Sorry for the lengthy post but need some input and want to provide as much background as possible.
As a point of reference, my tank is a 90 gallon sumpless with a Fluval FX5 canister filter and Reef Octopus bh1000. I use Marineland LED reef capable lights, 2 of the 48" strips. I know there are much better LED lights on the market today but I have used these since day one entering the hobby 5 years ago and have had what I consider excellent growth. The tank looks healthy with good coral growth (mainly lps, leather and a couple sps). I have a relatively low bioload with only 2 clowns that have hosted in the same bta for 5 years, 1 damsel, 1 foxface, 1 small blue tang, 2 banggais, 1 mandarinfish. The tank has been running for about 3 years after being moved from a 55 that I ran for 2 years before that. The only recent changes I've made was to add another 30 lbs dry marco rock (total of about 100lbs live rock) about 10 weeks ago and is already covering in coraline. All fish and cuc (skunk and peppermint shrimp, crabs, snails) are healthy, eat well and my banggais breed regularly. My 10g nursery tank for the baby banggai circulates with my dt through a hob overflow so essentially the same water.
To be perfectly honest, I usually don't stress over continuously checking water quality and do not monitor my levels on a regular basis other than salinity which I maintain at 1.025 and temp at 78. I do bi-weekly water changes of 10g and I have a home RO system and change the membranes regularly. During each water change I rinse the foam filters and Biomax from the Fluval in tank water - not aggressively - just enough to remove solid waste as I know canister filters are known to be "nitrate factory's". I use quality salt - Aquavitro Salinity. I feed primarily frozen mysis daily (not overfed) and add about 10ml each of phyto and zoo plankton weekly for the corals as well as apx 15ml Aquavitro Fuel weekly (staggered days to the phyto & zoo). I do not dose any other chemicals. This has been my routine for years with no concerns.
Now to the water testing. As I mentioned I very rarely test my water and rely on how the tank and the inhabitents are looking and behaving. I had a Red Sea Reef kit for a few years and it expired/ran out a while ago and so haven't been doing H20 checks for quite some time. The only hint my balance may be out is a persistent diatom presence on the sand bed so I thought I better check my PO4. So I started reading on what test kits were being recommended and ended up going with all Salifert kits.
Well, here are my results over the past 5 weeks:
Feb 13: NO3=75, PO4=1, KH=6.7, Alk=2.39, Ca=600, Mg=1380
Feb 18: NO3~60, PO4=1
March 18: NO3=75, PO4=1, KH=6.1, Alk=2.16, Ca=610, Mg=1320
Obviously I am very concerned with these parameters and yet my tank looks pretty good and has good growth and health of inhabitants.
Since the first results with the high NO3 and PO4 I decided to remove the foam filters and Biomax from the Fluval so the FX5 is actually running empty and just being used to help circulate, thus getting rid of a potential source of nitrates. I am wondering if I can run the tank with only the skimmer and live rock as filters as long as I continue with the 10g biweekly water changes? I have been following the thread on the Fauna Marin Bacto Balls and may get some of these to put in the canister as this may be a good application of these for my situation. I have also done 2 water changes since the first test on Feb 13 and am due for another change in a week. Given the elimination of the canister media and having done 2 water changes with no change in parameters so far, for the chemists in the crowd, what's up? This is why I hate testing my water, I should have saved my $100 and had a good nights sleep
As a point of reference, my tank is a 90 gallon sumpless with a Fluval FX5 canister filter and Reef Octopus bh1000. I use Marineland LED reef capable lights, 2 of the 48" strips. I know there are much better LED lights on the market today but I have used these since day one entering the hobby 5 years ago and have had what I consider excellent growth. The tank looks healthy with good coral growth (mainly lps, leather and a couple sps). I have a relatively low bioload with only 2 clowns that have hosted in the same bta for 5 years, 1 damsel, 1 foxface, 1 small blue tang, 2 banggais, 1 mandarinfish. The tank has been running for about 3 years after being moved from a 55 that I ran for 2 years before that. The only recent changes I've made was to add another 30 lbs dry marco rock (total of about 100lbs live rock) about 10 weeks ago and is already covering in coraline. All fish and cuc (skunk and peppermint shrimp, crabs, snails) are healthy, eat well and my banggais breed regularly. My 10g nursery tank for the baby banggai circulates with my dt through a hob overflow so essentially the same water.
To be perfectly honest, I usually don't stress over continuously checking water quality and do not monitor my levels on a regular basis other than salinity which I maintain at 1.025 and temp at 78. I do bi-weekly water changes of 10g and I have a home RO system and change the membranes regularly. During each water change I rinse the foam filters and Biomax from the Fluval in tank water - not aggressively - just enough to remove solid waste as I know canister filters are known to be "nitrate factory's". I use quality salt - Aquavitro Salinity. I feed primarily frozen mysis daily (not overfed) and add about 10ml each of phyto and zoo plankton weekly for the corals as well as apx 15ml Aquavitro Fuel weekly (staggered days to the phyto & zoo). I do not dose any other chemicals. This has been my routine for years with no concerns.
Now to the water testing. As I mentioned I very rarely test my water and rely on how the tank and the inhabitents are looking and behaving. I had a Red Sea Reef kit for a few years and it expired/ran out a while ago and so haven't been doing H20 checks for quite some time. The only hint my balance may be out is a persistent diatom presence on the sand bed so I thought I better check my PO4. So I started reading on what test kits were being recommended and ended up going with all Salifert kits.
Well, here are my results over the past 5 weeks:
Feb 13: NO3=75, PO4=1, KH=6.7, Alk=2.39, Ca=600, Mg=1380
Feb 18: NO3~60, PO4=1
March 18: NO3=75, PO4=1, KH=6.1, Alk=2.16, Ca=610, Mg=1320
Obviously I am very concerned with these parameters and yet my tank looks pretty good and has good growth and health of inhabitants.
Since the first results with the high NO3 and PO4 I decided to remove the foam filters and Biomax from the Fluval so the FX5 is actually running empty and just being used to help circulate, thus getting rid of a potential source of nitrates. I am wondering if I can run the tank with only the skimmer and live rock as filters as long as I continue with the 10g biweekly water changes? I have been following the thread on the Fauna Marin Bacto Balls and may get some of these to put in the canister as this may be a good application of these for my situation. I have also done 2 water changes since the first test on Feb 13 and am due for another change in a week. Given the elimination of the canister media and having done 2 water changes with no change in parameters so far, for the chemists in the crowd, what's up? This is why I hate testing my water, I should have saved my $100 and had a good nights sleep
