Comments please on pics of my disappointing tank…

[peterhos]

Hi All

I am disappointed with my new set up. 7 months old. Red Sea reefer 250. Roller mat, Red Sea skimmer 350 and TMC ilumenaire+ led lighting. Nitrates 9.0. Phosphate 0.09. Salinity 1.025. Temperature 80. Calcium 500 and Mag 1500. Daily 2% water changes (TM Coral Pro salt). Have raised Alk to 8.1 over 7 months.
I do not mind so much the greenness of my (all dry) rocks. Zoas are growing slowly. Little growth on a few SPS frags. Lost a few SPS frags. After 7 months am I on the right lines or struggling? Any comments much appreciated. Thanks all.

 

[Mav88]

At 7 months the tank is still new and this is normal. What do you have for algae eating? When starting with dry rock it will green maybe some trochus snails would help. But overtime it will get better. Maybe some sort of sand sifter for the sand would help, a conch or 2.

 

[Quietman]

Looks on the right track to me. Everyone's tank matures at different rates. A little surface algae and some diatoms are nothing to sweat over.

Keep up the good work and be patient.

 

[workhz]

Is that 100% white light?

 

[piranhaman00]

Starting with all dry rock will take 1-2 years to start getting decent stability, your tank looks fine for the setup.

 

[peterhos]

At 7 months the tank is still new and this is normal. What do you have for algae eating? When starting with dry rock it will green maybe some trochus snails would help. But overtime it will get better. Maybe some sort of sand sifter for the sand would help, a conch or 2.

Are trochus the best for the ‘greenness’? How many for this size of tank? Thank you.

 

[Mav88]

Are trochus the best for the ‘greenness’? How many for this size of tank? Thank you.

What do you have for clean up crew?

 

[peterhos]

What do you have for clean up crew?

2 nassarius, 2 trochus and 2 turbo snails.

 

[peterhos]

Is that 100% white light?

Yes all white for the photo. Normally I have more blue than white and some violet.

 

[peterhos]

Starting with all dry rock will take 1-2 years to start getting decent stability, your tank looks fine for the setup.

Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[Doogs]

Hi All

I am disappointed with my new set up. 7 months old. Red Sea reefer 250. Roller mat, Red Sea skimmer 350 and TMC ilumenaire+ led lighting. Nitrates 9.0. Phosphate 0.09. Salinity 1.025. Temperature 80. Calcium 500 and Mag 1500. Daily 2% water changes (TM Coral Pro salt). Have raised Alk to 8.1 over 7 months.
I do not mind so much the greenness of my (all dry) rocks. Zoas are growing slowly. Little growth on a few SPS frags. Lost a few SPS frags. After 7 months am I on the right lines or struggling? Any comments much appreciated. Thanks all.

Looks fine mate. Popcorn kernels go into the same pot, in the same oil, at the same time. But they pop at different times and become the same thing. Can assure you that green will turn brown and coraline will set it. Just gotta wait

 

[Mav88]

2 nassarius, 2 trochus and 2 turbo snails.

I would use a reef cleaners package probably for a 30 gallon since there is a lot of livestock in them and add a conch. Overtime it will mature your tank is fine.

 

[VirginiaReefer]

def takes time. once that purple coralline starts showing up it pairs with the green real nicely. its gonna look great and just keep at it. keep the water good and youre all set for success

 

[JCOLE]

Yes, it looks normal with dry rock. There is nothing on the dry rock to out compete the algae and usually the rock is a Phosphate sink. Algae thrives on it. They key is to get it removed.

You need a bigger CUC. A couple snails will not do the trick. Honestly, I would recommend atleast 50-75 Astrea snails and around 30 blue leg hermits.

Also, I would pull the rocks and scrub them with a brush outside of the tank. Put them in with the CUC and you should see some major improvement.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Every person here has had a rougher looking tank at some point. It's not easy but part of what's hard is just waiting. Take your time.

 

[fodsod]

Yep, totally normal to have a stage like this. You need a lot more snails and hermit crabs. A watchman Diamond Gobie (sand sifter) would really keep the sand clean for you and a couple of algae eating fish to pick away at the rocks also. Keep at it, this hobby is all about patience and learning as you go.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Stick with it!!! Once the tank cleans up, it is going to look amazing!

 

[Scritch]

looks better than my dry rock at that age. I had a nasty bit of algae growing all over. I would scrub with a toothbrush daily/siphon it out. 3 years later it’s still a little green, but a nice green, with bits of purple and teal coralline

 

[Treefer32]

It's a small detail and one not causing any of your issues, but I would lower your temp to the 77-78 range. Reason being is our temp probes aren't perfect and leave no room for error. If it's off by a typical 2-3 degrees that could be 82-83 which is bordering too high for many corals. 77-78 gives you wiggle room for corals.

Othwerwise I agree with everyone else in that this is normal. It will get there, just give it time!

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Normal with dry rock. Give it a few months, keep parameters good, and feed sparingly, and the green will clear up. As far as the SPS goes, I wouldn't try them until you have coralline. Not just spots either, but a layer of it which needs to be scraped off the glass every few weeks. It's normal to have a few disappointments in reef keeping. This hobby is very much two steps forward, one step back. Looks like a nice setup, I'd say you're on track to having a great tank. Good luck!