Finally put my tank together...

[KoNP]

To be honest I'm almost afraid to put any new corals in my tank. I don't want them to die like the others did ;_;

The little green and red ric is doing fine still, the formerly blue one looks sad still and the mushrooms are still shrunken. I really hope the tank improves. The RO unit was a big investment when money was tight and I've spent a lot of money on coral thinking they'd survive only to have them die.

Oh, tank parameters are good also, I checked tonight. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate a little more than 0 but not as high as whatever the first reading after that is. Topped up from evaporation with a bit of fresh rainwater, the perfect amount too heh.

 

[tmd77]

i think that phosphates are definately your issue here mate... if nothing else is showing up. take some water down to nielsens and ask them to check it for phosphates.

 

[KoNP]

i think that phosphates are definately your issue here mate... if nothing else is showing up. take some water down to nielsens and ask them to check it for phosphates.

I'm using NSW FROM nielsens and feeding the tank sparingly. Where could the extra phosphates be coming from? I got home today and my tank was green again.

Also, the mushrooms have vanished. They detached and were on a different rock thismorning but now they're gone.

-EDIT-

Phosphate test yielded what looks like 0.5ppm. My RO unit arrives tomorrow. Should've arrived this time last week but the courier decided they weren't gonna do their job and bull---tted about attempting to deliver it - AGAIN.

I can tell because they didn't even leave a calling card. Girl on phone says "Oh, it says here they left a calling card." I say "Well they didn't and they didn't last time either." Then she wanted ME to call the courier guy DIRECTLY, to which i told her not in a million years - he worked for her company and it was her companies responsibility to keep him in line.

GRRRRR ***mod edit*** lazy fat queensland couriers. GRRRRR ***mod edit*** I hate the world sometimes =/

 

[TimSchmidt]

You have had quite a few problems. Most of which you researched took a very good approach towards. I am hoping the RO unit will help your tank flourish.

 

[tmd77]

the phosphates can come from a variety of different places...

if you are feeding any frozen foods (marine green/frozen brine/mysis etc.) this can normally be your cause. to avoid this, you should defrost you frozen food on paper towel to soak up all moisture. or better yet make up your own food.

another cause is from any topup water apart from distilled water or RO/DI water. unfortunately even rainwater can contain traces of phosphate which will contribute to this problem.

when you get the RO unit, do a 75% water change, and then from there top up only using RO water... this should ensure that over the next few weeks your phosphate levels should return to an acceptable level.

hopefully your problems will be fixed soon enough!!!

if you want some zoa frags or mushroom frags to get you back started again once your levels return to normal give me a yell... more than happy to donate you some to kickstart the tank again

 

[KoNP]

if you are feeding any frozen foods (marine green/frozen brine/mysis etc.) this can normally be your cause. to avoid this, you should defrost you frozen food on paper towel to soak up all moisture. or better yet make up your own food.

Yeah, I defrost them by running warm water over them while they're in a bit of filter wool, then separating small bits and rinsing them in tank water (that I took out previously). I don't need to feed a lot as my tank has few inhabitants right now.

another cause is from any topup water apart from distilled water or RO/DI water. unfortunately even rainwater can contain traces of phosphate which will contribute to this problem.

I'm quite sure the tap water I was originally using had phosphates and something else i couldn't test for in it, maybe pestecide or something? Whatever the case may be I do have to acknowledge that a) I was foolish to use tap water and b) the tank is doing better than it was.

when you get the RO unit, do a 75% water change, and then from there top up only using RO water... this should ensure that over the next few weeks your phosphate levels should return to an acceptable level.

Won't doing a water change like that massacre my bacterial colonies? I don't want to make the tank re-cycle again...

hopefully your problems will be fixed soon enough!!!

Fingers crossed.

if you want some zoa frags or mushroom frags to get you back started again once your levels return to normal give me a yell... more than happy to donate you some to kickstart the tank again

Dude, that would be fantastic. I really appreciate that offer. Thanks heaps :maitre

 

[funkngroovy]

The bacteria population are living in your rocks and your substrate, actually on any surface in your tank.
They are not free swimming so big water changes won't affect that.

You will need to keep an eye on your fish though. You will need to remove them, then aclimate them to the new tank water, just as though you had brought them home from the shop.

 

[KoNP]

HOORAY RO UNIT

Getting everything together and working was a bit of a struggle, had to go to Bunnings and buy a 15mm cap for the fitting as the tap wanted to spew water everywere. Also got thread tape to take care of leaks. Let it run for an hour to wash out the preservatives in the centre media, now I've got it making up 20L of pure water for me

Tested the waste water vs the permeate for phosphates: waste was something retarded like 1 or 2 ppm, permeate was 0. Also wanted to make sure the right water was coming out the right tubes :razz:

Here's the tank after a 16L change. I managed to nail the salinity and the alkalinity pretty much spot-on compared to the tank water, the temperature was half a degree C lower, and I made sure to put some calcium + 3 in the new water to make up for the lack of minerals.

You can see the green spots along the front where the algae has had sand blown over it. After putting the phosguard in one of my filters the other night, a great deal of the algae on the sand and the rocks came off while siphoning so I vacuumed it out, separated it from the sand, rinsed the sand and put it back in!

Very blue thanks to the actinics and my camera insisting that it wanted to make it look green if I tried adjusting the white balance. Those are my two new clowns to replace the two that tank-jumped. The smaller of the two survived but the first replacement we got went epileptic then just died for no (attributable) reason, and the second replacement got himself wedged between the glass and the internal filter and couldn't get out and died. The bigger of this pair is the 3rd replacement and he is fine and getting along with the smaller guy fine.

Big guy close up. He likes the camera.

And finally, the ricordea I got from Heath. Still doing fine, as you can see.

With any luck this RO unit will spell goodbye for all the hassles I've been having. I think it's ironic that a larger tank is relatively easier to look after than a nano, heh.

tmd - I'll let you know when I want to grab those mushie/zoa frags from you. Thanks again for the offer.

 

[KoNP]

Huh. Had to attach the Ric pic to this post lol.

There ya go.

 

[TimSchmidt]

Happy days! You can do some frequent and smaller water changes to help reduce any *bad* things in the water. Honestly I have had great success in doing three or four small water changes in a row. On my 20 gallon I changed out 2 gallons, then waited 10 minutes and changed 2 more, waited 10 minutes and then changed 2 more. That dropped all my negative tests VERY quickly and then put all my other trace minerals in ideal ranges.

(the 20 was a bare bottom hospital/quarantine tank and nitrates were an issue)

 

[KoNP]

Happy days! You can do some frequent and smaller water changes to help reduce any *bad* things in the water. Honestly I have had great success in doing three or four small water changes in a row. On my 20 gallon I changed out 2 gallons, then waited 10 minutes and changed 2 more, waited 10 minutes and then changed 2 more. That dropped all my negative tests VERY quickly and then put all my other trace minerals in ideal ranges.

(the 20 was a bare bottom hospital/quarantine tank and nitrates were an issue)

Yeah I did a smaller water change today. The algae is making a comeback on the sand mere hours after siphoning it out, I'm hoping it's just the intensity of the light - considering I'm running 2x actinic, 1x10000k and 1xFiji purple... I have to have them on in lots of 2 thanks to the fittings, so I have the actinics in one fitting and the white/purple in the other. Should I have only 2 on at a time and if so, which ones, in what combination? Otherwise I'm just going to deprive it of light for a few days and hope that and the lack of phosphates and other nutrients kill it.

One thing I've noticed is the water is spectacularly clear, it's probably got something to do with the purigen bag I have in one of the filters but still, it's become really noticable since using the RO water.

Here's an example of how clear the water has become in a day since using the RO unit.

Honestly, I thought it was clear before and I was wrong.

 

[TimSchmidt]

You may also benefit from putting in something like a koralia nano in the upper right of the tank blowing back against the rocks to help kill dead spots behind your rocks. Looks like the path the fish tank happiness. Instead of only running one set of lights how about backing down on photo period and increase weekly? (say 5 hours a day a week and each week add an hour until 8 hours?)

 

[KoNP]

What I might actually do is move that small powerhead at the front left there to the back left. There's already enough movement at the front of the tank thanks to the way the internal filter is blowing, and I'm pretty sure there's a massive dead spot behind those rocks on the left.

I only moved that powerhead to deal with a diatom outbreak at the front, so now that's dealt with I might as well move it back.

 

[tmd77]

what is your light schedule? do not deprive it of light rather then as time said, backign down on photo period.

do you have any/many hermit crabs in your tank... i'd probs look at having at least 4-6 as these will help with the clean up!

 

[funkngroovy]

good clean up crew are available free, and legally. Low tide Gold coast seaway.

Just go down and pick'em up :idea:

 

[KoNP]

good clean up crew are available free, and legally. Low tide Gold coast seaway.

Just go down and pick'em up :idea:

Sounds like a plan. Can you tell me what in particular to look for?

what is your light schedule? do not deprive it of light rather then as time said, backign down on photo period.

do you have any/many hermit crabs in your tank... i'd probs look at having at least 4-6 as these will help with the clean up!

Light schedule was usually get up at 6.45 am for work, stick the actinics on for a half hour, turn the 10000k/purple on at 715. Get home at 6.15-ish, turn off 10000K/Purple, leave actinics on for an hour or so. Not perfect but the only way that works given my schedule.

Today I left them off all day until just now when I got home, actinics on for a half hour, etc. I noticed that pretty much all the algae on the sand is gone, which is great for one day without light haha. The tank is facing a window but it's about 2 and a half meters across from it in the kitchen, so it gets -some-light but not a lot.

What kind of hermits do you recommend?

 

[funkngroovy]

There are lots of hermits and snails available.

Pick small ones. hermits can be found easily on a really low tide, .10m or lower. Check bom website for details.

The snails you need to be careful with. Don't pick the biggest. They could be carnivorous.

You need to turn some rocks over and get the ones that are black and grey with a plain looking shell. They are not inter-tidal and won't crawl out of your tank.

you may see cowrie's. Leave them, they love to crawl inside powerheads ect.

There are lots of cool critters that look like they will be great in your tank. Most of them won't be. Best to stick to the hermits and snails.

The best spot is on the western edge of the seaway where the rocks finish and the beach starts. eg you will be looking directly west from the beach.

Good luck.

 

[TimSchmidt]

12 hours of light is a bit much. Get a timer and I would say about 8 hours would be a good amount of time.

 

[KoNP]

The best spot is on the western edge of the seaway where the rocks finish and the beach starts. eg you will be looking directly west from the beach.

Good luck.

Can you point out on this photo where exactly you mean? Thanks dude, lol.

 

[funkngroovy]

dead centre of the pic.