My tank is set up incorrectly

[ZC aquatics]

So what are you saying the problem is fish fan?

 

[MikeyZo]

Apparently he didn’t like our input

 

[ZC aquatics]

Apparently he didn’t like our input

lol

 

[Coral Memere]

So at this point I feel I have set my tank up incorrectly and i’m looking for some help, I recently got some constructive criticism and I really want to try to make my tank the best it can be, so I’m gonna be completely honest with my set up and any help on what I should do next would be awesome, I have a 20 gallon tank a nem who is dying, and creatures die about every month, I have four coral frags. I don’t have an ATO. I don’t have a canister filter. I have a hang on back filter rated for 30 gallons. I have a heater and a powerhead. In my tank, I have a clown fish. A royal Gramma a tail spot blenny and a yellow watchman goby I also have five Trocus snails, 3 nasarius snails and a turbo snail, I have around seven blue legged hermit crabs I also have a pom-pom crab, a porcelain crab, and a pistol shrimp, and a feather duster I had that went missing. Any help would be greatly appreciated on what to do next

Reading all the comments, and your original post- let's address your original question. Your tank setup is fine! Whomever told you it was set up wrong probably meant it wasn't like HIS.. or the conventional wisdom of a sump and skimmer yadda yadda...or worse all the gizmos you can buy these days.... TOTAL OVERKILL for a 30 gal tank! I ran a 30 gal tank for years with a HOB filter from Tetra. You don't need an ATO because you'll only be adding a couple cups of water every day or so for evaporation.

Please don't go out and buy stuff to reset your tank!!! I STILL run a 95 gallon with no sump or skimmer because it's in my bedroom. I have 2 submersible cannister filters, heaters and an intermittent reactor. I have a tang, melanurus wrasse, cleaner wrasse, file fish, 3 shrimp and about 25 goni, 10 Favia, 3 Echinata and 9 Acan lords, a rock flower nem, CUC and 10 zoas all doing just fine.

What the group is now talking about is looking at the REAL problem... Because it's not going to be solved with equipment changes. Please tell us more about what's been going on? What's dying every month? How are they dying?

(The algae is the corals need a min of .03 phosphates to photosynthesize. Gone are the days where your levels should all be zero. I subscribe (or try to) to the CW of .05-.15 phosphate range. The Nitrates under 20 for my LPS tanks.)

 

[VintageReefer]

1) your equipment is fine
What media is inside the hob filter?

You don’t need an ato or canister

2) photo of tank please. Whiter lights. Don’t post a pic of a all dark blue tank.

3) phosphates - 0 = coral starving
Use neophos liquid to bring up to .10 - .20

4) your light is good. And can be strong. What percent are you setting the channels to?

 

[elkman]

Reading all the comments, and your original post- let's address your original question. Your tank setup is fine! Whomever told you it was set up wrong probably meant it wasn't like HIS.. or the conventional wisdom of a sump and skimmer yadda yadda...or worse all the gizmos you can buy these days.... TOTAL OVERKILL for a 30 gal tank! I ran a 30 gal tank for years with a HOB filter from Tetra. You don't need an ATO because you'll only be adding a couple cups of water every day or so for evaporation.

Please don't go out and buy stuff to reset your tank!!! I STILL run a 95 gallon with no sump or skimmer because it's in my bedroom. I have 2 submersible cannister filters, heaters and an intermittent reactor. I have a tang, melanurus wrasse, cleaner wrasse, file fish, 3 shrimp and about 25 goni, 10 Favia, 3 Echinata and 9 Acan lords, a rock flower nem, CUC and 10 zoas all doing just fine.

What the group is now talking about is looking at the REAL problem... Because it's not going to be solved with equipment changes. Please tell us more about what's been going on? What's dying every month? How are they dying?

(The algae is the corals need a min of .03 phosphates to photosynthesize. Gone are the days where your levels should all be zero. I subscribe (or try to) to the CW of .05-.15 phosphate range. The Nitrates under 20 for my LPS tanks.)

Well, here’s the thing that’s not what I’m most concerned about. I had one cleaner, shrimp disappear, although that was very early in the tank and I have some suspicions about my pistol shrimp. I’ve also had a porcelain crab die. What are most concerned about right now is my rbta it looks so good even two weeks ago with all of his tentacles out now he looks like this he’s still alive, but I don’t know what to do atp. Somewhere saying it’s because I don’t have a ato but idk

 

[Coral Memere]

Reading all the comments, and your original post- let's address your original question. Your tank setup is fine! Whomever told you it was set up wrong probably meant it wasn't like HIS.. or the conventional wisdom of a sump and skimmer yadda yadda...or worse all the gizmos you can buy these days.... TOTAL OVERKILL for a 30 gal tank! I ran a 30 gal tank for years with a HOB filter from Tetra. You don't need an ATO because you'll only be adding a couple cups of water every day or so for evaporation.

Please don't go out and buy stuff to reset your tank!!! I STILL run a 95 gallon with no sump or skimmer because it's in my bedroom. I have 2 submersible cannister filters, heaters and an intermittent reactor. I have a tang, melanurus wrasse, cleaner wrasse, file fish, 3 shrimp and about 25 goni, 10 Favia, 3 Echinata and 9 Acan lords, a rock flower nem, CUC and 10 zoas all doing just fine.

What the group is now talking about is looking at the REAL problem... Because it's not going to be solved with equipment changes. Please tell us more about what's been going on? What's dying every month? How are they dying?

(The algae is the corals need a min of .03 phosphates to photosynthesize. Gone are the days where your levels should all be zero. I subscribe (or try to) to the CW of .05-.15 phosphate range. The Nitrates under 20 for my LPS tanks.)

Well, here’s the thing that’s not what I’m most concerned about. I had one cleaner, shrimp disappear, although that was very early in the tank and I have some suspicions about my pistol shrimp. I’ve also had a porcelain crab die. What are most concerned about right now is my rbta it looks so good even two weeks ago with all of his tentacles out now he looks like this he’s still alive, but I don’t know what to do atp. Somewhere saying it’s because I don’t have a ato but idk

You have a 30 gallon tank. You don't need an auto. Just top off your water with fresh water every few days and watch the salinity. I have a 500 gallon tank and the 95 with no ATO. I've had the 95 so long I know to put 3 gallons back in after 4 days

 

[bluemon]

Well, here’s the thing that’s not what I’m most concerned about. I had one cleaner, shrimp disappear, although that was very early in the tank and I have some suspicions about my pistol shrimp. I’ve also had a porcelain crab die. What are most concerned about right now is my rbta it looks so good even two weeks ago with all of his tentacles out now he looks like this he’s still alive, but I don’t know what to do atp. Somewhere saying it’s because I don’t have a ato but idk

Can you show us your FTS (full tank shot) sometimes that helps.

Where is your tank located? There can be some chemicals in the air that might kill things.