Refugium questions.

Ramdude4G

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Having a hard time getting my nitrates up to where I want them. Have a 75g display with a 30g sump. Drain is single drain split going to roller mat filter and other side going to fuge. Also run a BM curve 5 skimmer. System seems to be working too well. Lol. Is it possible to close the valve to my fuge and just open it up a couple days a week to try to get my nitrates up to where I want them? I’d rather not dose if I don’t have to. And I feed way more that should be necessary for the livestock I have. Also just thinking about shutting down the fuge all together and just running the roller mat and skimmer. Any advice one rumming the skimmer on one day cycles every third day or so?
 

MnFish1

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Having a hard time getting my nitrates up to where I want them. Have a 75g display with a 30g sump. Drain is single drain split going to roller mat filter and other side going to fuge. Also run a BM curve 5 skimmer. System seems to be working too well. Lol. Is it possible to close the valve to my fuge and just open it up a couple days a week to try to get my nitrates up to where I want them? I’d rather not dose if I don’t have to. And I feed way more that should be necessary for the livestock I have. Also just thinking about shutting down the fuge all together and just running the roller mat and skimmer. Any advice one rumming the skimmer on one day cycles every third day or so?
I would keep your skimmer running for various reasons (unless you clean it before you shut it off) - my skimmer has a lot of gunk that sits around the rim - just inside - (no matter how I try to adjust it) - and if I didn't wipe that off it would all be back in the tank.

What is in your fuge? (assume it's Chaeto). I might keep the fuse - and remove the chaeto (since the fuge can have other functions as well).

My nitrate is near zero - but - I see great color in my corals, and growth is fine. I'm not sure low levels of nitrate are a 'problem' - unless you're seeing other problems in your tank. Nitrate could just be in equilibrium - which is a good thing as compared to a bad thing.
 

Dkmoo

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Key is not what the residual no3 levels are on your water column that you can measure on those test kits. Its high throughput. Feed heavy and export heavy and you could end up with very low measured levels yet the corals will be perfectly fine and getting all the nutrition it needs.

My no3 level has never gone above 0.5ppm. I feed a ton and have an overstocked tank. Corals are very healthy
 

Rmckoy

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I’ve read many posts and articles stating roller mats export too much as when they restrict the flow the water level raises causing the roll to advance .
never leaving soiled cloth in the water where organics generally decompose creating nitrates
I was thinking of switching to a rollermat for my 230 but after reading (which could be wrong) …. I’ve decided to stay with the filter cloth
 
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Ramdude4G

Ramdude4G

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Key is not what the residual no3 levels are on your water column that you can measure on those test kits. Its high throughput. Feed heavy and export heavy and you could end up with very low measured levels yet the corals will be perfectly fine and getting all the nutrition it needs.

My no3 level has never gone above 0.5ppm. I feed a ton and have an overstocked tank. Corals are very healthy
Yeah that’s kinda what I was thinking. My corals are doing great. So I wasn’t too worried about them. Thanks for the input.
 
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Ramdude4G

Ramdude4G

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I’ve read many posts and articles stating roller mats export too much as when they restrict the flow the water level raises causing the roll to advance .
never leaving soiled cloth in the water where organics generally decompose creating nitrates
I was thinking of switching to a rollermat for my 230 but after reading (which could be wrong) …. I’ve decided to stay with the filter cloth
Yeah the main reason I went with the roller mat is to try to cut down on maintenance where I could. My job requires me to travel sometimes frequently and sometimes for extended periods of time. And my wife has enough on her plate as it is and has no interest in adding more things to her list when I go out of town. At least with the roller mat I can throw a new roll on before I leave and that’s one thing she doesn’t have to worry about. You know happy wife happy life kind of thing. Lola d I’m not sure I want to deal with filter socks. And she would probably shoot me for putting them in her new high dollar fancy washer. Lol
 
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Ramdude4G

Ramdude4G

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I would keep your skimmer running for various reasons (unless you clean it before you shut it off) - my skimmer has a lot of gunk that sits around the rim - just inside - (no matter how I try to adjust it) - and if I didn't wipe that off it would all be back in the tank.

What is in your fuge? (assume it's Chaeto). I might keep the fuse - and remove the chaeto (since the fuge can have other functions as well).

My nitrate is near zero - but - I see great color in my corals, and growth is fine. I'm not sure low levels of nitrate are a 'problem' - unless you're seeing other problems in your tank. Nitrate could just be in equilibrium - which is a good thing as compared to a bad thing.
I suspect you are correct in the last part of your statement. Thanks for your input and advice. I do have a somewhat off topic question tho that you may be able to answer. I have this green algae growing on the white rocks I have. Curious to know what it may be. I have an idea but kinda looking for conformation. It doesn’t seem to be a nuisance algae. It’s not hair or bubble algae. It does not come off if wiped or scrubbed with a brush and my Trochus snails don’t phase it. The move across it eating on it but don’t leave a path where they’ve been. I believe its a type of green coralline. I got a pvc fitting from my LFS that was crusted with purple and green algaes to scrape off and crush up and seed my tank with. That’s about the time it started showing up. And believe that’s what it is. Here are a couple pics. Thanks.
A215D509-E108-4C09-AE5A-2BE2DF105C19.jpeg
4240ADFD-5F1D-4001-A478-858985969F83.jpeg
7F9C2370-9909-40E1-9E9A-E8CF2C9821DD.jpeg
 

MnFish1

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I suspect you are correct in the last part of your statement. Thanks for your input and advice. I do have a somewhat off topic question tho that you may be able to answer. I have this green algae growing on the white rocks I have. Curious to know what it may be. I have an idea but kinda looking for conformation. It doesn’t seem to be a nuisance algae. It’s not hair or bubble algae. It does not come off if wiped or scrubbed with a brush and my Trochus snails don’t phase it. The move across it eating on it but don’t leave a path where they’ve been. I believe its a type of green coralline. I got a pvc fitting from my LFS that was crusted with purple and green algaes to scrape off and crush up and seed my tank with. That’s about the time it started showing up. And believe that’s what it is. Here are a couple pics. Thanks.
A215D509-E108-4C09-AE5A-2BE2DF105C19.jpeg
4240ADFD-5F1D-4001-A478-858985969F83.jpeg
7F9C2370-9909-40E1-9E9A-E8CF2C9821DD.jpeg
Honestly - it I shard to say - I would not worry about it. It certainly looks like green coralline to me....
 

Rmckoy

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Yeah the main reason I went with the roller mat is to try to cut down on maintenance where I could. My job requires me to travel sometimes frequently and sometimes for extended periods of time. And my wife has enough on her plate as it is and has no interest in adding more things to her list when I go out of town. At least with the roller mat I can throw a new roll on before I leave and that’s one thing she doesn’t have to worry about. You know happy wife happy life kind of thing. Lola d I’m not sure I want to deal with filter socks. And she would probably shoot me for putting them in her new high dollar fancy washer. Lol
Happy wife happy life lol

I sometimes question why happy isnt always a option
 

Yates273

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You could always dose nitrates. I dose about 40 ml of potassium nitrate a week. My nitrates are between 5-10
My total water volume is about 50 gallons.
 
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Ramdude4G

Ramdude4G

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You could always dose nitrates. I dose about 40 ml of potassium nitrate a week. My nitrates are between 5-10
My total water volume is about 50 gallons.
Yeah I know that’s an option. And one that I may have to eventually resort to. Just trying to avoid dosing any chemicals if I don’t have to just yet. Would rather keep it all balanced on its own as long as I can. Lol. Again less work for my wife when I go out of town. But I know eventually I will have to get to that point.
 

Rmckoy

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Yeah I know that’s an option. And one that I may have to eventually resort to. Just trying to avoid dosing any chemicals if I don’t have to just yet. Would rather keep it all balanced on its own as long as I can. Lol. Again less work for my wife when I go out of town. But I know eventually I will have to get to that point.
Could set up a dosing pump with calcium nitrate or potassium nitrate on a schedule and leave it .
once dialed in it would be as automated as possible
 

Yates273

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Could set up a dosing pump with calcium nitrate or potassium nitrate on a schedule and leave it .
once dialed in it would be as automated as possible
If you do this make sure you test daily until it’s dialed in like Rmckoy said or you chance a nitrate spike.
 

Rmckoy

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If you do this make sure you test daily until it’s dialed in like Rmckoy said or you chance a nitrate spike.
On the bottle of esv calcium nitrate I use there is a dosing amount to raise nitrates 1ppm per day .
But with the roller mat you need to calculate if dosing enough to raise 1ppm per day (24 hours )
Does the Mat remove the same amount ?
 
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Ramdude4G

Ramdude4G

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On the bottle of esv calcium nitrate I use there is a dosing amount to raise nitrates 1ppm per day .
But with the roller mat you need to calculate if dosing enough to raise 1ppm per day (24 hours )
Does the Mat remove the same amount ?
I wouldn’t thing the roller mat would remove any dosing. That is a chemical. The mat only removes solid particles which prevents food and detritus breaking down. I’d be more worried about the skimmer removing the dosing.
 

Rmckoy

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I wouldn’t thing the roller mat would remove any dosing. That is a chemical. The mat only removes solid particles which prevents food and detritus breaking down. I’d be more worried about the skimmer removing the dosing.
That’s exactly what I meant …

without organics or solids there is no way to make nutrients .
 

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