Back in the Hobby, Marcus' 220 Mixed Reef

[Wmb0003]

Well after a long break from the hobby, I decided I was ready to jump back in middle of last year. I live in Opelika, AL and unfortunately there is not many resources in Auburn/Opelika area; so many of my purchases (equipment and livestock) have come from members of ARC or stores in the Atlanta area.

My previous time in the hobby, I started with a 40 breeder and within a few months upgraded to a 75 and then again to a 150. So this time around I wanted to go with a larger tank from the beginning so I started looking for a 6ft tank. I found a Marineland 220 for sale on here and purchased it in August 2020.

My goal was to get water in the tank ASAP and start the cycling process and then work on building a canopy and wrapping the plywood stand to make it presentable for the wife since the tank will be in the living room. I ordered the doors from a cabinet maker but everything else I did myself.

Tank: Marineland 220 with Exotic Marine 60” internal overflow

Sump: 75 gallon DIY

Rock and Sand: 150lbs of dry rock and 90 lbs of fine white crushed coral sand. Ordered online from addictive reef keeping. Edit: probably added another 50lbs of rock and sand for new total of 200 rock/150 sand

Equipment List:

Smart Power Strip: 4 Smart Outlets, 4 always on outlets and 4 USB Ports. Was thinking going to APEX route but ultimately decided to start with this and see how I like it. Might upgrade later. Edit: Added GHL Profilux and KH director

Flow: 2x Maxspect Gyre XF350, 3x MP 40, 1x Jebao CP-120 Edit: Added additional 2 MP40s on back wall for total of 3 MP40s now

Return Pump: 65W Hygger DC pump running about 50% Edit: Added 25W Hygger DC return pump to add redundancy in case 1 of the return pumps fail Added 80W jebao instead of 25W so the return pumps will be balanced

Lighting: 5x Noopsyche K7 Pro II and 4ft 2 bulb T5 fixture Edit: added 2 81W 470nm led light bars

RODI/ATO: BRS 7 stage filter and RO line running from filter to ATO with level sensor and float valve (use smart plug to turn on ATO sensor 2x per day) Edit: Upgraded to 7 stage filter

Heater: Inkbird wifi temp probe with 3x Eheim 300W heater plugged in. No chiller needed as of yet Edit: now controlled by Profilux

Skimmer: RO Regal 250-INT with neck cleaner with air draw pulling from outside to help increase pH

Dosing: Jebao Wifi doser, currently dosing small amounts of Randy’s DIY 2 part Edit: upgraded to GHL dosers

Sump Filtration: 2 gallons of Seachem matrix in filter bags in sump; I started out with a refugium with chaeto but due to light spill I had algae growing everywhere in sump. I made a DIY floating ATS, the light spill is better but I am not 100% satisfied with this yet. Edit: Replaced DIY floating ATS with Turbo Aquatics L3 ATS

Reactor: Running BRS deluxe reactor with carbon 24/7; change carbon ~1x per month with Rowaphos- replaced as needed Edit: no longer running any material in reactor currently

UV sterilizer: Jebao 55W sterilizer with 350gph pump

Auto Water Changer: Dualheaded Stenner pump; runs 20 min per day that changes out ~2 gal per day

Seneye Reef Monitor: Was using ammonia tester during cycle and first 4 months, now only use for PAR readings



Stock list:

2x Green Chromis (was 3 but 1 carpet surfed; have since added mesh to back of canopy)

2x Clownfish

1x Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp EDIT: RIP other tank mates ate him

2x Banggai Cardinals

1x Lawnmower Blenny

1x Flame Hawkfish

1x Hoevens/Melenarus wrasse

1x yellow coris wrasse

1x leopard wrasse

2x lyretail anthias(was 3 but the smaller one was bullied by the male L not sure if I want to add more, the 2 have been doing good for a few months now)

1x One Spot Foxface Edit: Re-homed Edit: added back

1x Blue Hippo Tang

1x Regal Angelfish

1x Moorish Idol

1x Achilles Tang

1x Dsjardin Salfin Tang

1x Copperband butterfly fish

Corals: mixed reef, too many to count. Am looking to add more SPS in the future.



Testing:

I try to test all parameters I am wanting to control at least once every 2 weeks. I am testing alk and phosphates more frequently. Test kits used:

Salinity: VeeGee Refractometer and Tropic Marin High Precision Hydrometer

Temp: GHL Profilux, also backup cheapo digital thermometer

pH: GHL Profilux

ALK,- Hanna or GHL KH director

Phosphate,HR nitrate: Hanna

Calcium: Salifert or Red Sea Pro Calcium

Nitrate: Salifert and Nyos Edit: purchased HR nitrate kit from Hanna

Mag: Aquaforest, Salifert on order though because Aquaforest has been reading higher than expected


The struggles:

Overall I have been very happy with how things have progressed and the current state of my tank. I have had some issues along the way.

Disease management or QT:

My biggest cause of concern/headache was the decision to go the route of ich management vs full QT. I decided with Ich/disease management due to thinking that I do not have the capability to fully QT everything that goes into my system. I believe I could make QTing the fish work but I do not think I could QT all coral/CUC/etc. that would go in my system; I do not think I have the space to successfully do this and knowing one small mistake in my QT process could bring the disease into my tank. That is why I chose the management route. With that being said; I have not lost a fish to disease but Mo (my Moorish idol) did have white spots on him for a few weeks and it was extremely stressful. There was one point I thought he was taking a turn for the worse and I was researching QT setups and was preparing to go fallow and go the QT route. But all fish look good and healthy now so I continue with the management decision. TBD if this decision changes.


RTN and overall coral health:

I believe I have around 40 different corals in my tank. Originally, I was planning to have several different tangs but then I went and bought an angelfish and Moorish Idol so my stock list has changed some. I was planning to have an SPS heavy tank but I did and still do have some corals that might be a snack for them. The coral I lost that hurt the most was my yellow tip elegance; I also lost a trachy and some zoas to them.

I had some Acros that RTNed on me(early December.) I sent out an ICP test when I noticed the RTN, results of this test is later on in the thread. Lost a WD, rainbow milli, and fox flame; all lost all of their tissue within 24hrs. Those 3 were the last acros that I put in my tank, maybe that had something to do with, I don’t know? Other acros that have been in the tank longer are doing fine. I attributed the RTN to my phosphates finally starting to rise. I was feeding heavy due to additions of expert only fish and wanted to make sure they had plenty to eat. Phosphates jumped from 0.018 to .442ppm in a week so now I have reduced feedings to “normal”, increased light period for ATS, and added GFO to reactor.


Parameter Targets and latest Tests:

ICP test from Dec: https://lab.atiaquaristik.com//share/fa3d694b90cdbcc59331

Snip it for Excel sheet where I track my tests/notes



Future Plans:

I want to add another return pump to add a redundancy to this aspect in case the first pump goes out. I do not plan to add any more fish in the near future due to my minimalist rockwork and some aggression with current fish. Will be looking to add more sticks in the near future.


I appreciate any compliments, advice, or constructive criticism. I have read and learned a lot since jumping back into this hobby but there is still a lot more to learn. I will use this thread to document future successes and struggles in my journey. Thanks!

Pictures/Video:
I realized I do not take enough pictures during the entire process but here are some pictures I found.

https://imgur.com/a/eH7kclG

 

[Adam]

I'm glad the tank made it home intact and looks to be doing well. How do you like the overflow?

I really like the stand and canopy! Great job.

The ICP doesn't look too bad. A little Lugal's and the Iodide/Iodine will be back up. The one thing that sticks out to me is the high Aluminum. It's not supposed to be a big problem but I'd see if you can find the source. GFO will slowly remove it and so will larger water changes as long as it's not being reintroduced from there. Did you get your RO water checked with the ATI test? If it's still high on the next test you might want to try some Metasorb. It might drop the trace elements to lower levels but a couple of water changes or some Brightwell products will get them back up.

With running carbon, personally, I don't run it 24/7. I only use it when I think there is something that needs to be removed. HLLE can be a concern with the Tang. You're already running a UV so that will keep the water clear. I'm also not a fan of GFO and use it only short term if/when needed. Right now it's helping with the PO4 and will help lower the Aluminum but once those are under control I'd think about removing it.

Over all you look to be off to a great start. Congrats on a well put together system and best of luck going forward!!!

 

[Wmb0003]

I'm glad the tank made it home intact and looks to be doing well. How do you like the overflow?

I really like the stand and canopy! Great job.

The ICP doesn't look too bad. A little Lugal's and the Iodide/Iodine will be back up. The one thing that sticks out to me is the high Aluminum. It's not supposed to be a big problem but I'd see if you can find the source. GFO will slowly remove it and so will larger water changes as long as it's not being reintroduced from there. Did you get your RO water checked with the ATI test? If it's still high on the next test you might want to try some Metasorb. It might drop the trace elements to lower levels but a couple of water changes or some Brightwell products will get them back up.

With running carbon, personally, I don't run it 24/7. I only use it when I think there is something that needs to be removed. HLLE can be a concern with the Tang. You're already running a UV so that will keep the water clear. I'm also not a fan of GFO and use it only short term if/when needed. Right now it's helping with the PO4 and will help lower the Aluminum but once those are under control I'd think about removing it.

Over all you look to be off to a great start. Congrats on a well put together system and best of luck going forward!!!

Thanks Adam! I love the overflow; I had no idea at the time of purchase how nice it would be; but it really is great!

I had a Xport block in my sump that I removed; most people say brightwell blocks don't leach aluminum but I removed it to be safe and also ran poly filter. Here are the results of the RODI ICP- https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/a93c7e3bb00ceb0b61e1 I was getting around 5ppm TDS out of my RODI and I was needing to change DI resin but wanted to see what the analysis showed when my DI resin started to go.

I do not plan to run GFO long term; I want to get everything back in check and then hope to remove it. I will look into reducing my runtime for carbon as well, thanks for the tip.

 

[civics14]

Glad you're back and tank looks great.

I am not a fan of fuges for the same reason you states with algae growth in the sump. I stuck with excessive amounts of biomedia and dose vodka to control my nitrates. Unlike Adam, I prefer GFO, because I can control my phosphates with how much I want to remove and keep. ATS is nice, but I just didn't like the idea of dealing with that mess.

I looked at your ICP test and that aluminum seems excessively high. I would def get some Metasorb in there asap to help with that.

 

[Adam]

Thanks Adam! I love the overflow; I had no idea at the time of purchase how nice it would be; but it really is great!

I had a Xport block in my sump that I removed; most people say brightwell blocks don't leach aluminum but I removed it to be safe and also ran poly filter. Here are the results of the RODI ICP- https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/a93c7e3bb00ceb0b61e1 I was getting around 5ppm TDS out of my RODI and I was needing to change DI resin but wanted to see what the analysis showed when my DI resin started to go.

I do not plan to run GFO long term; I want to get everything back in check and then hope to remove it. I will look into reducing my runtime for carbon as well, thanks for the tip.

I consider that overflow to be one of the top 5 purchases I've made in the hobby. I can't stand the look of cornerflows and the space they take up. When I first set up that tank I tested the thing with as much flow as I could throw at it, around 2000gph. With nothing else on but the return pump it was dead silent. It's one of those things that does such a good job you forget about it.

I plan on trying some Xport blocks in my systems and I'll report back if I see aluminum rising.

RODI... Ah, the dreaded Silicon. Seems to be a bigger problem in the south or at least in the Chattahoochee river system anyway. BRS has some good vids on dealing with it. It's so close to a neutral charged ion that it can quickly pass through DI resin without much effect on the color. Basically running a cartridge with only Anion DI resin is the best way to deal with it because it has the slightest affinity to negative. Then follow it up with a mixed bed resin. If your water pressure is lower, less than 60psi, look into adding a booster pump. RO membranes love pressure, the more the better as long as you don't go over 100psi. That's where you run the risk of housing failure. Raising the pressure not only increases the performance of the membrane it will lower the waste to filtered water ratio. With a two membrane setup and pushing the 100psi limit I'm getting close to a 1:1 ratio and 1~2 tds out of them, the DI picks up the rest.

 

[Wmb0003]

Glad you're back and tank looks great.

I am not a fan of fuges for the same reason you states with algae growth in the sump. I stuck with excessive amounts of biomedia and dose vodka to control my nitrates. Unlike Adam, I prefer GFO, because I can control my phosphates with how much I want to remove and keep. ATS is nice, but I just didn't like the idea of dealing with that mess.

I looked at your ICP test and that aluminum seems excessively high. I would def get some Metasorb in there asap to help with that.

Thanks Civics! I ran poly filter in hopes of removing the aluminum. I was not aware of the Metasorb, is it like poly filter but better? Since both you and Adam suggested it; I will look into getting some to keep on hand.

I was hoping to keep my nitrates/phosphates in check naturally but I am still not 100% happy with my current setup. I will keep your suggestion in mind; I have 2 free heads on my doser and I think my skimmer is big enough if I decide to start dosing vodka/carbon.

 

[Adam]

Thanks Civics! I ran poly filter in hopes of removing the aluminum. I was not aware of the Metasorb, is it like poly filter but better? Since both you and Adam suggested it; I will look into getting some to keep on hand.

I was hoping to keep my nitrates/phosphates in check naturally but I am still not 100% happy with my current setup. I will keep your suggestion in mind; I have 2 free heads on my doser and I think my skimmer is big enough if I decide to start dosing vodka/carbon.

There's a link to Metasorb in my post above.

I run an external DIY ATS but that isn't an option for your setup. Only took me maybe 10-15 minutes of maintenance every 10-14 days.

 

[civics14]

Thanks Civics! I ran poly filter in hopes of removing the aluminum. I was not aware of the Metasorb, is it like poly filter but better? Since both you and Adam suggested it; I will look into getting some to keep on hand.

I was hoping to keep my nitrates/phosphates in check naturally but I am still not 100% happy with my current setup. I will keep your suggestion in mind; I have 2 free heads on my doser and I think my skimmer is big enough if I decide to start dosing vodka/carbon.

In my current tank, I found a rusted screw, so I was researching on metal absorption media and Metasorb seems to be recommended, however don't leave it in there too long. From what I gather, the media is clearly not selective on what kind of metal it absorbs, so it will absorb beneficial metals in the water as well. So, you will have to perform some water changes afterwards to build those metals back up.

Yeah, if you have an oversized skimmer, like I do as well, vodka/carbon/NoPox does great. It just takes time for the bacteria colonies to build up.

 

[Trizzino]

Looking awesome. Glad you got the tank set up. That a lot of progress made since we loaded it on the trailer.

 

[Wmb0003]

Looking awesome. Glad you got the tank set up. That a lot of progress made since we loaded it on the trailer.

Thanks Austin! Appreciate the help! It was much easier getting it loaded with all the help from the ARC members.


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[Wmb0003]

Well 2 days ago my frogspawn was retracted and then I woke up yesterday and all the polyps had detached and all that is left is skeleton. My other torches have been looking mediocre for a few months now; but the frogspawn and hammers have been looking good. Not sure what is wrong so I sent in another ICP test; I suspect maybe the aluminum wasn't removed by the poly filter. I did order some Metasorb but was waiting to use it until I got my results back from next ICP test(was planning to do ICP tests once every 3-4 months anyway but figured I'd go ahead and send it at 2 months now.) Ran some tests last night(see below results from past few weeks), phosphate seems like is creeping back up so i started GFO again. Hoping I can get it my phosphates in check without running GFO all the time but we will see. I am feeding some DIY food that has a good amount of reef chili, spirulina powder, brine egss, and golden pearls; maybe I will switch to commercial cubes for a few weeks and see if I see a decrease. All other corals(mainly SPS) are looking good though. I will update once I get the results back from ATI ICP.

 

[Wmb0003]

Just got the ICP test back today. https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/9d1184c8659ff5bc9cf8

The aluminum from the previous ICP is much lower so the poly filter did remove the aluminum; I will save the Metasorb and not use it at this time.
Nitrates are much higher than I thought; I was testing at ~10ppm with Salifert kit, ICP at 45ppm. I like the NYOS better so I will buy another one of them soon.
Still running GFO, I would like to get away from this but for the time being I will continue.
Iodine is still showing low, I bought some Red Sea Trace Colors and will start dosing some A tonight.
Not going to worry with the Molybdenum or Manganese right now.
No other coral casualties since the frogspawn died.
The Moorish Idol and Regal Angelfish are still nipping on some of the meaty corals, I did give away a lobo because it would have been a goner if I left it.

Other notable changes to my system since the last update:
I did add an additional heater to help stabilize my temps.
I added another smaller return pump to have a fail safe in case my main return pump kicks the bucket.
Bought some HW reefer salt, will start using it in my AWC when i exhaust my current bucket of reef crystals.
Found an aiptasia Tried to cover it with super glue and putty; then I found several aiptasia Added a matted file fish, results: TBD

 

[Wmb0003]

It has been a few months since my last update. I have some issues going on with some of my sps so I sent off another ICP and got it back yesterday. Results: https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/7adec163d462e4ce50ed

My nitrates have been continuing to rise higher than I thought. They were 67ppm according to ICP test . According to my test with Nyos nitrate test kit, my results were between 25-40ppm so I guess I am not reading it correctly or something, but I always ask my wife to match up the colors too since I am a little bias because I WANT them to be lower. I don't know

So I knew that were higher than I wanted so i started dosing DIY NoPOX(2 parts vinegar, 1 part vodka, 1 part RODI) on March 4th; 14ml per day to start off and then 3 days later upped to 30ml per day, then yesterday upped to 40ml a day. Have not seen my nitrates drop like I thought they would. However I think I was skimming pretty dry and not cleaning my skimmer as often as I should. So I gave the skimmer a deep clean, adjusted the auto neck cleaner, and started to skim wetter.

I am now thinking my DIY floating ATS is not as effective as I hoped so I am going to purchase a used Turbo Aquatics ATS from R2R and see if I cant get my nitrates lower.

In the meantime, I am going to try to run my auto water changer more frequently to change out more water. Reduced the amount of pellets I feed, I would like to remove pellets all together for now but with my anthias, I worry they would not get enough food with only feeding 1x per day. I am also going to try to reduce the nightly frozen feedings to 1 cube instead of the normal ~2-3 cubes(estimation since I mix up cubes and DIY frozen food in a plastic jar and feed it over a period of a few days.) If fish start to become aggressive or thin I will increase the feedings though.

Other notable changes in the system since the last update:
Since I am feeding my ATO directly from my RODI(with water sensor and float valve) I am burning through DI resin so I upgraded from 5 stage RODI to 7 stage.

Since the temperatures are starting to get warmer, my aquarium temps were starting to get in the high 79s(like to keep it 77-78) so I added a larger fan(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001R1RXUG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) into the canopy and it has helped stabilize the temps. The fan was bigger than I was anticipating but it fit in my canopy without interfering with my lighting setup so it worked out.

 

[civics14]

Hey, for your vodka dosing, do you have any bio media in the sump? My understanding is carbon dosing feeds denitrifying bacteria, but they still need a place to grow and they grow only in low flow areas where oxygen is very low. You have minimalist aquascape and very shallow sandbed, so I'm not sure if you're going to get the effect you're aiming for without a place for the denitrifying bacteria to thrive.

I run 4x marine pure blocks in a low flow area of my sump, jam packed to create a low flow area, along with 2 low flow reactors full of seachem matrix and it keeps my nitrates exactly what I want. I carbon dose as well, 50/50 vinegar & vodka mix. I'm not saying you need that much media, but it does help.

 

[Wmb0003]

Hey, for your vodka dosing, do you have any bio media in the sump? My understanding is carbon dosing feeds denitrifying bacteria, but they still need a place to grow and they grow only in low flow areas where oxygen is very low. You have minimalist aquascape and very shallow sandbed, so I'm not sure if you're going to get the effect you're aiming for without a place for the denitrifying bacteria to thrive.

I run 4x marine pure blocks in a low flow area of my sump, jam packed to create a low flow area, along with 2 low flow reactors full of seachem matrix and it keeps my nitrates exactly what I want. I carbon dose as well, 50/50 vinegar & vodka mix. I'm not saying you need that much media, but it does help.

I have 2 gallons of matrix in my sump. I have them between the baffles. Maybe the flow is too high between the baffles? Do you think it would be better to put them in the bottom of one of the larger areas of the sump? I have the extra canister from switching to the 7 stage, I could make a reactor with it. I’ll do some research on that. What is your flow rate through the low flow reactor?


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[civics14]

I have 2 gallons of matrix in my sump. I have them between the baffles. Maybe the flow is too high between the baffles? Do you think it would be better to put them in the bottom of one of the larger areas of the sump? I have the extra canister from switching to the 7 stage, I could make a reactor with it. I’ll do some research on that. What is your flow rate through the low flow reactor?


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For my reactor, I have a sicce 1.5 that I tee off and cut off about 80% off the flow. So, I would guesstimate around 70-75 gph?

 

[Wmb0003]

So the used Turbo Aquatics ATS i bought off R2R arrived yesterday, it was poorly packaged(seller had UPS store package the item) and some of the acrylic on the light shields cracked/broke during transport, and then one of the LED panels was not working properly. I reached out to the seller and they were sorry and asked how I wanted to handle it; at first I was thinking just return it because it seemed like it was too much of a hassle to deal with both issues. But given that I needed to get these nutrients under control asap I gave him the option of 50% off or I could send it back. He said he would gladly refund the 50% off so then I started to see what I needed to get this going with only 1 light until I could get the other light operational. Then I sent Bud, owner of Turbo Aquatics, a message on R2R asking for advice. He got back to me within 15 min, AWESOME CUSTOMER SERVICE especially with a unit that was bought used. He told me to check a few things because it sounded like a loose connection, I took the light apart and checked a few of the connections like he suggested. Then I checked one of the wires that was supplying power and there was 1 spot that felt weak, like a damaged wire in there. I cut it back to that area and the wire was corroded and damaged. I reconnected the wire to before the damaged area and it worked . So now it should be 100% operational, all I need to do is fix the light shields by bonding the broken pieces of acrylic, never done this before but since it is just the light shield and not the part that holds water, I am hoping I can do it after some research on acrylic bonding.

As I was making room under my tank for this new(to me) piece of equipment, I removed my old DIY floating ATS light, a light bulb went off in my head, I recently had to replace it because my previous light shorted out(wasn't really meant to be hung so close above water with an air pump/bubbling saltwater.) The new light was not as strong as my original light but it was waterproof so I thought it would fair better. Maybe the less powerful light was also a cause for my increased nutrients; I have gotten more lax with making notes in my google spreadsheet of changes in my system since the system has gotten older, I need to be more diligent with recording changes so I can troubleshoot problems more easily.

I also forgot to mention in my last post(since I forgot to make a note in my spreadsheet) I have added 2 MP40s on the back wall to increase my flow.

I think I am going to hold off on the nitrate reactor for now, and see how the ATS performs with decreasing my nutrients; I don't want to try too many things at once.

Also I saw that Hanna is coming out with a high range nitrate checker(0-75ppm) with only 1 reagent, signed up for notification on their site so I know when it will be released. If anyone knows where I can pre-order please let me know. I am hoping with that I can get more accurate results from my tests since I was so far off with my NYOS test kit to the ICP analysis. I tested nitrates with my NYOS yesterday and it looked to be between 25-40ppm but not sure if I can trust those results; I have a salifert nitrate test, i was going to test with it to cross reference but my toddler woke up from his nap before I could finish so I will try to test with it sometime soon.

I will continue with my increased water changes in the time being in hopes of not losing all my acros but they seem to look worse by the day Time will tell...

 

[Wmb0003]

So they ATS has been online for about a month now, I believe the nitrates are falling, the color looks less orange than the 25ppm color on my nyos test kit. I did receive notification my hanna HR nitrate test kit has shipped, should be getting it soon so I look forward to more repeatable results with this test unit.

I did lose one acro, it was one from the first batch that I put in there, sad to see it go but glad I didn't lose more.

I also reduced my target for phosphate to .03-.12(was .10-.20) at the suggestion of another member here; still trying to keep it stable while balancing of the new ATS, NoPoX, and GFO. Which means I am testing more frequently than I have been.

I mentioned to my wife how I was looking at some coral from Battle Corals and she surprised me with a Battle Box for fathers day. We will see how they do

With the new coral coming soon, I figured I would dust off the old Seneye par meter and check and see where my PAR was at the different areas where I was planning on adding the new frags. I checked all over the tank and it was higher than I had previously remembered. 450-550 in the upper part of the tank where most of my acros are. I was trying to adjust the settings on my light and then recheck my par meter but my wife and toddler kept wanting to play so I didn't get to thoroughly check the new levels. I lowered the peak on my noops from 100% down to 75% and think I am getting around 350-450 now but will check again in a week or so when I have more time and adjust more as needed. I think I want to plan for 300-400 PAR at the top part of the tank.

 

[jman930]

Are you still carbon dosing? I’m in a similar situation with high nitrates and just started vinegar dosing.

 

[Wmb0003]

Are you still carbon dosing? I’m in a similar situation with high nitrates and just started vinegar dosing.

I quit dosing it about a month ago, I really wasn’t seeing much of a drop and I wasn’t confident in the test kits I was using at the time. I have since gotten the Hanna high range nitrate checker, and nitrates are running between 30-40ppm. I am looking at more natural ways of lowering the nitrates now. We will see how that goes before I try dosing carbon again.