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mvreef
10/23/2012, 08:18 PM
I have been lazy about testing...but after adding some new corals and livestock, I thought it would be wise to test. Here are the results:

Salt: 1.024
Ammonia: 0.1
Nitrites: 0.1
Nitrate: 15
Phos: 0
Calc: 450
Alk: Couldnt get good reading

pH: 7.9

My 29g is 21 months old and I havent noticed any water quality issues until recently. I suspect overfeeding?

I am doing 20% water change tomorrow.

Any recommendations or helpful tips?

hollister
10/23/2012, 08:20 PM
Yes feeding habits as with flow and cleaning scedule. With zero phosphates i would say water source sounds good.

thegrun
10/23/2012, 08:49 PM
If the tests are accurate the ammonia reading is a sign that something is off. You should never see ammonia in an established tank. The test kit could be bad however.

xfactor1315
10/23/2012, 11:14 PM
What all did you add?

mvreef
10/24/2012, 07:04 AM
I added a birdsnest frag, 2 bangaii cardinals and a Harlequin. The harley was added 2 weeks ago. I did feed him a choco chip star a few days ago and he is still eating it.

Pittsburgh
10/24/2012, 07:16 AM
Dissolved nutrients left by that harlequin and a decaying starfish in a 29g reef tank would get me really worried. I would ditch the harlequin or keep him in FO tank. Reef tanks are typically very light on bioload.

MrTuskfish
10/24/2012, 08:47 AM
You have a decaying starfish in a 29 gal tank; of course your water quality is suffering. No fish will/should eat anything that's been decaying in warm water for days. If any fish is still feeding on this, he must really be starving; and getting rotting food. You don't mean harlequin tusk, do you? It sounds like it, this fish needs room and will go nuts in a small tank. It needs at least 125 gal. Small tusks are seldom available, so I assume this fish is at least 4". Did you research this fish at all? Sorry, but its hard to take this thread seriously, but I gave it my best shot.

Pittsburgh
10/24/2012, 08:55 AM
You don't mean harlequin tusk, do you?

:raises his hand real high:

I do! I do!

Well, OK. Maybe ditching him may appear a bit insensitive. ;) But I still stand by the FOWLR for the tusk.

Fizz71
10/24/2012, 08:57 AM
Dissolved nutrients left by that harlequin and a decaying starfish in a 29g reef tank would get me really worried. I would ditch the harlequin or keep him in FO tank. Reef tanks are typically very light on bioload.

+1 on your issues being that decaying starfish...your tank probably does not have the capacity to handle the amount of waste it's producing. To confirm though I would still have somebody else test to make sure your test kit isn't kicking off ammonia readings and nitrite that aren't there.

MrTuskfish
10/24/2012, 09:15 AM
:raises his hand real high:

I do! I do!

Well, OK. Maybe ditching him may appear a bit insensitive. ;) But I still stand by the FOWLR for the tusk.

That's not insensitive; its common sense. Of course he belongs in a big FOWLR tank. Ht belongs in a tank that small and eating rotting food; plus they will do a lot of damage to any reef. Also, an HT will gladly eat those Cardinals; especially if they are small ones, and most are.

mvreef
10/24/2012, 10:56 AM
Its a Harlequin shrimp folks. Hence the star given to feed.

And yes, I research all of my purchases.

My research aldo suggests the star can be in the tank for a week with no effects on water quality. The shrimp will keep it alive for some time. The star has bern in the tank for 5 days now.

MrTuskfish
10/24/2012, 11:05 AM
Its a Harlequin shrimp folks. Hence the star given to feed.
Great! I was about to start "Happy Hour" early......may anyhow.