levels at 20ppm this morning.
I will retest in a few days but if this is accurate, I am putting my money on the vodka.