diiiiirty tank 12 gallon nano

[mach03infront]

problem: i need help keeping my tank not looking like a green algae pit!!!

i have a jbj 12 gallon nano cube with maybe 15 pounds of live rock
Have 1 clown, 1 jawfish, cleaner shrimp and some snails etc....
i do weekly water changes 2-3 gallons and rinse the filter media.
i have a 70 watts sunpod that runs maybe 6-8 hours a day
filter media only the three sponges right now.
questions- should i have something in the 2 compartment in my filter maybe running a sock? i don't want to have a skimmer. also what is the reason to run carbon? do's and don'ts! i think i may need to get new filters?
please help!!

 

[coraljunky]

Have you tested for phosphates or nitrates? What is your water source?

 

[paintballer768]

Both of what coraljunky said can make algae bloom. If you have a friend that has a some coralline in his tank, have him scrape you off a piece of it and introduce it to your tank, if you dont already have it. Youd much rather the coralline have the algae nutrients than the hair.

 

[nietzsche]

not sure how the jbjs are. in my biocube i scraped the paint off the back chamer and added a fuge light to it and have a reverse photoperiod. i keep a heater in the 1st compartment, 2nd compartment i keep chaeto, 3rd chamber i have a maxijet 900 and then i have that hooked up to a hydorflo. are you using ro/di? do you overfeed?

 

[mach03infront]

i may be on the heavy side when feeding ... but there always soo hungry!

i use a mixture of different water from one of my bigger tanks and a little fresh salt water

 

[nietzsche]

you recycle the water from your larger tanks into the small one you mean? that might be the reason why also

 

[paintballer768]

Ya nietzsche is right. The other tank has nitrates in it, so youre adding nitrate water to your tank and it will only compound. I would use water from your LFS from now on and you should see a difference. Also try to monitor the feeding

 

[mach03infront]

my water par is great in the other tank... i feel that maybe adding a sock or some type of plants?

 

[shrimpi]

overfeeding is probably the main issue, along with those SPONGES in your filter!
the extra food gets stuck to the sponges and rots.
The fish arent going to die of starvation, even though they are really good at acting like it

try to ease up on feeding...
and use RO water for gods sakes.

 

[mach03infront]

so what should i do filter wise shrimpi? i was thinking about chemi-pure eilte and purigen with some filter floss.... but i have never use these products before other than filter floss any ideas will be helpful!

 

[donald]

I think what shrimpi and others are tring to say is if you don't make a mess then you don't have to clean it up, basicly. If you regulate the food then you don't have to worry as much about the filters. Instead of tring to remedy an outcome (alage) try to stop it from happening in the first place. It's hard, I know, my fish act like I haven't feed them in days, even an hour after they have eaten! It takes patientce and pratice but it is worth the effort. Hope this helps.

 

[shrimpi]

less is more.
you shouldnt 'need' chemi pure or purigen on the daily.
make sure you have good flow and put something to grab detritus if you want(like filter floss) and clean it often (the word 'often' is based on how often you overfeed )
your live sand and LR will help to break down biological wastes.
it is not necessary to add chemicals to your tank to accomplish that task.
You could add carbon occaisionally to help keep the water clear, but most people try to limit the amount of 'additives' used.
Happy Reefing!
Jessica.