Clean Up Crew

75GMKT · 10-18-2006, 02:30 PM

Hey would a bigger clean up crew help keep my nitrate/nitrites lower, I have a 75gal and i'm having a huge alge bloom and my nitrates/nitrites are pretty high even though I only have 2 fish in there, sadly I think that both snails and crabs are in the single digit population, speaking of how many would you recomend for a 75, should i get shrimp too?

Fly Guy · 10-18-2006, 02:33 PM

You have nitrItes????? Thats not good. Do you have ammonia??

As far as the nitrates....mor eclean up crew isnt going to help this...they just help with cleaning up the mess. You need to find the root fo the problem and fix it there.

Can you tell us more about your system...like everything from equipment, to fish load and feeding habits?? Ho wlong has the system been running?

Maybe then we can isolate where any problems lie or things that could be improved.

: )

Wiskey · 10-18-2006, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

You have nitrItes????? Thats not good. Do you have ammonia??

As far as the nitrates....mor eclean up crew isnt going to help this...they just help with cleaning up the mess. You need to find the root fo the problem and fix it there.

Can you tell us more about your system...like everything from equipment, to fish load and feeding habits?? Ho wlong has the system been running?

Maybe then we can isolate where any problems lie or things that could be improved.

: )

Except for the spelling errors I agree

Whiskey

DevilBoy · 10-18-2006, 03:29 PM

The only time that a tank should have any type of nitrITEs is during the cycle phase. Is your tank completely cycled?

Fly Guy · 10-18-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Except for the spelling errors I agree

Whiskey

spelling errors???????........i AM human spellcheck....i just type faster than my typing ability

Dont make fun of me....im FRAGILE!!!!

Wiskey · 10-18-2006, 03:36 PM

On the upside you are making my job easy, all I have to do is wait till your post and agree. Well most of the time anyway, unless you are going on about MH bulbs or something

Whiskey

Fly Guy · 10-18-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Well most of the time anyway, unless you are going on about MH bulbs or something

Whiskey

lol........im moving a few more stonies over as we speak

Wiskey · 10-18-2006, 04:48 PM

Ya? Did you put the XM10K back in, or are you going with the 15K's for now?

Whiskey

Wiskey · 10-18-2006, 04:49 PM

P.S. I'm not trying to jack this thread, just keeping it up top so the origanal thread starter will see it and answer some of the quesions on his setup.

Whiskey

Fly Guy · 10-18-2006, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Ya? Did you put the XM10K back in, or are you going with the 15K's for now?

Whiskey

I never took it out..........

I will be monitoring VERY closely and reducing their photoperiod from the 10 hours of MH they have now to 4 to start on both bulbs

Sorry for the slight hi-jack 75mkt

Were just keeping this up top until you come back

Wiskey · 10-18-2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

I never took it out..........

Rock on!

Whiskey

75GMKT · 10-19-2006, 03:47 AM

Well the tank has been up for just shy of 2 years, and it's only current inhabitants are my royal gramma, clown fish, and a pistol shrimp with just few snails and crabs in there. But just recently I've had a HUGE algae bloom do to the fact that I just put MH on, before I had some cheap flouresents on it (money hard to come by). Luck have it i didn't check my water before i made the switch over, i even took my time easing the MH in, adding an hour every couple days. But since then the small amout of hair algae that I had exploded all over the tank, and now it has been over run by bubble algae, and my aptasia is now making a come back too, (I had it in check before the new lights, time for more berghia I guess) so I cheked the water then and the nitrates are high, so I cut back on my feeding even more, i olny feed every 2 or 3 day and even then it's a small amout. I just wana get rid of all these drab colored pests and get some real color in there with some corals and more aquatic life.

jenajet · 10-19-2006, 05:22 AM

Do you have a DSB? If you have and it's been two years it may not be able to absorb any more and will need replacing.

Fly Guy · 10-19-2006, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 75GMKT

Well the tank has been up for just shy of 2 years, and it's only current inhabitants are my royal gramma, clown fish, and a pistol shrimp with just few snails and crabs in there. But just recently I've had a HUGE algae bloom do to the fact that I just put MH on, before I had some cheap flouresents on it (money hard to come by). Luck have it i didn't check my water before i made the switch over, i even took my time easing the MH in, adding an hour every couple days. But since then the small amout of hair algae that I had exploded all over the tank, and now it has been over run by bubble algae, and my aptasia is now making a come back too, (I had it in check before the new lights, time for more berghia I guess) so I cheked the water then and the nitrates are high, so I cut back on my feeding even more, i olny feed every 2 or 3 day and even then it's a small amout. I just wana get rid of all these drab colored pests and get some real color in there with some corals and more aquatic life.

Still need a complete list of equipment. What kind of skimmer and how do you achieve flow in the tank?? Do you use RO/DI water and have you tested your wter for nitrates and phosphates coming out of the RO/DI recently. If you dont have an RO/DI, test your tapwater for nitrates and phosphates as this alone could be the cause of the majority of your algae problems, even if you did everything right in the tank

RO/DI units are necessary pieces of equipment in this hobby.

What are your nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank and how are you testing??? To be honest, the brand of test kit you use for your nitrates doesnt matter IMO...ball park number is fine,............ the kind of phosphate kit you use does. Need to buy a salifert test kit as they are the most accurate you can get for less than $50. I think they are around $20.

Wiskey · 10-19-2006, 12:16 PM

Assuming you are only using RO/DI water then it sounds like your export is not up to par, it definitally doesn't sound like you are feeding too much.

I definitally want to hear more about your skimmer and, water change senario, (do you syphon your sand? Do you blast your rock? How deep is your sand? What grain size is your sand?)

Whiskey