High nitrate and phosphate?

[MACHO]

Might be worth double checking if there is Nitrate in your mixed water there may be nitrate in your top of water. Happened to me once did not notice it until my nitrates went way up all.

im sending an icp test tomorrow from my mixed water and going to be doing another 70 gallons this weekend

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

No just the one

this is what he looks like all the time now

I had one that looked like that for about 6 weeks... This is what it looks like now (and looked like prior to its "episode"), no special intervention by me, just patience.

Bottom line, if you want to lower your nutrients, that's fine, but don't do anything drastic in the process just because of a pouty toad ;)

 

[Pistondog]

i was told by a buddy that the carbon dosing can react badly with the biopellets and he said if i smell sulfer to run so i havent carbon dosed since ive added the biopellet reactor

I guess they are both carbon dosing.

 

[MACHO]

I had one that looked like that for about 6 weeks... This is what it looks like now (and looked like prior to its "episode"), no special intervention by me, just patience.

Bottom line, if you want to lower your nutrients, that's fine, but don't do anything drastic in the process just because of a pouty toad ;)

that looks awesome!! but yeah im working on removing nitrate and phosphate for more sps dominated

 

[MACHO]

I guess they are both carbon dosing.

yeah true

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

that looks awesome!! but yeah im working on removing nitrate and phosphate for more sps dominated

Just go slow... You know the old saying

 

[MACHO]

Just go slow... You know the old saying

yes yes i know lol

 

[njreefkeeper]

i feed one piece of rods herbivore frenzy a day about an inch or 2 and half an inch in width

In your post you stated you also feed a sheet of nori 4 times a week. That’s a LOT.

 

[MACHO]

In your post you stated you also feed a sheet of nori 4 times a week. That’s a LOT.

with more info now it will probably be cut down to once a week

 

[Larry Stewart]

Hello there MACHO... just curious about a few things.

1. Do you have a FTS? - seeing is believing in most cases.
2. Do you have a sandbed? If so, have you ever siphoned it while performing your water changes? (I believe this technique helped me lower my phosphates and nitrates)
3. How old is your aquarium?
4. How long were you using the carbon dosing method? (What lead to this method?)

Most chemical changes in an aquarium with living organic material - should take some time to change.

IMO, if you broke your 70 gallon water changes into 10 gallon daily water changes for one week...then a 20 gallon water change every week for instance. The issue should balance out. Depending on your readings, try smaller water changes every 3 days of so.

However, that's taking into the account of a system without biopellets and carbon dosing.

**** If I'm not mistaken most people that carbon dose or use biopellet do so without periodic water changes .

5. Which brand of salt are you mixing? Some salts have similar results to carbon dosing.... Aquaforest has the Probiotic Reef Salt which could help. Tropic Marin has Bio Actif salt....

Welp...that's my TWO PENNIES. Good luck.

- Larry

 

[MACHO]

Hello there MACHO... just curious about a few things.

1. Do you have a FTS? - seeing is believing in most cases.
2. Do you have a sandbed? If so, have you ever siphoned it while performing your water changes? (I believe this technique helped me lower my phosphates and nitrates)
3. How old is your aquarium?
4. How long were you using the carbon dosing method? (What lead to this method?)

Most chemical changes in an aquarium with living organic material - should take some time to change.

IMO, if you broke your 70 gallon water changes into 10 gallon daily water changes for one week...then a 20 gallon water change every week for instance. The issue should balance out. Depending on your readings, try smaller water changes every 3 days of so.

However, that's taking into the account of a system without biopellets and carbon dosing.

**** If I'm not mistaken most people that carbon dose or use biopellet do so without periodic water changes .

5. Which brand of salt are you mixing? Some salts have similar results to carbon dosing.... Aquaforest has the Probiotic Reef Salt which could help. Tropic Marin has Bio Actif salt....

Welp...that's my TWO PENNIES. Good luck.

- Larry

1 hey Larry not sure what you mean by fts if you can elaborate.
2 yes I do have about an inch and a half sand bed which I symphonic put a little bed every time I do a water change.
3 it was redone in march of 2022
4 carbon dosing was done back in October whenever my nitrates were getting up into the double digits and it was from what I remember 15 ml a day. This was done with red sea nopox
5 I am using red sea black bucket I believe. I was using tropic Marin but switched just cause the fish store wasn’t open the day I needed salt haha.

 

[Larry Stewart]

Full Tank Shot

 

[MACHO]

Full Tank Shot

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

i was told by a buddy that the carbon dosing can react badly with the biopellets and he said if i smell sulfer to run so i havent carbon dosed since ive added the biopellet reactor

I don't know that there is such a concern. :)