Dead Cleaner Shrimp

[Razorbacks]

I woke up this morning to discover my cleaner shrimp dead. After ensuring it wasn't just a molt I'm left scratching my head what went wrong.

I liked the little guy and want to replace him but hesitant since I don't understand cause. We've had him 82 days. He's molted several times since then. I expected we would get at least a year if not multiple years from him. I've seen no recent change in his appearance or behavior.

It's a 10 gallon tank which is about 5 months old. Only other tank inhabitants are 2 ocellaris clowns that are juvenile not yet spawning and I've never seen any aggressive behavior from them towards the cleaner. They've never allowed him to perform cleaning that I've witnessed though either.

My tank is currently experiencing a big diatom bloom that is absorbing any excess nutrients so those are reading low.

I feed flakes (I use the HOB flow to push them to the bottom) and sometimes the Ocellaris seem to beat him to most of them so wondering if perhaps he wasn't getting enough food and I should have added pellets?

If it's more likely the Ocellaris killed him I'll think twice before getting a new one.

 

[Kapachuka3]

Sadly sometimes that just happens, i had my fire shrimp for abut 5-6 years and he molted one day and died from the stress of it due to old age. Cleaner shrimp are great creatures and i would get another one if you enjoy them.

 

[sfin52]

The most valuable time for shrimp and crabs is when they molt. It takes time for the shell to harden and sometime they just don't recover from a molt. Same for insects and spiders.

 

[Razorbacks]

Ok so it sounds like there's not necessarily anything wrong with the tank environment so I shouldn't hesitate to replace him?

 

[Kapachuka3]

Ok so it sounds like there's not necessarily anything wrong with the tank environment so I shouldn't hesitate to replace him?

Go ahead if you like shrimp like i do, get another one.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I really doubt it was the clowns that killed it.

Food might be a concern, depends how much you feed. Also, flake food only and nothing else is not the most nutritional.

It could also be water quality. Its a new tank, a small tank, with a large bioload. You haven't listed your parameters or husbandry, but you should be performing weekly water changes.

Another possibility is low oxygen, again, don't know anything about your tank, but the water surface should be turbulent for good gas exchange. You mention you have a hob, do you have any flow in the tank at all, or is it stagnant water except for the hob?

There are several possible reasons why it could have died, but we don't know much about your tank.

 

[Razorbacks]

I either have terrible luck or there's something wrong with my tank I can't figure out. I finally bought a new shrimp last week a full 3 months after the last one died. My kid had been asking about it and I was excited to get the new one. It's been in the tank a week and I'm watching it die right now. I found it in the back of the tank upside down twitching and my nassarius snail was racing for it as I pulled it out....it's still twitching but I put it in a jar to avoid being eaten half alive.

I bought it locally and drip acclimated it for 30-45 minutes. It seemed fine at first and was feeding, but hadn't moved much from the same spot for several days now. I'm trying to decide if this is just a poor luck or a tank issue. I did have recent serious issues with my tank. I lost most of my coral to GHA (I think), then one of my clowns died and the second almost as well before I realized a bacterial bloom was consuming all the oxygen. The clown and replacement corals have been thriving and water has been crystal clear since I added the UV sterilizer a few weeks back so I thought it was safe to replace the shrimp...maybe it was too soon. I did a quick check with the Hannah copper checker and it read .14 but I also read it's not useful for readings that low so the tank is probably zero. Nitrates are zero, PH 8.2, temp 78, salinity 1.026...all normal. I even have a UV sterilizer running and some polyfilter in which I would expect to catch stray contaminants. I don't think I'll try another until I upgrade from a 10 gallon to 20 in a few months if even then.

I did notice at the LFS that it wasn't extremely active. The last one I bought was moving around at the store. This time they only had a couple. I recall that it was in the same spot the whole time I was browsing the store, but I didn't think much of it. Perhaps I just picked one that already wasn't in great health.

However, my trochus snail hasn't moved much the last 24 hours either (but is still alive) so I was already cautiously keeping an eye on him....just don't know what to test for at this point. Phosphate is around .05 and ammonia is zero.

 

[iamacat]

Creating a build thread would help others understand your system, which would help you.

I have had a number of Cleaner Shrimp in my 12+ years. Some have made it a few days. Some stayed on the same rock at the back of the display for 6months then would die. The cool ones were with me for years and would clean your hands when you put them in and go upside down on the surface if you stopped to observe the tank. I couldn’t tell you exactly why some didn’t survive, but I know a couple early on got shocked either from transport or pH.

Early in my adventures I had copper in my system and I lost nearly all coral and inverts. Cuprisorb corrected the issue for me. I would figure out how that is getting into your water. Mine was a brass ball valve.

you are right, something is going on

 

[Icryhard]

I either have terrible luck or there's something wrong with my tank I can't figure out. I finally bought a new shrimp last week a full 3 months after the last one died. My kid had been asking about it and I was excited to get the new one. It's been in the tank a week and I'm watching it die right now. I found it in the back of the tank upside down twitching and my nassarius snail was racing for it as I pulled it out....it's still twitching but I put it in a jar to avoid being eaten half alive.

I bought it locally and drip acclimated it for 30-45 minutes. It seemed fine at first and was feeding, but hadn't moved much from the same spot for several days now. I'm trying to decide if this is just a poor luck or a tank issue. I did have recent serious issues with my tank. I lost most of my coral to GHA (I think), then one of my clowns died and the second almost as well before I realized a bacterial bloom was consuming all the oxygen. The clown and replacement corals have been thriving and water has been crystal clear since I added the UV sterilizer a few weeks back so I thought it was safe to replace the shrimp...maybe it was too soon. I did a quick check with the Hannah copper checker and it read .14 but I also read it's not useful for readings that low so the tank is probably zero. Nitrates are zero, PH 8.2, temp 78, salinity 1.026...all normal. I even have a UV sterilizer running and some polyfilter in which I would expect to catch stray contaminants. I don't think I'll try another until I upgrade from a 10 gallon to 20 in a few months if even then.

I did notice at the LFS that it wasn't extremely active. The last one I bought was moving around at the store. This time they only had a couple. I recall that it was in the same spot the whole time I was browsing the store, but I didn't think much of it. Perhaps I just picked one that already wasn't in great health.

However, my trochus snail hasn't moved much the last 24 hours either (but is still alive) so I was already cautiously keeping an eye on him....just don't know what to test for at this point. Phosphate is around .05 and ammonia is zero.

Have you checked your oxygen levels? How much ?

 

[killer2001]

Something is up with the water. I'd double check the salinity with another method if you can.

 

[Superd513]

Do you do water changes? Those are a must on nano tanks. Maybe try a different LFS buy a cheaper shrimp. Do a 25% water change every week.

 

[Razorbacks]

Thanks for the responses.

Build Thread: I do have a build thread although I need to update it more frequently.

Copper: I only checked for copper because I do have a QT going in a separate room (far away) with copper and figured there was a minute chance of cross contamination, but based on the Hannah checker I don't think that's my issue. Any cross contamination would have been miniscule and the polyfilter I'm running would also remove copper so my gut tells me that's a dead end.

O2 Levels: I have not manually checked O2 levels as I don't have a test kit for that and from doing a little reading it doesn't seem to be something most people test. However, based on my prior issue I may order the Hannah kit for it. I did turn down my HOB filter recently to a lower setting and I think I'm just going to leave it at full blast from now on to maximize surface agitation. I run a glass lid and I know there's some debate on whether those have a meaningful impact on gas exchange.

Salinity: I don't have a second way of testing salinity but I reconfirmed the calibration today with calibration solution.

Water Changes: Last change was a 40% water change a week ago. I try to do about 30-40% every week or two.

New/Cheap Shrimp: I have considered buying a peppermint shrimp next as they're considerably cheaper. It's not quiet as entertaining as the skunk but wouldn't be a bad tank addition.

My Thoughts: Based on my recent issues with O2 I lean towards this being the most likely issue if there is indeed something wrong with the tank. The shrimp was not very active when purchased so it's possible he would not have made it BUT my trochus snail not moving for over 24 hours (except for small wiggles) during this same time period makes me suspect something is off. I have 3 total snails:

Cerith: oldest member of tank. Survived all issues but seemed inactive during the worst periods of the bloom. Hard to know for sure since he sleeps in the sand during the day. However, I've seen him much more since the bloom and water has cleared. Was very active last night.

Trochus: bought on trip before discovering tank issue that I had a several weeks ago. Was fairly inactive when first added (a week or more of very little movement). However started moving normally and was roaming all over the tank including the glass for about 2 weeks until this recent 24-48 hour inactivity period.

Nassarius: bought this 2 days ago before the shrimp died or noticed trochus not moving. Bought specifically to help with aerating the substrate which I felt was a contributing factor to the bacterial bloom. Too early to make a call on his activity levels, but was surprised it hasn't come out during tank feedings. Some movement seen though.

I know cleaners are extremely delicate and some people don't even recommend them in smaller tanks while multiple reputable sources say it's totally fine. I tried to research if inverts or fish are more sensitive to O2 changes, but could not find an answer. Some things said larger organisms should be impacted faster, but I also read it's highly variable by species. I did find this quote from sciencing.com "Aquatic invertebrates are highly sensitive to minute changes in dissolved oxygen, and in general, higher dissolved oxygen leads to more life and more invertebrate activity." I also found a scientific paper where they studied different fish/inverts and recorded different sensitively levels but it doesn't cover any species I own so I can only extrapolate generalizations.

The original surviving clown seems totally fine. No odd behavior to suggest he's struggling for oxygen, but he also survived the initial bacterial bloom that killed the first clown and was showing no signs then. He got hit about 11 days later when the bloom resurged post water change.

Here's my plan at the moment:

Do things that will obviously raise O2 Levels: I figure none of this can hurt but it could help. I've turned the HOB up to max for more surface agitation. I've also done some manual agitation with a cup and opened up the lid. Plan to leave it open a good deal of the day. I would drop in an airstone, but I'm using my other pump to run a qt right now for the replacement clown mate. Probably going to go ahead and order a 2nd pump/airstone and drop it in once it arrives. A little extra security wouldn't hurt.

Turned UV Up to Max just in case the bacteria is starting to rebuild. I set it to the minimum flow level after it totally cleared my bloom and did a large water change because I can't run it at higher settings and my wavemaker at the same time or it's just too much for the fish and he can't move freely. This being the case I've turned UV to max and turned off the wavemaker for now. I also moved the UV outlet closer to the surface to further help with surface agitation.

I'm hoping that the trochus will start moving again within 24 hours or so. If it does then I might try my luck with a peppermint shrimp. Some seem to suggest they're hardier than cleaners. They certainly come from less far away so I figure that's a factor and they're considerably cheaper. Alternatively, I'll just wait a few months until I upgrade tank sizes and get a new skunk then. It might come down to how many questions my kids ask in the mean time. I know they're highly sensitive creatures so regardless of what lead to it's demise, a bigger tank should be beneficial.

On the plus side all my coral looks great. The GSP is fully extended and even extends a large amount during the night. The Xenia seems to have at least doubled in size in the 3 weeks I've had it. Both looked fairly poor when first adding before the bacteria issue was discovered and fixed, but have looked fantastic ever since the water cleared. I also have a new frogspawn frag I bought at the same time as the nassarius. It came right out after introduction and looks good.

 

[Superd513]

Thanks for the responses.

Build Thread: I do have a build thread although I need to update it more frequently.

Copper: I only checked for copper because I do have a QT going in a separate room (far away) with copper and figured there was a minute chance of cross contamination, but based on the Hannah checker I don't think that's my issue. Any cross contamination would have been miniscule and the polyfilter I'm running would also remove copper so my gut tells me that's a dead end.

O2 Levels: I have not manually checked O2 levels as I don't have a test kit for that and from doing a little reading it doesn't seem to be something most people test. However, based on my prior issue I may order the Hannah kit for it. I did turn down my HOB filter recently to a lower setting and I think I'm just going to leave it at full blast from now on to maximize surface agitation. I run a glass lid and I know there's some debate on whether those have a meaningful impact on gas exchange.

Salinity: I don't have a second way of testing salinity but I reconfirmed the calibration today with calibration solution.

Water Changes: Last change was a 40% water change a week ago. I try to do about 30-40% every week or two.

New/Cheap Shrimp: I have considered buying a peppermint shrimp next as they're considerably cheaper. It's not quiet as entertaining as the skunk but wouldn't be a bad tank addition.

My Thoughts: Based on my recent issues with O2 I lean towards this being the most likely issue if there is indeed something wrong with the tank. The shrimp was not very active when purchased so it's possible he would not have made it BUT my trochus snail not moving for over 24 hours (except for small wiggles) during this same time period makes me suspect something is off. I have 3 total snails:

Cerith: oldest member of tank. Survived all issues but seemed inactive during the worst periods of the bloom. Hard to know for sure since he sleeps in the sand during the day. However, I've seen him much more since the bloom and water has cleared. Was very active last night.

Trochus: bought on trip before discovering tank issue that I had a several weeks ago. Was fairly inactive when first added (a week or more of very little movement). However started moving normally and was roaming all over the tank including the glass for about 2 weeks until this recent 24-48 hour inactivity period.

Nassarius: bought this 2 days ago before the shrimp died or noticed trochus not moving. Bought specifically to help with aerating the substrate which I felt was a contributing factor to the bacterial bloom. Too early to make a call on his activity levels, but was surprised it hasn't come out during tank feedings. Some movement seen though.

I know cleaners are extremely delicate and some people don't even recommend them in smaller tanks while multiple reputable sources say it's totally fine. I tried to research if inverts or fish are more sensitive to O2 changes, but could not find an answer. Some things said larger organisms should be impacted faster, but I also read it's highly variable by species. I did find this quote from sciencing.com "Aquatic invertebrates are highly sensitive to minute changes in dissolved oxygen, and in general, higher dissolved oxygen leads to more life and more invertebrate activity." I also found a scientific paper where they studied different fish/inverts and recorded different sensitively levels but it doesn't cover any species I own so I can only extrapolate generalizations.

The original surviving clown seems totally fine. No odd behavior to suggest he's struggling for oxygen, but he also survived the initial bacterial bloom that killed the first clown and was showing no signs then. He got hit about 11 days later when the bloom resurged post water change.

Here's my plan at the moment:

Do things that will obviously raise O2 Levels: I figure none of this can hurt but it could help. I've turned the HOB up to max for more surface agitation. I've also done some manual agitation with a cup and opened up the lid. Plan to leave it open a good deal of the day. I would drop in an airstone, but I'm using my other pump to run a qt right now for the replacement clown mate. Probably going to go ahead and order a 2nd pump/airstone and drop it in once it arrives. A little extra security wouldn't hurt.

Turned UV Up to Max just in case the bacteria is starting to rebuild. I set it to the minimum flow level after it totally cleared my bloom and did a large water change because I can't run it at higher settings and my wavemaker at the same time or it's just too much for the fish and he can't move freely. This being the case I've turned UV to max and turned off the wavemaker for now. I also moved the UV outlet closer to the surface to further help with surface agitation.

I'm hoping that the trochus will start moving again within 24 hours or so. If it does then I might try my luck with a peppermint shrimp. Some seem to suggest they're hardier than cleaners. They certainly come from less far away so I figure that's a factor and they're considerably cheaper. Alternatively, I'll just wait a few months until I upgrade tank sizes and get a new skunk then. It might come down to how many questions my kids ask in the mean time. I know they're highly sensitive creatures so regardless of what lead to it's demise, a bigger tank should be beneficial.

On the plus side all my coral looks great. The GSP is fully extended and even extends a large amount during the night. The Xenia seems to have at least doubled in size in the 3 weeks I've had it. Both looked fairly poor when first adding before the bacteria issue was discovered and fixed, but have looked fantastic ever since the water cleared. I also have a new frogspawn frag I bought at the same time as the nassarius. It came right out after introduction and looks good.

Did you say you are running a protein skimmer?

 

[Icryhard]

Thanks for the responses.

Build Thread: I do have a build thread although I need to update it more frequently.

Copper: I only checked for copper because I do have a QT going in a separate room (far away) with copper and figured there was a minute chance of cross contamination, but based on the Hannah checker I don't think that's my issue. Any cross contamination would have been miniscule and the polyfilter I'm running would also remove copper so my gut tells me that's a dead end.

O2 Levels: I have not manually checked O2 levels as I don't have a test kit for that and from doing a little reading it doesn't seem to be something most people test. However, based on my prior issue I may order the Hannah kit for it. I did turn down my HOB filter recently to a lower setting and I think I'm just going to leave it at full blast from now on to maximize surface agitation. I run a glass lid and I know there's some debate on whether those have a meaningful impact on gas exchange.

Salinity: I don't have a second way of testing salinity but I reconfirmed the calibration today with calibration solution.

Water Changes: Last change was a 40% water change a week ago. I try to do about 30-40% every week or two.

New/Cheap Shrimp: I have considered buying a peppermint shrimp next as they're considerably cheaper. It's not quiet as entertaining as the skunk but wouldn't be a bad tank addition.

My Thoughts: Based on my recent issues with O2 I lean towards this being the most likely issue if there is indeed something wrong with the tank. The shrimp was not very active when purchased so it's possible he would not have made it BUT my trochus snail not moving for over 24 hours (except for small wiggles) during this same time period makes me suspect something is off. I have 3 total snails:

Cerith: oldest member of tank. Survived all issues but seemed inactive during the worst periods of the bloom. Hard to know for sure since he sleeps in the sand during the day. However, I've seen him much more since the bloom and water has cleared. Was very active last night.

Trochus: bought on trip before discovering tank issue that I had a several weeks ago. Was fairly inactive when first added (a week or more of very little movement). However started moving normally and was roaming all over the tank including the glass for about 2 weeks until this recent 24-48 hour inactivity period.

Nassarius: bought this 2 days ago before the shrimp died or noticed trochus not moving. Bought specifically to help with aerating the substrate which I felt was a contributing factor to the bacterial bloom. Too early to make a call on his activity levels, but was surprised it hasn't come out during tank feedings. Some movement seen though.

I know cleaners are extremely delicate and some people don't even recommend them in smaller tanks while multiple reputable sources say it's totally fine. I tried to research if inverts or fish are more sensitive to O2 changes, but could not find an answer. Some things said larger organisms should be impacted faster, but I also read it's highly variable by species. I did find this quote from sciencing.com "Aquatic invertebrates are highly sensitive to minute changes in dissolved oxygen, and in general, higher dissolved oxygen leads to more life and more invertebrate activity." I also found a scientific paper where they studied different fish/inverts and recorded different sensitively levels but it doesn't cover any species I own so I can only extrapolate generalizations.

The original surviving clown seems totally fine. No odd behavior to suggest he's struggling for oxygen, but he also survived the initial bacterial bloom that killed the first clown and was showing no signs then. He got hit about 11 days later when the bloom resurged post water change.

Here's my plan at the moment:

Do things that will obviously raise O2 Levels: I figure none of this can hurt but it could help. I've turned the HOB up to max for more surface agitation. I've also done some manual agitation with a cup and opened up the lid. Plan to leave it open a good deal of the day. I would drop in an airstone, but I'm using my other pump to run a qt right now for the replacement clown mate. Probably going to go ahead and order a 2nd pump/airstone and drop it in once it arrives. A little extra security wouldn't hurt.

Turned UV Up to Max just in case the bacteria is starting to rebuild. I set it to the minimum flow level after it totally cleared my bloom and did a large water change because I can't run it at higher settings and my wavemaker at the same time or it's just too much for the fish and he can't move freely. This being the case I've turned UV to max and turned off the wavemaker for now. I also moved the UV outlet closer to the surface to further help with surface agitation.

I'm hoping that the trochus will start moving again within 24 hours or so. If it does then I might try my luck with a peppermint shrimp. Some seem to suggest they're hardier than cleaners. They certainly come from less far away so I figure that's a factor and they're considerably cheaper. Alternatively, I'll just wait a few months until I upgrade tank sizes and get a new skunk then. It might come down to how many questions my kids ask in the mean time. I know they're highly sensitive creatures so regardless of what lead to it's demise, a bigger tank should be beneficial.

On the plus side all my coral looks great. The GSP is fully extended and even extends a large amount during the night. The Xenia seems to have at least doubled in size in the 3 weeks I've had it. Both looked fairly poor when first adding before the bacteria issue was discovered and fixed, but have looked fantastic ever since the water cleared. I also have a new frogspawn frag I bought at the same time as the nassarius. It came right out after introduction and looks good.

Do not buy a hanna test kit for it. That's overkill. A salifert oxygen test kit will do just fine. Check at night what the oxygen levels are. Sometimes oxygen drops severely. Regardless of it being something you suspect it is or isn't, it's best to check for it.

 

[Razorbacks]

Did you say you are running a protein skimmer?

I am not. I think it would be a plus in terms of oxygenation but I've heard terrible reviews of the HOB protein skimmers and I don't have a sump. Also, on the flip side my nitrates have never tested above zero in the 8-9 months of having the tank so I'm not sure how much I need one from a nutrient export perspective.

Do not buy a hanna test kit for it. That's overkill. A salifert oxygen test kit will do just fine. Check at night what the oxygen levels are. Sometimes oxygen drops severely. Regardless of it being something you suspect it is or isn't, it's best to check for it.

Oops, that's a typo. I meant Salifert. $20 or so. Agreed, it's worth measuring just wasn't something I was previously aware I could measure with a kit.

 

[killer2001]

My issue with the O2 theory is the fish should be showing signs of low oxygen before the shrimp / inverts are dying. Inverts are more sensitive to salinity than fish which is why I was leaning that direction. So *usually* when its inverts dying / sluggish and fish are fine I look to copper/heavy metals or salinity.

edit: I just remembered one of your clownfish died... So checking O2 level would be advisable. I would increase surface agitation / flow, even add an airstone temporarily if you have to.

 

[Razorbacks]

My issue with the O2 theory is the fish should be showing signs of low oxygen before the shrimp / inverts are dying. Inverts are more sensitive to salinity than fish which is why I was leaning that direction. So *usually* when its inverts dying / sluggish and fish are fine I look to copper/heavy metals or salinity.

edit: I just remembered one of your clownfish died... So checking O2 level would be advisable. I would increase surface agitation / flow, even add an airstone temporarily if you have to.

Correct. I've ordered a 2nd wavemaker as mine only points one direction. This cheaper one is aimable and I plan to install it pointing at the surface for permanent agitation. I'll keep monitoring today. I'll also probably try to do a water change today. I've also ordered an O2 test kit and plan to monitor that.


Series of events:

1) Cleaner died back in February. I did not replace it because I was unsure of cause.
2) Clown Fish Died April 10 when I came back from a 3 day trip and there was a bad bacterial bloom.
3) Second clown who showed no symptoms of an issue almost died 11 days later when bloom resurged. I pulled it from the tank into an emergency QT where it IMMEDIATELY recovered from all symptoms. I kept it in QT for about a week while I ran a UV that worked miracles. Water now clearer than I've seen in many months. Corals that were not opening or barely opening extended beautifully. It was amazing.
4) 8 days ago but only 1 day after putting clown back in display: Seeing the turn around and now feeling I fully understanded the issue and had resolution, I purchased a replacement clown (in separate QT right now) and the new cleaner.
5) 2 days ago: new cleaner dead after only 6 days. Had been less active for a few days. Also, Trouchus which had been in the tank for 28 days now suddenly acting strange. Zero movement for 24-48 hours.
6) Yesterday spent entire day "airing out" tank. Left glass lid open, turned HOB to max, and did some manual aeration with a cup. At the end of the day the Trochus DID move. However, it's initial move was to fall straight off the rock. I assumed it died, but it had not. It also could not flip itself over though. I lifted it it up a few times onto the rocks and it it fell over a few more. It did come out of it's shell quite a bit and try to flip. Also it aggressively went after my GPS frag for awhile. I assume cleaning some algae off it. This morning I found it upside down in the sand........again I assumed dead but nope. It just could not flip itself. I flipped it over again and left it in the sand this time to see what happens. The nassarius is probably 2 inches away and hasn't made a move on it which makes me think it's recovering vs dieing. It was aggressively racing for the cleaner when it was nearly dead. I'm continuing to monitor closely and will take additional steps to increase O2.

 

[iamacat]

The lids and lack of flow for sure is causing issues. I would ditch the lids and if you are worried about jumpers, a screen can be easily bought or made for that small tank.

an air stone would help with oxygenation as well since there is little to no gas exchange in your system as it stands.

are you using RODI water? I still have concerns of copper

 

[Razorbacks]

Update: something is definitely wrong with the tank. the trochus appears dead. Hasn't moved again for a few days and wasn't attached to the rock base when I lifted it. Nassarius has snuck up unearth him on the sand now presumably cleaning up. I don't think I have copper but will buy cuprisorb anyway to rule it out...wish I could test accurately for trace levels. Also the poly filters should have removed it if present.

I'm starting to suspect I have dinoflagellates as I've read that kills both corals and inverts which is what I've experienced. Ive always assumed what I was seeing on the rocks /sand was regular diatoms but I'm going to order a microscope and start implementing measures that would help fight dinos just incase. I know it does well in zero/zero tanks. I've never recorded a nitrate reading above zero in my tank. I'm considering dosing nitrates to get it to above zero so other algaes can out compete it for real estate. I also dosed some additional starter bacteria I had lying around as I've read that can help.

I've seen cyanobacteria starting to form in one part of the tank and in another corner a green algae is starting to grow out from my xenia frag. I've never really had to clean the tank glass as I don't seem to get much normal film algae.

 

[iamacat]

Sorry to hear.

the cuprisorb is a good idea as it’s fairly cheap and easy. You’ll need a small media bag to stash in your HoB filter. Other option is a small reactor, not a bad thing to have on hand for future uses of carbon or gfo.

the only flow I see in your system is the HOB filter which I don’t believe is enough. Especially combined with the lids. Water movement is to your inhabitants like breathing is to us. In order to have appropriate gas exchange there needs to be sufficient water movement across the surface of the substrate and corals.

with your size tank the HoB might provide enough surface agitation for aeration, but the lids are preventing adequate gas exchange. An air pump and stone is a simple solution that is cheap and available pretty much anywhere. It’s also something you can find useful down the road in this hobby. As for the flow, there are a number of cheap nano power heads you could add to meet your needs. The increased flow will also make it less friendly for cyano and other nuisances to get a foot hold.

best of luck