So I've been skeptical about my Salifert and TropicMarin kits reading zero for Nitrates. So I sucked it up and spent the $$ on a Hanna LR Nitrate checker. Sure enough after running the test correctly* twice, I get 0.00.
I'm blown away my Nitrates are 0. Hanna checker ULR Phos says my level is 0.5.
After years and years of NITRATE BAD PHOSPHATE BAD. I'm hesitant/flabbergasted to think I might need to dose those. Can I feed more? Get a diamond goby to stir up my sand bed? Stop doing water changes?
BIO LOAD (LIVE STOCK): I have around 80 gal of volume with adult 2 Bangii, 2 nearly adult Ocellaris, nearly adult Azure damsel, juvi-adult royal gramma, a juvi-adult potters angel and a antenna goby. Cleaner shimp, porcelain crab, misc CUC.
BIO LOAD (FOOD): I dose 10mL AB+ daily, feed a healthy heap of New Life Spectrum daily (though I try to make sure the majority is consumed by the fish and not end up on the sand bed.
FILTRATION AND MAINT: I do around a 10 gal w/c with Reef Crystals once a month.Before I started checking levels I dropped my filter sock changes to 2 x a week because my skimmer (reef essence 130) wasn't pulling much and my chaeto was dying. Now I use Brightwell Cheato for the cheato and it seems to be helping. I also run rox carbon for water polishing. Change it every 1-3 months (aka when I remember to)
CORAL: Tank is 95% zoa and Paly (the rest is anemone, no SPS/LPS. I have noticed some die off but I was attributing to my lights being too strong, finicky nature of some coral, and possibly tank wide chem warfare from other paly/zoa.
I'm blown away my Nitrates are 0. Hanna checker ULR Phos says my level is 0.5.
After years and years of NITRATE BAD PHOSPHATE BAD. I'm hesitant/flabbergasted to think I might need to dose those. Can I feed more? Get a diamond goby to stir up my sand bed? Stop doing water changes?
BIO LOAD (LIVE STOCK): I have around 80 gal of volume with adult 2 Bangii, 2 nearly adult Ocellaris, nearly adult Azure damsel, juvi-adult royal gramma, a juvi-adult potters angel and a antenna goby. Cleaner shimp, porcelain crab, misc CUC.
BIO LOAD (FOOD): I dose 10mL AB+ daily, feed a healthy heap of New Life Spectrum daily (though I try to make sure the majority is consumed by the fish and not end up on the sand bed.
FILTRATION AND MAINT: I do around a 10 gal w/c with Reef Crystals once a month.Before I started checking levels I dropped my filter sock changes to 2 x a week because my skimmer (reef essence 130) wasn't pulling much and my chaeto was dying. Now I use Brightwell Cheato for the cheato and it seems to be helping. I also run rox carbon for water polishing. Change it every 1-3 months (aka when I remember to)
CORAL: Tank is 95% zoa and Paly (the rest is anemone, no SPS/LPS. I have noticed some die off but I was attributing to my lights being too strong, finicky nature of some coral, and possibly tank wide chem warfare from other paly/zoa.
