Nori Feeding Question

[Corapandora96]

Hello again,

I have a, what is probably a very stupid, question about feeding Nori seaweed. Specifically, how long can/should you leave it in there?

I have a 10 gallon quarantine tank with a few snails and a Tomini Tang. I didnt understand Nori feeding so the first time I fed Nori I just left it in there. Unsurprisingly my Nitrates jumped from 10-15 to 80 in like 2 days.

Did a water change to bring them back down and some further research to understand I cant just leave it in there forever. LOL. But Im not sure how long is too long. So, currently I clip a fresh piece (1/4 of a sheet) in the morning, then replace it with a fresh sheet in the afternoon, and then remove it totally in the evening. Is that OK?

I also feed him some frozen brine mysis shrimp every 3rd feeding or so and was doing pellets prior to staring the Nori which Im sure may have contributed (?). My PH also dropped from 8-8.2 to 7.8.

Its a small tank, so the parameters are obviously more likely to fluctuate with small changes. So trying to make sure I dont mess anything up.

Thanks so much for everyone's help on these forums. Ive learned sooooo much.

 

[mcarroll]

Hello again,

I have a, what is probably a very stupid, question about feeding Nori seaweed. Specifically, how long can/should you leave it in there?

42.

No stupid questions....just stupid answers. ;)

I have a 10 gallon quarantine tank with a few snails and a Tomini Tang. I didnt understand Nori feeding so the first time I fed Nori I just left it in there. Unsurprisingly my Nitrates jumped from 10-15 to 80 in like 2 days.

Did a water change to bring them back down and some further research to understand I cant just leave it in there forever. LOL.

Correct assessment. But also, do not panic around nutrients and rush to judgement either. 10-15 nitrates is fine as long as you have a decent level of phosphates and other water quality aspects are "in line" too.

But Im not sure how long is too long. So, currently I clip a fresh piece (1/4 of a sheet) in the morning, then replace it with a fresh sheet in the afternoon, and then remove it totally in the evening. Is that OK?

Fine.

Time varies IMO. Watch for it to start disintegrating...either remove it then, or after 24 hours, whichever comes first.

I also feed him some frozen brine mysis shrimp every 3rd feeding or so and was doing pellets prior to staring the Nori which Im sure may have contributed (?). My PH also dropped from 8-8.2 to 7.8.

Don't worry about nutrients so much (again). :)

pH naturally varies throughout the day and 7.8 isn't bad at all. Many excellent tanks (maybe almost all) experience 7.8. As long as basic water parameters are "in line" and your tank's water flow/aeration is strong it's fine.

(That's a tiny tank for that fish, obviously. What's the long term plan? )

 

[Corapandora96]

No stupid questions....just stupid answers. ;)

LOLOLOL!!

10-15 nitrates is fine as long as you have a decent level of phosphates and other water quality aspects are "in line" too.

Phosphates are .25, calcium 410, KH 161.1 ppm (9 dKH), Salinity 35. Fish seems happy enough for being a super huge scaredy cat LOLOL and is eating well. Not totally sure what the numbers should be, since I dont test these values very often. Since my tank is FOWLR only I didnt think much more than Nitrite/Nitrate/Ammonia/PH and salinity was a big worry.

Don't worry about nutrients so much (again). :)

LOLOL. Im probably what would be considered an obsessive tester. Although only generally for Nitrate/Nitrite/Ammonia and PH.

That's a tiny tank for that fish, obviously. What's the long term plan?

My 10 gallon is my quarantine tank. Hes seving out his 30 day sentence before he'll move into the 55 gallon. The 55 gallon currently has 3 clown fish, a skunk shrimp (who I think will really love the little tang since the clowns wont let him clean them) and some snails! I was told the Tomini was the only Tang that wouldnt outgrow my 55 and would be a peaceful fish for my planned peaceful tank. Hopefully that's correct cause Im already smitten for him. LOL

 

[Corapandora96]

Quick clarification. My 55 gallon is 4 feet wide which I think was also why they said it would be an OK size for the Tomini. They need a wider tank versus skinny and tall.

And I dont have any discernible algae in it at all. Its a quite neat and tidy little tank

 

[mcarroll]

Since my tank is FOWLR only I didnt think much more than Nitrite/Nitrate/Ammonia/PH and salinity was a big worry.

In a FOWLR you can almost just watch salinity and do regular 10-20% water changes. N isn't really worth monitoring past the cycle. pH is taken care of by aeration and alkalinity, which you should have pretty well addressed with good flow pumps and regular water changes.

I was told the Tomini was the only Tang that wouldnt outgrow my 55 and would be a peaceful fish for my planned peaceful tank. Hopefully that's correct cause Im already smitten for him. LOL

Eh....

Quick clarification. My 55 gallon is 4 feet wide which I think was also why they said it would be an OK size for the Tomini. They need a wider tank versus skinny and tall.

And I dont have any discernible algae in it at all. Its a quite neat and tidy little tank

All 55's are 4 feet wide, but I know what you mean...

Even a breeder style 55 isn't really going to cut it in the long run, IMO....though you'll have time to figure that out! :)

 

[Corapandora96]

Even a breeder style 55 isn't really going to cut it in the long run, IMO....though you'll have time to figure that out! :)

Well then. Sounds like Im going to have the perfect excuse to get a bigger tank in the future then!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just an opinion, but I think the 80 ppm nitrate was not real, but rather interference from a small amount of nitrite in a not fully cycled QT tank.

In reality, the N and P in any food fed to fish will mostly end up in the water, whether it is consumed by the fish or breaks down some other way. They do not take in all of the N and P in foods, but only a small fraction.

Unless the nori added would have boosted nitrate to 80 ppm if it was all consumed, it would not boost nitrate to 80 ppm if not consumed. :)

 

[ReefED!]

Hello again,

I have a, what is probably a very stupid, question about feeding Nori seaweed. Specifically, how long can/should you leave it in there?

I have a 10 gallon quarantine tank with a few snails and a Tomini Tang. I didnt understand Nori feeding so the first time I fed Nori I just left it in there. Unsurprisingly my Nitrates jumped from 10-15 to 80 in like 2 days.

Did a water change to bring them back down and some further research to understand I cant just leave it in there forever. LOL. But Im not sure how long is too long. So, currently I clip a fresh piece (1/4 of a sheet) in the morning, then replace it with a fresh sheet in the afternoon, and then remove it totally in the evening. Is that OK?

I also feed him some frozen brine mysis shrimp every 3rd feeding or so and was doing pellets prior to staring the Nori which Im sure may have contributed (?). My PH also dropped from 8-8.2 to 7.8.

Its a small tank, so the parameters are obviously more likely to fluctuate with small changes. So trying to make sure I dont mess anything up.

Thanks so much for everyone's help on these forums. Ive learned sooooo much.

Change it out inside of 12 hours or so

Anything past 24 and it’ll start to foul and ferment - you’ll know because the clip or feeder will smell rank

 

[Corapandora96]

Just an opinion, but I think the 80 ppm nitrate was not real, but rather interference from a small amount of nitrite in a not fully cycled QT tank.

In reality, the N and P in any food fed to fish will mostly end up in the water, whether it is consumed by the fish or breaks down some other way. They do not take in all of the N and P in foods, but only a small fraction.

Unless the nori added would have boosted nitrate to 80 ppm if it was all consumed, it would not boost nitrate to 80 ppm if not consumed. :)

Well that's interesting! I didn't know that.

Out of curiosity, what would cause a tank to no longer be fully cycled? Or is it that you aren't sure if it was fully cycled to start with?

I'm not confident of much in fish keeping as this is my first ever tank but I'm as confident as I possibly could be that my QT tank was fully cycled at one point at least! It's been up and running for 5 months now. I did a fishless cycle that lasted around 5 weeks and saw an absolutely picture perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate spike cycle to show it was ready. It was the primary home of my first Clownfish and my Skunk shrimp, then was my 30 day QT home to my second 2 clownfish, and is now my QT home to my little Tomni. Who's about 2.5ish, maybe 3 weeks (I'd have to look) into his sentence. So, I'm pretty sure it was well cycled at least at one point. LOL

I did think about something yesterday though. Since my QT tank is so small, and I don't remember how much life rock I have in it, I thiiink maybe 2.5 lbs, the lady at the LFS was a bit concerned that it may not be able to handle the addition of the Tang without an ammonia spike. So I did get a few of those little ball things that you can either toss in your tank or in your filter to I guess help with that?

I've read since then that maybe those aren't the best additions as they can hold onto Nitrates and other stuff and that your filtration should be pretty exclusively based on your live rock and sand and what not. So, not sure if that played a factor in it, or if they were even in there long enough to become a problem. I mean, in truth, there is always a possibility that I just did the silly test wrong. Heh...

Fortunately, since then, my Nitrates have been their normal steady eddy for that tank sitting between 10 and 20 ppm. So hopefully, if there was a spike, whatever caused it I won't do again. LOL

 

[Corapandora96]

In a FOWLR you can almost just watch salinity and do regular 10-20% water changes. N isn't really worth monitoring past the cycle. pH is taken care of by aeration and alkalinity, which you should have pretty well addressed with good flow pumps and regular water changes.


Eh....


All 55's are 4 feet wide, but I know what you mean...

Even a breeder style 55 isn't really going to cut it in the long run, IMO....though you'll have time to figure that out! :)

Sorry, one more quick follow up question on this. When you stated "Eh..." about what I was told on the Tomini being the only Tang that wouldn't outgrow my 55 and get along well enough with my other peaceful(ish) fish, were you Eh'ing about the size/outgrowing? Or ALSO about him being peaceful(ish) enough to get along with my other planned (mostly) peaceful fish?

Just so I know if I'm gonna have one problem or two to plan on dealing with. LOL

Long term, I am hoping to get a few small schooling fish, a Goby/Shrimp combo, a Royal Gramma and a Domino Damsel. Probably in that order. And then likely be done. (Not sure if that matters or not when it comes to outgrowing the tank and/or whether the Tomini will be a good tank mate or not. I have talked a LOOOOT to the people at my LFS, but obviously am getting some different thoughts on here compared to there. LOL)

 

[mcarroll]

Sorry, one more quick follow up question on this. When you stated "Eh..." about what I was told on the Tomini being the only Tang that wouldn't outgrow my 55 and get along well enough with my other peaceful(ish) fish, were you Eh'ing about the size/outgrowing? Or ALSO about him being peaceful(ish) enough to get along with my other planned (mostly) peaceful fish?

Just so I know if I'm gonna have one problem or two to plan on dealing with. LOL

Size.

(Can't predict personality that closely from inDUHvidual to inDUHvidual....just like people. Gotta get to know em to find out! )

Long term, I am hoping to get a few small schooling fish, a Goby/Shrimp combo, a Royal Gramma and a Domino Damsel. Probably in that order. And then likely be done.

Domino's are going to be worth reading up on more before you decide. () Gobies and Grammas are almost always a safe bet tho.

(Not sure if that matters or not when it comes to outgrowing the tank and/or whether the Tomini will be a good tank mate or not. I have talked a LOOOOT to the people at my LFS, but obviously am getting some different thoughts on here compared to there. LOL)

Well, there's "what can work" and then there's "a safe bet".

If you're at the NOOB end of the NOOB<-->EXPERT spectrum, I tend to think "a safe bet" is a better option than "what can work".

A Tang in a 4' tank is not "a safe bet" but "it can work".

If you're only using the LFS and online for your guidance, you're going to come up short a lot IMO. It's just not enough information...even if you could assume all of the info online (and at your LFS) is good, which is isn't.

I recommend reading at least one or two good books on the subject and all the periodicals you can stand...whether that's TFH magazine, FAMA back issues (see archive.org) or reefkeeping.com and reef2reef.com articles....or scientific journal articles (see my blog for lots of starting points....Google Scholar is also your friend).

How long is your aquarium book collection?

www.reef2reef.com

Armed with that info, you'll be MUCH better equipped to get information from the LFS and online.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well that's interesting! I didn't know that.

Out of curiosity, what would cause a tank to no longer be fully cycled? Or is it that you aren't sure if it was fully cycled to start with?

I'm not confident of much in fish keeping as this is my first ever tank but I'm as confident as I possibly could be that my QT tank was fully cycled at one point at least! It's been up and running for 5 months now. I did a fishless cycle that lasted around 5 weeks and saw an absolutely picture perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate spike cycle to show it was ready. It was the primary home of my first Clownfish and my Skunk shrimp, then was my 30 day QT home to my second 2 clownfish, and is now my QT home to my little Tomni. Who's about 2.5ish, maybe 3 weeks (I'd have to look) into his sentence. So, I'm pretty sure it was well cycled at least at one point. LOL

I did think about something yesterday though. Since my QT tank is so small, and I don't remember how much life rock I have in it, I thiiink maybe 2.5 lbs, the lady at the LFS was a bit concerned that it may not be able to handle the addition of the Tang without an ammonia spike. So I did get a few of those little ball things that you can either toss in your tank or in your filter to I guess help with that?

I've read since then that maybe those aren't the best additions as they can hold onto Nitrates and other stuff and that your filtration should be pretty exclusively based on your live rock and sand and what not. So, not sure if that played a factor in it, or if they were even in there long enough to become a problem. I mean, in truth, there is always a possibility that I just did the silly test wrong. Heh...

Fortunately, since then, my Nitrates have been their normal steady eddy for that tank sitting between 10 and 20 ppm. So hopefully, if there was a spike, whatever caused it I won't do again. LOL

Tanks don't generally uncycle. If it was fully cycled, the current high test result may be test error.

You saw nitrite rise significant and then decline in cycling?

 

[Corapandora96]

Size.

(Can't predict personality that closely from inDUHvidual to inDUHvidual....just like people. Gotta get to know em to find out! )


Domino's are going to be worth reading up on more before you decide. () Gobies and Grammas are almost always a safe bet tho.


Well, there's "what can work" and then there's "a safe bet".

If you're at the NOOB end of the NOOB<-->EXPERT spectrum, I tend to think "a safe bet" is a better option than "what can work".

A Tang in a 4' tank is not "a safe bet" but "it can work".

If you're only using the LFS and online for your guidance, you're going to come up short a lot IMO. It's just not enough information...even if you could assume all of the info online (and at your LFS) is good, which is isn't.

I recommend reading at least one or two good books on the subject and all the periodicals you can stand...whether that's TFH magazine, FAMA back issues (see archive.org) or reefkeeping.com and reef2reef.com articles....or scientific journal articles (see my blog for lots of starting points....Google Scholar is also your friend).

How long is your aquarium book collection?

www.reef2reef.com

Armed with that info, you'll be MUCH better equipped to get information from the LFS and online.

Thank you very much! I (believe it or not) definitely did read quite a bit of things before I started up my tank. But man...it's hard when you know so little to really get the most out of it I think. Cause there is SO MUCH information out there and a lot of it is/feels very theoretical when you haven't ever had any kind of fish tank at all. LOLOL

But your suggestion is 100% spot on! Particularly now that I have at least some version of a concept of what the books are talking about. LOL. I also have learned that I need to really pay attention to what type of tank "things/people/articles etc. etc." are talking about. Because there are SO MANY differences between Freshwater and Saltwater that I never would have imagined would be different between the two that I also didn't understand.

Thankfully I am going very slow and trying to proceed with an upmost of caution in all the things that I do (check, double check, ask questions, ask other questions, find articles to read, etc. etc.) so my fish/inverts haven't been any worse for the wear yet. Hopefully I can keep it like that!

And yeah, I've heard/read some really really "terrible" things about Damsels in general when it comes to aggressiveness. I haven't read specifically about Domino's but I do plan to do a whole bunch more reading/research on Domino's specifically before I get one. The possible aggressiveness i's why, if I do try them out, that they will go in very last and very small. LOL. You definitely have a point that I should keep in mind I am very new to the hobby though, so if it's something that "could" work versus something that "definitely should" work, I may need to rethink it.

Fortunately, my LFS let's you bring fish back, and I have my quarantine tank that I always leave open for a bit after adding a new fish into the big tank that I can put new naughty fish back into if needed. So, I at least do have an "out" if I wind up in an untenable situation in the future.

 

[Corapandora96]

Tanks don't generally uncycle. If it was fully cycled, the current high test result may be test error.

You saw nitrite rise significant and then decline in cycling?

I definitely did see Nitrite rise significantly and then 0 out during cycling and it has stayed there ever since.

Nitrites:
December 28 - Jan 19th - 0 ppm
Jan 26 - 1.5 ppm
Jan 27 - 2 ppm
Jan 29 - 1 ppm
Jan 31 until today - 0 ppm

Nitrates:
December - Jan 26th - 0 ppm
Jan 26th until today - All testing since has been in the 10-20 range except that one day last week. (And I test like every other day most of the time so I've tested a loooot. LOL). I'm beginning to think that it was user error...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sounds like an error. Nitrate does not jump from
20 to 80 ppm and back again in a few days. :)