New to Forum and need Help

wow sounds like alot of work. Maybe i should just start over new . tank has been runing for 4 yrs now. She could have been topping it off months with tap water who knows . Though i do have a few small white sponges on one rock and i have tiny flat oval creatures on the glass dont know what they are. thinking i should just ripp tank down/ new sand and rock. I hate to throw rock out 100 plus lbs . Its so expensive . maybe doing water changes is just a waste of time and money?

 

I don't think you need to get rid of your rock and start over with that. I'm going to replace my sand so I would recommend you do that....doing smaller, regular changes in addition to carbon dosing has not helped my situation enough so it depends on what you want to keep in your tank. I have reduced my nitrates from +160 to around 50 but my goal is to keep an anemone thus the drastic big solution. I just don't know how high are your nitrates? That is key.....some people's definition of high may be different from another's.....BMX on here was able to bring down trates with a few water changes but he was starting at about 50.

 

we really need you to test. why are you trying to avoid telling them? if you dont have any test kits go down to your lfs, most of them will test water for free as its a way to get you in the door.

 

I have an old nitrate kit so im going to get new one this week.Had water teted at lfs and nitrates were high /no amonia/ no nitites and ph was 8..He said he couldnt tell me how high nitrates were just that they were high .He was useing a strip

 

the strips are not very accurate. try to see if you can get a liquid test done. also if their as high as you make them sound (160+), i would do a few large water changes and try to lower them. also do you know your phosphate level?

 

Going to get liquid tests for nitrates and phosphates and iwill let yous know.Thanks