Nothings happy in my tank! Pic heavy

[ReefMadScientist]

I asked people on here if those two bulbs will be good, they said yeah. but now there saying no......... And everybody was say hydrometer arnt accurate thats why i didnt take that too serious. im using tap for the last 2.5 years, works fine for me. I have the 240 koralia or 245 whatev one the nano is. Thats alot of flow. My tanks moving pretty good now, def dont think i need another powerhead! Thanks

Hey Brad,

Sorry about your tank. It is okay to learn from these forums but not for everything...which is why I read up on almost everything when I first started through books at the library. The problem with forums is you will get 100 different answers saying one thing and 100 different answers about another thing.

There is nothing wrong with asking questions but please be sure to do your homework before jumping into something like underpowered lighting.

I would say lighting and SG is your issue. Yes, hydrometers are not very accurate. Mine was off .6 points.

 

[ritter6788]

Im I been using tap water for 2.5 years and its fine.

This is likely your problem right here. No telling what is in that tap water; copper, ammonia, phosphates, chlorine, all sorts of stuff that's bad for reef tanks.

 

[EllisJuan]

How long has this tank actually been running? How long have you had your 39g? What lights are on it? I don't understand how you can have an "established" 39g and be doing some of the things you are doing in your 10g.

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Some the things your doing???? ummmm dont really understand..... But my lights are
[h=2]Deep Blue SolarmaxHE T5 Double Strip. The established tanks been running for 2.5 years.[/h]

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Oh and tap water is for fresh water

 

[EllisJuan]

Some the things your doing???? ummmm dont really understand..... But my lights are
Deep Blue SolarmaxHE T5 Double Strip. The established tanks been running for 2.5 years.

Things like using tap water. Trying to keep some of the things you are trying to keep under 20w of light. Asking what the "brown stuff" is on your coral. Using a hydrometer that is reading less than 1.018 SG and wondering why your coral isn't opening. Is your 39g a reef tank or FOWLR?

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Well if i tested my tap water and theres no nitrites or nitrates and copper, then why cant i use it? Please dont answer its just not clean. And people just said dont go off wattage so what you said about 20 watts dosnt really matter. And do you no what the brown stuff is? And if you say algea, its not. It wont come off the coral, even when i rub over it. I believe its a fungus. And about my salt, i tested with a hydrometer thats why i dont think its right. and its a reef with zoas,lps and softies.

 

[anizato]

Bring up salinity to 1.025. I personally would go get some distilled water do a 100% WC, or go to your LFS and buy some RO/DI water.
If you insist on using tap water, dechlorinate it and de-ammonia & de-nitrite it with Seachem Prime (my recommendation), then you must also do ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and salinity tests before you use it in your tank.
As for the lighting, I guess it is ok for a FOWLR, not at all for corals. What is the PAR on it? Watts don't mean anything but to your electric bill.

I agree with ReefMadScientist. READ READ READ. NOBODY can stress that enough. If you read two different things on the same subject in forums, that only means more questions arise and more reading needs to get done. Read up on the specific requirements for the livestock you want to keep.

Freshwater and Saltwater are two completely different hobbies. I have a friend that hasn't even fed his Freshwater tank in over 6 months, everything is thriving and alive. If the same were to be done with a Saltwater, you would be crying sooner than later.

All the best

 

[anizato]

Because tap water contains stuff that is impossible to test for. It has Chlorine for starters. Ammonia would be the least of your worries from tap water. Tap water is horrid! stay away from it for your Saltwater purposes.

IF you aren't having success with the brown stuff, maybe take out the live rock, and un-live it. Put it in a bucket with Bleach-water and kill everything on it (read up on how to do this properly, I only speak from what I have read are possibilities that could be done with infected live rock, etc), get a piece of CURED live rock from someone (friend, LFS, etc) and use Dr. Tim's One and Only (2oz for 10gal) to bring your live rock back to life little by little.

 

[EllisJuan]

Well if i tested my tap water and theres no nitrites or nitrates and copper, then why cant i use it? Please dont answer its just not clean. And people just said dont go off wattage so what you said about 20 watts dosnt really matter. And do you no what the brown stuff is? And if you say algea, its not. It wont come off the coral, even when i rub over it. I believe its a fungus. And about my salt, i tested with a hydrometer thats why i dont think its right. and its a reef with zoas,lps and softies.

Like anizato said, there is a lot of things in tap water that you can not test for. Sorry, I should have said trying to keep the things you are under 20w of compact florescence. You are right, watts don't mean much. 20w of LED would be a very different story. How have you been testing the salinity of the water in your 39g? Any pics of the tank?

 

[Small triggers]

Anizato just touched on it...tap water contains many contaminates we don't test for...the only time I would say tap water is okay is if it comes from glacier runoff...or if you have a fowlr with no inverts
Another point I want to make is you have mentioned your tube anemone...it is not a true anemone and is in the same family as a feather duster worm, so it does not have the same requirements as a bta or LTA and is also not as 'touchy'
I see your talking about using a refract and getting away from a hydrometer, which is good. Also think about getting away from tap water and either investing in an rodi or if your LFS sells water...
Good luck with your tank, hopefully you can get a handle on everything before you lose anything else.

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Few pics of a couples, I'm at cabelas so I don't have Goods pics on phone

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

 

[MrDJeep123]

Well if i tested my tap water and theres no nitrites or nitrates and copper, then why cant i use it? Please dont answer its just not clean. And people just said dont go off wattage so what you said about 20 watts dosnt really matter. And do you no what the brown stuff is? And if you say algea, its not. It wont come off the coral, even when i rub over it. I believe its a fungus. And about my salt, i tested with a hydrometer thats why i dont think its right. and its a reef with zoas,lps and softies.

If you aren't willing to take people's suggestions then why ask questions? You know there's different kinds of algae, some encrust. It doesn't have to be slimy and easily removed. Take a step back, make one change at a time.

 

[Sn4k33Y3z]

Need more light!

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Ill take advice, but I'm gonna go with the advice that I think makes sence. The tap water suggestion, I'm not going to go with since I don't have a algea problem or really any problem withy other tank. I'm not just going to do whatever someone says with out getting other advice or researching. That's like asking someone what kind of car do you think I should get, if you say a Mini Cooper . Dosnt mean I have to go with that opionon. Although I will take advice about salt level and lighting.

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Anizato just touched on it...tap water contains many contaminates we don't test for...the only time I would say tap water is okay is if it comes from glacier runoff...or if you have a fowlr with no inverts
Another point I want to make is you have mentioned your tube anemone...it is not a true anemone and is in the same family as a feather duster worm, so it does not have the same requirements as a bta or LTA and is also not as 'touchy'
I see your talking about using a refract and getting away from a hydrometer, which is good. Also think about getting away from tap water and either investing in an rodi or if your LFS sells water...
Good luck with your tank, hopefully you can get a handle on everything before you lose anything else.

Good advice thanks! Thanks too everyone.

 

[Carter o51]

Ill take advice, but I'm gonna go with the advice that I think makes sence. The tap water suggestion, I'm not going to go with since I don't have a algea problem or really any problem withy other tank. I'm not just going to do whatever someone says with out getting other advice or researching. That's like asking someone what kind of car do you think I should get, if you say a Mini Cooper . Dosnt mean I have to go with that opionon. Although I will take advice about salt level and lighting.

You may not have an algae problem in this tank, but you seem to have others that may very well be related to you using tapwater, one of the biggest no nos in this hobby. If that could fix the problems you are facing, why not take the advice of people who have a lot of experience and know what they are talking about?

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

Lol I just said I was taking advice on certain things

 

[mfinn]

Lol I just said I was taking advice on certain things

I think this is the biggest issue.
You only want to follow advice if it is convenient or it's something you can add to the water like a magic dust to make it all better.