- Joined
- Feb 24, 2019
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Hi everyone,
My son and I are very new in the reef tank hobby. I used to have freshwater African tanks for years and my son and I decided to give a nano reef tank a try. We've had a wonderful time with the hobby so far. As you are all well aware, the problems that a novice will face have reared their ugly head. I will list my specs and questions below and would appreciate any help and expertise.
Tank setup:
Coralife Biocube 32
Live sand/Live dry rock
Cobalt Aquatics MJ 1200
IM ghost skimmer (medium size)
InTank media basket running Purigen and ChemiPure Blue
Heater Fluval 100 W
Hydor Nano powerheads x2
Tunze nano ATO
Livestock:
2 small black/white clowns
1 Bengaii Cardinal
1 pygmy wrasse (small)
1 Tailspot Blenny
1 diamond goby
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab (very tiny and just placed)
2 conch snail
1 small rockflower nem
Small CUC (blue hermits/snails)
1-small purple/purple aussie torch
1 small frogspawn
2 headed candy cane (small and dividing)
2 small birds nest (I know I should not have them yet, they were given to me)
1 flowerpot frag
Tank is 6 months old. Took a very long time to cycle initially. Had some bad advice on what bacteria to add for the cycle. Also, took a VERY long time to break the IM ghost in (like 2 months). Placed the cardinal first at month 2. Was alone for two weeks and (as expected) the brown algae started after the first few days of small feeds. Got a small CUC and one conch at that time. They took care of the algae. Clown pair was added at the 3 month mark with the small candy cane frag.
Had a huge bacterial bloom after the clowns were added and I treated with UV for a week, which cleared it up. Tank was crystal clear at that point. Did 10 % water changes weekly and tested weekly. Parameters were spot on and stable for two months. Added the pygmy wrasse and nothing changed. Got the torch/frogspawn/free birds nest frags and the small flowerpot frag and parameters were bulletproof. One week later, I added the small peppermint shrimp.
At the 4 month mark, the brown algae came back. I did not change any feeding amounts and nothing died. The sand was so brown from the diatomes, I was advised to add a diamond goby. Needless to say, he destroyed my tank. My sand was white, but particulate was everywhere. Parameters were still stable at that time. NO2/NO3 zero, PO4 zero, NH4 zero, Ca 410, Mg 1275, pH 8.2 and dKH 9. Algae was finally gone after the goby worked it for a few days.
The particulate and mess from the goby was really annoying me and I did a 1o gallon water change two weeks later. I realize that I should have not done so much because I think it caused the current problem.
I think the tank recycled and diatomes were everywhere three days after. Mind you, the goby continues to cause water issues. The particulate issue is better but I have to change my floss daily because of the particulate and deterious collection. The NO2 and NO3 spiked significantly at that time, and I added NOPOX for a week and they returned to zero
I added a second conch and a couple more snails. They did a good job on the algae on the glass and back wall. Unfortunately, the hair algae is now everywhere. That is when I added the small emerald and blenny thinking they could help. Needless to say, they have not helped the hair problem as of yet.
We are really struggling at this point and seem to be at a dead end. Both LFS say different things and I do not know who to believe at this point. This is why I came to the R2R forum, as you guys have expertise and beautiful tanks here. I want to get the crystal water back, with no hair algae on the rocks and pumps, and carry on with normal life. I have put so much time and money into this. I want my tank to be as nice as most folks on here.
I know this is super long winded, but we are really desperate for some actual advice that works. We really appreciate any feedback and advice. I will post some pics too.
Thank you in advance.
My son and I are very new in the reef tank hobby. I used to have freshwater African tanks for years and my son and I decided to give a nano reef tank a try. We've had a wonderful time with the hobby so far. As you are all well aware, the problems that a novice will face have reared their ugly head. I will list my specs and questions below and would appreciate any help and expertise.
Tank setup:
Coralife Biocube 32
Live sand/Live dry rock
Cobalt Aquatics MJ 1200
IM ghost skimmer (medium size)
InTank media basket running Purigen and ChemiPure Blue
Heater Fluval 100 W
Hydor Nano powerheads x2
Tunze nano ATO
Livestock:
2 small black/white clowns
1 Bengaii Cardinal
1 pygmy wrasse (small)
1 Tailspot Blenny
1 diamond goby
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab (very tiny and just placed)
2 conch snail
1 small rockflower nem
Small CUC (blue hermits/snails)
1-small purple/purple aussie torch
1 small frogspawn
2 headed candy cane (small and dividing)
2 small birds nest (I know I should not have them yet, they were given to me)
1 flowerpot frag
Tank is 6 months old. Took a very long time to cycle initially. Had some bad advice on what bacteria to add for the cycle. Also, took a VERY long time to break the IM ghost in (like 2 months). Placed the cardinal first at month 2. Was alone for two weeks and (as expected) the brown algae started after the first few days of small feeds. Got a small CUC and one conch at that time. They took care of the algae. Clown pair was added at the 3 month mark with the small candy cane frag.
Had a huge bacterial bloom after the clowns were added and I treated with UV for a week, which cleared it up. Tank was crystal clear at that point. Did 10 % water changes weekly and tested weekly. Parameters were spot on and stable for two months. Added the pygmy wrasse and nothing changed. Got the torch/frogspawn/free birds nest frags and the small flowerpot frag and parameters were bulletproof. One week later, I added the small peppermint shrimp.
At the 4 month mark, the brown algae came back. I did not change any feeding amounts and nothing died. The sand was so brown from the diatomes, I was advised to add a diamond goby. Needless to say, he destroyed my tank. My sand was white, but particulate was everywhere. Parameters were still stable at that time. NO2/NO3 zero, PO4 zero, NH4 zero, Ca 410, Mg 1275, pH 8.2 and dKH 9. Algae was finally gone after the goby worked it for a few days.
The particulate and mess from the goby was really annoying me and I did a 1o gallon water change two weeks later. I realize that I should have not done so much because I think it caused the current problem.
I think the tank recycled and diatomes were everywhere three days after. Mind you, the goby continues to cause water issues. The particulate issue is better but I have to change my floss daily because of the particulate and deterious collection. The NO2 and NO3 spiked significantly at that time, and I added NOPOX for a week and they returned to zero
I added a second conch and a couple more snails. They did a good job on the algae on the glass and back wall. Unfortunately, the hair algae is now everywhere. That is when I added the small emerald and blenny thinking they could help. Needless to say, they have not helped the hair problem as of yet.
We are really struggling at this point and seem to be at a dead end. Both LFS say different things and I do not know who to believe at this point. This is why I came to the R2R forum, as you guys have expertise and beautiful tanks here. I want to get the crystal water back, with no hair algae on the rocks and pumps, and carry on with normal life. I have put so much time and money into this. I want my tank to be as nice as most folks on here.
I know this is super long winded, but we are really desperate for some actual advice that works. We really appreciate any feedback and advice. I will post some pics too.
Thank you in advance.
