what next?

well, i never thought i'd say this, but i'm bored with my aquarium! not necessarily that i'm bored, i just want to add something to it... but before i go into options, here's what ive got so far...

55 gallon aquarium, Coralife Superskimmer (125), 70 lbs LR, 40 lbs LS, Nova Extreme T5's, 2 maxijet 1200's, 2 blueleg hermit crabs, one unknown snail (hangs out on the glass eating algae a lot, it was a hitchhiker, along with the 2 crabs), a lawnmower blenny (which seems to be getting rather fat), a blue damsel, 3 small mollies, 4 hitchhiker feather dusters, one visible aptasia, bubble algae, cyano, hair... umm, that's all i can think of... oh yeah, parameters are good except nitrates, water changes don't seem to help much at all...

here's my list of options i'm considering doing...
-small aquarium for a mantis shrimp
-more fish, probably a pair of ocellaris clowns
-reef cleaner package, including mythrax and/or peppermint
-corals (proably a mushroom or something)
-something else (offer me some advice!)

oh, about the nitrates, exactly how much water will i have to change to get them down?? i checked the nitrates once, showed 80, water change, 40-80 (it was hard to tell because of the light in the room)... and i've done another water change... i'll check the nitrates again tomorrow and let ya know how it went... heh, i bought a box of IO last week, and already need some more... i also bought 15 gallons of water, and need to go buy AT LEAST that much more...now i know why people say an RO unit will pay for itself pretty quick... although i've only spent a total of 30 dollars on distilled water at wal-mart (45 gallons total), its just time consuming going to buy a few gallons, bringing them home, then having to go later that week for more... the first time, i bought 30 gallons, because i had lost a lot of water due to evap... so i filled it back up, and did a water change with that 30 gallons, and kept it topped off for 2 weeks, and of the 15 gallons i bought last week, i've got 6 left... i would have bought more, but don't really have the space to store it... gotta clean out my closet so i can store in bulk...hehe

 

Twan013,
I did the math once. The break point, assuming that you need 10% of your tank's volume each week, is about a 50 gallon tank. As long as the replacement filters cost less than the original unit, you'll always be ahead by having your own filter vs. buying filtered water.
I have a constant nitrate problems, too. It's probably because I'm skimpy with my water changes, overfeed my fish, and don't stir up the gravel enough when I drain water to replace it. Your nitrates should always be below 20 ppm, preferably below 10.

 

yeah, i know i should PROBABLY look into an RO/DI unit, but i guess i'm afraid because of what it may take to set one up.. i mean, all i know is that people use them to get the best possible water for their aquaria... plus, the initial cost is a pain in the butt for me... maybe in a few weeks i'll end up getting one... oh wait... how hard would it be to move an RO/DI unit? because since i'll be moving soon (in the next year or 2), i don't want to have one set up, then have to buy a new one when i move... just because of the fact that the one here will be completely useless... if its just an inline filter, then i won't have a problem, but i have reason to believe its a little more complicated than that... i guess my "fears" is that after buying the unit, i'll have to get a professional to install it, and he'd have to run new pipes from point A, to the unit, then new pipes to point B, and this and that and so on and so forth... i mean, are they connected to your sink? or do you have to have a new spigot installed somewhere? if its connected to a sink, then i'd have to buy a new python system, but if a new thing is installed, the most convenient place would be right in my bedroom, next to the aquarium... but that's about retarded, having a hosepipe sticking out of your bedroom wall, especially since its an interior wall... i hate to sound like i'm freaking out about all this, but i don't know what exactly is involved, so it automatically sounds like too much of a hassle... the only thing i know for sure about an RODI unit, is that its got around 4 tubes, each with a separate filter type thing, and ya gotta replace those periodically.. what i ASSUME, is that you'd either have to run a separate pipe from the RODI unit to wherever, OR, have a shutoff valve close by the unit, so you can control whether the water goes through the unit, or straight to the sink... someone shed some light on this stuff! please!

 

wow i can ramble on about nothing.... i deserve an award!

 

Why dont you build a refugium and sump? Make the refugium as large as possible. This will help with the nitrates to some extent, but mainly you will need to do water changes and feed sparingly and every other day or so. Also, what are your phosphates? If they are high you may want to run some phosphate resins as this will also help with your algae problem (in addition to lowering your nitrates).

 

You need some movement!!!! Possibly a nice Tang, or a vibrant reef safe Wrasse(Fairy or Flasher)!
If you really feel the need to be different and on the edge...try a Jellyfish tank, an Octopus, small shark or Ray!!!
Do your homework though(research!)
Best of luck, and let us know what you decide to go with!

 

I had nitrate problems. They were 80ppm or higher. I started doing 6gallon water changes every other day, vaccumed my crushed coral, and blew off my LR with a turkey baster. This helped but I also incorporated using the kents nitrate sponge. Now I have 0 nitrates. I have also started doing a weekly water change of about 16 litres, I blow off my Lr while I do water changes, stir up my substrate, and I rinse out my filter media weekly and change it every few weeks. Feed only every other day.
You need a good cleaning crew. Lots of snails, shrimps, crabs.

 

Do a mantis tank :0

 

Oh, yeah! That will be fun. Especially if you have to put your hand in the tank!

 

Twan, to answer your "rambling" question, the smaller RO/DI units (which is all you need) can be connected to your outdoor faucet. It can be permanently installed to the pipes of a sink, but it doesn't have to be.

If installed to the sink, no additional spigot is needed. The input comes from the cold water line and the wastewater goes into the drain -- all under the sink. The filtered water line has it's own on/off knob or you can have an automatic shutoff.

Right now, I connect mine to the outdoor faucet as needed, but I've been thinking about permanently installing it to the sink in the laundry room.