water params and pods

I have a pod farm and I ran my tests on the farm for the first time (it's several months old; I just never tested the water beyond SG).

Ammonia/Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20
Phosphate: 1-2

SG: 1.026
Temp: 80
(these two match the DT).

So the farm has nitrates and phosphates (my DT has 0). I am quite certain that this is from A. feeding flake food and B. 0 filtration.

I'd like to lower the phosphates and keep the nitrates under control (I'm not worried about the reading, just don't want it getting out of hand).


I don't want to add any mechanical filtering bc, well, it's a pod farm. So I am thinking I should go add another chunk of base rock to my DT for a few months and then move it to the pod farm to give it some biological filtration. Right now it's a bare bottom bucket.

I really should have done that to begin with (add LR).

Will that do anything for the phosphates? I'm thinking not really. I am not sure on how I can go about "running" phos-ban or something similar in this bucket... is it OK if I just drop it in the bucket?

The only flow is from an airstone.

(Maybe this belongs in water chemistry... I dunno, I went w/Invert board)


I do a water change on it like every few months or so...

are the phosphates OK for pods? amphi and cope

 

Have you considered an internal fuge? Maybe a second airstone in there to get a little flow to the macro.

 

ya know... i was content to go with mission here...

but it would not hurt to throw in some chaeto and give it a timer light for a few hours a day. but i reckon the pod repro room is the better reason to add it.

i think i will do that... now, just need to find some chaeto