Questions about Display tank

[Wolf89]

Basically, you have a buildup of organics that your bacteria can’t get rid of fast enough. Your deep sand bed may need to be cleaned, as well as adding additional bio media to your filtration. Purigen will keep the problem from getting worse, and water changes will make it better. It’s fixable!

Dont clean your deep sand bed that can cause major problems

 

[i_am_mclovin]

By the way UV won’t get rid of Ich

 

[Wolf89]

Agreed, it will certainly help, but definitely not eradicate it, unfortunately. Unless you have a pod eater, I wouldn't worry about it killing them

 

[Magellan]

Dont clean your deep sand bed that can cause major problems

Agree, if he’s never done it before. How old is your tank @Saltwada? @Wolf89 his salinity could use a bump but I don’t think that’s why his tank has been going downhill for 8 months, he said he’s been struggling with his nitrates for a long time now.

 

[Saltwada]

Thanks for all your help guys. its so cool to have people who care help solve a problem. I really just want to see my tank not have anymore problems. im currently in fallow so no fish to rid of ich, but my salinity is actually around 1.025 so its fine now, but i still dont undersand why my nem is shirnking. today i came home and saw it open, but it didnt looked bright green some of the tips looked like lava lamps haha. bunch of different designs on the tentatcles. i do plan on lowering nitrate tho and im going to try purigen because you recommended it

 

[Magellan]

Thanks for all your help guys. its so cool to have people who care help solve a problem. I really just want to see my tank not have anymore problems. im currently in fallow so no fish to rid of ich, but my salinity is actually around 1.025 so its fine now, but i still dont undersand why my nem is shirnking. today i came home and saw it open, but it didnt looked bright green some of the tips looked like lava lamps haha. bunch of different designs on the tentatcles. i do plan on lowering nitrate tho and im going to try purigen because you recommended it

No problem! Purigen by itself won’t reduce your nitrates, but will help by absorbing things that would eventually get turned into nitrate by the nitrogen cycle. To help speed that along, I would add some biomedia and increase your water chance schedule. SeaChems Matrix or MarinePure should both work. Small bag of carbon wouldn’t hurt either just in case there’s something else in your water.

 

[Saltwada]

No problem! Purigen by itself won’t reduce your nitrates, but will help by absorbing things that would eventually get turned into nitrate by the nitrogen cycle. To help speed that along, I would add some biomedia and increase your water chance schedule. SeaChems Matrix or MarinePure should both work. Small bag of carbon wouldn’t hurt either just in case there’s something else in your water.

ah ic ic okay thanks for the update what about GFO? I heard that is good to run? Anyways do you think this is the problem for my nem?

 

[Magellan]

GFO is for phosphates, but since you don’t have a major algae problem you probably don’t have a phosphate problem, especially since you don’t currently have any fish to feed. Your refugium should be taking care of that I would think. I don’t know 100% what the issue is, or even if you fix the issue(s) that the nem will recover, but I do know that a buildup of nitrates is bad for a reef. The article I shared lists nems as something that would be harmed by excess nitrate. (Potentially anything over 5, and you are at 40!). I would also confirm those numbers if possible, any LFS should be able to test your water for you, confirm those numbers, and help make some recommendations as well.

how old is your sand bed?

 

[Saltwada]

GFO is for phosphates, but since you don’t have a major algae problem you probably don’t have a phosphate problem, especially since you don’t currently have any fish to feed. Your refugium should be taking care of that I would think. I don’t know 100% what the issue is, or even if you fix the issue(s) that the nem will recover, but I do know that a buildup of nitrates is bad for a reef. The article I shared lists nems as something that would be harmed by excess nitrate. (Potentially anything over 5, and you are at 40!). I would also confirm those numbers if possible, any LFS should be able to test your water for you, confirm those numbers, and help make some recommendations as well.

how old is your sand bed?

its about 2 years old. transferred it from my old tank. I got inverts in the sand tho like the snails and sand star.

 

[Magellan]

its about 2 years old. transferred it from my old tank. I got inverts in the sand tho like the snails and sand star.

Maybe try a tiger conch or 2?

 

[Saltwada]

i run my radion lights around 57 percent is that possibly too high? ever since i upgraded my lighting i feel like maybe thats why i havent been able to keep nems. although again my nitrate is high

 

[Saltwada]

do you guys think my lighting is too bright if the nem is losing its color and barley opening during the day but only at night?

 

[Saltwada]

my phosphate is .42 btw

 

[Magellan]

What are you using to test? Can you get those numbers verified at an LFS? For phosphates, .1 is considered the upper limit of where you would want the tank, with .05 being the target. I’ve heard of tanks being successful with higher numbers, but since you’re having issues I would try to bring the nitrate and phosphate numbers down if they are accurate.

 

[Saltwada]

What are you using to test? Can you get those numbers verified at an LFS? For phosphates, .1 is considered the upper limit of where you would want the tank, with .05 being the target. I’ve heard of tanks being successful with higher numbers, but since you’re having issues I would try to bring the nitrate and phosphate numbers down if they are accurate.

nitrate is accurate and the phosphate was done with a hanna checker so yeah would doing two 25 percent water changes in one week work?

 

[Magellan]

nitrate is accurate and the phosphate was done with a hanna checker so yeah would doing two 25 percent water changes in one week work?

It’s a good start! But if you are consistently struggling with those elevated parameters, you might want to think about some more filtration. Otherwise there could be a lot of water changing in your future!

 

[Saltwada]

It’s a good start! But if you are consistently struggling with those elevated parameters, you might want to think about some more filtration. Otherwise there could be a lot of water changing in your future!

what filitration do you recommend?

 

[Magellan]

what filitration do you recommend?

What do you currently have in your sump?