Need some reassurance

[LEOreefer]

as the title says I need some reassurance I’m doing the right thing. 65 gal system about 3 months old. No fish and a hand full of snails. The only 2 corals I have is a frag of gsp which is doing great and a green mushroom. I just switch to Radion XR30 g4 pro and am running the color pop program at 65% intensity. Here’s my question.

I’m dosing 10 ml of nopox for the last 2 weeks or so. I started with 3ml and worked my way up. My nitrate is down to 5-10 ppm and phosphate is sitting at .4 ( up from .03). My skimmer is skimz 123 as it was the only one I could fit in my sump. Since staring nopox it pulls a wet skim no matter what I do and it’s like a medium brown but horrible smelling skimmate and I need to empty at least once per day. I don’t run filter socks but do run a carbon reactor from BRS.

It seems like my water is always slightly cloudy like a minor constant bacterial bloom. I do a 10 gallon water change a week and have a thriving pod population. I’m not sure if I doing something wrong ? Or if it’s just a waiting game. The bacterial bloom didn’t get any better or worse. And also have a decent amount of green hair alage but nothing to crazy.

I guess I’m just looking for so direction as to if what I’m doing is right or any suggestions you guys might have ?

 

[sbash]

And also have a decent amount of green hair alage but nothing to crazy.

Pull those rocks and scrub them (with a reasonably stiff brush) in salt water. This can go from 'nothing crazy' to 'why did I get into this hobby' very fast...

How much food are you putting into the tank? (i.e. where are the nitrates and phosphates coming from)...

 

[LEOreefer]

Pull those rocks and scrub them (with a reasonably stiff brush) in salt water. This can go from 'nothing crazy' to 'why did I get into this hobby' very fast...

How much food are you putting into the tank? (i.e. where are the nitrates and phosphates coming from)...

No food goes into the tank, I just have some snails in there. I started to get nitrates ans phosphates what I assumed was from my cycle .

 

[LEOreefer]

I’ve also have been told on here that this is all part of the new tank “uglies “ and not to worry about it.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Where do you get water? Ro/di?

 

[LEOreefer]

Where do you get water? Ro/di?

I have a 6 stage BRS RODI unit with dual tds meter and it reads 0 on output

 

[Amoo]

Rock leeching?

 

[LEOreefer]

Rock leeching?

Possible it was dry rock from BRS ........ with that said I might just have to wait it out and keep up with water changes

 

[EriksOasis]

From experience all tanks go through some algae issues. With your tank being so new you will have some algae. All you can do is maintain water changes and keep up your hard work it will pay off. Also what's your lighting schedule and what lights are you using?

 

[LEOreefer]

From experience all tanks go through some algae issues. With your tank being so new you will have some algae. All you can do is maintain water changes and keep up your hard work it will pay off. Also what's your lighting schedule and what lights are you using?

Radion XR30 g4 pro the come on at 10 am ramp up for 2 hours run at 60% intensity for 8 hours and ramp down for 2 before moon lighting kicks in

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, the corals you have will not be hurt by high nutrients or a bacterial bloom.

 

[EriksOasis]

True the algae won’t hurt nothing but the appearance. Excess nutrients and lighting could be a factor. I wouldn’t worry about it too much or overthink it just maintain water changes and maintenance.

 

[LEOreefer]

Thank you all for The help. I am going to rethink my nutrient export system. Right now it’s a skimmer and a little chaeto reactor that isn’t functioning properly. I might try a turf scrubber just for fun and see how it goes. I would love to be able to maintain a tank where I didn’t have to dose carbon

 

[EriksOasis]

You have any more pictures of our system? A good working protein skimmer will help out a lot.

 

[LEOreefer]

Sure so before I started nopox my skimmer would pull dark green/ brown skimmate now it pulls real light wet skimmate and I have to empty it every 12 hrs or so.
Now that I was looking at it I’m not sure if what I have is hair alage. Maybe someone could chime in

 

[Amoo]

If it was me I would add a Sailfin Blenny and give your Chaeto reactor a little more time to see if it's going to perform

 

[LEOreefer]

If it was me I would add a Sailfin Blenny and give your Chaeto reactor a little more time to see if it's going to perform

Yea I might pick a blenny up. I think my chaeto reactor is under sized for the job. I’m going to experiment with a new ats BRS is selling by clear water. It’s comming next week and I’m hoping that will do enough so I don’t have to dose carbon. I’ve also dropped my carbon dose to 5ml to hopefully get the cloudy look to go away

 

[Amoo]

I would guess you didn't cure your rock before you added it to your tank for your cycle? If not this is a totally natural and normal occurrence that should actually come down significantly once your rocks are done leeching. BRS actually has a video on this, sec:

 

[LEOreefer]

I would guess you didn't cure your rock before you added it to your tank for your cycle? If not this is a totally natural and normal occurrence that should actually come down significantly once your rocks are done leeching. BRS actually has a video on this, sec:

That’s is correct I did not cure it prior to putting it in the tank

 

[Amoo]

Yeah man if I remember from when I read through your build thread a few days ago you've only had life in your tank since the very end of August. It'll take about a monthish to 6 weeks for that to stabilize itself