Diatoms, hair algae, and finicky corals.

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Hey! My biocube 32 has been up and running for almost 7 months. I still have diatoms, dealing with hair algae, and my corals just seem so finicky. I've tested my parameters recently. My nitrates are a little high (40ppm) but everything else seems fine. I keep my salinity around 1.025. I have the stock lighting I run the blues from 8 am to 12 am. The "beauty" lights from 10 am to 10 pm. I don't run the whites currently to try and help with the algae which seems to be working. My question is. Am I still going through the ugly phase? I still have diatoms at 7 months old. Also why are my corals sooooo finicky. I have gsp and xenia. The gsp was looking really good for a bit when my nitrates were super high but since my last water change they open up in the morning then about half way through the day they close up and stay closed until the next morning. My xenias will close up if i mess with the tank at all. If i run the scraper over the glass they close up. They look healthy right now but it seems like any messing with the tank sends them hiding. I know this is a hobby of patience but man this is frustrating. I'd like to add more corals and see some actual growth from the so called easy beginner corals i have lol. I use RODI water from my LFS. I run filter floss and a UV sterilizer. One wave maker for flow. A pair of clowns, pair of dartfish, and a decent size CUC (that doesnt seem to do much lol). I feed once a day emerald cubes. I use to alternate between that and mysis but just ran out of mysis. Anyway sorry for the long rant. Just not sure what to do or do i just let it ride out and let my tank do it's thing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[HuduVudu]

Is this a dry rock start?

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Is this a dry rock start?

Nope. Wet rock from my LFS.

 

[HuduVudu]

Nope. Wet rock from my LFS.

That's really just dry rock with whatever bacteria that managed get in there. I really wished the LFSs wouldn't call that live rock.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

That's really just dry rock with whatever bacteria that managed get in there. I really wished the LFSs wouldn't call that live rock.

I am aware that it's not true live rock but I just meant it had been cured, soaked for some time. Not completely dry. I will say the tanks they keep their rock in are pretty full of life. Copepods etc.. But you're right. Easy for a beginner like me to get fooled.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

bump

 

[HuduVudu]

So I will put up my controversial advice that should get some traction with this thread.

My recipe for success is biodiversity and gas exchange. So ... add some quality live rock like from Live Rock and Reef. You can see my build thread for what "real" live rock should look like. Also you can get some sand and such from Indo Pacific Sea Farms.

Gas exchange ... check your household CO2. This should give you an idea where your household O2 levels are. Uncover the top of your tank. Plumb a line outside of your stand (if it is completely closed) for your skimmer for better gas exchange. This list isn't exhaustive but it will get you started.

My 2 cents.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

So I will put up my controversial advice that should get some traction with this thread.

My recipe for success is biodiversity and gas exchange. So ... add some quality live rock like from Live Rock and Reef. You can see my build thread for what "real" live rock should look like. Also you can get some sand and such from Indo Pacific Sea Farms.

Gas exchange ... check your household CO2. This should give you an idea where your household O2 levels are. Uncover the top of your tank. Plumb a line outside of your stand (if it is completely closed) for your skimmer for better gas exchange. This list isn't exhaustive but it will get you started.

My 2 cents.

I appreciate it. I don't have a skimmer so can't really do that part. If i get live rock from there I'm going to have to get rid of some of the live rock I have now. Can i ask why biodiversity and gas exchange is your key to success. Obviously it's a good thing but just want to hear your view on it. Thanks.

 

[HuduVudu]

Biodiversity means that there is competion. Just like in a market (like the whole of the U.S.) having only one type of anything is a monopoly and ensures nothing else can survive. Biodiversity in an aquarium is the same. For example there are several different types of algae in my 20 gallon tank (not my build thread). I have tiny spots of bubble algae, I have smal clumps of hair algae, and occasionally if something dies I get some dinos. None of these can really get a good foot hold because there is so much competion for the various things that they need. This happens all the way up (and down the food chain). I finally just pulled off my skimmer from my 20 (don't have one on my new build). I only had it on for gas exchange and now that I have a lighter load I wanted it off. The reason that I took it off is because I could feel that it was ripping out portions of things that I want in the tank for competition. It is competition that makes the tank stable, not a monolith.

Gas exchange ... I have lived on the reef for three years. If you are bored you can look up Poro Point Philippines. I saw what the reef really looked like up close. I dove and snorkeled that area constantly. I went there after I had worked in a fish store with salt water for several years in HS. It was shocking to me to see how much the water moved, and to experience that water movement first hand when I snorkeled and dove. It took some time to sink in. When I owned a store in PHX I made a tank with what I considered at the time ridiculous flow. That tank was unreal. It was like magic how quickly the fish recovered in it. Even powder blue tanks with ich. That cemented the deal for me. I have come to loath skimmers but even they provide solid gas exchange. You can see that thinking in my new tank build. High flow from the bottom up with heavy surface skimming. This over time I have noticed helps when fish have bad stuff on their gills. This gives them the oxygen they need to fight off the infection. I have also found that your house plays a role in the gas exchange, because mostly we don't keep our aquariums outside. I have seen over time the effect gas exchange can play in a system. Corals like a high CO2 level but they don't really like a low PH. For me the PH trumps the CO2 because it is going to be higher in a house anyway and 900ppm household CO2 is not going to be uncommon.

That is kinda of the kitchen sink explaination.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Biodiversity means that there is competion. Just like in a market (like the whole of the U.S.) having only one type of anything is a monopoly and ensures nothing else can survive. Biodiversity in an aquarium is the same. For example there are several different types of algae in my 20 gallon tank (not my build thread). I have tiny spots of bubble algae, I have smal clumps of hair algae, and occasionally if something dies I get some dinos. None of these can really get a good foot hold because there is so much competion for the various things that they need. This happens all the way up (and down the food chain). I finally just pulled off my skimmer from my 20 (don't have one on my new build). I only had it on for gas exchange and now that I have a lighter load I wanted it off. The reason that I took it off is because I could feel that it was ripping out portions of things that I want in the tank for competition. It is competition that makes the tank stable, not a monolith.

Gas exchange ... I have lived on the reef for three years. If you are bored you can look up Poro Point Philippines. I saw what the reef really looked like up close. I dove and snorkeled that area constantly. I went there after I had worked in a fish store with salt water for several years in HS. It was shocking to me to see how much the water moved, and to experience that water movement first hand when I snorkeled and dove. It took some time to sink in. When I owned a store in PHX I made a tank with what I considered at the time ridiculous flow. That tank was unreal. It was like magic how quickly the fish recovered in it. Even powder blue tanks with ich. That cemented the deal for me. I have come to loath skimmers but even they provide solid gas exchange. You can see that thinking in my new tank build. High flow from the bottom up with heavy surface skimming. This over time I have noticed helps when fish have bad stuff on their gills. This gives them the oxygen they need to fight off the infection. I have also found that your house plays a role in the gas exchange, because mostly we don't keep our aquariums outside. I have seen over time the effect gas exchange can play in a system. Corals like a high CO2 level but they don't really like a low PH. For me the PH trumps the CO2 because it is going to be higher in a house anyway and 900ppm household CO2 is not going to be uncommon.

That is kinda of the kitchen sink explaination.

Hey. Thanks for all of that. It definitely makes sense about water movement and oxygen exchange. I also just checked my ph for the first time in a while and it is super low 7.4 I'm going to invest in another power head to really get my water moving. I Just have a 32 AIO so i guess being new i was afraid to have a ton of flow but I really need that gas exchange to help up my ph. I am going to look into ways of bringing in fresh air as well. Thanks again!

 

[HuduVudu]

Hey. Thanks for all of that. It definitely makes sense about water movement and oxygen exchange. I also just checked my ph for the first time in a while and it is super low 7.4 I'm going to invest in another power head to really get my water moving. I Just have a 32 AIO so i guess being new i was afraid to have a ton of flow but I really need that gas exchange to help up my ph. I am going to look into ways of bringing in fresh air as well. Thanks again!

I just want you to know what my tank looks like and maybe get some more traction on this post. If you look closely you can see the various hair algaes and such. This tank sucks for gas exchange but I have done things to try to improve it. My new build fixes the issues I am having in this one but the new tank is still really immature. The new tank will eventually look more like this tank.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

I just want you to know what my tank looks like and maybe get some more traction on this post. If you look closely you can see the various hair algaes and such. This tank sucks for gas exchange but I have done things to try to improve it. My new build fixes the issues I am having in this one but the new tank is still really immature. The new tank will eventually look more like this tank.

Nice tank! Btw what is the coral on the far right. The giant one? I can never remember the name of it. Looks great!

 

[HuduVudu]

Nice tank! Btw what is the coral on the far right. The giant one? I can never remember the name of it. Looks great!

Stylophora. It is a very easy coral to keep.