The New guy. Need some help.

[lagalaxy8]

Hello, name is lagalaxy8. I got into the saltwater hobby last October. I've had freshwater tanks for years. Never tried a saltwater because, of the "hassle" of them. Anyways we are in the process of remodeling out house so I was looking to put two built in tanks in our living room. After much thought I figured I needed to get a smaller tank and try it out to make sure this was what I wanted to do. I came across a local ad that a guy had a 75 gallon tank he needed to get rid of. He just didn't have time for it anymore. It was 6 years old but had fish rock and was up and running. Figured this would be good way to go, everything was already up and running worst part moving all of it. So we made a deal and he helped me get it set back up. At the time he had a green algae problem but we didn't want to zap it 100% when we set it up at my house so we wouldn't end up zapping everything it there too. Everything went great no loss of fish. I'm not too sure of the stuff I have & the maintenance I should be doing. So this is where you guys/gals will be coming in!

The fish I have so far are Yellow Tang, Rock Wrasse, 2 Orange & White Clowns, One Black Goby, Royal Gamma, A coral Beauty, & Orange Spotted Goby.

I have added some more live rock. There are some coral Starfish. I've added a bunch small snails & blue crabs. The snails buried themselves & the ones the crabs catch become new crab shells. So not sure how many of them are left. I think I have maybe about 10 red legged crabs. I added alittle more sand because it was in the in between weird stage of not enough and too little. Not sure if I’m still really there yet or not.

I have a mushroom looking plant, that I would like to get more of or anything like that so I can get my tank from looking so plain.

I have an Amiracle Filter. I was running bioballs with a pad filter when I got it. I was having a really bad brown algae problem. My Nitrates were sky high too. I have since gone with the setup you see in the pic. I had it running okay with just live rock in the bottom (Bioballs removed) and the pad filter. I had someone tell me to ditch the pad and put a bucket in there to cut down on the overflow sound. My tank has started to get “dirty” again.

I'm Running 2 Corallife Compact Fluorescent lights with 2 50/50 bulbs & 2 regular bulbs.

I have 2 power heads running. These have been in there for maybe two months. The previous owner wasn’t using them.

I'm going to need help all around. I would like to add a few low Maintenance "plants" and a few fish to add alittle more color. And any cleaners that I can with the fish I have. So bear with me I'm going to be picking your brains for awhile. But I want to get this tank running right first.

I've so far found out I need a protein skimmer (Need help on picking on out).

Nitrates are the only thing I seem to be having problems with. Ammonia & Nitrites are both 0. My Nitrates as of today are 40ppm, which is about 10000 x’s better then before. My KH/Alkalinity & Calcium I’m not sure on. I don’t think I’m doing the tests right. My Specific Gravity is 29 ppi 1.021. Temp is 74. Lights are on for about 6 hours. I have been getting my R/O water from Jacks. Also my premade Saltwater. I have done a few water changes but don't do it everyweek. I probably should do it alittle more then I have. I've been adding Superbuffer twice a week & Turbo Calicum Once a week.

I do feed them with a frozen brine shrimp, but I don't over feed. I pour them in only enough at a time for them to eat within 5 seconds. I maybe feed about a ½ a cube a day.

Here are a few pics to give you an idea what is going on. I’M OPEN FOR ANY HELP!!! If anyone lives near Bellefontaine and wants to give me a hand some day let me know. I’m really looking forward to enjoying this hobby but just don’t know what direction to go. Any help with be great!!!!










A problem I did have Thank god hasn't happened again)

[lazylivin]

Well lagalaxy8, I think you tank looks pretty good. We have all seen much worse when it comes to algae. You are growing Coraline algae which is a good sign. The only way to fix the Nitrate issue is to do larger more frequent water changes until it is under control. A protein skimmer is definitely the best next step. You will be amazed at the gunk it will pull out of a tank. You may also want to consider investing in a TDS meter. It will give you a good indication if the water you are getting from your LFS is within acceptable range. Below 10 TDS. They usually run about 20$. There is much more advice I could give but will let some others chime in.
Good Luck and Welcome to the club
Lazy

[slandis3]

you can look into changing you sump around a little to be able to add some cheato or mangroves. I would look into getting a skimmer as well. That should help out a bit.

[UD Flyer]

Your tank looks great. But I have a few questions.

What is a Rock Wrasse? I just googled it and the one in your tank looks to have a blue head, not what google pulled up. There are many wrasses that are not reef safe, and you didn’t indicate whether or not you eventually want to keep corals. But on the same note the snails you have sound like nassarius snails which live in the sand most of the time. Additionally, the wrasse you have might have an appetite for snails, I would try to find out the type of wrasse or buy a few Astrea (sp?) snails and see if it eats them.  If it does you may want to question whether or not to get rid of him/her. In my opinion I see snails as being a very beneficial member of keeping the tank clean and out weigh the benefits of the fish, but that’s entirely up to you.

Secondly, a good rule to go by is to not add anything to your tank unless you’re testing for it, i.e.: super buffer turbo calcium. 

As they already responded and you mentioned a skimmer is an essential part of a tank in most people’s eyes. I definitely am one of the ones who thinks’ they are needed.

Are you looking to eventually venture into corals? I would suggest a lighting upgrade later down the road. I run CP on my tank too, but then again my tank is only 12 deep and I don’t have any high light demand corals. Just something to ponder, I realize in this hobby upgrades are inevitable and everyone makes them.

Finally, are you only feeding frozen brine Shrimp? I would look into something more nutritious like formula one or two frozen foods. Maybe someone else can chine in on this who knows more.

Over all you have a great start and a great looking tank.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Welcome!  You've taken the first right step...asking for help & being open to suggestions. 

First off, your tank looks much better than what I was expecting from your description...we've seen much worse.  Since you moved the tank, your tank is going through the nitrogen cycle.  You'll probably go through a few algae blooms, like the you pictured above.  It's also due to the high nitrates you have.

Since you're fairly new to the hobby, I think at this point, our advice can be very overwhelming.  The best thing to do is to probably come to a few meetings to see other setups or host a meeting yourself so we can help determine what the best strategy is for your successful tank. 

Ok, so...you may have compatibility issues...you'll find those out soon enough if things eat each other.  No fun.  But, I'm going to skip over that since I don't think it's the most important.

I'll discuss your water quality...because most people get frustrated and quit when they have algae problems.  You'll need to make sure the water you purchase is of high enough quality (the total dissolved solids should be < 10 in my opinion, preferably 0.)  Either borrow a TDS meter, have Jacks show you their TDS, or buy RO/DI water from a local fish store (LFS) that will show you the TDS.  This is very important since you could be fighting a water problem straight from the faucet.

Next...importing nutrients.  Brine shrimp is high waste, low nutrition.  What isn't eaten can become trapped...and become a nitrate factory.  Definitely look into something more nutritious for your fish. 

Finally...exporting nutrients.  I ran without a skimmer for 6 months before I finally cracked.  I battled hair algae to the death...and won with a skimmer.  There are some people that can manage to run a tank without a skimmer just fine, but it was worth the money to get rid of the headache of battling algae.  If you need to wait for money to get a skimmer (which they can get pricey), just make sure you're diligent on performing water changes.  I'd recommend 10-15% water changes per week. 

You're doing just fine...and we're excited to help!

Nikki

[Joel]

Hey there,

Lets see what I can add

The wrasse in question is a male paddle fin wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) AKA, rainbow wrasse, mexican wrasse, mexican rock wrasse and mixtures of those names. THis is a very cool fish but not a reef friendly fish. Shrimp, crabs and snails are at risk, if he has not got them yet, he will eventually. The coral beauty angel often messes (nips at) corals too. Depending on what your goals become with this tank, you man need to do some swapping out of a few things.

I too have some concerns about your filtration system. Other than perhaps trapping dirt and recirculating water, I don't think it is doing much. It is tough (not impossible though) to make your sump into a RDSB (remote deep sand bed) type filter although another sump may be a better choice. Protein skimmer is definitely a good addition. Let me caution against an impulse buy on a protein skimmer, lots of lousy models out there, especially in the chain stores. In a nut shell, you should decide what direction your going with your aquarium and build a filtration system that is consistent with that. That can be a long and complex subject but ask questions and give yourself some time to get more failure with how these systems work - it's very doable. Bunch of us here are happy to and capable of steering you down the right path.

I agree that you must make sure the water your buying is good. I have tested some of my competitors water and have found it to be garbage. Getting an Ro / Di unit will ensure you have a constant good supply of water. Also, the suggestion of using a TDS meter is a good one. I think one thing that was not explained about this is that your testing the TDS of straight RO/DI water, not of the salt water your buying. You want a demineralized water with a TDS of single digits to low teens  Parts per million (ppm)to mix your synthetic salt with, this way you know you started with good clean water in the first place.

Try to do frequent water changes to lower your nitrated into the 5 PPM range or lower. This will help many things such as reducing algae for one example. Also you should test fot phosphates and maintain them at 0 ppm.

The additives / supplements your adding are a little risky with out testing the alk & calcium levels. The manufactures instructions are very loose suggestions at best. The super buffer itself can be troublesome, it increases both PH and ALK, The problem with that is if you only need to raise one  of these values, your going to raise the other to high. Supplementation can be a complicated subject too but again, give it time, it makes more and more sense as time goes on.

Get some Ocean Nutrition Formula two and perhaps mysis shrimp as a treat for fish food. Ditch the brine shrimp, very messy and about 0 nutritional value to your fish. You tank and angel need vegetable matter in their diets, the Formula 2 will provide that.

Your tank looks pretty good, off to a great start it seems. Hope this helps and feel free to ask away, that's what we are here for.

Joel

[Secondgen]

You do have a very nice start with the tank you have. I totally agree with all the suggestions above. I would like to add that the mushroom plants that you mentioned are actually animals, and they prefer as with most corals a salinity closer to 1.025-1.026 which is more like their natural habitat. As for food I try to give the most variety that I can such as flake, pellets,and frozen foods on an alternating basis. It would be a good idea to attend the meetings whenever you can as they are a good source for information, and a good time. Hang in there, all will turn out. Good to have you here.

[Arcade_Guy]

you can look into changing you sump around a little to be able to add some cheato or mangroves. I would look into getting a skimmer as well. That should help out a bit.

QFE!
Cheato is very beneficial, it'll use up the nutrients and junk the nuisance algae needs to grow.

overall your tank looks great! I like the rock work a lot

I also use a skimmer, only for about a month now, but I couldn't imagine NOT running one after seeing the gunk that it pulls out.. amazing really.

[lagalaxy8]

Thanks for the info so far. Would have replied sooner but forgot to check the replies box. When I get alittle more time to type, all go though each reply and answer or ask ?'s.

[verper]

Protein skimmer is definitely a good addition. Let me caution against an impulse buy on a protein skimmer, lots of lousy models out there, especially in the chain stores.

That's an understatement. 

[Blown76mav]

Welcome to the club.  I'm in Lima, if ya need any help let me know.  Bellefontaine isn't that far away.

Lonnie

[lagalaxy8]

The only way to fix the Nitrate issue is to do larger more frequent water changes until it is under control. A protein skimmer is definitely the best next step. You will be amazed at the gunk it will pull out of a tank. You may also want to consider investing in a TDS meter. It will give you a good indication if the water you are getting from your LFS is within acceptable range. Below 10 TDS. They usually run about 20$. There is much more advice I could give but will let some others chime in.
Good Luck and Welcome to the club
Lazy

I know I need to step up my waters changes. (Remodeling my house right now and seems to take up my weekends.)Yea I have no problem getting a skimmer, just don't know which way to go. Don't want to buy a crap one, but also don't want to spend more then I need too. I'll look into the TDS meter. Thanks for the info so far.

[lagalaxy8]

you can look into changing you sump around a little to be able to add some cheato or mangroves. I would look into getting a skimmer as well. That should help out a bit.

Any suggestions on either?

[lagalaxy8]

What is a Rock Wrasse? I just googled it and the one in your tank looks to have a blue head, not what google pulled up. There are many wrasses that are not reef safe, and you didn’t indicate whether or not you eventually want to keep corals. But on the same note the snails you have sound like nassarius snails which live in the sand most of the time. Additionally, the wrasse you have might have an appetite for snails, I would try to find out the type of wrasse or buy a few Astrea (sp?) snails and see if it eats them.  If it does you may want to question whether or not to get rid of him/her. In my opinion I see snails as being a very beneficial member of keeping the tank clean and out weigh the benefits of the fish, but that’s entirely up to you.

Secondly, a good rule to go by is to not add anything to your tank unless you’re testing for it, i.e.: super buffer turbo calcium. 

As they already responded and you mentioned a skimmer is an essential part of a tank in most people’s eyes. I definitely am one of the ones who thinks’ they are needed.

Are you looking to eventually venture into corals? I would suggest a lighting upgrade later down the road. I run CP on my tank too, but then again my tank is only 12 deep and I don’t have any high light demand corals. Just something to ponder, I realize in this hobby upgrades are inevitable and everyone makes them.

Finally, are you only feeding frozen brine Shrimp? I would look into something more nutritious like formula one or two frozen foods. Maybe someone else can chine in on this who knows more.

Over all you have a great start and a great looking tank.

I was just told by the previous owner that is was a "Rock" Warsse. I've been asked a few other times what kind he was. I've never been able to find another pic of him on the net. I know one thing he likes Blue Damsels. He ate 2 of them. One took him .000005 seconds to eat and the other about a week.

Yes it's nassarius snails that I have. I had a few black turbo snails but they didn't last long. They wouldn't stay upright. I've never seen the wrasse eat any snails. The tang & him pick at the sand but I've never seen either pick and thing up.

I had the guy at Coral Reef Systems in cbus, talk me into the buffer & calcium. The first test I ran I was within the specs and the other night I was on one test and screwed up the second and I had to leave for the night. So are you telling me to stop adding that stuff?

i would like to get into corals but probably will not. I have too much going on and have a kid on the way. So the least I have to worry about the better. I would like to ad maybe a few more shrooms or something like that, that does not take a lot of attention.

The previous owner said he played around with a few different foods and this is what everybody was eating. I also have some little pellets, but the problem is the brown goby won't eat them. So I try to go at least one or two days a week with the pellets. I'll finish off this brine package and try something else.

[lagalaxy8]

Welcome!  You've taken the first right step...asking for help & being open to suggestions. 

First off, your tank looks much better than what I was expecting from your description...we've seen much worse.  Since you moved the tank, your tank is going through the nitrogen cycle.  You'll probably go through a few algae blooms, like the you pictured above.  It's also due to the high nitrates you have.

Since you're fairly new to the hobby, I think at this point, our advice can be very overwhelming.  The best thing to do is to probably come to a few meetings to see other setups or host a meeting yourself so we can help determine what the best strategy is for your successful tank. 

Ok, so...you may have compatibility issues...you'll find those out soon enough if things eat each other.  No fun.  But, I'm going to skip over that since I don't think it's the most important.

I'll discuss your water quality...because most people get frustrated and quit when they have algae problems.  You'll need to make sure the water you purchase is of high enough quality (the total dissolved solids should be < 10 in my opinion, preferably 0.)  Either borrow a TDS meter, have Jacks show you their TDS, or buy RO/DI water from a local fish store (LFS) that will show you the TDS.  This is very important since you could be fighting a water problem straight from the faucet.

Next...importing nutrients.  Brine shrimp is high waste, low nutrition.  What isn't eaten can become trapped...and become a nitrate factory.  Definitely look into something more nutritious for your fish. 

Finally...exporting nutrients.  I ran without a skimmer for 6 months before I finally cracked.  I battled hair algae to the death...and won with a skimmer.  There are some people that can manage to run a tank without a skimmer just fine, but it was worth the money to get rid of the headache of battling algae.  If you need to wait for money to get a skimmer (which they can get pricey), just make sure you're diligent on performing water changes.  I'd recommend 10-15% water changes per week. 

You're doing just fine...and we're excited to help!

Nikki

I would not have a problem hosting a meeting. (I'm just a hour from your central core group so not sure if this will be possible for your group)

Yea I added a few damsels just to see how a "outsider" would do and one was ate within a second and the other I could not get out of the tank so he met his demise about a week later. Only other fish I have added was a spotted goby. He's been in there for a month and never comes out. So not sure what the deal is. Scared of the Wrasse or what? But all the other first were together before the new setup. I have no problem getting rid of the wrasse if that means I can get other types of fish, since I'll be going pretty much fish only.

Jacks is the only means for me to get r/o water that I know of. Will look into a TDS meter.

I discussed the reason for the food above.

I'm open to ideas on a skimmer, as long as it works and can be put under my tank I'm all ears.

[lagalaxy8]

Hey there,

Lets see what I can add

The wrasse in question is a male paddle fin wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) AKA, rainbow wrasse, mexican wrasse, mexican rock wrasse and mixtures of those names. THis is a very cool fish but not a reef friendly fish. Shrimp, crabs and snails are at risk, if he has not got them yet, he will eventually. The coral beauty angel often messes (nips at) corals too. Depending on what your goals become with this tank, you man need to do some swapping out of a few things.

I too have some concerns about your filtration system. Other than perhaps trapping dirt and recirculating water, I don't think it is doing much. It is tough (not impossible though) to make your sump into a RDSB (remote deep sand bed) type filter although another sump may be a better choice. Protein skimmer is definitely a good addition. Let me caution against an impulse buy on a protein skimmer, lots of lousy models out there, especially in the chain stores. In a nut shell, you should decide what direction your going with your aquarium and build a filtration system that is consistent with that. That can be a long and complex subject but ask questions and give yourself some time to get more failure with how these systems work - it's very doable. Bunch of us here are happy to and capable of steering you down the right path.

I agree that you must make sure the water your buying is good. I have tested some of my competitors water and have found it to be garbage. Getting an Ro / Di unit will ensure you have a constant good supply of water. Also, the suggestion of using a TDS meter is a good one. I think one thing that was not explained about this is that your testing the TDS of straight RO/DI water, not of the salt water your buying. You want a demineralized water with a TDS of single digits to low teens  Parts per million (ppm)to mix your synthetic salt with, this way you know you started with good clean water in the first place.

Try to do frequent water changes to lower your nitrated into the 5 PPM range or lower. This will help many things such as reducing algae for one example. Also you should test fot phosphates and maintain them at 0 ppm.

The additives / supplements your adding are a little risky with out testing the alk & calcium levels. The manufactures instructions are very loose suggestions at best. The super buffer itself can be troublesome, it increases both PH and ALK, The problem with that is if you only need to raise one  of these values, your going to raise the other to high. Supplementation can be a complicated subject too but again, give it time, it makes more and more sense as time goes on.

Get some Ocean Nutrition Formula two and perhaps mysis shrimp as a treat for fish food. Ditch the brine shrimp, very messy and about 0 nutritional value to your fish. You tank and angel need vegetable matter in their diets, the Formula 2 will provide that.

Your tank looks pretty good, off to a great start it seems. Hope this helps and feel free to ask away, that's what we are here for.

Joel

Thanks for the Wrasse info. I Was close on what to call him. I'm not planning on going hard core with the tank. But would like to try some other fish so if he has to go for me to do that I might have to look into that.

The filtration system I have keeps changing. I'm not set on anything. I've piece a few things together from others, to where I am now. I'm with you I don't have a filtration system. But my nitrates have been cut down by 75% too, so it must be doing something. But it's not right. This is really where I want to focus. i know I need a skimmer but till I get this set I'm not sure it would be doing it's job right either. I'm open to anything

Yea other have posted the food is junk. I was just using what the last guy used.

[lagalaxy8]

You do have a very nice start with the tank you have. I totally agree with all the suggestions above. I would like to add that the mushroom plants that you mentioned are actually animals, and they prefer as with most corals a salinity closer to 1.025-1.026 which is more like their natural habitat. As for food I try to give the most variety that I can such as flake, pellets,and frozen foods on an alternating basis. It would be a good idea to attend the meetings whenever you can as they are a good source for information, and a good time. Hang in there, all will turn out. Good to have you here.

The last few times I had checked my salinity I was in the 1.024-1.025 range. Not sure why it has fallen. My last water change my wife got the the saltwater for me at Jacks and I didn't have her ask what it was before I did my change. I would like to be able to mix my own saltwater but have no idea to go about doing it.

[lagalaxy8]

Welcome to the club.  I'm in Lima, if ya need any help let me know.  Bellefontaine isn't that far away.

Lonnie

I May need to hit you up sometime. I need to get this tank going the "right way", somehow.

[ohioreef]

Ive seen Jacks mix their saltwater. I suspect that it is far from consistent.

[lagalaxy8]

Ive seen Jacks mix their saltwater. I suspect that it is far from consistent.

yea i'm far from saying there water is perfect, but that is my only choice right now.

[Joel]

The meeting that I'm hosting in March will be about filtration systems design, theory and practice. It may be helpful in understanding what you need and how to build it.

Joel

[lagalaxy8]

When? & Where? I'll see if i can make it?