Zero Nitrates

I've finally arrived. My diatoms are starting to subside as well. I
haven't cleaned my back glass in a few days and I can still see through it.

I still have some fluff balls of algae around, but my rocks have
reemerged from their jungle phase.

I also have a turbo snail sporting a huge green fluff ball of algae. I
suppose I should get a shot of that before the lawnmower blenny finds him.

Wow, it's been a huge amount of work (most of it useless) to get here.
There's a lot of learning curve to this hobby, but then again, I just
jumped in without researching it. Not recommended.

--Kurt

Sorry mate lost me there
zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
anyway zero nitrates ain't always the best thing in the world
sounds to me like your nitrates are locked up in algae colonys
which is cool
just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your filter
bacteria hey




"KurtG" wrote in message
news

I've finally arrived. My diatoms are starting to subside as well. I
haven't cleaned my back glass in a few days and I can still see through
it.

I still have some fluff balls of algae around, but my rocks have reemerged
from their jungle phase.

I also have a turbo snail sporting a huge green fluff ball of algae. I
suppose I should get a shot of that before the lawnmower blenny finds him.

Wow, it's been a huge amount of work (most of it useless) to get here.
There's a lot of learning curve to this hobby, but then again, I just
jumped in without researching it. Not recommended.

--Kurt

swarvegorilla wrote:
just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your filter
bacteria hey


It's probably not zero, but unmeasurable given my test kit. There's
plenty of load on the system given that I feed the fish well, rocks
aren't 100% cured, etc.

--Kurt

"KurtG" wrote in message
...
swarvegorilla wrote:
just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your
filter bacteria hey


It's probably not zero, but unmeasurable given my test kit. There's
plenty of load on the system given that I feed the fish well, rocks aren't
100% cured, etc.

--Kurt

good stuff!
thought as much but....
yea
had to add me 2 cents
heh

swarvegorilla wrote:
Sorry mate lost me there
zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
anyway zero nitrates ain't always the best thing in the world
sounds to me like your nitrates are locked up in algae colonys
which is cool
just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your filter
bacteria hey


Zero nitrates is not at all unusual, and is in fact very desirable for
those who wish to keep SPS corals.
Having a fuge to lock it up in algae is one very popular way of doing
this, but:

It usually is NOT just locked up in algae - usually at least part of the
way it is acheived is by displacing nitrobacter with anaerobics bacteria
that convert the nitrie to N2 rather than to nitrate. Theer is always
some nitrobacter left active to produce nitrate, but the great thing is
that the anaerobic bacteria will convert nitrate to N2 as well (just not
as quickly as they will with nitrite)

Lots of live rock, brisk circulation and a deep sand bed can actually
get nitrates to zero without a fuge.

My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no
sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all
that sparsely stocked, either.

Add Homonym wrote:
My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no
sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all
that sparsely stocked, either.

I should mention that my fug has started to take off. It looks like my
macroalgae has doubled in size in the last month. Now, if I could just
get pods to multiply.

--Kurt

KurtG wrote:
Add Homonym wrote:

My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no
sump, yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all
that sparsely stocked, either.


I should mention that my fug has started to take off. It looks like my
macroalgae has doubled in size in the last month. Now, if I could just
get pods to multiply.

--Kurt

Phytofeast. Or other live pytoplankton product.
Drizzle it in close over the rocks and sand (don'y add it straight into
water column) - it's heavy, and it sinks down into the places the pods
hang out.

Add Homonym wrote:
Drizzle it in close over the rocks and sand (don'y add it straight into
water column) - it's heavy, and it sinks down into the places the pods
hang out.

Ah, good idea. I usually do aerial bombardment from 4 feet. Thanks.

--Kurt

"Add Homonym" wrote in message
...
swarvegorilla wrote:
Sorry mate lost me there
zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
anyway zero nitrates ain't always the best thing in the world
sounds to me like your nitrates are locked up in algae colonys
which is cool
just make sure in your quest for zero nitrates ya don't starve your
filter bacteria hey


Zero nitrates is not at all unusual, and is in fact very desirable for
those who wish to keep SPS corals.
Having a fuge to lock it up in algae is one very popular way of doing
this, but:

It usually is NOT just locked up in algae - usually at least part of the
way it is acheived is by displacing nitrobacter with anaerobics bacteria
that convert the nitrie to N2 rather than to nitrate. Theer is always some
nitrobacter left active to produce nitrate, but the great thing is that
the anaerobic bacteria will convert nitrate to N2 as well (just not as
quickly as they will with nitrite)

Lots of live rock, brisk circulation and a deep sand bed can actually get
nitrates to zero without a fuge.

My tank has no real algae growth excpept for coraline - no fuge, no sump,
yet I have 0/0/0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. And I'm not all that
sparsely stocked, either.



sigh
you missread me
I refer to people who starve their tank
which is unhealthy for the bacteria in the system
all to chase the 0ppm

its another case altogether when the system is ballanced enuf to get a
reading like that
while still feeding
just a trend I have noticed that I thought I would comment on
trust me I know how proud you all are of readings like that
I have been in that club myself before
maybe still would be if I could be bothered to test

I'm a member of the regular partial water change club
whose benefits outweigh merely managing nitrate concentrations
to me anyway
but if it works for you keep it up I say

As a sidenote I have been experimenting with a layer of floating pumice in a
sump
I picked up the pumice stone still wet from the ocean
judgeing by the barnacals it had been out to sea for quite some time
the structure of the stone is such that it should hold lots of nitrate
eating bacteria
well thats me theory anyway
I have been a bit lax on the journal for that tank so don't really have any
data to draw conclusions from
But I imagine it 'could' work in pretty much the same way as a deep sand bed
in theory.
Never seen it done before but if anyone has any experience I'd be happy to
absorb it



Oh and as a side note also picked up the coolest tank ornament ever
the old thong (rubber sandel thing for you seppos out there, not undies)
covered in barnacles
been a while since I had one and this one is just as cool as i remember
people always neglect the floaty stuff
under rated all too often
Swarvegorilla

Keep in mind that the pumice floats because it holds
air. If it holds air, then water can't get in, and
if water can't get in, it cannot denitrify. I don't
think it's totally impenetrable to water, but you
might want to decide, just how much water is
actually getting in.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


swarvegorilla wrote on 2/26/2007 11:20 PM:
As a sidenote I have been experimenting with a layer of floating pumice in a
sump
I picked up the pumice stone still wet from the ocean
judgeing by the barnacals it had been out to sea for quite some time
the structure of the stone is such that it should hold lots of nitrate
eating bacteria
well thats me theory anyway