Nutrient Export in Waterbox 20 Cube

[Zakary2003]

I have a waterbox 20 cube and I'm having some nutrient issues that weekly water changes aren't solving. I feed 1/4th of a frozen mysis cube per day and 1/4 teaspoon of reef roids per week, so the issue shouldn't be overfeeding. I do not have a skimmer, nutrient removing chemical media, or a refugium. My only source of export is weekly 10% water changes and an automatic filter fleece roller. Does anyone have recommendations for nutrient export in a tank this size? I would love tips on how to do a chamber 2 refugium or recommendations for a chamber 2 protein skimmer but HOB equipment would work. I already have the intank divider for chamber 2 if that can be used for anything. Chamber 1 has the fleece roller and Chamber 3 has my dosing and ATO stuff. I previously tried putting chaeto and a cheap submersible light in chamber 2, but the chaeto all died after a few weeks.

 

[Zakary2003]

Bump

 

[TinyReefObsession]

I don’t have the answers, but i’m pretty sure they’ll want to know your parameters and/ or why you think you have a nutrient issue

 

[Maxcito]

I don’t have the answers, but i’m pretty sure they’ll want to know your parameters and/ or why you think you have a nutrient issue

, what are your numbers before and after the water change? Are you having algae problems? A skimmer is the next logical step, also if you don’t want to do that, 20% water change. HoB refugium would be a good option too. But what is high? Are you having issues?

 

[Zakary2003]

, what are your numbers before and after the water change? Are you having algae problems? A skimmer is the next logical step, also if you don’t want to do that, 20% water change. HoB refugium would be a good option too. But what is high? Are you having issues?

No significant algae issues but there are a few small clumps of hair algae. My one chalice is also browning out and I've lost my only two SPS corals, a monti cap and a monti digi. My nitrates are high and I assume phosphates are as well because the last LFS water test I had done read .05, but that was about a month ago (so 4 or so 10% water changes ago)
Ammonia is 0ppm
Nitrites is 0ppm
Nitrates can be 30-40 before water change and around 20 after.
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 360
Alkalinity 8 DKH
Ph ranges between 7.9 to 8.1
Temperature 79 F
And I don't have a phosphate or magnesium test kit, but the last one I had done at my LFS a month or so ago had mag at 1350 and phosphate at .05

 

[Maxcito]

No significant algae issues but there are a few small clumps of hair algae. My one chalice is also browning out and I've lost my only two SPS corals, a monti cap and a monti digi. My nitrates are high and I assume phosphates are as well because the last LFS water test I had done read .05, but that was about a month ago (so 4 or so 10% water changes ago)
Ammonia is 0ppm
Nitrites is 0ppm
Nitrates can be 30-40 before water change and around 20 after.
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 360
Alkalinity 8 DKH
Ph ranges between 7.9 to 8.1
Temperature 79 F
And I don't have a phosphate or magnesium test kit, but the last one I had done at my LFS a month or so ago had mag at 1350 and phosphate at .05

Ok this better information. I can work with this.

Your phosphates are fine it’s your nitrates that are way too high in respect to phosphate, 100 to 1 ratio is the lose goal so .04-.05 phosphate you’re going to want your nitrates at around 5-10(if you want to keep sps). The browning out of corals is due to too much light with high nutrients, you can think about it as the zooxanthella getting too jacked, nutrients food and supplements and light being the gym time(in my research and my limited experience), so I’d suggest turning your light down 10-15% until your chemistry is under control. Also the calcium is low. I’m going to take a wild guess and say you started with dry rock? (If that’s the case find a local reefer that will give you some rubble or small cup of sand) My next question to see where this is coming from is what are you feeding? what water are you using? Ie your own rodi, or lfs? For just nitrates a protein skimmer is going to help a lot

 

[Lionfish hunter]

algae reactor would take up less space than a refugium if space is a concern. But they aren't cheap and still require plumbing, a pump, and somewhere to put the reactor. not sure you have enough room in one of your chambers for a refugium to do anything. Also stronger lights grow chaeto faster for more nutrient uptake.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Ok this better information. I can work with this.

Your phosphates are fine it’s your nitrates that are way too high in respect to phosphate, 100 to 1 ratio is the lose goal so .04-.05 phosphate you’re going to want your nitrates at around 5-10(if you want to keep sps). The browning out of corals is due to too much light with high nutrients, you can think about it as the zooxanthella getting too jacked, nutrients food and supplements and light being the gym time(in my research and my limited experience), so I’d suggest turning your light down 10-15% until your chemistry is under control. Also the calcium is low. I’m going to take a wild guess and say you started with dry rock? (If that’s the case find a local reefer that will give you some rubble or small cup of sand) My next question to see where this is coming from is what are you feeding? what water are you using? Ie your own rodi, or lfs? For just nitrates a protein skimmer is going to help a lot

Be careful taking rock and sand from others. If they have fish parasites like ich, it will transfer with the rock and sand. Ask me how I know…

 

[Zakary2003]

Ok this better information. I can work with this.

Your phosphates are fine it’s your nitrates that are way too high in respect to phosphate, 100 to 1 ratio is the lose goal so .04-.05 phosphate you’re going to want your nitrates at around 5-10(if you want to keep sps). The browning out of corals is due to too much light with high nutrients, you can think about it as the zooxanthella getting too jacked, nutrients food and supplements and light being the gym time(in my research and my limited experience), so I’d suggest turning your light down 10-15% until your chemistry is under control. Also the calcium is low. I’m going to take a wild guess and say you started with dry rock? (If that’s the case find a local reefer that will give you some rubble or small cup of sand) My next question to see where this is coming from is what are you feeding? what water are you using? Ie your own rodi, or lfs? For just nitrates a protein skimmer is going to help a lot

I started with dry rock but did seed it with some rubble and rocks from a relative's tank, and the tank has been stocked for about 6 months and was cycled prior to that. I feed 1/4 cube of mysis shrimp a day, and I give 1/4 teaspoon of reef roids once a week, with occasional pellet feedings so they recognize it as food since that is what they get when I am out of town. I use water from my LFS and RODI is not an option for me because I live in a dorm room and don't even have access to a water source to set one up. Do you happen to know any skimmers that fit nicely into a waterbox 20 back chamber?

 

[Zakary2003]

Be careful taking rock and sand from others. If they have fish parasites like ich, it will transfer with the rock and sand. Ask me how I know…

Yeah that's how I got aiptasia. I started with dry rock and took some rock from a relative's tank. They said there has never been any sign of aiptasia but I started with dry rock and had aiptasia before I even got livestock. I bet they just have a fish or invert keeping it at bay.

 

[Maxcito]

So when I started my first tank I used dry rock and had issues for the 8 months I had it running. One thing that dry rock did that but me in the butt later was absorb all my phosphate. Fueling the algae issue I had. I had a redsea max nano and used this tight fix but worked well

 

[Maxcito]

hygger Protein Skimmers for Saltwater Aquariums, DC Pump with Needle Wheel Impeller, Internal Nano Protein Skimmer for Fish Tanks up to 57 Gallons, Perfect for Small Tanks, Freshwater and Reef Tanks https://a.co/d/2jI7eg2

 

[Mickey]

What fish do you have in the tank? I also question whether you need 1/4 tsp of reef roids even once a week. That seems like a lot for such a small tank. Can you post a picture of your tank so we can see?

By the way, my rank is 19+ years old and I have always had high nitrates (averaging 40-50)and also high phosphate (over 2.00 - and YES I mean 2.00) and I don't have a problem with corals browning. Also haven't had a problem with algae or cyano until very recently and that's my fault.

 

[Zakary2003]

What fish do you have in the tank? I also question whether you need 1/4 tsp of reef roids even once a week. That seems like a lot for such a small tank. Can you post a picture of your tank so we can see?

By the way, my rank is 19+ years old and I have always had high nitrates (averaging 40-50)and also high phosphate (over 2.00 - and YES I mean 2.00) and I don't have a problem with corals browning. Also haven't had a problem with algae or cyano until very recently and that's my fault.

Fish include a 6 lined wrasse, two clowns, and a yasha goby. I also have a skunk shrimp and candy pistol shrimp along with hermit crabs. The reef roids are for the corals. I have a lot of leathers and zoas and I've noticed the leathers create more clones when I give them roids once a week and the zoas seem more puffy after feeding. I actually don't have any good pictures of my entire tank on my phone but I'll try to remember to take one when I get home.

 

[Reef.]

No the issue is over feeding, do you know how much po4 is in a 1/4 teaspoon of reef roids! And are your corals really in need of feeding, especially that much, that is a ton.

 

[Zakary2003]

No the issue is over feeding, do you know how much po4 is in a 1/4 teaspoon of reef roids! And are your corals really in need of feeding, especially that much, that is a ton.

I mean the fleece roller seems to get a ton of it out, but even still I'd rather put a ton of nutrients in for coral growth and just find a solution to remove them and keep them from getting too high.

 

[Zakary2003]

No the issue is over feeding, do you know how much po4 is in a 1/4 teaspoon of reef roids! And are your corals really in need of feeding, especially that much, that is a ton.

Also keep in mind this is a softie tank if I haven't mentioned that on this thread. I don't think they care too much if the levels are slightly elevated, but I just don't like them getting too high because of algae issues. I'm not trying to color up SPS or anything.

 

[Reef.]

I mean the fleece roller seems to get a ton of it out, but even still I'd rather put a ton of nutrients in for coral growth and just find a solution to remove them and keep them from getting too high.

As long as you are accepting you are adding a lot, in your OP you said you obviously weren’t.

If roller mat etc isn't cutting it, I would think again is that much feeding necessary, you even say yourself a lot of it is wasted and pulled out.

 

[VintageReefer]

Switch from reef roids to benereef food. Very similar, cleaner and easier on the water. And has a wider variance of particle size to appeal to more coral

Also what would help more than a slimmer, is a compact algae scrubber. Look into Santa Monica filtration HOG or Drop models.

HOG = magnetic model that Hangs On Glass
Drop = model that drops into the tank

Very similar, just pick which fits your tank better. They are sized based on your daily feeding amount

 

[Zakary2003]

Switch from reef roids to benereef food. Very similar, cleaner and easier on the water. And has a wider variance of particle size to appeal to more coral

Also what would help more than a slimmer, is a compact algae scrubber. Look into Santa Monica filtration HOG or Drop models.

HOG = magnetic model that Hangs On Glass
Drop = model that drops into the tank

Very similar, just pick which fits your tank better. They are sized based on your daily feeding amount

Noted. I'll look into those for sure!