Question and a bit of a vent....

Reef Psychology

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I have 20+ yrs of experience in reef keeping, but it's been a long while since having a nano....

Purchased a novo fusion 10 pro kit from BRS and the pump is WAY too powerful. Set at 1.1 (presumably the lowest it will go) all the sand was pilled in the opposite corner after only an hour. So I purchased at IM Spin Stream. It helped to reduce/randomize the flow, but it's still too strong. Now I have a little bald spot on the right front of the tank. Is there a way to reduce the flow more somehow or am I going to need to buy a T and maybe put a small valve on it? The sand grain size isn't very fine and I've seen other tanks on YouTube with the same pump and they didn't seem to have an issue.

Second question/rant... Used the Red Sea Mature Reef Kit to cycle with. Within a week and a half the ammonia was down to zero, but nitrites have been constantly at 1 and nitrates at 30. I put more of the ammonia additive and by the next day ammonia in the tank was back to zero. After a month and two weeks nitrites refuse to go down. I already know the answer... nitrite bacteria take much longer to proliferate... every cycle is different.... be patient.... *sigh*

Back when I set up my 120 and 80 it was with live rock from the actual ocean. Man, there were a lot of pests, but the cycles were so darn smooth and effortless. My two new tanks are with dead rock and dead sand. It's a whole other ballgame these days.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
 

Grumblez

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Not sure on the flow other than maybe rearrange your rocks to help break up the flow.. But I'll say 2 things about your nitrite.
1. I don't believe it's 1, i think it's zero unless you confirmed that with multiple test kits
2. It doesn't matter anyways nitrites harmless in saltwater. Could have added fish a month ago
 
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Reef Psychology

Reef Psychology

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Not sure on the flow other than maybe rearrange your rocks to help break up the flow.. But I'll say 2 things about your nitrite.
1. I don't believe it's 1, i think it's zero unless you confirmed that with multiple test kits
2. It doesn't matter anyways nitrites harmless in saltwater. Could have added fish a month ago

I confirmed with LFS and also tested fresh batch of salt for color comparison basis. It's 1. Yeah, I know nitrites are much less harmful than ammonia, but I'm kinda anal. Once ammonia fell to zero I seeded live pods and have been feeding phyto three times a week. NOPOX seems to have worked. I saw algae form on day 7 and by day 10 it was completely gone even with lights on a 10hr schedule.

The bald spot is at the front. The Spin Stream shoots the water in a circular motion. I would have to pile the rock against the front glass to block it.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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