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Nice pic edit..You know it was on the front of your tank trying to pass it off as coralline algae...Beanpole":lu1s2g7u said:what diatoms ?
Nice pic edit..You know it was on the front of your tank trying to pass it off as coralline algae...Beanpole":lu1s2g7u said:what diatoms ?
Righty":mvwuhubh said:Matthew, how old is your system?
LordNikon":mvwuhubh said:Nice pic edit..You know it was on the front of your tank trying to pass it off as coralline algae...Beanpole":mvwuhubh said:what diatoms ?
beanpole209":ixx7krbi said:
- Toxic Tank Questions -
Bob
<Acutally, JasonC here today...>
Bob Just read the toxic water situations on WWM and thought you could help me with my 55 gal saltwater. <I will do my best.>
As background, I did have a small saltwater tank (10g) years ago with only an undergravel (dolomite) filter. Seemed to work fine but I did watch nitrites and found that during the initial cycle, I had to stop feeding (one neon goby) to get the nitrites to go down. Tank was good enough that a trio of three strip damsels spawned.
I also have used the natural (or balanced) aquarium idea in my freshwater tank. (plants and water only-no filtration)
Set up a 55 gal last November (is now end of Feb). First with a reverse flow undergravel then with 3" of sand, plus an inch of crushed coral and some gravel and shells on top. Lots of marine and other rocks for decoration and have one softball sized live rock. Filtration is an external box type filter and a canister type.
We went too fast to make the tank look good over thanksgiving for the visiting grand kids. Everything died out (with high nitrites the probable cause-test kit maxed out solid purple/red). (have been testing for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph).
Slowed down and added 5 mollies. They are still there and doing fine (and having babies). Added a cleaner crew of which 10-20 hermit crabs, 2 anemone crabs, 5-10 turbo snails, a Bahamas star and green brittle star are still there. Most of the algae has been cleaned up but the rocks are starting to turn light green again. Recently added an anemone which the
crabs like and it is still doing well after about two weeks. Have also 3 yellow damsels and a blue damsel for about 2 months. <You have too much 'stuff' in this tank.>
Nitrites are now remaining at 0, but ph is low (7.8-7.4 light transparent brown on the test kit). Nitrates are 20-40 (red on test kit). <You are correct about the pH being low - that is very low, too low. Nitrates are also too high for that anemone.>
I placed 15 gallons in a 20 gal long (bout three weeks ago) to culture macro algae and as a possible hospital tank (open top, no filtration or circulation, 3" plays and). <That won't work for quarantine - substrate is not suitable for quarantine. Likewise, without circulation you can expect that tank to go stale...> Of course the 55 gal got a 15 gallon water change at the same time.
We have attempted to add various fish from time to time with the most recent being a yellow tang and a dwarf angel fish. <With your water quality the way it is, this won't work out. Likewise, a 55 is really too small for a tang of any type.> The tang developed white spots and attempted to teach the angel how to clean it. Later it started breathing heavy and finally died (bout three weeks but seemed to lose color almost immediately). It was eating the flake food, algae tabs, brine shrimp, and the blood worms. The dwarf angel was breathing heavy and lying on his side so I decided to set up the 20 gal long and place him in there.
He died within hours and was in that tank for about 3 days (was outta town). <No filtration, no aeration, no circulation - no surprise.>
I then received the macro algae and placed in it the 20 gal long and removed the angel. <Plan on getting another tank for a quarantine tank if you plan to continue using this one for algae culture.>
The 55g tank is now staying clear so the canister filter is turned off.
After two weeks the 20g long with macro algae has nitrites maxed out on the test kit and ph up to 8.4-8.6 (test kit dark blue/purple). It also has a baby Mollie in it which seems to be doing fine. No food has been added to the tank. The macro algae is growing. The nitrites are not a surprise after all the angel fish died in there. <I don't follow.> The PH was a big surprise. It is the same water taken from the 55g which never has that high of ph reading. <Could be there is a decoration in the main tank that is dragging the pH down.>
So basically awesome fish like the tangs and angels do not survive in the 55 gal, Nitrates are high (20-40), ph is low (7.2-7.4), but the crabs, sales and ugly ole mollies do fine. What do I need to do to get to the place were the awesome fish can survive? <Fix the pH first - then, consider taking out some of the mollies - lowering the bioload before you attempt anything else.> I did try some 8.2 ph buffer. Seem that when the ph goes up so does the nitrites. <Nitrites should be gone at this point... it would seem perhaps your biological filter is not properly established. Is there any filtration in the tank which is a permanent biological filter. With the canister turned off, and relying only on a trickle filter, you may not have an active nitrogen-reducing bacteria culture.> When the nitrites return to 0 then ph goes back down. <Look more closely at your husbandry... there is likely a chain of issues, enacted by you which are leading to this problem. If I were you, I would consider starting this tank over again, and at that time, obtain and cure some live rock to help with the nitrates and biological filtration.>
Thanks in advance.
Robert J. Beasley
<Cheers, J -- >
Cichlidius":1p1bqcx6 said:Ok the WetWebMedia thing got to me and I found this post here:http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictkfaqs3.htm (see quote below)just over half way down the page. To me Robert J. Beasley sounds like BeaslBob to me. Doens't sound like "my method" to me. Sorry I am going to skim and do water changes and use kalk along with my refugium. I had a fuge before my corals and I still got hair algae, guess why, I stopped doing water changes!!!!!!!! The hair algae grew on and killed my macro algae, so much for the "method". I am happy with my hair algae free rocks and my new RO/DI unit and it only takes five minutes to do a water change. In the old tank picks your water looks yellow and it is not from the lights. Look at the light splashing out from around the reflectors and the light in the tank. HAHAHAHAHA whatever guy, talk about MYTHinformation.
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explain that to me?...try letting the tank cycle how about that? perhaps cured LR helps too? macros are an aid, not a 100% cure..argue all you want but this isnt a new technique with the macros...Righty has it right when he said its been around for decades...you have completely modified the ATS method in a bad way...have you had your tap water tested via water company?Beaslbob":2igaordi said:The ph might be because of the decorations
LordNikon":p3thsesz said:explain that to me?...try letting the tank cycle how about that? perhaps cured LR helps too? macros are an aid, not a 100% cure..argue all you want but this isnt a new technique with the macros...Righty has it right when he said its been around for decades...you have completely modified the ATS method in a bad way...have you had your tap water tested via water company?Beaslbob":p3thsesz said:The ph might be because of the decorations
beaslbob":2j57ui0b said:Yep that was my questions and situation Just shortly after I got the macros. the nitrates in the 20g went to 0.0 in three weeks and the baby molly grew to 1 1/2 inches.The tank had no circulation. The display ph rose to and stayed at a daytime ph of 8.4 and higher. A yellow tang added at about the same time to replace the one mentioned here that died recovered from ich, is still there and has trippled in size.
From this experience I now realize the low ph in the 55g was simply due to carbon dioxide not being removed from the tank. Which explains why the ph in the low bioload newly setup 20g was higher.
Notice also the expert advice given. Ph low but no mention of adding the macros to correct the problem. Or even the problem being a carbon dioxide build up. The ph might be because of the decorations. With that expert adivce it is a wonder anyone can do anything in this hobby.
Fortunately the macros don't listen. ph recovered. nitrates spiked then went to 0.0. and fish added a couple of weeks later are still alive in the tank. All of which have been experienced by several newbies having the same problems I was having then. and correct with the addition of plant life.
beaslbob":2musxz1r said:Cichlidius":2musxz1r said:Ok the WetWebMedia thing got to me and I found this post here:http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictkfaqs3.htm (see quote below)just over half way down the page. To me Robert J. Beasley sounds like BeaslBob to me. Doens't sound like "my method" to me. Sorry I am going to skim and do water changes and use kalk along with my refugium. I had a fuge before my corals and I still got hair algae, guess why, I stopped doing water changes!!!!!!!! The hair algae grew on and killed my macro algae, so much for the "method". I am happy with my hair algae free rocks and my new RO/DI unit and it only takes five minutes to do a water change. In the old tank picks your water looks yellow and it is not from the lights. Look at the light splashing out from around the reflectors and the light in the tank. HAHAHAHAHA whatever guy, talk about MYTHinformation.
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Boy did youhave to dig for that one. LOL.
Yep that was my questions and situation Just shortly after I got the macros. the nitrates in the 20g went to 0.0 in three weeks and the baby molly grew to 1 1/2 inches.The tank had no circulation. The display ph rose to and stayed at a daytime ph of 8.4 and higher. A yellow tang added at about the same time to replace the one mentioned here that died recovered from ich, is still there and has trippled in size.
From this experience I now realize the low ph in the 55g was simply due to carbon dioxide not being removed from the tank. Which explains why the ph in the low bioload newly setup 20g was higher.
But that is a gem of a find. And only a few weeks after I got the macros.
Notice also the expert advice given. Ph low but no mention of adding the macros to correct the problem. Or even the problem being a carbon dioxide build up. The ph might be because of the decorations. With that expert adivce it is a wonder anyone can do anything in this hobby. Fortunately the macros don't listen. ph recovered. nitrates spiked then went to 0.0. and fish added a couple of weeks later are still alive in the tank. All of which have been experienced by several newbies having the same problems I was having then. and correct with the addition of plant life.
I find it not funny that you trash 'expert' advice that you don't like, but post 'expert' advice that you do like as evidence that you are right.
From this experience I now realize the low ph in the 55g was simply due to carbon dioxide not being removed from the tank.