WMAS Discussion Forum : Ammonia / Nitrite levels http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:15:24 +0000 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:24:23 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.03 360 www.utahreefs.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=53693 <![CDATA[WMAS Discussion Forum]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/1by1.gif http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/ <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Gotcha Mark. I will take you a...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448741&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448741 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 29 2012 at 8:24pm

Gotcha Mark.  I will take you a more updated pic of the tanks.  I need to adjust the cords, but put backing on the tank the other night... it looks much better now.]]> Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:24:23 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448741&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448741 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Oh and when it comes to cords,...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448015&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448015 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 24 2012 at 10:39am

Oh and when it comes to cords, like the four cords seen across the back of the tank, I will usually bring them across to the corner, and gathered together at a top corner of the tank using twist ties. This makes the cords all go up the inside corners and down the outside corners in a line at the corners which makes them less of a distraction. If the cord isn't long enough, I'll use a single cheap extension cord to extend the length (outside the tank of course Wacko LOL)
]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:39:09 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448015&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448015 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Sorry, I edited the post after...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448014&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448014 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 24 2012 at 10:29am

Sorry, I edited the post after you saw and answered it. I didn't like my tone of voice.
I saw something attached to the nozzle in that last pic and assumed it was the nozzle fan attachment. Sorry about that.
Sounds like you're doing great.
]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:29:10 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448014&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448014 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Mark, They aren&#039;t necessarily...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448008&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448008 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 24 2012 at 9:11am

Mark,
  They aren't necessarily cropped - I wanted to show you close ups, so didn't get the shots of the cords hanging on the wall to the side of the tank with the drip loop.  The maxijet in the 40 gallon doesn't have the fan in it - unless you are talking about the internal fan inside the pump?
The water is boiling, and I got a pic of that - just have it on my home computer - I will post that today.  With the Nitrate / Nitrite - I DID test it last night with a different testing kit, but will test tonight with the one that had the original parameters that I initially posted.  Everything seems fine - just not growing like I would like to see.  Also, the coraline algae hasn't started to arrive yet either - is that due to the rollercoaster of parameters?
]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:11:04 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448008&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448008 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Looking good.In time, the...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448006&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448006 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 24 2012 at 9:00am

Looking good.
In time, the Nitrate level should go further down, but at this point there isn't much need to test because the appearance of the coral will tell if something is out of line. The coral should start showing signs of growth. A good sand bed with fine sand on the very bottom and a variety of sand dwelling creatures like Amphipods, Copepods, Bristleworms, Spaghetti Worms, and Cerith Snails will help keep the N levels low.

The Alkalinity at 300ppm (17 dKH) is a little high. What have you been dosing that it went to that level?

I would remove the fan attachment on the Maxijet nozzle. It only slows down the water flow. Simply turn the pump just a little more (clockwise in that pic) and swivel the nozzle to get the water stream to hit the surface like this:



Edited by Mark Peterson - January 24 2012 at 9:11am]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:00:19 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=448006&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#448006 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : So - we have repositioned the...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447956&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447956 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 23 2012 at 6:51pm

So - we have repositioned the powerheads in the 40 gallon and took the canister filter off - using the biofiltration and the powerheads.  I retested the parameters today at water change and here they are:
Temp: 73
Salinity: 1.024
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: 1.0
Alk: 300
pH: 8.0
Ca: 420

I think all my parameters are within normal.  I took the canister off about two days ago and ran it like it should be.  I'm only feeding the fish once daily and dosing my corals with fuel and oyster feast twice weekly.   Anything else I'm missing?  Besides a sump that I'm designing and hopefully will have up within the next few weeks. :)
]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:51:28 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447956&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447956 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Here is the maxijet: ]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447801&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447801 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 22 2012 at 12:27pm

Here is the maxijet:

]]> Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:27:42 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447801&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447801 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : So - here are some pics of the...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447800&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447800 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 22 2012 at 12:21pm

So - here are some pics of the new rockscaping - and powerhead placement in the 40 gallon tank.  We discontinued the filter canister on the 40 gallon and the water went cloudy with the adjusting.  Going to do a water change and hopefully the water will clear up a bit. :P


Here is the repositioned maxijet:

]]> Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:21:21 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447800&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447800 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Mark - We top off with ONLY RO...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447441&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447441 Author: mikenmandymoo
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 19 2012 at 8:19pm

Mark - We top off with ONLY RO water - will test the salinity of the pre-mix water I suppose.  I will then readjust the powerheads tomorrow morning.  We will continue to pull a gallon of water every day until we get the salinity down.  We were planning on a water change in the morning anyway - so we will run out to the LFS and get an alkalinity test tomorrow.  I will adjust the rockwork a bit tomorrow anyway and then will reposition the powerheads and discontinue the filter canisters on both tanks.  
Question though - if I stop with the filter canister...what filters the tank?  Rock & Moving water? 

 I haven't seen any death in the tank.. but definitely not growth in the zoas or the rest of teh soft corals we had added to the tanks.
]]> Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:19:22 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447441&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447441 <![CDATA[Ammonia / Nitrite levels : Thanks for all the pics. The...]]> http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447046&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447046 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 53693
Posted: January 17 2012 at 6:01pm

Thanks for all the pics. The full tank pictures are the most useful.

First thing I noticed and I'm sorry, but it's a bit alarming. Shocked Why is the salinity so high, in both tanks? For the water loss due to evaporation are you topping off with saltwater? Top off is done with freshwater only.
If I'm correct, the tanks are about 2 months old so there are still a lot of growth changes taking place but I'm sorry to say that the high salinity is actually causing some deaths. To slowly decrease the salinity remove about a gallon of water each day and replace it with pure water until the tank salinity is within the range 1.022-1.026.

Next thing is powerhead placement.
If you twist the Maxijet on the glass so it's sitting almost sideways and swivel the nozzle up, you can remove the adjustable fan nozzle attachment and get a whole lot more benefit from the pump. Push it down to the bottom back corner and aim the water stream up to the center of the surface. I have a pic of this somewhere. Oh and Maxijet pumps come with a short intake strainer that doesn't get in the way like that long extension strainer. The short strainer also has more surface area so it takes longer to clog.

The inside bracket of the stream pump (Koralia?) can be notched so that the shaft fits into the notch and can be pointed up at a higher angle. It also can be moved down to the other bottom back corner and pointed up to the center of the water surface.

With powerheads down lower and even placing rock in a way that partially hides them, the view of the tank will be more pleasing to the eye. If the heater is slid over to the very corner, the powerhead electrical cords can also be partially hidden alongside the heater.

Canister filters hardly push any water so that benefit will not be missed when you remove them and with all the the extra pipes gone, the tank will look much more presentable.

We are waiting to know the Alkalinity and I would also like to see full tank shots with the lights on. Wait until evening, with the room light dimmed, set the camera on a solid surface and take the shot without flash.

This is my 2 cents worth of advice. I know I say more than enough detail, but I hope it helps. Smile

Here's the pic showing best use of a Maxijet. This works better than a Stream Pump costing almost twice the price. The reason is that a strong stream moving much faster actually creates faster flow within the tank. Notice how I flip the suction bracket so the two suction cups are on the top side. This better holds the pump in place, counteracting the tension of the electrical cord. Of course in the pic it's on the outside of the tank. Embarrassed Imagine it's mirror image on the inside back bottom corner.



Edited by Mark Peterson - January 18 2012 at 12:10pm]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:01:43 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53693&PID=447046&title=ammonia-nitrite-levels#447046