Looking for a reefing mentor

[Digimes]

What do you mean by supplement schedule? I feed the fish and do weekly water change of 2g.

What chemicals are you adding and how often? I use seachem fusion 1 and 2, small weekly doses.

 

[Digimes]

What are your latest readings? Temp, salinity, CA, PH and Alk?

 

[saltysailor]

I use seachem fusion 1 and 2, small weekly doses.

I run gfo in the media reactor and active carbon in a bag in the filter sock. I dose soda ash if alk gets below 8. That’s it!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I run gfo in the media reactor and active carbon in a bag in the filter sock. I dose soda ash if alk gets below 8. That’s it!

GFO and Carbon is usually not needed in a small tank, unless you have a specific issue you are trying to deal with. It actually could be a detriment to your tank. Not only do they absorb what they are advertised for. They can also adsorb other needed trace elements your tank needs. Your water changes should be enough to dilute any issues.
Do you have an idea of your No3 or Po4? How do you top off your display to maintain salinity?

 

[keithw283]

The light is a 360WE and the tank is IM 15

I would try dialing back your light intensity. What is your schedule like and what's the intensity? Unless I'm blind it doesn't look like you have any high light demanding corals in there. Renting or borrowing a par meter from somebody would be helpful if you don't want to just guess. But that light is pretty beefy for a 15 gallon tank

 

[Wallace11]

I'm in Topanga. Happy to help you out. Have frags to share to get you started too.
I know a few other folks in the LA area that would be happy to help too.

 

[saltysailor]

GFO and Carbon is usually not needed in a small tank, unless you have a specific issue you are trying to deal with. It actually could be a detriment to your tank. Not only do they absorb what they are advertised for. They can also adsorb other needed trace elements your tank needs. Your water changes should be enough to dilute any issues.
Do you have an idea of your No3 or Po4? How do you top off your display to maintain salinity?

The nitrate and phosphate swing a lot I am trying to get it to stable level. I haven’t really been running the media reactor unless I find the phosphates too high. The phos bounced between .18 and .05. Nitrate similar goes from a decent amount to high.

 

[saltysailor]

The nitrate and phosphate swing a lot I am trying to get it to stable level. I haven’t really been running the media reactor unless I find the phosphates too high. The phos bounced between .18 and .05. Nitrate similar goes from a decent amount to high.

I have ATO

 

[saltysailor]

I'm in Topanga. Happy to help you out. Have frags to share to get you started too.
I know a few other folks in the LA area that would be happy to help too.

Thanks so much I really appreciate it! Hoping to do a good job with this im sick of it looking like this!

 

[X-37B]

Best advice I can give if using the forum is what a few said. Pick "one" that has build threads to backup their claims.
After that follow there advice and stop listening to 10 others. They all have good intent but If you don't have the knowledge prior you will get confused.
You can dm me anytime but first check my build threads and anyone else's before deciding on the one you want.

 

[saltysailor]

I would try dialing back your light intensity. What is your schedule like and what's the intensity? Unless I'm blind it doesn't look like you have any high light demanding corals in there. Renting or borrowing a par meter from somebody would be helpful if you don't want to just guess. But that light is pretty beefy for a 15 gallon tank

It’s on the lowest intensity I can put it. I had it on only 7 hours a day but at night. Even though I don’t get direct light through the window I am moving the lights on time to be the same as the sun so maybe that will help things. I have no idea where to get a par meter my LFS doesn’t have one. From what I understand on other people’s tests I should have like 200ish at the top of the rocks and 80 by the sand.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I'm in Topanga. Happy to help you out. Have frags to share to get you started too.
I know a few other folks in the LA area that would be happy to help too.

I am glad you made it through!

 

[saltysailor]

I am glad you made it through!

Ya seriously! Power outages?

 

[Wallace11]

Ya seriously! Power outages?

Just got back in on Thursday. Had a generator installed last year just for this purpose - really came through! Tanks made it fine.

I also have a 30 gal AIO that is mainly anemones and softies, which I think you could use as a template for yours.

Send me a DM and we can set something up.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The nitrate and phosphate swing a lot I am trying to get it to stable level. I haven’t really been running the media reactor unless I find the phosphates too high. The phos bounced between .18 and .05. Nitrate similar goes from a decent amount to high.

They are going to swing a bit because of water changes and it is a new tank. Think of your rock and sand as a Po4 sponge. They will soak up Po4 but then release it back into the water after a water change, then equalize it again as your Po4 builds up again.
.18 is nothing to be alarmed about. Depending on the corals you have .06- 1.5 is good... NOT having nutients is bad. Also I believe that it is also about the ratio of Po4 - No3 that can be important. I just returned from Belize last month and the person who was taken care of my tanks made a mistake I believe, of the amount of coral food and how often. The result was my Po4 was super high .6-.9+ in my tanks. Did my tanks look any different? No. Did my corals seem happy? Yes. There are many factors of why this is, but that is not important to you right now.
I may have missed this, but how old is your tank? And you started with new rock and new sand correct?

 

[saltysailor]

They are going to swing a bit because of water changes and it is a new tank. Think of your rock and sand as a Po4 sponge. They will soak up Po4 but then release it back into the water after a water change, then equalize it again as your Po4 builds up again.
.18 is nothing to be alarmed about. Depending on the corals you have .06- 1.5 is good... NOT having nutients is bad. Also I believe that it is also about the ratio of Po4 - No3 that can be important. I just returned from Belize last month and the person who was taken care of my tanks made a mistake I believe, of the amount of coral food and how often. The result was my Po4 was super high .6-.9+ in my tanks. Did my tanks look any different? No. Did my corals seem happy? Yes. There are many factors of why this is, but that is not important to you right now.
I may have missed this, but how old is your tank? And you started with new rock and new sand correct?

Great to know. My tank is 11 months now started with new rock and sand.

 

[Nano_Tuners]

+1 Idea of getting involved in your local reefing community and building in person relationships with experienced locals

Forums like this can provide a lot of useful insight - but you often have to sift through poor advice (or comments that are simply regurgitated by someone trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about). There’s even people on the various forums who don’t even have a reef tank, but who dole out a lot of ‘expert advice’ for some reason...

There is plenty of valuable experience here - but search for evidence of their experience and success first.

 

[X-37B]

Who wants a system like this? It's really very simple, imo.
I have shared this system many times.
I have an old build on it if anyone's interested.
Zero to 10 months.

 

[X-37B]

+1 Idea of getting involved in your local reefing community and building in person relationships with experienced locals

Forums like this can provide a lot of useful insight - but you often have to sift through poor advice (or comments that are simply regurgitated by someone trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about). There’s even people on the various forums who don’t even have a reef tank, but who dole out a lot of ‘expert advice’ for some reason...

There is plenty of valuable experience here - but search for evidence of their experience and success first.

Well said.

 

[Rhetoric]

I think your aquarium looks perfectly great.

I worry about expectations regarding aquariums. The internet has a way of making people feel like they aren't "keeping up with the jones"

I think corals grow much slower then "the net" talks about.

Most algae issue are related to finding something that eats it.

"Look at my 6 month old nano" post showing mini colonies or better are simply Reefers whom had/bought bigger corals.

My point is simple... have fun, learn as you go, and don't compare tanks to the internet.

Good luck finding someone to help guide.