Is there something wrong with my tank?

[chs]

I have a 56g Tall with a fluval 404 and about 65lbs live rock with 20lbs crushed coral. I currently have 3 damsels, 2 clowns, 1 emerald crab, 1 (or none?)fire shrimp, 3 nass snails, 3 mex turbos, 1 blue and 5 red legged hermits and 10 (or 8) turbo snails.
My tanks been up a little over 2 months and until now I haven't had many problems besides a bit of brown algae forming however I would still notice most changes to my tank.
For example after about 3 weeks I started to see a few bristle worms hiding in my rocks so I searched this forum and came to the conclusion that the bristle worms were not a threat so I left them alone. Roughly about 4 days later I noticed these small dark specks scattered everywhere. After watching my tank and some very close observation I assumed these small specks must be a group of baby turbo snails however now though there are a few less I'm under the impression they resemble cerith snails as opposed to turbo snails.
Now putting that aside my tanks maintained pretty steady. The problems I'm currently having are these,
1. My shrimp was last seen 24 hrs ago and I did notice a small red shell like item where the shrimp was last seen which is no longer there. I understand shrimps molt but mine just molted about 1 week or so ago. Could he be moulting again or just be history?
2. about 2 days before the missing shrimp I noticed a turned over snail which has yet to move leading me to believe that it to is history along with another turned over snail I found about 3 days before all of this began.
I have not removed the 2 snail shells because they are relatively small and I read on this forum that they wont cause any damage to my tank. Using a common marine water test kit and my results were
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
pH-8.8
Nitrate-20
Any advice or suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks....chs..

 

[coachklm]

Shrimp molt and when they do they are very vulnerable and will hide give it a couple days.. and snails will perish because , ... well they do and I have red legged reef hermits that have taken out 3 snails in front of my eyes. but if your snails fall off the glass they cannot turn themselves over. so you must do it or the crabs will feast. outside of nass. snails i believe. dont get to attached to snails and shrimp as they die/eaten all the time.

 

[chs]

Thanks for your help coach. Much appreciated ;D

 

[craig_08]

8.8 is pretty high pH. You want to get that down to about 8.3 or so. Check your calcium and alkalinity readings as high (or low) pH can drastically affect them. Do a search on the relationship between the three for some good reading.

 

[chs]

Originally Posted by Craig_08
8.8 is pretty high pH. You want to get that down to about 8.3 or so. Check your calcium and alkalinity readings as high (or low) pH can drastically affect them. Do a search on the relationship between the three for some good reading.
I have not checked my cal or alk (nor do I even have the test solutions) as the LFS claimed I should have no problems with either one due to my stock and equipment being used. I was told theres a slim to none chance of my stock affecting the levels of alk or cal this early in the stage.
I was also aware the pH is high so I went to the LFS and they advised me to do a 50% water change, clean up a bit and that will solve my problem and will also slow down any brown algae plus lower my Nitrate which is currently high too.
Is this true? Should I take the "not always reliable advise" form a LFS?

 

[craig_08]

Your LFS is correct in the fact that calcium and alk will not currently DIRECTLY affect your livestock. However, they do have an effect on pH, which will have an effect on your livestock. When I was a beginner, I could try to buffer and buffer but could not get my pH up for anything. It turned out that my alkalinity was too high and my calcium was too low preventing me from being able to buffer my pH. The three levels are all connected in a balance that I still do not fully understand.
Also, your LFS was correct that a water change will help a lot of things. It will help a lot with nitrates even though 20 is not an astronomical value by any stretch of the imagination. It can help with pH if you do it correctly. After you mix your salt, test the pH. Many salt mixes will have pH buffers already in them to put it at 8.3. If this is the case you do not need to add any additional buffer. Also, I use a buffer that only allows the pH to rise to 8.3 and no higher. Try looking for that so you do not run the risk of overdosing again.
I hope this helped and feel free to ask as many questions as you need.

 

[craig_08]

Oh yeah, they were also right that it will slow down algae growth, but it is only due to the reduction in nitrates. High nitrates, phosphates and silicates are the common culprits in algae growth. It will also remove any organic waste that has not been broken down yet. Don't make a habit out of doing 50% water changes though once you get your pH down. It is stressful on the system and can even cause a "mini-cycle" in some cases. Do routine small water changes and you will be fine.

 

[aztec reef]

Your tank looks fine to me, Although ph a little high but a few water changes with ro/di would help..
1.it could be another molt or an old one from other day that you haven't seen.
2. all the critters mentioned sound beneficial so i wouldn't worry about it either plus they're small they won't mess up the water quality. if you can pick them up and smell them then you can tell if they're dead.(snails)
Algea is normal for this juvenile tank.
so it all comes down to waterchanges....