Help with filter for my tank please

[Trefaca]

Hello, my tank is fairly new 6months old with mature rock in, I wanted to run my tank with Berlin method and no skimmer since the idea sounded cool and it's been doing okay so far but lately I have been having issues with cyano and water quality. Water was tested in LFS and it's reading 0nitrates 0 phosphates for some reason even if corals is growing macro algea in the tank as well. But algea issue still persists and one of my fishes (royal Gramma) died just today. So I recently been thinking to add some sort of internal filter or small skimmer just to make everyone's (mine and all the life in the tank) easier could anybody suggest some sort of solution to this issue please. By the way, I need to keep my lid on because I have kids with special needs that likes to put things in water and cat likes to sleep on it as well

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The berlin method provides biological filtration, meaning it turns ammonia into nitrite then nitrate, but it does not export nutrients or dissolved organics. With no other form of filtration, you should be doing regular water changes. Water changes can also replace a skimmer.

Personally I run 2 tanks with no filters and they have no algae. I don't see much algae in your tank, a little bit of cyano but nothing serious IMO.

Personally I would aim one of those powerheads up to create heavy surface agitation to help oxygenate the water, flat water surface is not good.

IMO your rock work is not good for a royal gramma, they like to hide in tight caves all day. Forcing fish to be out in the open creates huge stress, nano fishes need to hide, but there are no hiding spots in your tank, not even a single one IMO. To me, this is a much bigger concern than adding a skimmer or internal filter.

 

[Trefaca]

The berlin method provides biological filtration, meaning it turns ammonia into nitrite then nitrate, but it does not export nutrients or dissolved organics. With no other form of filtration, you should be doing regular water changes. Water changes can also replace a skimmer.

Personally I run 2 tanks with no filters and they have no algae. I don't see much algae in your tank, a little bit of cyano but nothing serious IMO.

Personally I would aim one of those powerheads up to create heavy surface agitation to help oxygenate the water, flat water surface is not good.

IMO your rock work is not good for a royal gramma, they like to hide in tight caves all day. Forcing fish to be out in the open creates huge stress, nano fishes need to hide, but there are no hiding spots in your tank, not even a single one IMO. To me, this is a much bigger concern than adding a skimmer or internal filter.

Well I do water changes weekly. And middle rock with with torch is completely Halloween with few entrances and rock on the very left where the royal gramma was hiding since it started living in there and found that cave immediately, since it has caves inside as well. I'll try to aim one of them higher thank you.

 

[Trefaca]

Any other suggestions please?

 

[Fish Fan]

The Berlin method relied on heavy skimming, I'd personally run one just for the extra gas exchange if possible with your lid.

Cyano is common in newer tanks, especially around the 6 month mark.

If accurate, 0 nitrate and 0 phosphate isn't ideal, running either or both can sometimes lead to ugly algae and cyano. I would try to raised those levels by feeding more fish food, or by dosing phosphate along with either ammonia or nitrate.

For the cyano, try to manually remove what you can by siphoning it out, and increasing the flow in those areas. It can't grow if it's literally being blown off the sand

In the worst cases (and I don't see that here), you can try a product called Chemi-Clean, which is an antibiotic, and some here advise not using it because it could potentially affect more than just the cyano. But others including myself have used it successfully without any real negatives.

Chemiclean - Chemi-pure Advanced Aquarist Products

chemi-pure.com

The R2R #reefsquad be able to offer further help

Good luck!

 

[Rocks reef]

I agree with @Mr. Mojo Rising in regards to increasing surface agitation, especially since you have a lid on your tank with further limits gas exchange.
The skimmer recommendation by @Fish Fan would be a great addition for improved gas exchange.
The cyano is taking hold primarily due to have no nutrients in the tank.
Tunze sells the Comline filters which go in your tank. It takes water in from the surface so it helps with the film that occurs. It will also help with surface agitation. I had one on my 40g breeder that had no skimmer, it kept the water clean and clear. I used filter floss in mine and just ditched the filter floss once a week, or sooner if feeding heavier.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Even a small skimmer will be of great benefit for gas exchange in this lidded system. I don't see any reason to change anything else and I wouldn't try to overcorrect for the zero phosphate and nitrate. Feed the fish and direct some flow toward the cyano area. The tank looks great, slow and steady. Big changes can sometimes bring more problems.

 

[Trefaca]

Thank you all for your answers, I was still looking for best angles for the power heads. Now I have it more aimed to surface again it looks a bit better.
I was considering nutrient imbalance so I tried before to increase nitrates by feeding more for more than a week but nothing changed except signs on surface of extra protein therefore the reason I was considering getting extra filtration, could you guys recommend a good small skimmer then my type of tank for the future?
And would growing corals that (I think) looking happy show that there is some nutrients in the tank? Myself and LFS guy was considering that there might be something that aggressively eats the nutrients away that's why it's at 0 all the time could that be an option as well?