A few questions

[crew]

I have a few questions, nothing is really a problem, but I am curious

Lighting - I have algae growth on my front glass that I clean everyday.. It isn't bad, but I notice it.. Could this be from my bulb combination? I have 1 6500k bulb in my TEK and I'm thinking that might be the cause

Coraline - I have noticed a slowing in coraline growth.. Is this normal as a tank starts to mature?

Sand bed - I love white sand, I hate brown sand, what is the best solution to this? I have a dragon goby now but I still have a fair amount of brown sand, although it isn't getting worse.

My params
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
PH - 8.4
Calcium - 460
Mag - 1200
Kh - 10
Temp - 80
I feed what the fish can eat in 2 minutes twice a day, the food doesn't sit around

 

[michaelf1478]

with the algae it might be the tank is close to a window.
coraline i cant seem to get mine going either.(lets see what others say)sandbed i turn my sand every sunday it stays nice.

 

[crew]

the tank is near a window, I figures that might be it and I closed the blinds, hopefully that helps. I will try the phosphate thing first and go from there

 

[skriz]

Sunlight shouldn't be the problem as long as your tank can keep up wuth the light. It's similar to having a halide on their.

I would take a good look at your tds and phosphates and like Charlie said, skim wetter or do larger water changes.

 

[crew]

i imagine it is probably the TDS, I do use tap water haha Im not rich blood like you RODI folks I guess ill have to give in and buy a RODI system.. I can live with the algae, it is extremely small in its amounts (i can't take a picture to show you because its not thick enough) but im a perfectionist... oh well

 

[crew]

atleast I get nice PH out of the deal, I NEVER drop below 8.2

 

[FutureInterest]

Save up a lil and get an ro/di off ebay if you must. It'll clear up your issues quickly.

 

[derek_s]

Ace1204 was selling a 50GPD for $50 I think. Just needed new sediment/carbon blocks, which are pretty cheap.

 

[jhutto]

Think most get a small flim of algae on the front and sides of tank even with RODI water. Mine is usually noticable after about a week or so. I use the mag float with the razor on it and it comes off and makes the tank look pristine. As Jin said do the RODI first but understand that you will still get a little along the way. Which in my opinion, is fine.

 

[crew]

ya the thin film is what im getting but its every day instead on once a week.. must be the water

 

[FutureInterest]

You could also get RO water from most kroger/public/whole foods. They usually have a glacier machine there. I thiknk it was 30 cents or 40 cents a gallon. I used to use that for my top offs for the longest time till I finally got a ro/di. The TDS always tested at 0 or 1 which was impressive to me.

Granted an Ro/di is not necessarily cheap but you can also justify its expense to your significant other by using it for your drinking water as well. I run our drinking water through the carbon and sediment filters and now we don't have to buy bottled water all the time. No need to run drinking water through the RO membrane or DI canister of course . So in the end getting an ro/di saved us money on drinking water and the hassle of hauling water around as well.

 

[crew]

could I use Marine Fish's water for top off?? has anyone tested their TDS?? it's like 2 miles away from me

 

[oil_fan]

dawgdude;273320 wrote: I am fairly certain MF would replace their filters religiously and test their TDS. That store is always pristine.

I never had a problem with their water when I used it. It's just too far of a drive for me. It takes me 45 minutes just to get there. When gas shot up to over $3.50 a gallon last spring, a RO/DI unit looked a lot better to me. :up:

 

[patrick214]

Only problem with relying on MF water is one day it could be 1.026 and the next 1.022, not the end of the world but that always bothered me before i got my RO/DI.

 

[crew]

I would just buy their freshwater and use as top off, and add my own salt when needed