I didn't think you'd consider that so I edited it out
What we could do with an HD prime 16 reef would be shocking. I just bought one new off Amazon for 17.xx a month on assure payments. It doesn't have to be full size version that one is $250 / 200.00 if you can find a used one
We aren't aiming for wall to wall sps
You can change your rock stack, after a rip clean to reset the tank, to be centralized vs a wall stack
And then even a smaller hq light will be fine bc we can stock from the middle out, one very high quality light like that would change your reefs direction.
Regarding reef water
No I would not cap it off this is why sampling ideas isn't best, someone else will just chime in they cap it off and everything is fine.
If you wind up getting an HD prime 16 send me a chat message that's showing serious resolve if you do
Lastly
You need to be able to get real reef tank water
Ro + salt is along for a headache
You need ro di + salt to do it right
If you must use only ro with salt i wouldn't recommend investing in corals the constant invasions you'll be cleaning up aren't worth it
It's possible to reef with ro + salt but you'll be cleaning out the tank 3x more than normal to prevent invasions, the d.i. step is crucial for clean running.
But if you can get an HD prime 16 and ro di water then I'm 100% certain in two months you'd have healthy corals.
The last thing we'd change up is how you feed them
And the only parameters we'd be testing are temp and salinity, literally no other tests. You'd do feeding + water changes like exercise on the nano and it'll be in shape in two mos under hd prime + ro di and any brand of reef salt you want. It's not in your params
We would speed up your feeding and water change frequency well above norm, that's what you're sustaining for two months
It's not in chemistry tinkering it's in feeding and constant clean water
Then at month two you can cruise control a bit for a while based on the quality of water you've been using
It's in your macro approach/ not param levels/ how to fix that nano
What we could do with an HD prime 16 reef would be shocking. I just bought one new off Amazon for 17.xx a month on assure payments. It doesn't have to be full size version that one is $250 / 200.00 if you can find a used one
We aren't aiming for wall to wall sps
You can change your rock stack, after a rip clean to reset the tank, to be centralized vs a wall stack
And then even a smaller hq light will be fine bc we can stock from the middle out, one very high quality light like that would change your reefs direction.
Regarding reef water
No I would not cap it off this is why sampling ideas isn't best, someone else will just chime in they cap it off and everything is fine.
If you wind up getting an HD prime 16 send me a chat message that's showing serious resolve if you do
Lastly
You need to be able to get real reef tank water
Ro + salt is along for a headache
You need ro di + salt to do it right
If you must use only ro with salt i wouldn't recommend investing in corals the constant invasions you'll be cleaning up aren't worth it
It's possible to reef with ro + salt but you'll be cleaning out the tank 3x more than normal to prevent invasions, the d.i. step is crucial for clean running.
But if you can get an HD prime 16 and ro di water then I'm 100% certain in two months you'd have healthy corals.
The last thing we'd change up is how you feed them
And the only parameters we'd be testing are temp and salinity, literally no other tests. You'd do feeding + water changes like exercise on the nano and it'll be in shape in two mos under hd prime + ro di and any brand of reef salt you want. It's not in your params
We would speed up your feeding and water change frequency well above norm, that's what you're sustaining for two months
It's not in chemistry tinkering it's in feeding and constant clean water
Then at month two you can cruise control a bit for a while based on the quality of water you've been using
It's in your macro approach/ not param levels/ how to fix that nano
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Dburr1014
10K Club member
Yes but be careful with the lfs water. Some local fish stores don't change your membranes out often enough and you have high TDS in that water. But you can always ask them to see the TDS as they're getting the water for you.
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Not sure what your price point is but I got my rodi from Amazon, fairly cheap for what I got. If you look at what the lfs charges for rodi water, it pays for itself in no time.
This one in convenient bc you can fill a bucket right in your kitchen sink. I use old salt buckets for storage, rinse them thoroughly first of course.
This one in convenient bc you can fill a bucket right in your kitchen sink. I use old salt buckets for storage, rinse them thoroughly first of course.
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kevgib67
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Sebastiancrab
2500 Club Member
I agree with others, you need to purchase a small RODI unit. I recently (accidentally) ran mine without the DI resin and my corals started to get unhappy. So I know the filters do make a huge difference.
Rmckoy
7500 Club Member
Brandon are you drunk again ?
Instead of mirroring one person and preying their approach is proper. It’s outlined in the first few comments exactly what the issue is
1) api phosphate kit range is terrible . The first is 0.00 to 0.25 which is too low to excessively high . Is that test accurate ? I doubt it .
Next . Tds of the water source has never been tested but we can all assume being dechlorinated tap water is never a good choice especially when trying to provide stable parameters
Next : I’m not a lighting professional but I believe the lights are best suited for freshwater , or fish only systems .
cheers
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
I see you're in Waco. There is an awesome reefing community/group in DFW, and I know they have members from other parts of Texas (I'm in Houston). I would check them out, should be a great place to buy/sell equipment, get a local mentor, etc.
Sebastiancrab
2500 Club Member
You can do much better on price online. Check out Air Water Ice. I have been happy with their customer service and they were much less than my LFS.
GARRIGA
2500 Club Member
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Without an ICP there’s no way of knowing exactly what might be an issue and I suspect why prior to it some couldn’t keep corals. Trying to fix an unknown might cause other issues to pop up.
When in doubt. RODI and constant WC in a small system should keep everything stabilized.
When in doubt. RODI and constant WC in a small system should keep everything stabilized.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
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Roli's Reef Ranch
Well-Known Member
Good advice. The biggest problems I've ever had were when PO4 went to zero (besides the time my salinity was WAAAY off), that, and faulty testing. I always double-check weird results, preferably with other test kits.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Question for the group... If the tank has been contaminated with copper from the tap water, is this going to cause the same long term problems as when copper is used to treat fish for disease?
Or can this only be answered by testing for copper over a period of time?
Or can this only be answered by testing for copper over a period of time?
FSP
Active Member
Besides the RODI thing like many folks have recommended, I'd strongly encourage you to check the used section of a good lfs or local ads for a cheap used 2ft T5. It will get you by until you choose to upgrade (or not 
) and give you something really solid to work with.
LEDs are cool, but for someone starting out and having trouble, I think a light you can just turn on and know it's working is a major stress reliever.
) and give you something really solid to work with.LEDs are cool, but for someone starting out and having trouble, I think a light you can just turn on and know it's working is a major stress reliever.
FSP
Active Member
At the risk of getting blocked until 2028, what's the obsession with the HD Prime? It sounds like price is a concern (always is ) and results with the Radeon weren't quite there either. Not picking on the Prime, Radeon or the owner, but I really think something simple, cheap and easy would be good until the op gets some success going
) and results with the Radeon weren't quite there either. Not picking on the Prime, Radeon or the owner, but I really think something simple, cheap and easy would be good until the op gets some success going 
zdrc
Active Member
Water parameters: These seem not great, but not bad enough to kill any and all coral. You want to get a better phosphate test (something with more accuracy) and you might want to increase the phosphate depending on what the new test reads. Alkalinity is high but not too high IMO. If it was 13-14 I would be worried.
Tap vs. RODI: I use tap in my tank and I've managed to grow a variety of LPS (torch, lobo, acan, etc.). I ran an ICP and I have a wicked clean tap (no nutrients, TDS ~ 50, kH ~ 1, low heavy metals). The tap could be a problem, and it's not a bad idea to get an RODI unit. However, the fact you have kept some inverts (urchin) successfully would be surprising if there was a lethal amount of copper in the tank.
Lighting: That light seems deficient, I think you'll want a better light to grow coral. There are lots of cheaper options on amazon that grow coral perfectly well. I have the Nicrew A30 on my 12 gallon and it's growing LPS just fine. The A30 probably doesn't have enough spread for your 29 gallon, but there are other good options (e.g. black box lights). Just search for a reef light on amazon.
Filter cartridges: Stop replacing the filter cartridges every two weeks. This does nothing for your nitrates, and you're just disrupting your biological filter when you do this. Honestly, if this were a freshwater forum, this would be by far the most alarming thing that you're doing, but on a saltwater forum everyone seems to overlook things like this. Presumably, this is because most of the biological filtration in reef tanks is in the tank (the rock). In freshwater, the biological filtration is in the filter, and tossing the media regularly would kickstart minicycles every few weeks. I'm not sure if this is actually happening in your tank, however replacing the cartridges is doing nothing and costing you money so I would stop. If you wanted to reduce nitrates by removing the filter floss cartridges (e.g. mechanical filtration) you would need to be replacing the cartridges at least twice a week. Since you're only replacing them every few weeks, you aren't reducing your nitrates at all.
Tap vs. RODI: I use tap in my tank and I've managed to grow a variety of LPS (torch, lobo, acan, etc.). I ran an ICP and I have a wicked clean tap (no nutrients, TDS ~ 50, kH ~ 1, low heavy metals). The tap could be a problem, and it's not a bad idea to get an RODI unit. However, the fact you have kept some inverts (urchin) successfully would be surprising if there was a lethal amount of copper in the tank.
Lighting: That light seems deficient, I think you'll want a better light to grow coral. There are lots of cheaper options on amazon that grow coral perfectly well. I have the Nicrew A30 on my 12 gallon and it's growing LPS just fine. The A30 probably doesn't have enough spread for your 29 gallon, but there are other good options (e.g. black box lights). Just search for a reef light on amazon.
Filter cartridges: Stop replacing the filter cartridges every two weeks. This does nothing for your nitrates, and you're just disrupting your biological filter when you do this. Honestly, if this were a freshwater forum, this would be by far the most alarming thing that you're doing, but on a saltwater forum everyone seems to overlook things like this. Presumably, this is because most of the biological filtration in reef tanks is in the tank (the rock). In freshwater, the biological filtration is in the filter, and tossing the media regularly would kickstart minicycles every few weeks. I'm not sure if this is actually happening in your tank, however replacing the cartridges is doing nothing and costing you money so I would stop. If you wanted to reduce nitrates by removing the filter floss cartridges (e.g. mechanical filtration) you would need to be replacing the cartridges at least twice a week. Since you're only replacing them every few weeks, you aren't reducing your nitrates at all.
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