Keep or Teardown 90g

[Reef_puck]

I have had a 90g reef for a few years that really has never taken off. Been through Valonia outbreaks. Cyano, and corals that just won’t grow. It seems I can not keep LPS alive in the tank and some of the sps I tried were always dieing off. Some sps frags are alive now but not growing. Zoas grew at one point and stop or die off. Devils hand leather is the only thing that really grew.

Tried multiple recommendations by others on this board on adjusting the lights, removing glass lids, raising all, dosing all for reef, dosing nitrate,

90g reef
eshops sump Ar-200
2 x XR15 blues
2 h20 4000 pumps for alternating flow
Sicce return pump
Apex and Dos
Auto top off

Live rock

Purple tang,
Tomini tang
2 Clowns
Christmas wrasse
Fairy wrasse
Filefish
Red cardinal

Various snails and crabs and pincushion urchin

Alk 8.6 dkh
Ca 430
Mag 1300
Sal 1.025
PO4 0.05
Nitrate 0 ( can not raise and if I do it drops out fast)
Lights are 10 hours AB+ 87%. Have not changed any setting in over 6 months.
Dos for dosing all for reef

Now with bubble algae that keeps recurring and the lack of coral growth I am back to rethinking to get rid of the tank.

It’s in my lower living room that I want to remodel with new walls, paint and maybe flooring. If I dump the tank this is easier to do. If I want to keep trying with no progress then it makes a remodel hard or impossible without a teardown and starting over.

Now do I try to find someone to take the fish and few corals and put the tank and equipment on the curb

find a way to renovate the room with the tank in it,

Hire a aquarium maintenance company to see if they can fix the tank

Convert to Fish Only

I don’t know what else could try.

 

[Dan_P]

I have had a 90g reef for a few years that really has never taken off. Been through Valonia outbreaks. Cyano, and corals that just won’t grow. It seems I can not keep LPS alive in the tank and some of the sps I tried were always dieing off. Some sps frags are alive now but not growing. Zoas grew at one point and stop or die off. Devils hand leather is the only thing that really grew.

Tried multiple recommendations by others on this board on adjusting the lights, removing glass lids, raising all, dosing all for reef, dosing nitrate,

90g reef
eshops sump Ar-200
2 x XR15 blues
2 h20 4000 pumps for alternating flow
Sicce return pump
Apex and Dos
Auto top off

Live rock

Purple tang,
Tomini tang
2 Clowns
Christmas wrasse
Fairy wrasse
Filefish
Red cardinal

Various snails and crabs and pincushion urchin

Alk 8.6 dkh
Ca 430
Mag 1300
Sal 1.025
PO4 0.05
Nitrate 0 ( can not raise and if I do it drops out fast)
Lights are 10 hours AB+ 87%. Have not changed any setting in over 6 months.
Dos for dosing all for reef

Now with bubble algae that keeps recurring and the lack of coral growth I am back to rethinking to get rid of the tank.

It’s in my lower living room that I want to remodel with new walls, paint and maybe flooring. If I dump the tank this is easier to do. If I want to keep trying with no progress then it makes a remodel hard or impossible without a teardown and starting over.

Now do I try to find someone to take the fish and few corals and put the tank and equipment on the curb

find a way to renovate the room with the tank in it,

Hire a aquarium maintenance company to see if they can fix the tank

Convert to Fish Only

I don’t know what else could try.

Might be time to part ways with the hobby. There are probably people that will help tear down the aquarium in exchange for fish. Have fun remodeling :-)

 

[Reef_puck]

Thinking the same. I’ll go to the LFS this week to see if anyone wants the fish. I’ll tear it down and put it out for trash pickup. What a waste of money to go to the trash

 

[Fish Fan]

Thinking the same. I’ll go to the LFS this week to see if anyone wants the fish. I’ll tear it down and put it out for trash pickup. What a waste of money to go to the trash

Where in the state are you? I'm near Canandaigua if I can help.

Before you just scrap the system, I'm sure someone would take it off your hands.

 

[Reef_puck]

Near nyc

 

[BeanAnimal]

I have had a 90g reef for a few years that really has never taken off. Been through Valonia outbreaks. Cyano, and corals that just won’t grow. It seems I can not keep LPS alive in the tank and some of the sps I tried were always dieing off. Some sps frags are alive now but not growing. Zoas grew at one point and stop or die off. Devils hand leather is the only thing that really grew.

Tried multiple recommendations by others on this board on adjusting the lights, removing glass lids, raising all, dosing all for reef, dosing nitrate,

90g reef
eshops sump Ar-200
2 x XR15 blues
2 h20 4000 pumps for alternating flow
Sicce return pump
Apex and Dos
Auto top off

Live rock

Purple tang,
Tomini tang
2 Clowns
Christmas wrasse
Fairy wrasse
Filefish
Red cardinal

Various snails and crabs and pincushion urchin

Alk 8.6 dkh
Ca 430
Mag 1300
Sal 1.025
PO4 0.05
Nitrate 0 ( can not raise and if I do it drops out fast)
Lights are 10 hours AB+ 87%. Have not changed any setting in over 6 months.
Dos for dosing all for reef

Now with bubble algae that keeps recurring and the lack of coral growth I am back to rethinking to get rid of the tank.

It’s in my lower living room that I want to remodel with new walls, paint and maybe flooring. If I dump the tank this is easier to do. If I want to keep trying with no progress then it makes a remodel hard or impossible without a teardown and starting over.

Now do I try to find someone to take the fish and few corals and put the tank and equipment on the curb

find a way to renovate the room with the tank in it,

Hire a aquarium maintenance company to see if they can fix the tank

Convert to Fish Only

I don’t know what else could try.

You will find no lack of encouragement if you ask a question like that, people naturally want you to feel the way they do about the hobby, perseverance, reward, joy or whatever it is that they feel.

My thought is that if you need other people to convince you to keep going, then maybe your heart really isn't in this, for whatever reason. All of those options are viable, but you have to decide which one fits.

Is it the hobby you want to be "good" at, or is it just the desire to have a "nice" fish tank, etc. Only you can answer those things internally.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I'm enjoying two 150-gallon FOWLRs filled with Butterfly fish-- here's one of them. I would give a FOWLR a try before deciding to pack it all in. Best wishes!

 

[Reef_puck]

What would I need to change this? A place to take everything out, scrub the tank, put in new Rock, recycle, would the basic sump, skimmer and heaters with auto top off be enough? Maybe a new lesser light?

The rock I have has bubble algae and Cyano all over it and whatever corals are there.

I like the reef idea I just don’t know what I am missing to have it thrive.

 

[Uncle99]

Zero nitrate is an impossible number with those fish in that tank.
Something wrong there.
What are normal fluxes throughout the day.

At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice. Sometimes a break is a good thing.

 

[Reef_puck]

I test with 2 salifert kits and a Hanna meter. Either the Valonia takes it up too fast or I don’t know. There is also allot of algae in the overflow. Ulna and Valonia for example.

 

[Fish Fan]

What would I need to change this? A place to take everything out, scrub the tank, put in new Rock, recycle, would the basic sump, skimmer and heaters with auto top off be enough? Maybe a new lesser light?

The rock I have has bubble algae and Cyano all over it and whatever corals are there.

I like the reef idea I just don’t know what I am missing to have it thrive.

If you've got a lot of pests and you're considering taking another shot at this, I'd look at the nuclear option and bleach cure all your rock, I'd toss and replace the sand with new, and I'd likely clean the tank and gear with bleach. This gets you back to square one, so to speak, and should eradicate everything, friendlies or foe.

This article has more info on bleaching curing rock:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...KOoMAdKN1HKOKp72AUl0MyLaoTRXMalHpTU8kEMqBX5b8

I hope this helps!

 

[allof fish]

I test with 2 salifert kits and a Hanna meter. Either the Valonia takes it up too fast or I don’t know. There is also allot of algae in the overflow. Ulna and Valonia for example.

If you’re able to remove rocks pressure wash the algae off. Dont do all the rock at once but that will help. I would look into the reasons why your having algae issues, like lighting flow nutrients as I don’t really believe your nitrates are at 0. Sorry your having trouble time I know it can be difficult but if you can get thru it it will be rewarding if you decide to go that route

 

[Reef_puck]

I have done a mini nuclear but taking rocks out and used hydrogen peroxide on hair algae and Valonia a while back. Hair algae has not returned (yet) but Valonia is alll over. I siphoned allot out but it comes back. Emerald Crabs barely touch

I am guessing corals don’t grow as the nitrates are zeroing out. Not enough light? What else?

 

[Reef_puck]

Any other thoughts? Adding more NeoNitro.

If we do remodel the room. Am I tearing it all down to move. I think I would have to get the water out and probably the fish and rock. Then put it all Back together in the middle of the room and then once the walls are done repeat.

 

[Fish Fan]

Any other thoughts? Adding more NeoNitro.

A lot of products like this are actually fairly week solutions. It would be cheaper and likely better for raising your nitrate to use a home made solution. You can dose nitrate directly, but you can also safely dose ammonia, which has some benefits besides just dosing nitrate (corals and other organisms can use the ammonia directly).

Here's a post from Randy Holmes-Farley who is a professional chemist and a long time reef tank guru. Here, he's replying to someone who was using large amounts of Neonitro, but was still seeing zero nitrate. Follow the links he provides for his DIY nitrate and ammonia dosing solutions. If you have any questions, let us know

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/struggling-to-with-zero-nitrate.1160491/post-14377823

 

[Reef_puck]

Interesting on the ammonia dosing.

Any ideas on moving the tank

 

[Reefer Brent]

Many people won't like this idea but remove carbon then add recommended Algaefix till velonia is gone and a little longer. Then add carbon back and introduce more beneficial bacteria. Pre seeded media or microbacter etc.

Weekly water changes while doing algaefix to syphon out dead algae.

Might take your urchin to the LFS as algaefix may do it in.

Maybe even order some TBS sand or rock to add after you kill velonia and strip out the algaefix.

Will take a month or two but slower is better. Once you have tank the way you want, it will easily live in stock bins while remodeling or moving the tank.

 

[Carnage1]

This might seem really random but I had a similar issue last 2 years ago, and within 6 months everything started growing and algae stayed away.

Firstly are you checking your tds of the water going into your tank?

And this is the random bit, so I always tested my tds coming out of the Rodi machine at 0 every water change stuff started looking worst, corals were dying and algae was getting bigger,

until I realised I make my water about 2 days prior and it’s sat in a barrel in direct sunlight, vinegar soaked the barrel and rinsed it through several times, writhing 3 months started to see the algae really die back and then within 6 corals started growing, I’m assuming some sort of bacteria had grown in my barrel due to the sun hitting it/ something’s found its way inside.

May not help but may be worth a shot buying a cheap tds pen and checking it out of your barrel and your ato bucket

 

[Carnage1]

And the other thing for my corals was I discovered at the same time my neon velvet damsel would lay waste to any clove, gsp, Xenia or zoas by tearing them apart at night, so may be worth watching your fish with corals