I need some help with my tank.

[ashkan]

I am not a beginner but I don;t understand some of the water parameter issues involved with having a saltwater aquarium. I have a 55 gallon tank with a Magnum 350 Canister filter with reef carbon. I have two 58 watt T-5 bulbs, one is a 10,000K bulb and the other is an Actinic. I have a really good protein skimmer and one powerjet.
I have a 3.5 inch sand bed and over 90 pounds of live rock. Recently red slime algae has been growing on the sand and I treated it with red slime remover and I did a 50% water change. That got rid of the slime algae but my nitrates just won't go down! Now for the past few days my glass is full of greenish-brown algae and my sand has a little bit of green slime algae. I have also nitced little pockets of air in my sand bed that weren't there before. I have a good cleanup crew but I don't know what to do. I have heard of products that trun nitrates into a harmless gas but are those safe? Are they effective? Shouldn't I tackle the cause of the high nitrates instead of just masking it? I have heard that a thick sand bed (maybe 6 inches) is a good method for eliminating nitrates. Is this true?

 

[socal57che]

Inbound PM.

 

[jimmyr1rider]

Socal- I would before using any other chemicals to rid the nitrates due more frequent water changes mine were at 20 firm. I usually do 10 gallons once a week I did 10 gallons every other day, mainly to get diatom that was released from a faulty vortex but after a week and a half my nitrates were flat, and have been since. Can you cut back on feeding? That may have been where the red slime was getting its nutrients from. Maybe also trying to increase flow a little bit to where there is less chance of low flow areas for the slime to settle and start? Am no expert by any means but is just what comes to mind.
I did use that sam slime remover you did a year ago or so in my biocube that I had at the time and it worked, but this time around if I can solve a problem with heavy and or more frequent water changes would prefer to do it that way... Good luck and I look forward to hearing updates as things go on.

 

[raymond2688]

you will probably have to post your live stock and feeding schedule. I am no expert fairly new to saltwater. what kind of water are you using. these are the questions the experts will ask you. i would however hold off on any chemicals and let them help find the problem...good luck

 

[gill again68]

Yup, you need to post your parameters. Also post your critters. How many and such. How long has the tank been running. You do need to find the cause before you try to find a cure. More than likely with you having red slime algae you are feeding heavy. Thats a S.W.A.G..

 

[flower]

Phosphates and low water flow seems to be the primary cause of Cyano (red slime) How many power heads do you use?

 

[ashkan]

My water parameters are good, I get them checked weekly. As of last Sunday, Amonia is 0, Nitrates: 100, PH: 8.2 (I think, but the guy said it was ok) Salinity: 1.022
I have the following animals:
-Red scooter blenny
-Mandarin dragonet
-3 blue green chromis
-Maroon clownfish
-20 hermit crabs
-5 snails (I need more, I know)
-Emerald crab
-Pink cauliflower (carnation) coral
-Goniopora (flower pot coral) (I am getting rid of him soon because when I bought him my LFS didn't tell me that it wasn't suitable for my tank)
-Bubble coral
-Brown zoanthid frags
I feed them a cube of frozen brine shrimp a day. I also feed the goniopora frozen coral food that I melt in a cup and feed him with a turkey blaster. THe bubble coral also gets a bit of squid and krill 1-2 times a week.

 

[ashkan]

My tank has been running for about 6 months now.

 

[ashkan]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3240341

Phosphates and low water flow seems to be the primary cause of Cyano (red slime) How many power heads do you use?
I have one aquaclear 70 owerhead at the far leftcorner of the tank hitting the glass at a 45 degree angle and the outlet for the magnum filter at the other end of the tank also hitting the tank at a 45 degree angle.

 

[socal57che]

Hey,
I sent you the "list" and highlighted a couple places to go first. Here is an article on cyanobacteria. http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm
There are others in the email I sent.
Your frozen brine carries little, if any, nutritional value. It simply adds waste. Switch to mysis. Thaw and rinse it first. The liquid is saturated with proteins that go straight to the water column.
SLOWLY raise your SG/salinity to 1.025. Your inverts will thank you.
Nitrates are a product of decomposition, simply put. Reduce food/waste and you will reduce nitrates. Skimmers reduce nitrates. They remove particles from the water that lead to nitrate when broken down. Cultivating macroalgae will reduce nitrates. Doing religious water changes is, IMO, the best and most effective form of nitrate export. Water changes also replenish elements used by your livestock. Use RO water for top offs and mixing salt. You also need to increase your flow. Any place that food and waste can accumulate and break down is a nitrate factory. Avoid having dead areas in your tank. Check out the links I emailed you and read through them. They will greatly help you understand what is going on in your tank.

 

[salt210]

I read that you are using a canister filter, is this correct?
These things are notorious for causing water quality issues, IF, they are not taken care of properly

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by salt210
http:///forum/post/3240761
I read that you are using a canister filter, is this correct?
These things are notorious for causing water quality issues, IF, they are not taken care of properly

I have run canister filters for years with no issues. Anything will cause problems if not taken care of properly.
Canisters run silent, no need to drill the tank is a HUGE plus, and they allow for different media as needed. The spray bar adds excellent flow so your power heads can be pointed other directions instead of agitating the water surface.

 

[ashkan]

Originally Posted by socal57che
http:///forum/post/3240753
Hey,
I sent you the "list" and highlighted a couple places to go first. Here is an article on cyanobacteria. http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm
There are others in the email I sent.
Your frozen brine carries little, if any, nutritional value. It simply adds waste. Switch to mysis. Thaw and rinse it first. The liquid is saturated with proteins that go straight to the water column.
SLOWLY raise your SG/salinity to 1.025. Your inverts will thank you.
Nitrates are a product of decomposition, simply put. Reduce food/waste and you will reduce nitrates. Skimmers reduce nitrates. They remove particles from the water that lead to nitrate when broken down. Cultivating macroalgae will reduce nitrates. Doing religious water changes is, IMO, the best and most effective form of nitrate export. Water changes also replenish elements used by your livestock. Use RO water for top offs and mixing salt. You also need to increase your flow. Any place that food and waste can accumulate and break down is a nitrate factory. Avoid having dead areas in your tank. Check out the links I emailed you and read through them. They will greatly help you understand what is going on in your tank.
As a matter of fact I got some live brine from the fish store today. I will ask for mysis next time I go. I've been feeding my fish brine since I started out my tank and they've readily accepted it.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3240341

Phosphates and low water flow seems to be the primary cause of Cyano (red slime) How many power heads do you use?
Low water flow is not a cause of cyanobacteria. The bubbles in your sand are probably from denitrifying bacteria stripping the oxygen from nitrate ions and producing nitrogen gas.
DSB is a nice help at reducing nitrates.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by ashkan
http:///forum/post/3241270
As a matter of fact I got some live brine from the fish store today. I will ask for mysis next time I go. I've been feeding my fish brine since I started out my tank and they've readily accepted it.
Most fish love to eat live brine, but they don't offer nutrition. I love to eat chocolate cake...but it isn't necessarily good for me.

I used to occasionally hatch brine to feed as a treat.

 

[ibanez]

Newly hatched brine are higher in fats and not much protein, the older the brine get, the less fat and more protein they contain, you still would want to gut load them so that they contain more nutrition, but you can only gut load brine that are a couple days old as they are not developed enough to feed in the first 12 to 24 hours after hatching and they contain a yolk sac for nutrition.

 

[flower]

How high are your nitrates?
Are you using tap water?
Is your tank fish only or do you have coral? I don't remember if you posted that info before so forgive me for asking again.
What makes up the CUC?

 

[ashkan]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3241646

How high are your nitrates?
Are you using tap water?
Is your tank fish only or do you have coral? I don't remember if you posted that info before so forgive me for asking again.
What makes up the CUC?
As of last week my nitrates were at 100ppm but yesterday I bought a bottle of Instant Ocean "Natural Nitrate Reducer." To be honest I don't have much hope in it but Instant Ocean being the reliable brand that it is made me give it a try. I will get a nitrate test done next week.
No, I do not use tap water. I only buy water from the fish store, be it salt or fresh water.
I will tell you everything I have in my tank:
3 blue green chromis
1 maroon clown
1 mandarin
1 red scooter blenny
1 blue tang as of yesterday
1 black and white 3 stripe damsel who I am trying to get rid of.
1 pink/strawberry cauliflower/carnation coral
1 white bubble coral
1 goniopora/flower pot coral who I am also trying to get rid of
1 brain coral as of yesterday
CUC consists of:
20+ hermit crabs
5 or so of the fat mexican snails (I know I need more)
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab
I have my eyes on a cleaner shrimp but my LFS has them for 25 dollars so I don't think that it would be worth the price.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by ashkan
http:///forum/post/3241692
I will get a nitrate test done next week.
You need to pick up a test kit and begin testing your water parameters regularly. Most everything can be traced to, or identified by, water quality. Testing your water is how you determine what is going on in your tank. It's your tank's way of communicating with you. When you post a question concerning a problem, the first thing we will ask for is your current water parameters. You should become familiar with doing your own water tests rather than relying on your LFS. If something goes south, you need to be able to test your water immediately.

 

[ashkan]

Just bought an all in one test kit from ---- made by a company named API
It's the same kit my LFS uses.
So, now I have a question about fish nutrition, I have been feeding my fish brine, live and frozen since I started my tank. I now realize that is not the best idea. Looking above at the fish on my tank, what food do you recommend? Other than the brine, I attach a piece of seaweed to a clip for my blue tang... and the squid and krill for my Bubble coral. I have heard that formula 1 & 2 are good. What is the difference between flake and pellet and what advantages & disadvantages do they have?
Best Regards,
Ash