It seem like your tank are doing good the way you are, especially no nitrate
reading. If you are planning to get a bigger tank for those tang, puffer and
other, then you are in the right path.

Just making a note - Nitrate can be consume or absorb by algae, not just
anoxic bacteria. Maybe that the reason why you do not detect by your test
kit. From any filter [canister / W/D / HOT] will create nitrate as a finish
product from those bacteria living on those media. So there no way nitrate
will be low or non-detectable if nothing else other than DSB / Algae to
consume it. Doing schedule water change simple just diluting but should
still have nitrate present.

CapFusion,...


"Rick" wrote in message
om...

I think I can even follow the add 1 more rule. LOL isnt it always
just add 1 more? No i'm not going to fall for that one.

F.Y.I with the current load on my tank, I have never had a rise with
nitrates and do reg monthly water changes even though the nitrares are
not even measurable doing a water changes is just like doing oil
changes on my cars. DO IT REGULAR

Actually I dont get nitrate or ammonia readings and I have tested on
several different test kits. Thats what I find so amazing is that
with all the fish I have why dont I get these readings? WHY? because
of the Dual Ehiems Plus the Bac-Pak II skimmer. This setup turned out
to be better then what a wet/dry system would do for this size tank.
Dont get me wrong a sump is the way to go but on larger tanks.

Each of these ehiems are rated for 60+ gal tanks so one is all I ever
needed. I bet if I took one off the ehiems for a month and tested the
water on the day my next water change is due, I would get a measurable
nitrate reading, but why ruin a good thing. The old rule "if it's
not broken dont fix it".



Yes I agree that these fish need a larger tank and I will go to a
larger tank before they out grow this one. My goal at the begining of
setting this one up was to

1.Educate my kids (6 & 11 Years old) Great hobbie for them

2.To get my wife hooked on the hobbie.

3.Try the hobbie again for myself and make sure I like it just as I
always have before. I did not want to jump into spending the big
bucks on what I really want right away.

Now that the family is hooked they can see its justifiable to set up
the mothership tank. (my plan worked)

At the beginning my wife did not understand why I would spend $1000's
on a big fish tank. I had to sell her first, Now she is hooked more
then me and has made several trips to lFS trying to keep pushing me to
buy the larger tank right away. As I'm not in a rush to get one but,
as time goes on all the current fish will be move into a larger 120
gal 48x24x24 FO tank and the 55 gal will be coverted into the reef
tank.


Rick