Nutrient Questions
- Thread starter danh
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Phosphate is almost undetectable now and nitrate is .25. I was about to turn up the flow on my ATS, but I guess at this point... why??
I have now zeroed in on another possibility for my ph fall.. Cooking. Using the oven and stove.
As far as running a line outside reducing the air intake. I'm not sure exactly how I'll build a carbon filter for it, but the line should only be 6 feet or less. I guess I can just try it and see how it works.
I have now zeroed in on another possibility for my ph fall.. Cooking. Using the oven and stove.
As far as running a line outside reducing the air intake. I'm not sure exactly how I'll build a carbon filter for it, but the line should only be 6 feet or less. I guess I can just try it and see how it works.
It would have to be a fairly long run with just that smaller diameter tubing to restrict the air flow. Mine will be longer, more like 20', so I'm going to do a step down from 3/4" PVC to the the eventual tubing diameter.
What I'm going to do for a filter is a Tupperware container with the tubing siliconed in at either end. I'm going to try and glue in a couple pieces of plastic in to make a compartment for the carbon. You could probably do the same with any suitability sized container, like the ones GFO or Carbon come in.
I had a couple of chromis die last week. They actually lasted longer than I expected they would. I didn't pay close enough attention to them being picked from the tank and I think I got a couple that I asked not to get... I couldn't find the fish so the CUC got them quickly.
I believe that caused my nitrates to change direction for one test last week. .04, nothing major. Sunday I tested again. I'm using a Red Sea pro kit. I put in the last reagent, the second powder, and it seemed to almost fizz a little bit. I left it for the 9 minutes and there were still some bubbles in it and it looked like maybe some particles of something. Absolutely no pink. I cleaned the vial really well and did it again - same results. Is that really the results for zero?
I think I figured out that the 3 kids and the dog being inside and playing does cause the ph to start dropping earlier in the evening than when they're not there. I definitely see a correlation. What seems to make me drop even further, more recently down to 7.8, is the gas oven. It doesn't seem to have a huge impact on the temp of the water but it definitely seems to affect the ph. Thoughts on why that might be?
I believe that caused my nitrates to change direction for one test last week. .04, nothing major. Sunday I tested again. I'm using a Red Sea pro kit. I put in the last reagent, the second powder, and it seemed to almost fizz a little bit. I left it for the 9 minutes and there were still some bubbles in it and it looked like maybe some particles of something. Absolutely no pink. I cleaned the vial really well and did it again - same results. Is that really the results for zero?
I think I figured out that the 3 kids and the dog being inside and playing does cause the ph to start dropping earlier in the evening than when they're not there. I definitely see a correlation. What seems to make me drop even further, more recently down to 7.8, is the gas oven. It doesn't seem to have a huge impact on the temp of the water but it definitely seems to affect the ph. Thoughts on why that might be?
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on your test results.
you could definitely be down to 0ish on that kit.
make sure you put the top on and shake that vial (like the video instructs).
watch your sps. see if your colors start to fade over the next few days.
B
you could definitely be down to 0ish on that kit.
make sure you put the top on and shake that vial (like the video instructs).
watch your sps. see if your colors start to fade over the next few days.
B
Yeah I shook it good and did it twice just to make sure.
I've recently moved my sps and change the flow for them and they seemed to like it. Better color and more noticeable growth. Hopefully they continue. I'll let them go at least a month if not more before I think about adding nitrate.
I've recently moved my sps and change the flow for them and they seemed to like it. Better color and more noticeable growth. Hopefully they continue. I'll let them go at least a month if not more before I think about adding nitrate.
I checked the ATS last night and it's got a LOT of algae growth. Funny, there's more growth on the newer side with the cheaper lights. There's a little more wattage, but they were cheaper. Maybe if I keep it trimmed up it will leave some more nitrate.
Small update along these lines I'd like some opinions on. MY nitrates have been rising. Up to 6-8 for the two to three weeks. Through that time phosphates have been pretty much unreadable.
I realized my skimmer wasn't pulling as much liquid as it had been so I closed it up a little so it would pull a little more. That was only a few days ago and I haven't tested since then to see if it's had time to help yet.
I had also left my ATS and not cleaned off algae much in about a month prior (hoping the extra algae would help keep my ph up at night). So I cleaned it off to promote some new algae growth but that didn't seem to have much affect.
I realized my skimmer wasn't pulling as much liquid as it had been so I closed it up a little so it would pull a little more. That was only a few days ago and I haven't tested since then to see if it's had time to help yet.
I had also left my ATS and not cleaned off algae much in about a month prior (hoping the extra algae would help keep my ph up at night). So I cleaned it off to promote some new algae growth but that didn't seem to have much affect.
I confirmed that the oven makes my ph go crazy. The kids and dog do increase CO2 significantly enough to change the direction of my ph mid day.
I have left the window by the tank open for the last couple of weeks and at first it didn't do a whole lot. When I opened a window on the opposite side of the house so that air could pass through, my ph has been 8.1-8.3. Most of the time 8.15-8.25 day and night.
