we need help with small reef system

[tiberius]

I would think so since the tank isn't stabilized. But, I just thought of why you lost your bac. growth. All those water changes!!! You guys were doing it every week. You weren't feeding the tank enough to support all that fresh water. How about that idea?

 

[rabbit_72]

Originally Posted by Tiberius
I would think so since the tank isn't stabilized. But, I just thought of why you lost your bac. growth. All those water changes!!! You guys were doing it every week. You weren't feeding the tank enough to support all that fresh water. How about that idea?
Sounds reasonable.......but hubby does 55 gallon on a weekly basis, although he says he's gonna do less, I think. His tank never lost bac. growth. Would that be because my tank is smaller. Also, I was told smaller systems need more frequent changes. Not so? What would you recommend? I just don't want to keep making the same mistakes. It would seem that my smaller tank needs different care than hubby's larger tank.

 

[tiberius]

I would just test the nitrate levels and do a water change if it is high. Before I got into all these new corals, (I used to just have a tank loaded with blue, hairy and erythropodium), I used to change the water maybe every 4 or 5 months. Since I got this mandarin, I have been feeding the tank Cyclopeeze every day in the morning and still feed the tank flake and plus now feed it Phytoplex twice a week. Plus, I have been feeding the tang a 3 inch strip of Nuri now. I have to change mine every 1 or 2 weeks.

 

[rabbit_72]

Makes sense. We don't change the water in the FW tank very often and everybody is doing well. And hubby doesn't do the QT as often either. No problems there. We will cut back on changes unless needed then.
Candy cane corals look a little poofyier (is that a word??) and starburst polyps are hanging on. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Thanks for all your help! I'd still be sitting here perplexed as to what to do if you hadn't helped!

 

[tiberius]

I was glad to be of service to ya!

I would love to see pics later of a blossoming tank.

 

[rabbit_72]

Originally Posted by Tiberius
I was glad to be of service to ya!

I would love to see pics later of a blossoming tank.

Yeah...so would I !!!

It would be a real treat if we could bring the tank back to it's former glory. I'd post pics of it, but it seems the pics are just as lost as the tank itself. I put them on disc and now I can not access them. Pity.

 

[rabbit_72]

As of July 1st:
pH 8.2
ammonia 0 - 0.25 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 0ppm
calcium 480 ppm
and the new test ya'll recommended:
alkalinity 3 meg/l
O2 5 - 8 mg/l
phosphate 0.25mg/l
and temp is 80 degrees and salinity is 1.025
Went to the frag swap this weekend and picked a another couple of powerheads for our tanks, including this one, for only $5 each! Thought that was a great buy. Will post pics of the frags we got soon. The frags will go into the other tank until this one is stable. Hope that happens!! Also, picked up some "rubble" from the lfs's live rock tank, and hope that helps, too.

 

[tiberius]

Hello there,
I don't know what the normal readings are supposed to be for those last three tests. I never tested for them in my tank. I suppose you just need to wait for that ammonia to get back down to zero and I guess the nitrite would raise then. Been so long since I had to cycle a tank. Glad to hear you got some rubble from the store. That will surely help seed the tank again. Keep an eye out for those pods!

 

[rabbit_72]

O2 and phosphate seem to be in a safe range, according to directions.... I think the alkalinity may be low. How do I raise it, do you know?

 

[rabbit_72]

Anyone....? Anyone......? Bueller? Bueller???

 

[rabbit_72]

Ok, so no new ideas on raising the alkalinity....Well, now I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak, with the leak in the 55 gallon tank, so off to fix that now. However just as an update, my little, tiny ricordeas are looking slightly better. I moved the rock closer to the top just a tad and they seem to like it, for now. And hubby put his decorator crab in my 29g tank and lo and behold the darn thing still lives 2-3 days later. Can't be all that bad in there, can it? But it is still going through the cycling process.

 

[rslinger]

Do you dose a two part buffer for cal. If so one of the parts is alk. Slowly add a little everyday until you reach the right level. Keep an eye on the cal as you do this.

 

[rabbit_72]

Originally Posted by Rslinger
Do you dose a two part buffer for cal. If so one of the parts is alk. Slowly add a little everyday until you reach the right level. Keep an eye on the cal as you do this.
Thanks, Rslinger. I don't know how to do that, but perhaps I'll find something to read up on it or ask my LFS.
Appriciate your response! I have coral frags waiting for this tank to get fixed up and ready for them!

 

[rabbit_72]

Good Morning!
I just ran more tests on my tank today. I must be one of the few people who were hoping for a nitrite spike and sure enough I did. But my ammonia is higher than it has ever been. I did have a turbo snail die. Not from tank conditions, but because he got stuck on my powerhead. I thought he was okay cuz he was still moving around, but apparently not. Could that have caused the ammonia to rise like it did? I am planning on a 4 gallon water change on Saturday. Is this too much or too little? Here's my numbers:
pH 7.8
temp 82
ammonia 1.0
nitrite .50
nitrate 0
calcium 405ppm
alkalinity 3.5 meg/l
O2 8-11 mg/l (hard to read those pink colors!)
phosphate .25 mg/l
My pH is low as is my alkalinity (I think).
Forgot to mention that my LR has colored up beautifully. I hope that is a good sign.

 

[tiberius]

Hey there!!
I would think that because the snail died and your tank hasn't cycled is why you had the higher ammonia which is why I was curious before if you dropped in a piece of raw shrimp. It wouldn't effect it if the tank was cycled. Do you have a filter on that powerhead now? I guess they also make screens for them so fish don't get sucked and stuck.
I hope you are still feeding the tank daily. I know even though you have no fish in there the bacteria needs it.
I don't know how to raise the alk as I never tested my tank personally and don't add any of those chems to raise it. I did have the reef store test it once this year and they said it was great and asked what I used!! LOL
Again I don't remember how I cycled my tank 20 years ago. So I don't know when you are supposed to do a mini water change.
I searched and found this under new hobbyists:
Now . . . add a RAW, peeled shrimp. Drop it in the tank and let it sit there. As the shrimp decomposes it will add ammonia to the system to jump start the nitrogen cycle. You could accomplish the same goal by feeding the tank as if there were fish in it, you would also accomplish the same goal by adding some hardy fish but you take a gamble with that approach. You stress the fish which can lead to ICH, possibly kill them, wasting money. Why bother with that when a raw shrimp will work just as well.
At this point its time to sit and wait. Your tank will go through a process of establishing bacteria cultures that are capable of processing fish waste. First your ammonia will spike and then fall, then the nitrites will spike and then fall. Both ammonia and nitrites are toxic at any level to marine animals. They both must be zero.
After nitrites have fallen to zero, nitrates will begin to rise. At this point the cycle is complete and algae will begin to grow. It is now time to add a clean up crew and do a water change. (which will be covered in detail at a later date).
I don't think I would add any chems to it until the cycle has been completed. Patience!
I like your avatar!! Beautiful!

 

[rabbit_72]

HI! Hope you had a nice 4th!
I have indeed read that same thread already. Before coming to these boards, I had never heard of cycling with raw shrimp. What a great idea. I only wish we had known that when we started in this hobby. Guys at the LFS don't want to tell you that cause how else will they get rid of their damsels!
As far as the water change, we have never gone a month without a change and that's what it is going on. Maybe I am having water change withdrawal. I really don't want to see the ammonia spike too high. I also read that could be bad.
I am still feeding the tank. I am really hoping for a happy outcome.
Thank you!!!