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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / February 2007Zero Nitrates
I've finally arrived. My diatoms are starting to subside as well. I haven't cleaned my back glass in a few days and I can still see through it. I still have some fluff balls of algae around, but my rocks have reemerged from their jungle phase. I also have a turbo snail sporting a huge green fluff ball of algae. I suppose I should get a shot of that before the lawnmower blenny finds him. Wow, it's been a huge amount of work (most of it useless) to get here. There's a lot of learning curve to this hobby, but then again, I just jumped in without researching it. Not recommended. --Kurt Sorry mate lost me there zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? anyway zero nitrates ain't always the best thing in the world sounds to me like your nitrates are locked up in algae colonys which is cool just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your filter bacteria hey :) > I've finally arrived. My diatoms are starting to subside as well. I > haven't cleaned my back glass in a few days and I can still see through [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > --Kurt > just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your filter > bacteria hey > :) It's probably not zero, but unmeasurable given my test kit. There's plenty of load on the system given that I feed the fish well, rocks aren't 100% cured, etc. --Kurt >> just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your >> filter bacteria hey [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > --Kurt good stuff! thought as much but.... yea had to add me 2 cents heh > Sorry mate lost me there > zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > bacteria hey > :) Zero nitrates is not at all unusual, and is in fact very desirable for those who wish to keep SPS corals. Having a fuge to lock it up in algae is one very popular way of doing this, but: It usually is NOT just locked up in algae - usually at least part of the way it is acheived is by displacing nitrobacter with anaerobics bacteria that convert the nitrie to N2 rather than to nitrate. Theer is always some nitrobacter left active to produce nitrate, but the great thing is that the anaerobic bacteria will convert nitrate to N2 as well (just not as quickly as they will with nitrite) Lots of live rock, brisk circulation and a deep sand bed can actually get nitrates to zero without a fuge. My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all that sparsely stocked, either. > My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no > sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all > that sparsely stocked, either. I should mention that my fug has started to take off. It looks like my macroalgae has doubled in size in the last month. Now, if I could just get pods to multiply. --Kurt >> My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no >> sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > --Kurt Phytofeast. Or other live pytoplankton product. Drizzle it in close over the rocks and sand (don'y add it straight into water column) - it's heavy, and it sinks down into the places the pods hang out. > Drizzle it in close over the rocks and sand (don'y add it straight into > water column) - it's heavy, and it sinks down into the places the pods > hang out. Ah, good idea. I usually do aerial bombardment from 4 feet. Thanks. --Kurt >> Sorry mate lost me there >> zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all that > sparsely stocked, either. sigh you missread me I refer to people who starve their tank which is unhealthy for the bacteria in the system all to chase the 0ppm its another case altogether when the system is ballanced enuf to get a reading like that while still feeding just a trend I have noticed that I thought I would comment on trust me I know how proud you all are of readings like that I have been in that club myself before maybe still would be if I could be bothered to test I'm a member of the regular partial water change club whose benefits outweigh merely managing nitrate concentrations to me anyway but if it works for you keep it up I say As a sidenote I have been experimenting with a layer of floating pumice in a sump I picked up the pumice stone still wet from the ocean judgeing by the barnacals it had been out to sea for quite some time the structure of the stone is such that it should hold lots of nitrate eating bacteria well thats me theory anyway I have been a bit lax on the journal for that tank so don't really have any data to draw conclusions from But I imagine it 'could' work in pretty much the same way as a deep sand bed in theory. Never seen it done before but if anyone has any experience I'd be happy to absorb it :) Oh and as a side note also picked up the coolest tank ornament ever the old thong (rubber sandel thing for you seppos out there, not undies) covered in barnacles been a while since I had one and this one is just as cool as i remember people always neglect the floaty stuff under rated all too often Swarvegorilla Keep in mind that the pumice floats because it holds air. If it holds air, then water can't get in, and if water can't get in, it cannot denitrify. I don't think it's totally impenetrable to water, but you might want to decide, just how much water is actually getting in. Wayne Sallee Wayne's Pets Wayne@WaynesPets.com swarvegorilla wrote on 2/26/2007 11:20 PM: > As a sidenote I have been experimenting with a layer of floating pumice in a > sump [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > eating bacteria > well thats me theory anyway I have been considering that very thing by putting in quite a it the top pumice holds the bottem pumice under the water line. water penetration is the biggy you are right there my only thought so far has been to crush it up to increase surface area how much tho remains something I do not know somehow somewhere there lies a chance it may yet prove to be more than a fruitless endevour tho Muhahahahahahahaha!!! or I could just choke me sump of surface area either way..... it uh, keeps me off the streets or somehting :) > Keep in mind that the pumice floats because it holds air. If it holds air, > then water can't get in, and if water can't get in, it cannot denitrify. I [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >> eating bacteria >> well thats me theory anyway |
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