Anyone use an ORP meter and ozone? GFO/Carbon reactor?

[SeaMonkey4]

75 gallon saltwater with 30 gallon sump started 12/2011

48" Coralife 4 64 watt bulb compact fluorescent (2 10,000K + 2 actinic)
live rock, 1-2 inch sand bed
1 hippo tang, 2 goldstripe maroon clown, 1 yellow tang, 1 neon cleaner goby, 2 pajama cardinal, 2 starry blennies, 1 lawnmower blenny, 2 skunk cleaner shrimps, 1 peppermint shrimp
various snails and hermit crabs

salinity 1.025-1.026
pH 8.0 (used to be 8.2/8.4)
temp 77˚F
ammonia 0
nitrite 0

nitrate has always been an issue (I have multiple test kits and get different readings with each; RedSea between 32 and 64 ppm, salifert 100 ppm, a water test strip given to me by the company that maintains our RO system for the household drinking water 10 ppm, API 160 ppm)

phosphates have not been an issue until recent tank cleaning (storm when using a baster to clean out live rock)
was at 0.25 now between 0.36 and 0.64 (I hate these color charts)

added macro algae to sump 03/2012

started pellets in 05/2012; BRS

started vodka dosing 07/2012


58 gallon saltwater with 20 gallon sump started 05/2012

36" solar max 4 bulb HOT5 (2 10000K + 2 actinic)
3 amphiprion ocellaris clownfish, 3 verdi chromis,
4 peppermint shrimp, various snails, 4 hermit crabs

salinity 1.025
pH 8.0
temp 77˚F
ammonia 0
nitrite 0

 

[redfishbluefish]

You’ve got a pretty high bioload for a 75….2 tangs Tang police, which are crap machines.


Are you running a skimmer?
What is the frequency and volume of water changes you do?

It would be nice to add a DI unit to clean up your water that much more.

Oh, and to answer your questions, no to ORP or ozone, but yes to carbon and GFO.

 

[SeaMonkey4]

Thanks for the response. I run a Diablo SX 160 skimmer in the sump.

I do water changes every 2 weeks, 15 gallons.

What would the DI unit do for the system? I'll need to read up on that. I have a household RO unit for drinking water and i use that water for my tank. My family gets upset when I use up the water to fill my buckets.

I didn't realize I had a high bioload. I actually had plans to add more fish.The tank does not appear crowded. Thanks for the heads up on that. I may move the yellow tang to the 58 gallon tank. I need to catch him first!

As for carbon and GFO, do I get another reactor and add it to the system? I have the pellets in the reactor now.

I do probably (likely) overfeed, but my family and I enjoy that part so much I can't see cutting back the feeding.

I have seen my hippo tang poop, not a pretty site. It has grown quite a bit. I'd say its about 6 or 6 1/2 inches long now (mouth to end of tail). I was given the hippo and the larger maroon clown when I bought the live rock from someone tanking down a saltwater tank. They would not sell me the rock unless i took the his too (at no charge). I had thought to give the fish to my LFS but ended up seeing up a 30 gallon tank, which I now use as a quarantine, for the fish. It was rough but I got the 75 gallon cycled and they are doing great. I love the hippo, so entertaining. We call it Dorie but I don't even know if its male or female.

 

[redfishbluefish]

A DI unit cleans up that last little bit of dissolved solids that gets by the RO membrane. HERE is an example of a DI add-on unit. What I would do is to put in a tee so that the house purified water is still fed into the storage tank. The other branch of the tee would go through your DI unit for making water for the fish tank only.

You might wish to increase the frequency or volume of water changes to get those nitrate numbers down.

 

[mnat]

Welcome to the board first off.

Secondly: When Paul says you have a high bioload it comes down to the type of fish you have along with the quantity. Tangs are notorius eaters and poopers as you have observed, especially the blue tang which can reach 16 inches when fully grown (They yellow can get quite large as well). Generally a yellow tang is good in a 6 foot tank and a blue tang in a 6-8 foot tank, again those are very general guidelines that people keep.

Carbon always helps and running it through a reactor is very nice if you have the space.

You might want to look to stepping up to weekly water changes if you are going to continue to feed heavily and have a high bioload.