Should I Get Rid Of...

so maybe my bioload is too much with what I have. I hate to do it but I think I may have to bring in my yellow tang. It's the fish that would add to my bioload. I hate giving her up, she's beautiful and adds the right touch to the tank and without her the tank will look empty. Now I was thinking of getting rid of her and replacing her with a smaller, more compatable fish. Anyone have a good suggestion?

If this is to happen it will not be fun trying to catch the tang.

 

Nitrate coil You could keep the fish if you had one

 

I would hook up a good size fuge and keep the fish. For your size of tank that's not too many fish.

 

One other thing is this:
AquaCave - Detail
just a thought and it's can be bought from one of the sponsors.

 

wow that's a neat little gadget. Now if I wanted a fuge, how do you run carbon with it? I like using carbon, keeps the water clean. I was thinking of changing the filter into a fuge but not sure on the process. Any good info you guys got. By the way the nitrates are going down now that I chucked the sponge. Came home last night and tested and the colour was lighter so I'd say it's at 25ppm now. There isn't really anything left to vacuum in the substrate so really I think it's about removing the existing nitrates out of the water column by water changes. Things were looking good last night and that's only one day after my sponge was removed.

 

Just dump the carbon in a media sock, and place sock inthe fuge

 

How long has the tank been set up? Given the bio-load and the amount of rock, that sounds like a very high NO2 level. Something is going on beyond the number of fish in the tank.

A sump with a DSB and a fuge stocked with macro can really help soak up excess nutrients, NO2 and NO3. Plus, if you choose well you can increase your total water volume by 40% or more reducing the effect of the existing bio-load on the system. If you can't go with a sump a fluidized bed (like the unit listed) can really help with the aerobic cycle. I prefer one of the Rainbow Lifeguard units for total volume and ease of use. Just buy the biggest one you can hang on the back of the tank. There is very little price difference between units and bigger is better in this case.

 

I really don't know what's going on. I personally feel it was the filter sponge causing the problems but I did have quite a bit od detris and stuff in my substrate. So I immediatly started water changes, vacuuming, and blowing rocks. I decided to get rid of the sponge and tonight I am doing a water change so I will see if the removal of the sponge is the winner. Besides that I have no clue. Like I said, nothing is dead, all equipment is clean and running well. I can turn my aquaclear filter into a small fuge right? A sump is out of the question...limited space. Well at least things seem to be getting better. All my perameters are where they should be besides nitrates.

 

IMO, you don't have enoughl live rock for that size tank and the bioload.
When using base rock, you need even more rock because the base rock is normally a lot more dense and doesn't have decent surface area to it.
When purchasing live rock, choose the lightest of the large pieces as it will do much much more for your tank than base rock will.

 

A) Rayjay is right. You need more actual live rock.
B) Don't run carbon. Yes, it removes harmful compounds...but it also removes compounds very useful to corals and algae. You don't want to run carbon on a regular basis with corals in the tank.

Sponges are VERY hard to keep. If you ever exposed it to air, even the least little bit for a nano-second, that could be your Nitrate problem. That sponge could have been dying for a time if it was ever exposed, thus adding to the Nitrates in the tank and causing your problem. It most certainly wasn't the Yellow Tang.

All the best,
Tom