Algea and parameters

TommysGirl

Hey Everyone,

I would really appreciate some feedback on what's happening in my setup. My most recent water parameters read as follows:

Nitrate: 10-20ppm
Phosphate: 0-0.1ppm
PH:8.2
Alkalinity: 1.7-2.8 (that is the range the test kit shows for normal, and by my eyesite it appears to be right in the middle of that range).
Ammonia: 0-0.25 (somewhere on the lower end)
Nitrite: 0-0.05 (again, the color wasn't quite 0 but not quite 0.05 so somewhere inbetween)
Salinity: 1.022
Temp: 80 degrees F

It's been slightly more than two months since I added 15 pounds of both live rock and sand. I am 100% sure that my feedings are not the cause as I'm quite careful about that. Also, I lost two hermit crabs and my emerald crab this last week. I removed them as soon as I found them. Last of all, my algea has been nuts the last two weeks. I'm able to scoop it up, sort of like clumpable cat liter, and it's back on the sand and glass within hours. My skimmer appears to be working fine, and is still pulling lots of junk from the water. Is there anything else on the mechanical end that could be the cause?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot,

TommysGirl

jd@ga

Sounds like you should test for Phosphates it sounds high.

gm333

Sounds like your still going through the cyano stage. Has your ammonia and nitrites always registered when you do watertests? I figure 2mnths you should be done cycling by now. What test kit are you using?

Achilles

I would also do a check for Copper, make sure you havnt introduced some by accident.
Todd

TommysGirl

Hey GM,

My ammonia has been at zero and my nitrites only spiked up a little bit since I added the rock. I'm using the Red Sea master saltwater/reef kits to test with.

I'll have to order a copper test kit-neither of my kits came with it.

Thanks for the input all!

TommysGirl

TommysGirl

Also, while I'm thinking to ask. The test kit I have now is the first and only test kit I've ever had, so I have nothing to compare it to, but are most kits done on a color scale? I have a hard time figuring out where the color matches most best. I end up walking all around the house to compare under different lighting. Very annoying!!

Chitown1

1. are you running a cannister filter? Those type of readings are very common when both LR and a cannister are used at the same time.

2. Have you moved the rock around in the tank? by moving it around you will get a mini-cycle due to the fact parts of the rock that were in light before, might be shaded now. also was the rock fully cured when you put it in?

3. Is all livestock accounted for? A decaying specimen will also cause a issue like this.

gm333

Ok, redsea is good. Just wanted to make sure your test kit wasnt giving you crappy readings. Red sea is a little annoying to work with, its color scale is annoying. I ended up ditching mine after a couple of months and went with the tetra tests. There is no round thin plastic tube to crack ifyou accidentally drop it.
I would take a sample down to your lfs and have them test for copper instead of buying a kit. Just to make sure.

TommysGirl

Hey Chitown,

1. No I do not have a cannister filter-I use a HOB by Marineland (can't remember the name) but it's rated for tanks up to 50 gallons.

2. I have not moved anything since I put the last 15 pounds in, and I did have to do some hefty moving and disturbing of things because one of the new pieces was quite large. To my knowledge, the rock was fully cured when I bought it.

3. As far as I can tell, all my livestock is there. There is only one hermit that I haven't seen in a while, and it's a teeny tiny one and I've gone weeks without seeing it before. Everything that died, was pulled out immediately. I'm quite sure they weren't in there but overnight before I found them.

Thanks for the help!!

TommysGirl

TommysGirl

gm333,

I'm not sure if PetCo does water testing, but I'll take some in and ask. It's the only store we have here in Stillwater.

As always, thanks so much for your help and input!

TommysGirl