established 55g want to re-aquascpae

[naso140]

right now the LR is running down the mid of my tank with space in front AND in back. im wanting to rescape it like a reef style tank, basically making one big stack in rear middle against the glass. right now i only have-
one bta
one zoo rock
2 majanos (blah i know but they dont spread)
one elephant ear mushroom (two on one rock)
2 damsels
2 clowns
2 emerald crabs
1 lawnmower blenny
10 hermits
so- should i take this time to rinse my LR or just restack and move on. i ask because there seems to be some of brown "dust" on my LR and it also gets stuck in some of the hair algea in my tank. thanks for any help you can give. i hope to be able to start this in about 3 hours so i would really,really really appreciate any advice

 

[fish addict]

Well brown dust sounds like diatoms but you'll probably want some one else to confirm that. If you want to take the time to redo your rocks I say go for it! But in my opinion I would do something a little more creative than the traditional "pile of rocks" unless you like that better which is fine. Some piles with different heights or one pile on each can look nice it just depends on what you prefer though. Branching tonga rock can look really nice and adds a lot of visual interest so you could pick up a piece or two next time you are at your local fish store. Are you doing water changes with RO water or tap water? If you are using tap water this could possibly be the reason for your algae issues. Good luck rescaping your tank!

 

[naso140]

thanks alot fishAddict. i do water changes with tap. i live in SA TX and the guy i bought it from off craigslist said all he ever did was "top off" with the SA tap.also at a couple of LFS ive heard that the tap here in SA is good for salt tanks. when i got the tank it was established for 18 months, with everything bought from seaworld. ive had it for about a year and its great except for this "dust". i like the pile look cause im gettin into corals lately and it seems as if you could just plug em' into holes.

 

[oak]

I've gotten this dust you speak but I only top-off with distilled. I believe that the dust is very fine sand (which gets stuck on the diatoms making it apear brown) but is easily cleaned with a turkey baster or just a powerhead. My filter eventually sucked up all the dust and my rock is clean and water crystall clear (except for the diatoms sighs). Oh and if you want to take the time to reaquascape go for it. I redid mine recently and it turned out great.

 

[naso140]

my buddy told me to scrub my LR of algea and diatoms so i bought a handheld brush with very firm bristles. can anyone else verify that its ok to do so before i pull the trigger

 

[naso140]

also i was wondering if, while im at it, i should pull off all the macroalgea tubes/trees that ive got growing or just leave it. its not outta control but its there if you look for it.

 

[naso140]

well. it is done and im very,very happy with it. ill post before and after pics tomorrow when it has cleared up and the hallides are on. thanks for the help guys. oh , and so far my only bonehead move was forgetting to keep track of the little kenya tree i bought today for 8 bucks. but i hear its hardy and propegates good so if it ever pops up good for me. thanks again

 

[naso140]

good news and bad. i found my little kenya tree. funny enough, it was right where i left it . bitter sweet news, my seaclone skimmer is finally foaming over into the cup however its dropping tons of micro bubbles into the tank. what should i do here. let it skim at the cost of MB, or tune it down so theres no foam or MB

 

[natclanwy]

Let your skimmer go for a while and see if it clears up if not then yes try and adjust it so that the bubbles don't travel into the tank. The addition of chemicals, foods or possibly in your case just stirring everything up can cause you skimmer to start over-skimming and with the seaclone the result is micro bubbles making it through the skimmer into the tank. The biggest problem most people have with the seaclone is constantly adjusting it. If you adjust it leave it alone for at least 24hrs before your try again or you will find yourself fighting it and usually losing.