I feel I’m becoming fairly knowledgeable at this and thungs are going better and better in my first tank. I’ve started a new bigger one and it’s been cycled for a few weeks. Just have some snails and crabs. Lawnmower blenny and 2 very small clowns. While it was cycling ammonia went down and as expected nitrite went up. Nitrate tests read 25 then 50 and I did a bunch of 25% water changes. My nitrites are now zero but my nitrates are now like 3. I tested both nyos and saifert. Got same result. Could the agae growing on the rocks just be taking up my nitrates? There had been some brown on the rocks and sand. Now there’s a little green growing on the dry rock. Not much. It’s 100 gallons and I used about 75% dry rock 25% wet live rock with live sand. I’m not worried about anything. But just thinking through why things are happening. I had just expected nitrates to stay high for a while and have to do water changes to control them. I don’t have refugium set of yet.