Hello, first post in r2r!
I am a long time freshwater tank keeper having a lot of confusion and frustration with my first Saltwater tank.
Current setup:
9g UNS 45A (Built in pump and filtration sump w/ biopellets) Macro Algae+ Soft coral nano-tank. Fully cycled
Twinstar 450 E series Light (1750 lumens) : Lights run for 10.5 hours
Livestock:
1 Tailspot Blenny
4 Blue Leg Hermit crabs
1 Cherry Shrimp (recently deceased)
Mix of Red Ogo, Dragon's Breath, Corraline algae, Codium
1 frag Pulsing Xenia (dying/melting)
1 new Frag GSP (pale, not opening, microalgae beginning to grow on surface)
Parameters:
Salinity- 1.026
Temp-78-80 F
pH- 8.2
KH- 10
Ca- 400-450
NO3- Reads zero, I dose 2ml of Brightwell Neonitro to keep Macros fed.
PO4- Test reads zero, I dose 1ml of Brightwell Neophos for the same reason. (I have since pulled back with this once I saw Cyano)
I'm using the Red Sea Marine Care test kit, I don't have a way to test Magnesium or other elements.
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I have been on a long and hard learning journey with this tank. There were many ups and downs that I expected with learning saltwater. I had poor lighting, algae blooms, insufficient salinity, all of which I have tried to address.
The most recent and drastic change I have made was a switch over from Instant Ocean to Red Sea Coral Pro salt mix.
The tank has been going for about a year, It started off very strong, corals were thriving, algae wasn't too bad, but then I slowly noticed the corals starting to wither away. I was very confused and the tank began to crash more rapidly. After a lot of investigation I found out my salinity was way too low (1.014 I think) as a result of going off the box instructions of Instant Ocean and not double checking with a refractometer. So to correct, I slowly adjusted salinity, increasing by .001-.002 per day. A few weeks ago I made my switch to the Red Sea salt as well as beginning the NO3 dosing (I noticed my macros responding well to it). However, since this big course correction with the salt and dosing, my Xenia, which was thriving, pulsing and doing really well previously, turned a powdery bluish color (which I thought was a good thing at first) and then would just keep its polyps shut every morning. The Xenia has now since melted and I don't think there's any saving it. The Cherry shrimp who was also doing really fine, died unexpectedly; seemingly a bad molt. I also noticed that the copepod population seemed to crash as well. They used to cover the glass, grazing on algae etc, and now they are all gone. Sorry I don't have a clear concise timeline on all of this, but the bad stuff seems to have been accumulating in the past 2 months.
The GSP I have in there is only a week old, I got a new frag to see if my parameter changes had helped, but the GSP hasn't opened up since I dropped it in the tank. (I did quarantine it) and now algae is starting to grow over its flesh.
I am very confused and ready to give up. My Blenny seems to be doing okay thankfully, and the Hermit crabs haven't had any issues. I test my water monthly, my pH has never been unstable. Is my lighting too strong for Corals but perfect for algae? I originally thought it was a Nitrate/Phosphate problem, but even when I dose or overfeed, it tests at zero. I believe the uptake of the macro algae outpaces and Nitrate buildup.
I have considered getting on of those ICP test kits from BRS, has anyone had any luck with those?
I just really feel like there is a gap in my knowledge here and I don't know what else to try! Any input or help would be appreciated!
I am a long time freshwater tank keeper having a lot of confusion and frustration with my first Saltwater tank.
Current setup:
9g UNS 45A (Built in pump and filtration sump w/ biopellets) Macro Algae+ Soft coral nano-tank. Fully cycled
Twinstar 450 E series Light (1750 lumens) : Lights run for 10.5 hours
Livestock:
1 Tailspot Blenny
4 Blue Leg Hermit crabs
1 Cherry Shrimp (recently deceased)
Mix of Red Ogo, Dragon's Breath, Corraline algae, Codium
1 frag Pulsing Xenia (dying/melting)
1 new Frag GSP (pale, not opening, microalgae beginning to grow on surface)
Parameters:
Salinity- 1.026
Temp-78-80 F
pH- 8.2
KH- 10
Ca- 400-450
NO3- Reads zero, I dose 2ml of Brightwell Neonitro to keep Macros fed.
PO4- Test reads zero, I dose 1ml of Brightwell Neophos for the same reason. (I have since pulled back with this once I saw Cyano)
I'm using the Red Sea Marine Care test kit, I don't have a way to test Magnesium or other elements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been on a long and hard learning journey with this tank. There were many ups and downs that I expected with learning saltwater. I had poor lighting, algae blooms, insufficient salinity, all of which I have tried to address.
The most recent and drastic change I have made was a switch over from Instant Ocean to Red Sea Coral Pro salt mix.
The tank has been going for about a year, It started off very strong, corals were thriving, algae wasn't too bad, but then I slowly noticed the corals starting to wither away. I was very confused and the tank began to crash more rapidly. After a lot of investigation I found out my salinity was way too low (1.014 I think) as a result of going off the box instructions of Instant Ocean and not double checking with a refractometer. So to correct, I slowly adjusted salinity, increasing by .001-.002 per day. A few weeks ago I made my switch to the Red Sea salt as well as beginning the NO3 dosing (I noticed my macros responding well to it). However, since this big course correction with the salt and dosing, my Xenia, which was thriving, pulsing and doing really well previously, turned a powdery bluish color (which I thought was a good thing at first) and then would just keep its polyps shut every morning. The Xenia has now since melted and I don't think there's any saving it. The Cherry shrimp who was also doing really fine, died unexpectedly; seemingly a bad molt. I also noticed that the copepod population seemed to crash as well. They used to cover the glass, grazing on algae etc, and now they are all gone. Sorry I don't have a clear concise timeline on all of this, but the bad stuff seems to have been accumulating in the past 2 months.
The GSP I have in there is only a week old, I got a new frag to see if my parameter changes had helped, but the GSP hasn't opened up since I dropped it in the tank. (I did quarantine it) and now algae is starting to grow over its flesh.
I am very confused and ready to give up. My Blenny seems to be doing okay thankfully, and the Hermit crabs haven't had any issues. I test my water monthly, my pH has never been unstable. Is my lighting too strong for Corals but perfect for algae? I originally thought it was a Nitrate/Phosphate problem, but even when I dose or overfeed, it tests at zero. I believe the uptake of the macro algae outpaces and Nitrate buildup.
I have considered getting on of those ICP test kits from BRS, has anyone had any luck with those?
I just really feel like there is a gap in my knowledge here and I don't know what else to try! Any input or help would be appreciated!