Testing this morning

[dirty_south87]

I done a test this morning to see what needs adjusting. My nitrates are low, any suggestion to raise it? Or any suggestions to any of the numbers you may see is wrong
Salinity - 1.025

API test kit
Kh - 214.8 ppm
Ca2 - 400 ppm
No3 - 0 ppm
Po4 - 0.25 ppm
Ph - 8.2
Nh3 - 0 ppm
N02 - 0 ppm

Red Sea
Mg - 1200 ppm

 

[TokenReefer]

Feed more (dirty foods) and turn your skimmer off is one method I'm using atm; I have it down to 6 hours at night atm... also lessened my refugium light period to about 7 hrs... running no socks/roller fwiw. Hovering at 0.03 P04 and 5 N03

Edit: I'm also feeding about 3 frozen cubes with some flake and pellets mixed in broken up into 3 feedings a day; 5 (small) fish. Just to give you a better picture - 5 ppm N03, not 0.5...

 

[vetteguy53081]

I done a test this morning to see what needs adjusting. My nitrates are low, any suggestion to raise it? Or any suggestions to any of the numbers you may see is wrong
Salinity - 1.025

API test kit
Kh - 214.8 ppm
Ca2 - 400 ppm
No3 - 0 ppm
Po4 - 0.25 ppm
Ph - 8.2
Nh3 - 0 ppm
N02 - 0 ppm

Red Sea
Mg - 1200 ppm

Don't worry about Nitrite in marine setting unless sky high (above 80-120ppm)
As for Api kits, they are Less than dependable and will give you false reading hence the low price of $25 for a Master test kit. Salifert and Hanna brands much more reliable.
I would suggest to chart your test readings and occasionally take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and compare readings- then you'll know where tank is at with parameters

 

[dirty_south87]

Feed more (dirty foods) and turn your skimmer off is one method I'm using atm; I have it down to 6 hours at night atm... also lessened my refugium light period to about 7 hrs... running no socks/roller fwiw. Hovering at 0.03 P04 and 0.5 N03

Edit: I'm also feeding about 3 frozen cubes with some flake and pellets mixed in broken up into 3 feedings a day; 5 (small) fish. Just to give you a better picture

I currently don’t have a skimmer, the one i got with this setup broke in transit. I will try to up the feeding and see how that goes

 

[dirty_south87]

Don't worry about Nitrite in marine setting unless sky high (above 80-120ppm)
As for Api kits, they are Less than dependable and will give you false reading hence the low price of $25 for a Master test kit. Salifert and Hanna brands much more reliable.
I would suggest to chart your test readings and occasionally take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and compare readings- then you'll know where tank is at with parameters

I will replace my test kits soon, I have recently learned on here api is not the way to go. Unfortunately majority of the fish stores around here uses api because it’s cheaper on them to do free testing. Even my main lfs uses the api spin test. I plan on getting the Hanna brand test kit stuff soon, I seen packages that comes with Hanna and Red Sea togethe. Is that a good package or no?

 

[TokenReefer]

I currently don’t have a skimmer, the one i got with this setup broke in transit. I will try to up the feeding and see how that goes

I think this is a good plan before attempting to dose nutrients directly. I'm also toying with adding another fish to increase those but that involves other factors I'm still working out...

Btw, I corrected my post ^. 5 ppm N03, 0.5 is too low imo

 

[dirty_south87]

I think this is a good plan before attempting to dose nutrients directly. I'm also toying with adding another fish to increase those but that involves other factors I'm still working out...

Btw, I corrected my post ^. 5 ppm N03, 0.5 is too low imo

I figured that no3 should have some significant trace in it just wasn’t fully sure on what a good number was

 

[TokenReefer]

I figured that no3 should have some significant trace in it just wasn’t fully sure on what a good number was

I think there should be some present yes. These are just where my numbers have landed without much intervention on my part to be honest. My nitrates went way down when I stopped messing with the socks and I was decent about it changing them every 4 days or so (got tired of the washing, etc). They were around 25 then and now stay around 5 (I should also say I don't have any visible algae so this tactic may not work or be desired if you do as it may feed that issue). It seems no matter what I throw in now for food it gets "digested" by the system. I've been clouding the water with food during feeding and have zoas, gsp, anenome, and a couple lps growing decently and soaking it all up it seems. Also running my dkh a bit high atm as well

 

[dirty_south87]

I think there should be some present yes. These are just where my numbers have landed without much intervention on my part to be honest. My nitrates went way down when I stopped messing with the socks and I was decent about it changing them every 4 days or so (got tired of the washing, etc). They were around 25 then and now stay around 5 (I should also say I don't have any visible algae so this tactic may not work or be desired if you do as it may feed that issue). It seems no matter what I throw in now for food it gets "digested" by the system. I've been clouding the water with food during feeding and have zoas, gsp, anenome, and a couple lps growing decently and soaking it all up it seems. Also running my dkh a bit high atm as well

I have a few corals that haven’t been opening up to it’s fullest, that’s what got my attention that there’s something somewhere not right

 

[TokenReefer]

I have a few corals that haven’t been opening up to it’s fullest, that’s what got my attention that there’s something somewhere not right

That's a good tell. I think if your (detectable in the water) numbers are low, direct contact with food might be needed; heavy feed and with flow off/real low so they smell it, respond and grab it. Good luck!

 

[dirty_south87]

That's a good tell. I think if your (detectable in the water) numbers are low, direct contact with food might be needed; heavy feed and with flow off/real low so they smell it, respond and grab it. Good luck!

What is your suggestion on the feed?

 

[TokenReefer]

What is your suggestion on the feed?

Lately I've been doing a half cube of this Ocean Nutrition Formula One, half cube of mysis, a sprinkle of flake (some crushed) and alternate with a sprinkle of pellets and hikari pellets 3x a day. Fwiw I haven't been feeding corals directly since I've been feeding this heavy; I turn off the return but let the powerhead run in reduced feed mode to distribute around the tank. Sometimes I hit feed mode again and let it really get eaten up

Edit: skimmer off all day while I feed btw

 

[dirty_south87]

Lately I've been doing a half cube of this Ocean Nutrition Formula One, half cube of mysis, a sprinkle of flake (some crushed) and alternate with a sprinkle of pellets and hikari pellets 3x a day. Fwiw I haven't been feeding corals directly since I've been feeding this heavy; I turn off the return but let the powerhead run in reduced feed mode to distribute around the tank. Sometimes I hit feed mode again and let it really get eaten up

Edit: skimmer off all day while I feed btw

I will keep that in mind