Ohh nitrates...

Heres what I would consider checking. Check your RO water. I know you probably have a brand new unit but check it anyway. Also try giving your storage containers a cleaning. Some ro and bleach would do the job easy enough and it is something that gets over looked often enough.

 

everything you wanted to know about vinegar dosing

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/116-vinegar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

 

Hope that it is in fact a cumulative effect. What was your water changing schedule like previously anyhow? Testing has improved! good. Do you think the two fish you are missing are gone because of the nitrate issue perhaps?



Also I would be highly suspect of any live rock that you've added in the last 2 or 3 months. (agian, I have to dog on Petland because I used to work there and I KNOW things about that place). Especially live rock from petland. It is not properly cured...hell it's not cured AT ALL. If you're lucky you get a piece that was scrubbed, rinsed, and then placed in a 25 gallon cespool (literally...it's anerobic) in the back for a couple weeks. Most of it is scrubbed lightly, rinsed, and tossed in the display system. This is after WEEKS of being packed wet newspaper and shipped halfway across the world.

I don't think that your bioload is nearly large enough to warrant the need of an algae turf scrubber to keep nutrients down. Although turf scrubbers do have distinct advantages well worth their implementation based entirely on their own merrits.

 

Yah, I suppose it was probably the improper testing technique. At least we have some idea of how to keep tabs on things in the future, and now you know how to do the test properly. Less than 10% every few weeks is probably not good lol. You should set up a google calendar schedule. That's what I do with all my testing, and then I link it to my android powerd phone so I get constant reminders.

 

oh yah that would be a great way to go. Could suck up a lot of nitrates and do it for cheap! You could just put some cheato in your sump and put a clamp lamp over it with a "pigtail" bulb. Cheato loves it, does great. I got the cheato for you to start too man!

Probably go ahead and just do a whole 30 gallons everytime you do a water change. I would suggest based on your bioload somewhere between once every 3 weeks to once a month.

 

it would have to be a large fuge, like 25% of your total water volume to be of any use.

 

Yah, Mike is probably right, but even a little bit of cheato can help nibble away at it, even if the effect isn't visibly significant. It would be great to partition a section of that sump off and just dedicate it as a refugium. Can you stop by tomorrow a little after noon? I work 2nd shift. I can always leave some with Elliot too sometime later this week. He'll be home in the evenings on wednesday and friday I think.

 

Vodka?

 

whoa..don't put vinegar in your tank !

 

Just take it slow and follow the instructions.


I've been dosing vinegar for 3 weeks now and NO3 levels are down from around 20 to around 5.


I'm using a Drew's doser and my Apex to control the dose and am up to 16ml a day.

 

If Andy is ever gets a hold of me, I'll get some Chaeto for ya Jason. And go sllooooooooooow with the vinegar /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

 

Yah you might even ramp it up and start with quarter or half doses. Remember, it's a good idea to include a bacterial supplement with any carbon dosing regime, like microbacter 7, or zeobak, or probio. Also, continuously monitor buffering capacity (dkh) while using vinegar.

 

/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif been thinkin bout ya buddy! Jeffy and I are going out to lunch wednesday, you down? Sorry Jason I didn't notice your latest comment last night, I'll drop some off with Elliot tomorrow or Wednesday.