Roggio
Active Member
Backstory
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Let me start by saying I had a 600 gallon system with 100+ fish that ran well for years. I hardly attended to it because I was on the road for two, almost three years straight. Due to a large mangrove population and some rocks that had been cycled 15+ years my nutrients stayed low. The roots of the mangroves ended up breaking the PVC and compromising the structure.
I was forced to set up my new system with several large fish I couldn't part with. I dumped a ton of ammonia and bacteria additives to cycle this tank in as little time as possible. Bio-Spira had the best results. Fritz Turbo Start was added after the Bio and may have been too powerful. The cycle went to so a grinding halt until I added trace elements and phosphates. (Nitrates need some phosphates to process).
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What worked
I tried biopellets and always had issues with bacterial blooms. After a month of constant blooms I took them offline and chose to dose Vodka. I started a 5ml a day and over the course of a months ramped it up quickly to 15ml a day. I never saw any blooms but I had several short cycles that appeared as my rocks cycled. When this occurred I dosed Seachem Stability and Microbe-Lift Special blend. I also added a marinepure block in a low flow area, a gallon of marinepure spheres, and 4L of Seachem Matrix to aid the bacteria population. I have had a refugium this whole time but did not feel it could handle the nutrient load. Over the course of a month I only preformed one 40% water change (I was injured). The water change had little affect on nitrates.
Obviously everything I have done is anecdotal evidence but I feel the Matrix/bacteria/vodka blend was the strongest combatant to nitrates.
_____________________________________
I will be running a Pond Matrix experiment on a tank that has been running for a few months with high nitrates. I plan on adding 12L to a 150 gallon tank with only two small clowns. No lights, and as hard as it is no added carbon source. What do you guys think? Would you change or add anything to this experiment?
_____________________________________
Below is a few pictures of my tank when it was first set up and how it's looking now using these methods.
_______________________________
Let me start by saying I had a 600 gallon system with 100+ fish that ran well for years. I hardly attended to it because I was on the road for two, almost three years straight. Due to a large mangrove population and some rocks that had been cycled 15+ years my nutrients stayed low. The roots of the mangroves ended up breaking the PVC and compromising the structure.
I was forced to set up my new system with several large fish I couldn't part with. I dumped a ton of ammonia and bacteria additives to cycle this tank in as little time as possible. Bio-Spira had the best results. Fritz Turbo Start was added after the Bio and may have been too powerful. The cycle went to so a grinding halt until I added trace elements and phosphates. (Nitrates need some phosphates to process).
_______________________________
What worked
I tried biopellets and always had issues with bacterial blooms. After a month of constant blooms I took them offline and chose to dose Vodka. I started a 5ml a day and over the course of a months ramped it up quickly to 15ml a day. I never saw any blooms but I had several short cycles that appeared as my rocks cycled. When this occurred I dosed Seachem Stability and Microbe-Lift Special blend. I also added a marinepure block in a low flow area, a gallon of marinepure spheres, and 4L of Seachem Matrix to aid the bacteria population. I have had a refugium this whole time but did not feel it could handle the nutrient load. Over the course of a month I only preformed one 40% water change (I was injured). The water change had little affect on nitrates.
Obviously everything I have done is anecdotal evidence but I feel the Matrix/bacteria/vodka blend was the strongest combatant to nitrates.
_____________________________________
I will be running a Pond Matrix experiment on a tank that has been running for a few months with high nitrates. I plan on adding 12L to a 150 gallon tank with only two small clowns. No lights, and as hard as it is no added carbon source. What do you guys think? Would you change or add anything to this experiment?
_____________________________________
Below is a few pictures of my tank when it was first set up and how it's looking now using these methods.
hahaha.
