36 Gallon Bowfront
- Thread starter uscmizzy
- Start date
Kristin1234
Active Member
A 36 gallon is way too small for your tang!!
A shrimp will not eat algae.
A shrimp will not eat algae.
Chico555
New Member
Your tank is coming along! From your water parameters, your nitrates are still too high. 40ppm can be tolerated by the fishes, but invertebrates will not do well, unless you bring your nitrates down. My nitrate levels stay consistent at < 5ppm. I would suggest another water change, around 20%, and continue with the water changes until your levels drop. At one point, due to overfeeding, my nitrates jumped to ~30ppm. I performed water changes for three days in a row and got everything back in check. What type of water are you using for your water changes and how often are they performed? Also, how much are you feeding? You will get different answers on this topic, but I tend to perform small feedings (whatever they can eat in a minute) 3x/day. After a while, I learned how much to feed, while maintaining my nitrates in check. Plus, since I don't run a sump or a fuge, I tend to perform water checks at least 3x/week and a 20% water change 1x/week to ensure everything is in order. For some people, this can be an inconvenience, but for me.....it's actually fun. I would recommend you bring down your nitrate levels before adding anything else, and watch how much you add to the tank and how soon. Adding to much too fast can dramatically affect the bio load. With reef tanks, it's best to research in advance what your adding and take it slow....I'll usually just add one item (fish, coral...etc), and then monitor my bio load for a few weeks before I add anything else. but that's just my $0.02. Also, a tang is not an ideal fish for this size tank. I had a blue tang, and it developed "ick" within days of being placed in the tank due to the stress of not having ample space. These fish are notorious for getting "ick." Here's a pic' of my tank. Hopefully this was not too long of a response 
. When it comes to reef tanks, I could talk for hours.
. When it comes to reef tanks, I could talk for hours.
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Kristin1234
Active Member
Your tank is coming along! From your water parameters, your nitrates are still too high. 40ppm can be tolerated by the fishes, but invertebrates will not do well, unless you bring your nitrates down. My nitrate levels stay consistent at < 5ppm. I would suggest another water change, around 20%, and continue with the water changes until your levels drop. At one point, due to overfeeding, my nitrates jumped to ~30ppm. I performed water changes for three days in a row and got everything back in check. What type of water are you using for your water changes and how often are they performed? Also, how much are you feeding? You will get different answers on this topic, but I tend to perform small feedings (whatever they can eat in a minute) 3x/day. After a while, I learned how much to feed, while maintaining my nitrates in check. Plus, since I don't run a sump or a fuge, I tend to perform water checks at least 3x/week and a 20% water change 1x/week to ensure everything is in order. For some people, this can be an inconvenience, but for me.....it's actually fun. I would recommend you bring down your nitrate levels before adding anything else, and watch how much you add to the tank and how soon. Adding to much too fast can dramatically affect the bio load. With reef tanks, it's best to research in advance what your adding and take it slow....I'll usually just add one item (fish, coral...etc), and then monitor my bio load for a few weeks before I add anything else. but that's just my $0.02. Also, a tang is not an ideal fish for this size tank. I had a blue tang, and it developed "ick" within days of being placed in the tank due to the stress of not having ample space. These fish are notorious for getting "ick." Here's a pic' of my tank. Hopefully this was not too long of a response
Your tank looks sweet!
uscmizzy
Member
I have a deal with the lfs that is she gets two big before I upgrade that he will take her and give me another small one for trade. Yes I added the tang then waited 2 weeks and made sure everything was OK then added the two snails.
So any tips or ideas on live rock placement and setup?
So what should I get to deal. With the green hair algae?
I have been doing a 5 gallon change weekly should I do more?
I get my water from the lfs premixed
Also thinking of adding another powerhead to make 2 and a protein skimmer, thoughts?
I also have a 20 gallon tank just sitting around so looking for ideas for that maybe a sump?
Thanks everybody for the replies and help!
So any tips or ideas on live rock placement and setup?
So what should I get to deal. With the green hair algae?
I have been doing a 5 gallon change weekly should I do more?
I get my water from the lfs premixed
Also thinking of adding another powerhead to make 2 and a protein skimmer, thoughts?
I also have a 20 gallon tank just sitting around so looking for ideas for that maybe a sump?
Thanks everybody for the replies and help!
Chico555
New Member
That's great to hear about the tang! Just keep an eye on her for any signs of stress. Mine was a pain to catch. She would hide "underneath" the rocks. I pretty much had to take ALL of my rock and coral out of the tank to finally catch her.
With regards to rock/coral placement.....this is the fun part.......just be creative. When I put my tank together, I intended on having crabs and shrimp, so I put some live rock together in the shape of a cave so they can hide with lots of live sand with crushed coral so my pistol shrimp and goby could burrow. With all of the other rocks, I just rearranged everything else until I was satisfied it looked nice. Plus, if you add more live rock and sand, it will be beneficial to your eco system. I would also visit my lfs, and arrange live rocks in different patterns until I found something that would look pretty cool in my tank.
About the green hair algae, once you decrease your nitrates, you will have better control. High nitrates fuel this problem. I highly recommend you start combating this problem by placing a protein skimmer on your tank to remove dissolved organic compounds.
Since your nitrates are not through the roof, I recommend you begin with a 20% (~8 gal) water change, followed by a 10%. I'm confident that if you add a skimmer, along with the water changes, your nitrates will significantly drop. I run my skimmer 24/7. Also, you can place some dragon breath algae in your tank. It looks really cool (especially at night under the blue lights) and it helps lower nitrates. Many fellow hobbyists place some in their refugium. I used to have a bunch in my tank until I got some emerald crabs. They had a feast with this stuff! You can also add some NO3 PO4 biological nitrate and phosphate reducer. This stuff works great! It will quickly lower your nitrates, but you will need to ensure to address the problem. Along with the skimmer and water changes, I feel you should have your nitrates under control in no time. Also watch how much you feed. Although, I don't think this is the problem in your case. Once you lower your nitrates, add some more "cleaning crew" and this will also help.
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Fish-Pharm-ARE22203/dp/B006L48D3U?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00
Premixed water huh? Is it expensive? I started by mixing my own with RODI, but I quickly transitioned to using seawater from Scripps Aquarium. They offer the filtered saltwater used for their aquariums to the public for free. In any case, the water you are using should be fine.
Sure, you can add another powerhead! Just be careful on the flow rate. Too much flow in your tank can be detrimental. And "yes, yes, yes" on the skimmer!! It's a must. There are many HOB skimmers to choose from. I use the CPR Bak Pak. Many people do not care for this skimmer, but I've never had any problems with it. It's been working like a champ, and each week I get a lot of skimmate. However, it doesn't perform any surface skimming, so you will get a light oily film on top. If I were to purchase another, I would get the Tunze 9004. It can be placed inside your tank, it's super quiet, small and it performs surface skimming. It has received many positive reviews and it will not break the bank.
A sump is a great addition, but I don't feel they are always necessary. I've been doing fine without a sump or a fuge for a year now. To add a sump to your tank you would need an external or internal overflow box. The external boxes are not very popular. Over time they have the potential to leak all over your floor. With an internal overflow box, you would need to drill your tank. Not sure if it can be done with a bowfront (tempered glass?). If it can be drilled, unfortunately you will need to drain your tank completely. I plan to upgrade soon and my next tank will be definitely be a reef ready (drilled) tank. I will add a sump then.
Hope this helps.......and good luck!!! Keep us updated
Oh yeah....what's your favorite fish so far? Mine is the yellow watchman goby. I love to watch my goby and pistol shrimp work together digging holes all over the place......actually, the shrimp does all of the work.
And the one I dislike most........domino damsels. They are some of the meanest fish I've encountered. The one I had would bully every other fish in the tank....no matter how big they were.
With regards to rock/coral placement.....this is the fun part.......just be creative. When I put my tank together, I intended on having crabs and shrimp, so I put some live rock together in the shape of a cave so they can hide with lots of live sand with crushed coral so my pistol shrimp and goby could burrow. With all of the other rocks, I just rearranged everything else until I was satisfied it looked nice. Plus, if you add more live rock and sand, it will be beneficial to your eco system. I would also visit my lfs, and arrange live rocks in different patterns until I found something that would look pretty cool in my tank.
About the green hair algae, once you decrease your nitrates, you will have better control. High nitrates fuel this problem. I highly recommend you start combating this problem by placing a protein skimmer on your tank to remove dissolved organic compounds.
Since your nitrates are not through the roof, I recommend you begin with a 20% (~8 gal) water change, followed by a 10%. I'm confident that if you add a skimmer, along with the water changes, your nitrates will significantly drop. I run my skimmer 24/7. Also, you can place some dragon breath algae in your tank. It looks really cool (especially at night under the blue lights) and it helps lower nitrates. Many fellow hobbyists place some in their refugium. I used to have a bunch in my tank until I got some emerald crabs. They had a feast with this stuff! You can also add some NO3 PO4 biological nitrate and phosphate reducer. This stuff works great! It will quickly lower your nitrates, but you will need to ensure to address the problem. Along with the skimmer and water changes, I feel you should have your nitrates under control in no time. Also watch how much you feed. Although, I don't think this is the problem in your case. Once you lower your nitrates, add some more "cleaning crew" and this will also help.
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Fish-Pharm-ARE22203/dp/B006L48D3U?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00
Premixed water huh? Is it expensive? I started by mixing my own with RODI, but I quickly transitioned to using seawater from Scripps Aquarium. They offer the filtered saltwater used for their aquariums to the public for free. In any case, the water you are using should be fine.
Sure, you can add another powerhead! Just be careful on the flow rate. Too much flow in your tank can be detrimental. And "yes, yes, yes" on the skimmer!! It's a must. There are many HOB skimmers to choose from. I use the CPR Bak Pak. Many people do not care for this skimmer, but I've never had any problems with it. It's been working like a champ, and each week I get a lot of skimmate. However, it doesn't perform any surface skimming, so you will get a light oily film on top. If I were to purchase another, I would get the Tunze 9004. It can be placed inside your tank, it's super quiet, small and it performs surface skimming. It has received many positive reviews and it will not break the bank.
A sump is a great addition, but I don't feel they are always necessary. I've been doing fine without a sump or a fuge for a year now. To add a sump to your tank you would need an external or internal overflow box. The external boxes are not very popular. Over time they have the potential to leak all over your floor. With an internal overflow box, you would need to drill your tank. Not sure if it can be done with a bowfront (tempered glass?). If it can be drilled, unfortunately you will need to drain your tank completely. I plan to upgrade soon and my next tank will be definitely be a reef ready (drilled) tank. I will add a sump then.
Hope this helps.......and good luck!!! Keep us updated
Oh yeah....what's your favorite fish so far? Mine is the yellow watchman goby. I love to watch my goby and pistol shrimp work together digging holes all over the place......actually, the shrimp does all of the work.
And the one I dislike most........domino damsels. They are some of the meanest fish I've encountered. The one I had would bully every other fish in the tank....no matter how big they were.
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Chico555
New Member
uscmizzy
Member
Have done the water changes but nitrates still a little high. Haven't found a protein skimmer for the price I can afford at this time but still looking. Rearranged my live rock to make it more stable and will try to put a picture up soon.
Any ideas on a good cheaper protein skimmer? I have looked on a couple sites but to no avail.
Looking at another powerhead I have decided to get another aqueon but the smallest one to add some flow but not overpower like I have been warned about. Thoughts?
My premixed water is 1.50 a gallon, high or low?
My favorite fish is the blue reef chromis and would love to get some one day.
Are there any inverts that deal with green hair algae?
Any ideas on a good cheaper protein skimmer? I have looked on a couple sites but to no avail.
Looking at another powerhead I have decided to get another aqueon but the smallest one to add some flow but not overpower like I have been warned about. Thoughts?
My premixed water is 1.50 a gallon, high or low?
My favorite fish is the blue reef chromis and would love to get some one day.
Are there any inverts that deal with green hair algae?
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
It depends on your price range. The reef octopus hang on is a pretty good one reasonably priced at around $150. Unless you have coral you don't really need one immediately. Better to save up for a good one. I've bought cheap skimmers and it just wasn't worth it.
I have never bought premixed salt water. I pay $50 for enough salt for 200 gallons (Fosters and Smith delivered to my door with free shipping) which is $0.25 per gallon and RO water at Walmart is $0.37 that is only $0.62 a gallon. A budget RODI unit can be found for $150.00 If you split that cost over the first 200 gallons it is only $0.75 a gallon. If you look at it that way the first 200 gallons made yourself. Would be around $1.00 per gallon and much cheaper after that. It depends on how much you can spend initially. I did tote water from Walmart for about 6 months until I could buy my own RODI system.
I have never had any invert eat hair algae except my Halloween urchin and tuxedo urchin but they weren't great at it. The first year the algae cycles through the tank, it comes and goes. Sometimes the type will change. The best way to get rid of it is to keep phosphate and nitrate low. Blow off the rocks regularly to get the crap out of the crevasses, lots of flow. I don't think you can have too much. Even in my 20 gallon quarantine tank I run a 800 gph power head. I have a bunch of them that I bought on Amazon for about $10 each. I have been using some of them constantly for close to 2 years with no problem. I figure even if they break now I've gotten my money's worth. I like having spares for emergencies.
I am also a fan of blue reef chromis someday I will get some. You should be able to have one. Chromis will pick each other off until there is only one left especially in a small tank so only one.
I have never bought premixed salt water. I pay $50 for enough salt for 200 gallons (Fosters and Smith delivered to my door with free shipping) which is $0.25 per gallon and RO water at Walmart is $0.37 that is only $0.62 a gallon. A budget RODI unit can be found for $150.00 If you split that cost over the first 200 gallons it is only $0.75 a gallon. If you look at it that way the first 200 gallons made yourself. Would be around $1.00 per gallon and much cheaper after that. It depends on how much you can spend initially. I did tote water from Walmart for about 6 months until I could buy my own RODI system.
I have never had any invert eat hair algae except my Halloween urchin and tuxedo urchin but they weren't great at it. The first year the algae cycles through the tank, it comes and goes. Sometimes the type will change. The best way to get rid of it is to keep phosphate and nitrate low. Blow off the rocks regularly to get the crap out of the crevasses, lots of flow. I don't think you can have too much. Even in my 20 gallon quarantine tank I run a 800 gph power head. I have a bunch of them that I bought on Amazon for about $10 each. I have been using some of them constantly for close to 2 years with no problem. I figure even if they break now I've gotten my money's worth. I like having spares for emergencies.
I am also a fan of blue reef chromis someday I will get some. You should be able to have one. Chromis will pick each other off until there is only one left especially in a small tank so only one.
Kristin1234
Active Member
My eschopps skimmer wasn't the most expensive and it works great for my system. Octopus is a better skimmer, but was also way more pricey for my 100 gallon system.
I have heard that green emerald crabs and spiny astrae snails will eat the hair algae.
I have 2 emerald crabs and I haven't noticed if they ate the green hair algae or if my water changes, killing of the lights and rinsing all frozen foods contributed to the reduction of the algae. No telling. I tried getting the spiny astraea snails but they were literally put of stock EVERYWHERE I looked.
I have heard that green emerald crabs and spiny astrae snails will eat the hair algae.
I have 2 emerald crabs and I haven't noticed if they ate the green hair algae or if my water changes, killing of the lights and rinsing all frozen foods contributed to the reduction of the algae. No telling. I tried getting the spiny astraea snails but they were literally put of stock EVERYWHERE I looked.
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
If you get something like this to do your water changes you can prevent siphoning the sand with the water. https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-python-pro-clean-gravel-washer-siphon-kit-with-squeeze-medium
I would avoid adding new sand. If you do add some it can be regular sand just don't put it on top of the old. Move the old to the side so you have a spot with no sand then add the new. Adding new to the top of the old can cause some issues.
Do you have a sump to put the skimmer into or does it need to be hang on.
I would avoid adding new sand. If you do add some it can be regular sand just don't put it on top of the old. Move the old to the side so you have a spot with no sand then add the new. Adding new to the top of the old can cause some issues.
Do you have a sump to put the skimmer into or does it need to be hang on.
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
For hang on skimmers I am not seeing a decent one for less then $100. The Reef octopus 100 is around 150 so is the eshopps (Kristin has eshopps) hang on skimmer, similar size. Stay away from the CRP skimmer. Only about $25 less than the Reef Octo and build quality is horrible.
Look at Bulk Reef Supply's web site less selection but all are good ones. Maybe Fosters and smith too, you just have to watch for quality.
Look at Bulk Reef Supply's web site less selection but all are good ones. Maybe Fosters and smith too, you just have to watch for quality.
uscmizzy
Member
So after reading comments and talking with everybody I'm gonna hold on buying a skimmer and then buy the reef octopus it looks perfect for what I need. I'm gonna continue 20% water changes weekly and monitor the green algae until it is gone. Also bought the smallest version of the aqueon powerhead to create a little more flow so any placement ideas would be appreciated.