NYC tap water, no skimmer, Nano!
- Thread starter Matorral
- Start date
Sad looking (2 year old 24g nano)
Here is the pic of my sad looking algae tank. Is been 2 years and for the last 6 months the algea has slowly taken over the tank. You can compare with the previous pics. At first it was just a little, now is unberable.
So after thinking twice, maybe a 100 times, went the cheapes way, as usual. Started making water changes of 40% INSTEAD OF 20%, at least twice a week, have done 2 so far. Also with each water change I syphon a small portion of my sand out (like 2 cups). I stir the sand with the removed salt water, get rid of the dirty stinky water (looks like toilet water with diarrhea) and after that I put the sand back in the tank. So far there is mininimal improvement.
Sorry guys I know RO/DI is the best but still doing the tap water, wont surrender my tap so easy. Ill keep you posted and let you know how my experiment goes.
Here is the pic of my sad looking algae tank. Is been 2 years and for the last 6 months the algea has slowly taken over the tank. You can compare with the previous pics. At first it was just a little, now is unberable.
So after thinking twice, maybe a 100 times, went the cheapes way, as usual. Started making water changes of 40% INSTEAD OF 20%, at least twice a week, have done 2 so far. Also with each water change I syphon a small portion of my sand out (like 2 cups). I stir the sand with the removed salt water, get rid of the dirty stinky water (looks like toilet water with diarrhea) and after that I put the sand back in the tank. So far there is mininimal improvement.
Sorry guys I know RO/DI is the best but still doing the tap water, wont surrender my tap so easy. Ill keep you posted and let you know how my experiment goes.
Attachments
- Location
- Bay Ridge, BK
I think this post is great because you have kept up with it. Good luck with your tank and hopefully you will see the light and get the RODI or at least use RODI water from a fellow reefer. 
It would be interesting to see if RODI water changes would start to improve your tank, I am not sure it would because your rocks probably absorbed some of the junk in the tap water but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Good luck again and don't give up whatever you do!
James
It would be interesting to see if RODI water changes would start to improve your tank, I am not sure it would because your rocks probably absorbed some of the junk in the tap water but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Good luck again and don't give up whatever you do! James
- Location
- Far Rockaway
phosphate test kits cant detect low range levels of phosphate that why you need a hanna pho meter it only $180 thats not more than the tank. you diff have a big phosphate problem .Like all of us been saying get a ro/di unit and get a phosban reactor that will help alot.
It took weekly water changes with the ro/di water, and running gfo in a reactor (with a down time of about 5 months), but last I checked the P04 last week it was down to 0.48.
So with patience & persistence it can be done.
So with patience & persistence it can be done.
Last edited:
- Location
- New York City
Big +1 on Awi's advice.....only been a little more than two months for me....but i think my next big purchase (after my wallet recovers from the swap) will be a RODI........
Dont want to get to that point and have all the hard work ive put into my tank already go to waste.......
) will be a RODI........Dont want to get to that point and have all the hard work ive put into my tank already go to waste.......
- Location
- East Stroudsburg, PA
Sorry guys I know RO/DI is the best but still doing the tap water, wont surrender my tap so easy. Ill keep you posted and let you know how my experiment goes.[/QUOTE]
I dont think you switching to RO/DI water would be surrendering your tap so "easily" you have kept with tap- said for 2 years hey no problems tap with no skimmer- now have been battling and battling to where you obviously feel like youre fighting an army uphill through mud- not to mention the tank has taken a turn for the worse. Maybe is time to give in and finally give the tap water to plants instead of your tank and use RO water to bring the tank back to what it once was. You hung in there but every old dog must eventually learn new tricks, even if RO/DI isnt a trick.
I dont think you switching to RO/DI water would be surrendering your tap so "easily" you have kept with tap- said for 2 years hey no problems tap with no skimmer- now have been battling and battling to where you obviously feel like youre fighting an army uphill through mud- not to mention the tank has taken a turn for the worse. Maybe is time to give in and finally give the tap water to plants instead of your tank and use RO water to bring the tank back to what it once was. You hung in there but every old dog must eventually learn new tricks, even if RO/DI isnt a trick.
- Location
- Forked River, New Jersey
i just bough an air water and ice 5 stage ro/di 75gpd for 80$ including shipping brand new in the box... you cant beat that..if you want a smaller unit.. i have a 30gpd whirlpool unit with extra filters that you can hook up under your sink for cheap... pm me.. id hate to see you get any further down this road and loose everything!!
- Location
- Nueva York
^^^^underrated post... its very true, thats exactly how it happened with me. It takes time for cyano to get your tank in a complete strangle hold... it usually doesnt happen overnight. But I'll tell you this, unless you take care of the root problems causing the cyano you'll never rid your tank of it. Hell, I dont even think Chuck Norris could take care of it without addressing nutrient levels....Water changes and siphoning out as much as you possibly can never cuts it.
Im still curious what is my real phosphate level. Any phosphate kit beside the expensive meter that someone else recommended, that thing was probably more expensive that what my tank is worth right now
the Elos test kit was the best when I compared test kits against the hanna meter. Your phosphates might be too high though, more than the test kit can read. Most of them are made to read the low end for people with SPS tanks who are trying to keep the PO4 next to nothing.
- Location
- Far Rockaway
Your here asking for help but not listening to what were telling you .
1 Stop using tap big no no.
2 get an RO/DI or buy sea water or RO/DI from you LFS
3 get a hanna phos checker only $40 works great
Tap water has chemicals in the water that effect the color and growth of corals. That alge will get worse and kill of your corals in the long run.
So you can listen and try what were telling you or keep using tap and making the problem worse.
1 Stop using tap big no no.
2 get an RO/DI or buy sea water or RO/DI from you LFS
3 get a hanna phos checker only $40 works great
Tap water has chemicals in the water that effect the color and growth of corals. That alge will get worse and kill of your corals in the long run.
So you can listen and try what were telling you or keep using tap and making the problem worse.
Update after 2weeks
After 2 weeks of water changes, 30-40% twice a week, and siphoning out already almost half of the sand bed, washing it with the same water, and returning the sand to the aqurium, the tank looks much better. I also treated the aquarium with red slime remover twice. Now just got the Hanna checker and got a 0.25ppm. My tap water is 2.01ppm.
Next step is adding phosban to try keep the phosphate low. Will continue siphoning sand and doing once a week water changes. Still tap water!
Most of the corals are back to their former state, except for the wave hand polyps, the zoa and the pompom xenia, but look better than before. Here is a picture.
After 2 weeks of water changes, 30-40% twice a week, and siphoning out already almost half of the sand bed, washing it with the same water, and returning the sand to the aqurium, the tank looks much better. I also treated the aquarium with red slime remover twice. Now just got the Hanna checker and got a 0.25ppm. My tap water is 2.01ppm.
Next step is adding phosban to try keep the phosphate low. Will continue siphoning sand and doing once a week water changes. Still tap water!
Most of the corals are back to their former state, except for the wave hand polyps, the zoa and the pompom xenia, but look better than before. Here is a picture.
- Location
- poughquag, ny
ummm maybe adding some snails ect might help mow down some of the algea
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