New clam.... who 'dis?

[SpartaReef]

Sprung a leak. Got everything switched over though. So far so good.

 

[minus9]

Oh no, good thing you caught it. Good opportunity to scrub those rocks and load up on CUC.

 

[SpartaReef]

Got everything back together same day.

 

[SpartaReef]

Weekly update. Both clams still growing!

 

[minus9]

So why so many hob filters on the system? I'm wondering if these are contributing to the ongoing algae issue?

 

[SpartaReef]

For flow. Only one has a filter. Im not a fan of powerheads. And this way it increases water volume without a sump. I use them as refugiums as well. In what way would they contribute to the gha?

 

[minus9]

I wasn’t sure what media, if any you were using, so they could potentially feed nutrients to the system. The problem with using these as your main source of flow, they are limited with their ability to lift up detritus and organic material and removing it. Instead, your rocks aren’t getting good flow and detritus settles in the nooks and crannies, which helps feed the algae. Also, you’re losing the benefits of surface skimming, which also helps in removing detritus and organic material. A better way would be to use an in-tank surface skimmer/filter and a flow pump that can be adjusted. My guess is you’re always going to have issues with this setup. Flow is extremely vital in our tanks, in fact, it’s often the one component that can have the biggest impact on a healthy system. Tunze and Sicce both make in-tank surface filters and skimmers. You would be better off employing one of them, if not both in your system and adding a budget friendly flow pump.
As someone who’s been doing this for over four decades and primarily only having nano tanks, simple changes can make all the difference. The hard truth is, at some point, that algae is going to start killing the animals in the tank because it’s simply out competing them for nutrients and real estate. The reason being, when corals have to fight off algae in order to grow, they put all of their energy into surviving and fighting for that real estate, that they stop growing and eventually lose the battle. In nature, there are countless herbivores that do the job, but in our tanks, we have to become the janitors and help the little guys.
My apologies if this seems harsh or crass in any way, but I’m just trying to offer you some helpful advice that may help your tank and inhabitants thrive.

 

[SpartaReef]

Urchins keep moving the clams. Sometimes i think they move themselves too

 

[SpartaReef]

Still thriving...

 

[SpartaReef]

They like the new light

 

[SpartaReef]

Sweet jesus! Thats nice ;) Its gonna need lots of nutrients to build that shell. I'm sure the experts on here have got that covered.

If you start at the begining youll see the growth theyve already had since being in my tank.

 

[SpartaReef]

 

[SpartaReef]

 

[SpartaReef]

 

[minus9]

You might have some dinos taking off on top of your existing algae. I’m glad the clams are holding on, but you have a battle on your hands that will definitely overtake everything unless you do something soon.

 

[SpartaReef]

You might have some dinos taking off on top of your existing algae. I’m glad the clams are holding on, but you have a battle on your hands that will definitely overtake everything unless you do something soon.

Its been ongoing for months. Its the red stuff. Its actually getting better now finally. Regular cleaning...

 

[SpartaReef]

The other one is mad i did a water change and bumped it

 

[minus9]

I would honestly reset this tank with some actual real live ocean rock mixed with clean dry rock that's been stripped of organics. The corals seem very stressed and it's not going to be long before the clams start to suffer. Having that much algae in a system isn't healthy, it's kinda like visceral fat surrounding organs.

 

[SpartaReef]

I would honestly reset this tank with some actual real live ocean rock mixed with clean dry rock that's been stripped of organics. The corals seem very stressed and it's not going to be long before the clams start to suffer. Having that much algae in a system isn't healthy, it's kinda like visceral fat surrounding organs.

Its been running a year. And the algae is reseading as macros are growing

 

[SpartaReef]

Thevgold clam passed away. Purple still going strong. Started treatment for the algae proplem. First time ever that ive needed to resort to chemicals for algae.