mary.c
New Member
Hi everyone!
Sorry it's going to be a long read but I'm really struggling with swings in nitrates/phosphates. Sometimes phosphates increase but not Nitrates and sometimes it's the contrary. Could you please help me find out what I'm doing wrong ?
Parameters today :
Salinity 1.025
Phosphate 0.25 - Hanna reader (ouch)
Alkalinity 7.4 - Hanna reader (should I add sodium bicarbonate?)
Ammonia 0 (salifert test)
Nitrate 5-10 (API test)
Tank maturity and bioload: 75 liters = 20 gallons.
Auto top off water is RO from LFS.
3/12/2022 - 3 weeks ago : Starting the tank - I've moved the water and rocks from a tank shutdown from another hobbyist (she had it running for more than a year). It came with 5 big trochus snails.
60% old tank water + 40% water change (saltwater from LFS).
LFS test - a couple of hours just after moving the tank : Phosphate : 0.2ppm , Nitrate 28 ppm - Ammonia/Nitrite 0
10/12/2022 - 2 weeks ago : LFS test - Phosphate 0.3ppm, Nitrate 21 ppm, Ammonia 0.1 ppm Nitrite : 0.1 ppm. LFS told me it was ok to add the fish so I purchased them but I should have known better.
-> 25% water change then I added the fish and corals with my own mixed water (RO water from LFS + Read sea salt) .
I added 2 small clowns, a full bottle of copepods and 7-8 ml of phytoplankton that I continued dosing every other day since then. Also added 5 corals at the same time: torch, hammer, clove polyp, toadstool, alveopora.
I do not feed them.
11/12/2022 : LFS test - I was worried about the ammonia so I went to check it again: Phosphate : 0.2ppm ; Nitrate : 15 ppm, Ammonia 0.1, Nitrite 0 - I added some ammo lock on the same day after reading how ammonia - even 0.1 - is bad for a fish.
I messed up and added way to much ammo lock. (10 times the recommended dose).
12/12/2022 : LFS test but different LFS - just one day after, no water changes - I went to do another test because I was still worried about the ammonia. Reading : 0 ammonia/nitrite. Phosphate 0.2ppm, Nitrates : 1 ppm (weird, right ? )
I added the sand that day (dry sand really well rinsed) to help with the microbacteria.
Thursday 15/12 : self test - 20-40 nitrates, Ammonia 0, Phosphate 0.15.
-> I did a 40% water change (Saltwater from LFS)
Friday 16/12: I gave away 4 of my trochus snails as I had no algae and didn't want them to starve. Now I'm starting to see glass algae haha. As a thank you, I've been given a full bottle of rotifiers which I fully added to the tank.
Saturday 17/12 : additionnal 15% water change (Saltwater from LFS)
Yesterday 18/12 : added one dragons breath hoping it'll help with my phosphate/nitrates.
Today test 19/12 : Phosphate 0.25 - Hanna reader (ouch); Nitrate 5-10; Ammonia 0
Filtration :
It a Waterbox cube 20 AIO (75L) with just filter sock + carbon media and some plastic bio balls and two porous balls on top of the rocks. I've also bought a nano skimmer but I don't run it a lot as it's quite noisy and does not seem to do much.
Feeding habit :
I feed Vitalis pellets to the clowfish every other day - I think at least 6-7 small pellet each until they don't eat anymore, maybe 2 to 4 small pellets may not be eaten and fall on the sand bed.
I feed some brine shrimp every other day to the clownfish - they eat at least 5-6 each (drained, I do not put the water in the tank). A couple of the shrimps end up not being eaten in the water column (maybe 5-6?) but they get removed by the filter sock later.
I dose 7ml of phyto every other day.
My phosphate keeps on increasing - faster than nitrates this time - I've already done a 15 % water change yesterday and a 40% water change 3 days ago because my nitrates were reading 20-40.
It seems I can't stabilise the parameters.. Sometimes phosphate is not to bad (0.15) but nitrates are high (20-40) like 4 days ago, sometimes phosphate is not ok (0.26 today) but nitrates are (5-10) like today.
I'm then a bit confused. Could you please help me out ?
Also, does it look like diatoms to you please? It appeared today
Finally, I've added some pictures of the coral. I've been told they look not fully open. Do you think so?
It feels like it's not getting better
Thank you so much for your help!
Pictures :
ibb.co
ibb.co
ibb.co
ibb.co
ibb.co
ibb.co
Sorry it's going to be a long read but I'm really struggling with swings in nitrates/phosphates. Sometimes phosphates increase but not Nitrates and sometimes it's the contrary. Could you please help me find out what I'm doing wrong ?
Parameters today :
Salinity 1.025
Phosphate 0.25 - Hanna reader (ouch)
Alkalinity 7.4 - Hanna reader (should I add sodium bicarbonate?)
Ammonia 0 (salifert test)
Nitrate 5-10 (API test)
Tank maturity and bioload: 75 liters = 20 gallons.
Auto top off water is RO from LFS.
3/12/2022 - 3 weeks ago : Starting the tank - I've moved the water and rocks from a tank shutdown from another hobbyist (she had it running for more than a year). It came with 5 big trochus snails.
60% old tank water + 40% water change (saltwater from LFS).
LFS test - a couple of hours just after moving the tank : Phosphate : 0.2ppm , Nitrate 28 ppm - Ammonia/Nitrite 0
10/12/2022 - 2 weeks ago : LFS test - Phosphate 0.3ppm, Nitrate 21 ppm, Ammonia 0.1 ppm Nitrite : 0.1 ppm. LFS told me it was ok to add the fish so I purchased them but I should have known better.
-> 25% water change then I added the fish and corals with my own mixed water (RO water from LFS + Read sea salt) .
I added 2 small clowns, a full bottle of copepods and 7-8 ml of phytoplankton that I continued dosing every other day since then. Also added 5 corals at the same time: torch, hammer, clove polyp, toadstool, alveopora.
I do not feed them.
11/12/2022 : LFS test - I was worried about the ammonia so I went to check it again: Phosphate : 0.2ppm ; Nitrate : 15 ppm, Ammonia 0.1, Nitrite 0 - I added some ammo lock on the same day after reading how ammonia - even 0.1 - is bad for a fish.
I messed up and added way to much ammo lock. (10 times the recommended dose).
12/12/2022 : LFS test but different LFS - just one day after, no water changes - I went to do another test because I was still worried about the ammonia. Reading : 0 ammonia/nitrite. Phosphate 0.2ppm, Nitrates : 1 ppm (weird, right ? )
I added the sand that day (dry sand really well rinsed) to help with the microbacteria.
Thursday 15/12 : self test - 20-40 nitrates, Ammonia 0, Phosphate 0.15.
-> I did a 40% water change (Saltwater from LFS)
Friday 16/12: I gave away 4 of my trochus snails as I had no algae and didn't want them to starve. Now I'm starting to see glass algae haha. As a thank you, I've been given a full bottle of rotifiers which I fully added to the tank.
Saturday 17/12 : additionnal 15% water change (Saltwater from LFS)
Yesterday 18/12 : added one dragons breath hoping it'll help with my phosphate/nitrates.
Today test 19/12 : Phosphate 0.25 - Hanna reader (ouch); Nitrate 5-10; Ammonia 0
Filtration :
It a Waterbox cube 20 AIO (75L) with just filter sock + carbon media and some plastic bio balls and two porous balls on top of the rocks. I've also bought a nano skimmer but I don't run it a lot as it's quite noisy and does not seem to do much.
Feeding habit :
I feed Vitalis pellets to the clowfish every other day - I think at least 6-7 small pellet each until they don't eat anymore, maybe 2 to 4 small pellets may not be eaten and fall on the sand bed.
I feed some brine shrimp every other day to the clownfish - they eat at least 5-6 each (drained, I do not put the water in the tank). A couple of the shrimps end up not being eaten in the water column (maybe 5-6?) but they get removed by the filter sock later.
I dose 7ml of phyto every other day.
My phosphate keeps on increasing - faster than nitrates this time - I've already done a 15 % water change yesterday and a 40% water change 3 days ago because my nitrates were reading 20-40.
It seems I can't stabilise the parameters.. Sometimes phosphate is not to bad (0.15) but nitrates are high (20-40) like 4 days ago, sometimes phosphate is not ok (0.26 today) but nitrates are (5-10) like today.
I'm then a bit confused. Could you please help me out ?
Also, does it look like diatoms to you please? It appeared today
Finally, I've added some pictures of the coral. I've been told they look not fully open. Do you think so?
It feels like it's not getting better
Thank you so much for your help!
Pictures :
320711878-1166301677343926-7021600085705657344-n hosted at ImgBB
Image 320711878-1166301677343926-7021600085705657344-n hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
320916556-663792708808786-7697188907843164116-n-1 hosted at ImgBB
Image 320916556-663792708808786-7697188907843164116-n-1 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
320916556-663792708808786-7697188907843164116-n-1 hosted at ImgBB
Image 320916556-663792708808786-7697188907843164116-n-1 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
320984449-1562087220881547-7610532269161835120-n hosted at ImgBB
Image 320984449-1562087220881547-7610532269161835120-n hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
320874387-560531885496228-4186932196356832034-n hosted at ImgBB
Image 320874387-560531885496228-4186932196356832034-n hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
320728681-682194346641461-5399449235506875217-n hosted at ImgBB
Image 320728681-682194346641461-5399449235506875217-n hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co
