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Thread: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

  1. #11

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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    Hmmm...

    The new sump system was circulating newly mixed SW made from RO/DI for several days before I hooked it in. Send and return. Nothing was showing up on tests, no ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, or phosphate detectable, so I felt safe to hook it up. Balanced the PH, salinity and temperature to match the display and went to it.

    The rock was in 7.0+ phosphates near as I can tell for months. I replaced all the sand. I've taken a few small rocks with softies out over the past month and put them in my nano. I get a phosphate spike for about a week each time...up to 0.1 before it drops back below 0.03. I'm betting the phosphates are in the rocks.

    The TS has really kicked in. It was an inch thick when cleaned last Friday and looks like it will be again this week. The bulbs are 2 months old. Two 23 watt and two 26 watt. All 2700K. I moved it to the big sump on Sunday. Easier to watch it grow and A LOT easier to get at for cleaning.

    Overall, I'd say it went well. Had a good amount of cyano going before the big water change. Just did a survey and can find almost none left. Seems to have turned to greyish sludge in a few places, in others it's just gone. Fish, anemonies, softies, shrimp, snails, etc. all seem happy. The shrimp are noticeably more active. All of a sudden they've come out in the open.

  2. #12
    kcress's Avatar
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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    OK. You'd be surprised,(or maybe not), but I've seen people going in circles over phosphates;

    "umpteen water changes!"
    "Do you have DI?
    "D-what?"
    "Following your RO?"
    "My what"

    "Your water filter!"
    "OH! I just use tap water and Chlorine-B-Gone."
    :shock:

    Sounds like you just need to stay the course.

    Oh, One other phosphate importer could be some sort of food.

  3. #13

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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    Update...Levels in the nitrogen family all remain undetectable. Phosphates have been climbing, above 1.0 maybe even up to 2.0. Hard to be sure. The screen is growing thick and mostly dark green with red turfish stuff on the bottom quarter. It's not cyano, some sort of tough algae. The red is tougher than the green hair grwoing on the rest of the screen.

    Tested a rock in a bucket of fresh mixed saltwater with a light and airstone. Clearly leaching phosphates. Went above 1.0 inside of 12 hours.

    Decided to try some GFO. Got some cheep stuff at PetsMart about 10 days ago and just threw the filter packs in the sump. Took days but yesterday morning phosphates were a touch below 1.0 by my eye. Cleaned the screen yesterday too. Seems the same as it's been for a month or so. The PetsMart GFO didn't seem to change screen growth.

    Got a shipment of Bulkreefsupply.com HC GFO yesterday. A pound of that's been in for about 18 hours in a mesh bag and I just read what my eyes call about 0.2. We'll see what this does to screen growth. I'm curious to see if I slow it and start seeing nitrates.

  4. #14
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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    It will take several months to get all the phosphate out.

  5. #15

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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    4 days since the Bulk Reef Supply HC GFO went in. Just read almost undetectable phosphate by Salifert. 0.05ish by doubling water and reagents for the higher sensitivity test. Thought I'd have to replace the GFO by now. Guess not.

    The ATS is still growing. The red algae is being replaced or changing to a light brown. Nitrate, nitrite, and amonia still all undetectable. Ph holding at 8.3 by my eye and Alk at 10.

    I have a star polyp frag that is not opening today. Seemed happy until now. This is why I tested. I guess it's not happy with me clearing the phosphates??

    The rest, fish, shrimp, snails, anemones, mushrooms, zoas and palys all seem happy as can be.

    Green growth on the glass has slowed quite a bit but still grows. For the first time there is coraline starting on the back glass Had not seen a bit of that until yesterday.

  6. #16

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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    Follow-up...

    The star polyp was being pestered by my tomatoe clown. Caught the fish carying the frag in it's mouth across the tank a while ago and then picking on it several times before I moved it out of Tom's territory. :lol:

    Couldn't resist any more. Pulled the GFO to soak in NaOH for a recharge. Best I can tell I pulled 400mg of phosphate out of the GFO in the first 4 hours. The tank went up about 0.2ppm in those same 4 hours. GFO's been rinsed and back in the NaOH.

  7. #17
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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    You'll have a contant flow of phosphate from the rocks to the GFO for a while...

  8. #18

    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    Curious:

    are there any draw backs to using GFO continuously?

    Rainer

  9. #19
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    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    My uninformed opinion is that it reduces the pH, and possibly irritates some corals.

  10. #20

    Re: ATS Prevents Disaster after Move

    Thank you, Santa!

    Rainer

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