Please Help I Think Its Going Wrong

[kraziekris]

Hi I just inherited the following setup

3 foot tank with Birch cabinet

1 Prizm skimmer

2 Eheim 2217 filters

1 vecton UV 15 sterilizer

3 maxijet powerheads

T5 lighting (1 white & 1 blue tube)

Approx. 30 kilos live rock

1 Humbug Damsel
2 clownfish
1 lobster

It has been running for 3 years ok. (without clowfish)

I have had it running here a week and all seemed fine, now im a bit worried i took readings today and they are as follows.

PH 8.0-8.2
Alk 2.0
Nitrite 0
nitrate 3

Dont really know what to add or do now?

 

[garybuk]

Water change with ro water to lower the nitrate! not sure with the alk duno if thats good or bad??


Get ride of the Humbug Damsel while you can! you mite be ok as you only the one i had a pair and they bulled all my fish!!

 

[n3ont3tra]

To be honest I wouldn't be worried about nitrAte.

 

[Sea Turtle]

should get that alk up around 8 to 11

 

[Colin_T]

Keep the feeding down to a bare minimum for the next few weeks just to help prevent the ammonia levels going up.
As mentioned by Gary maybe get rid of the humbug unless you want to keep it. It might get bashed by the clownfish when they start breeding. Or it might bash them. If there is plenty of hiding places they should be ok for a while but you can never tell with damsels. Most are highly territorial and it becomes worse as they mature.
Try to keep the PH around 8.4, don't let it drop below 8.0. You can use sodium bicarbonate to raise the PH. If it is stabile on 8.2 then leave it be. If it fluctuates throughout the day then you need to increase the carbonate hardness (KH) to prevent it from fluctuating. The bicarb will help do that or you can use a special KH buffer from the petshop.
Don't add any new fish until the tank has been run for a month or more. This will allow it to settle down after the move.

 

[SkiFletch]

should get that alk up around 8 to 11

Actually, an alk reading of 2.0 usually indicates a scale of meq/l not dKH. If so, 2.0meq is fine for a FOWLR

 

[kraziekris]

Hi thanks for all the comments!

My Nitrate levels are at 100!!!

I have done 2 10% water changes which seems to have done nothing!

i dont know wherther to change some live tock as it does not look very "live"

Also what media should be in my canister filters?

I keep getting told different by eveyone, i have been told if theres live rock in the tank dont use live rock in the canisters?

and i have also been told only use live rock in the canisters


HEELLLLPP

 

[garybuk]

Hi thanks for all the comments!

My Nitrate levels are at 100!!!

I have done 2 10% water changes which seems to have done nothing!

Trry doing bigger water changes evary other day!

are you useing ro water? if so ware you getting it from?

 

[kraziekris]

Hi

OK i will do im using RO water from our petsathome store i tested it and it was very low nitrate

How about my filters? Couls this be the problem what media should i use?

 

[garybuk]

Hi

OK i will do im using RO water from our petsathome store i tested it and it was very low nitrate

How about my filters? Couls this be the problem what media should i use?

Just makeing sure u didnt have a old ro unit ..

Im not 100% sure on the liverock! but i just use filter wool in my filters changed weekley!

I have 65kg LiveRock in my fish tank! that atcs as a big filter too!!!


When you say you dont think ur rock is live! what you mean? can you get any pics???

 

[kraziekris]

I have 2 canisters i was thinking of putting live rock rubble at bottom, then filter wool at the top?

I have 30 kg of live rock in the tank but most of it just looks like concrete??

Ill post a picture in 1 hour

Many thanks

Chris

 

[garybuk]

I have 2 canisters i was thinking of putting live rock rubble at bottom, then filter wool at the top?

I have 30 kg of live rock in the tank but most of it just looks like concrete??

Ill post a picture in 1 hour

Many thanks

Chris

The rock is probley dead wont no till we can see pics! also i wouldnt bother with with rubble in the filter at all (i mite be roung but i dont)

just fill it up with filter wool and change it ever week! keep doing water changes tillur nirate drops! then do it ever week!

(you can get huge lots of filter wool on ebay)

 

[kraziekris]

ok pics will be 25 mins

Thanks for getting back so quickly!

 

[garybuk]

ok pics will be 25 mins

Thanks for getting back so quickly!

Not a problem i try to help when and ware i can!

 

[kraziekris]

heres my "live" rock





They are high resolution so you can see properly

thanks Again