Filtration Overkill? Still no measurable nitrates

[MrPatel]

When I was researching, I read about all these methods to maintain water quality, and horror stories about what happens when your water quality slips. So I did them all. I'm wondering now if I overdid it and might want to scale back some. Do I need to reduce filtration? Am I just winning and can relax? Looking for feedback!

I had a diatom bloom around Month 2, but the cleanup crew ate it all and now everything looks clean. I'm actually wondering if I need to start intentionally feeding the cleanup crew.

The tip off for me is that I still have yet to get a measurable nitrate level ever since my tank stabilized, even with fairly lax water changes. My chaeto did grow to about double in size from when I started, so I'm assuming that's where the nutrients are going. My protein skimmer cup is taking over a week to fill, and the skimmate looks pretty dilute. It used to fill up faster/darker while the diatoms were there.

Currently running a 15G AIO for 3 months.

Filtration (in order of water flow): Sock (Change 2x a week), UV sterilizer, Protein skimmer, ceramic media with its own circulator pump, 1.5L reactor full of chaeto. Reactor has its own grow lights on a 12 hour night shift. ATO for RO water.

I've been doing 1 gallon water changes once a week and dose 2 part supplement daily.

Inhabitants: 2 clowns (less than one inch each), 2 hermits, 2 snails, 3 zoa frags, 1 duncan frag, 1 candy cane frag. All corals are opening and closing normally based on the LED. The duncan is growing a second head. Zoas look bigger than last month, but haven't grown onto the rock work yet. Candy cane looks about the same.

 

[Birdman Broham]

There is no such thing as too much filtration

 

[MnFish1]

Maybe I missed it - how big is the tank

 

[brandon429]

I will never need to test for, or know nitrate levels, in my nano reef and it's packed to the hilt in old corals. testing for nitrate, believing the test kits are accurate, then responding to claimed ideal nitrate levels, is simply not required. it's a trendy thing reefers do, like bioballs were trendy in 1996.

when you exceed the surface area your system requires to handle it's bioload, you inherit simply more cleaning work of those materials. to not have them won't crash your tank at all, and to have an excess of filter bacteria and surface area won't crash it either.

more filtration isn't better, it's just tolerable within the system. extra unneeded filter bacteria compete for oxygen and generate waste acids and use up alkalinity in most systems, they're a bioload we don't get to see or enjoy. if you're using live rock, no form of extra filtration is required it's just something reefers do.

 

[MrPatel]

Maybe I missed it - how big is the tank

15G

 

[brandon429]

there is no bioload in a 15 gallon tank that the use of live rock won't handle, because it's all kept in such tight quarters. right where ammonia is produced in that water table, it's immediately current-driven into the live rock structure. there's no agreement your system is zero nitrate, those test kits range bigtime we can see in threads. it's why I never bother testing for it, what good is guesstimation for such a neutral parameter. having high nitrate isn't lethal, Paul B's reef tank hits 160 ppm at times he's written. that's why I dont test for it, does not matter if high or low. it's not the feed source for my tank...pellet food is how my corals get nitrogen it's not required to have excess in the water. that and I add liquid cycling ammonia routinely as feed as well, that's a big nitrogen food bump.

 

[Dan_P]

When I was researching, I read about all these methods to maintain water quality, and horror stories about what happens when your water quality slips. So I did them all. I'm wondering now if I overdid it and might want to scale back some. Do I need to reduce filtration? Am I just winning and can relax? Looking for feedback!

I had a diatom bloom around Month 2, but the cleanup crew ate it all and now everything looks clean. I'm actually wondering if I need to start intentionally feeding the cleanup crew.

The tip off for me is that I still have yet to get a measurable nitrate level ever since my tank stabilized, even with fairly lax water changes. My chaeto did grow to about double in size from when I started, so I'm assuming that's where the nutrients are going. My protein skimmer cup is taking over a week to fill, and the skimmate looks pretty dilute. It used to fill up faster/darker while the diatoms were there.

Currently running a 15G AIO for 3 months.

Filtration (in order of water flow): Sock (Change 2x a week), UV sterilizer, Protein skimmer, ceramic media with its own circulator pump, 1.5L reactor full of chaeto. Reactor has its own grow lights on a 12 hour night shift. ATO for RO water.

I've been doing 1 gallon water changes once a week and dose 2 part supplement daily.

Inhabitants: 2 clowns (less than one inch each), 2 hermits, 2 snails, 3 zoa frags, 1 duncan frag, 1 candy cane frag. All corals are opening and closing normally based on the LED. The duncan is growing a second head. Zoas look bigger than last month, but haven't grown onto the rock work yet. Candy cane looks about the same.

Your filtration is fine.

Definitely feed the clean up crew. You want strong healthy animals. They will clean even if fed. They will just grow a d eat mor….and be healthy.

You can get rid of the Cheato or keep only a little if you want nitrates to accumulate, You can cut back the amount of light and or the length of time you illuminate the Cheato but becareful not starve the Cheato. Best to provide the best conditions and reduce the amount of Cheato.

 

[MnFish1]

Paul B's reef tank hits 160 ppm at times he's written. that's why I dont test for it, does not matter if high or low. it's not the feed source for my tank...pellet food is how my corals get nitrogen it's not required to have excess in the water. that and I add liquid cycling ammonia routinely as feed as well, that's a big nitrogen food bump.

And this is the fallacy of your argument. In toto and in general. the corals that have ended up surviving in a nitrate of 160 PPM - is all good. But - That does not mean that all corals will survive at that level - nor can one take any advice along those lines about that issue. Most of the 'famous aquarists' - have lost corals and fish along the way - and end up with what survives in their tanks. That does not mean 'copy their tank and you will have success'. IMHO

 

[MrPatel]

Your filtration is fine.

Definitely feed the clean up crew. You want strong healthy animals. They will clean even if fed. They will just grow a d eat mor….and be healthy.

You can get rid of the Cheato or keep only a little if you want nitrates to accumulate, You can cut back the amount of light and or the length of time you illuminate the Cheato but becareful not starve the Cheato. Best to provide the best conditions and reduce the amount of Cheato.

Might be time to trim the chaeto. I think it doubled since I got it.