Help Me Add Final Fish to my Nano Tank

[Luvthekeys]

I have a 28 gallon JBJ Nano Tank 89 Watt Lighting, 30 Lbs of live and recently added dry rock which is quickly becoming Live rock. Large cleanup crew which is doing a good job. I have three fish in there now, Royal Gamma, blue fin damsel and six line wrasse. I had a lawnmower Blenny who was crushed in rock slide. I like blennies but there is a shortage of algae in the tank and I do not want to take a chance he will start to eat Nori/seaweed. I like the body shape and looks of a blenny or goby but do not need a tunneler or a sand sifter. I already have a sand sifting couch, brittle sea star and two sand cleaning clams. I also do not want a terror in the tank i.e. other fish or coral. Any ideas since I do not want to add anymore fish after this one. I like some of the pygmy angels but see there could be some problems with them. I am very open to suggestions. My water parameters are good my only problem right now it maintaining dKH. Which something is using up and bringing me down to the low end for a reef tank.

 

[pegasus]

You could easily add a couple of clown gobies. Great additions, get along with everyone, will eat anything, very cute, and stay small. They'll perch on rocks, or stick to the glass, depending on their mood... lol! I really like the yellow pair that I have in my 40B...

 

[jay0705]

Agreed on clowns. Or a midas blenny

 

[Luvthekeys]

Thanks Guys I ordered one Tribal Face Clown and One Midas Blenny. Of course I also ordered a four Acan pack to get my order to a point I get free shipping in Florida. Always wanted some Acans anyway. Just another excuse to get more stuff.

 

[jay0705]

Nice. Tribal face, u mean a green clown goby?

 

[Luvthekeys]

Yep

 

[jay0705]

Ok thought so. Have myself, seems outa place in my big tank tho lol

 

[Luvthekeys]

In my tank two inch fish look large! My one big problem is maintaining my dKH. Something is drawing it down and I do not want to add too much buffer. Having a hard time getting it above seven . Using Hanna and API test to confirm results. Now using Baking soda and Baked Baking Soda as additive. Everybody appears happy so who knows.

 

[jay0705]

Hmm, I thought I read somebody else was having the same issue

 

[Luvthekeys]

Yeah a read a few but most had dosing systems. I do it by checking tests results and adding amounts of what I need. I attached a photo of the tank. I have a lot of crabs and other invertebrate. I do not have much coral of any size. So the answer remains elusive.

 

[jay0705]

It shouldn't be your macro. Are u using a reef salt?

 

[lmforbis]

Don't some macros have a calcareous skeleton? I don't know much about them but you sure have some beautiful ones.

 

[Luvthekeys]

Yes and have checked the parameters before adding during water changes. I am using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. It is testing out in line with its claims of various levels of additives. I can get the tank up to where i want it but only for a short time maybe a day or two.

 

[Luvthekeys]

Inforbis, thank you and thanks to Tampa Bay where my live rock came from. All my macros appeared weeks and even months after starting the tank. I believe the red stringy one is calcareous.Someone told me their Tangs love the stuff. I have a seperate thread on what types of Macro Algae I have.

 

[lmforbis]

I've looked at their web site I don't really need enough to make it cost effective for me to order it and have it shipped to Minnesota. But I've been tempted.

 

[Luvthekeys]

If it is the same company I used they have been dropping the rock into there area and harvesting it later. I have two sea urchins which appeared after a month or so and they are growing like weeds. Now I did put this live rock in a new tank without any treatment. Just shoved it in and waited to see what happened. I am sure results will vary but that is what happened to me. Plus I only live 100 miles away so it arrived very fresh. They even asked me if I wanted to wait they would be getting new stuff since they were running low. I told them I had a Nano Tank and size and ship me what they thought was best. I was in a hurry to get started. Sixty eight and still have not learned to have patience in certain things.

By the way I have to trim that red macaroni type macro algae quite a bit it grows like a weed.

 

[jay0705]

Lol yes there are hard macros. There has to be something depleting your dkh. Have u tried mixing it and checking the mix a few days later. Just to see if that dropped

 

[pegasus]

Hmm, I thought I read somebody else was having the same issue

I had that problem awhile back. I switched to Soda Ash and it finally stabilized. I allowed my Calcium to drop between 420 - 450 ppm, and that seemed to help. Had to dose the new alk carefully, as it raises pH rapidly. I set my doser to add it in the early morning, and all is well.

Don't some macros have a calcareous skeleton? I don't know much about them but you sure have some beautiful ones.

The Halimeda and Red Tree Gracilaria in luvthekeys' tank have calcareous skeletons. Not sure what those are in the top right, but they look like red trees. Possibly calcareous. Can't forget that coralline algae uses Alk and Cal, as well as snails, shrimp, and crabs to build their shells. However, Alk and Cal should fall at equal rates. That's the weird part...

 

[Luvthekeys]

Well today I noticed my calcium had dropped from 420 to 340 over a two day period. That was not happening when the problem first showed up. So maybe things are stabilizing. The buffered water I mix up using baking soda and baked baking soda maxes out my Hamma alkalinity checker. So I use very little at a time and then test. Soon I will figure out correct amount. Cant see buying a doser for my Nano. That is why I check my parameters so much. I also use Kent Pro Buffer dKH. By the way there is other Red MacroAlgae that looks like short wavy kelp and a little red bubble algae.

Pegasus can you identify the yellowish macro algae in the tank looking at the photo just to the right and below the Red Tree Gracilaria? Also you can see the other Red MacroAlgae right behind the Red Tree Gracilaria.




My friend who is much younger but has had many large Marine tanks stopped by yesterday and was having a hard time recognizing some of my MacroAlgae. He did like it though.