Saltwater Tank Collapse: Looking for help

[kolius]

About six months ago, my friend set up his first 60L (15-gal) saltwater tank with a mix of corals, shrimp, and a pair of clownfish, CUC, live stones, etc.

Initially, everything looked great. But over the past few months, the tank has gone into serious decline. All the corals have died, the water is now cloudy, and black algae have spread across nearly every surface. The clownfish and hermit crabs are still hanging in there.

My friend seems to be depressed because of this but I really want to help him get things back on track. What can be done to eliminate the black algae and start restoring balance to the tank? Any advice would be greatly apreciated.

there’s a skimmer, a filter, a wevermaker in the tank. There’s no lid that can be a problem. I personally think that 15-gal is too small for a stable tank

 

[sbeason]

What is he using for water? Does he have RO auto-top off? What are the water parameters? Need alot more info to even begin to possibly help.

 

[twentyleagues]

Well without further knowledge of how what and where my guess just by looking at the tank is maintenance was not regularly performed. The problem with small tanks is stability its easy for something to get out of whack fast. Do they have an ato? What or how often were water changes being done? Are they using ro/di water? I would also say that is too much rock for that size tank, probably blocking flow. The tank is very dirty for only 6 months and you can see multiple water lines which leads me to believe there is no ato (auto top off). Using an ato can be a huge step in stability.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I suppose some people would "enjoy" (in 'air quotes') the "thrill" or "challenge" of trying to rehabilitate a tank in that condition, but at just 15-gallons, I'd be tempted to just start over. As in near-total re-do.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've got a 4 year old 15 gallon with no lid. The tank has no filtration, I just do weekly water changes every week for the past 4 years and my tank and corals are thriving.

I see these pictures and I see a lack of maintenance and neglect. Your friend has not put in the time and effort and this is the result.

 

[davidreef97]

That’s a shame to see, and I’m always sorry when tanks end up in that condition. It can be really disheartening.

Here’s what I’d suggest as a first step:

First, turn off all flow and give the glass a thorough clean, along with the outside of the skimmer and the skimmer cup.

Next, perform a 50 percent water change right after cleaning. This will help remove a lot of the waste and debris you’ve just stirred up and give the system a fresh start.

Once that’s done, turn the flow and skimmer back on. Let the skimmer run wet for a few days, and make sure to empty the cup regularly. Tunze skimmers are great, but they can overflow if left too long, which defeats their purpose.

It may take some time to get things looking right again, but this process should help clear up the water, clean the glass, and get the tank running more smoothly. Hopefully, it brings some enjoyment back into the hobby.

Looking ahead, consider moving the rocks slightly away from the glass. This will make cleaning easier and improve water circulation. Also, try to stick with regular water changes. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Even a small cup a day, or the equivalent once a week, can make a big difference over time.

I’m not an expert and still fairly new to Reef2Reef, but happy to share what I’ve learned and always glad to help.

 

[kolius]

Thank you all for the comments — it’s been a while!

I visited once to clean the tank at my friend’s place, but he clearly wasn’t interested in maintaining it.

Eventually, he decided to give it to me. By that point, the tank had been running for months without any care: the water was reddish and very cloudy, full of black and red algae, and there had been major evaporation since it was running without a lid.

Despite that, I managed to rescue two clownfish, a red shrimp, and a handful of crabs — all of which are now thriving in my main tank. I’m honestly amazed they survived, and really happy to have them.

So now I’ve got a 16-gallon (60L) setup, complete with all the gear — light, canister filter, skimmer, wave-maker, and about 12 kg of live rock. For now, I’ve just cleaned it and filled it with water to keep the rock alive.

I’m trying to decide what to do next. Should I try to rehabilitate this tank? I’d love to create something different from my main setup — maybe a dedicated macroalgae tank? I do have some overgrown algae that could use a new home. My only concern is stability; keeping balance in such a small system can be tricky. What do you think — is a small marine tank like this worth the effort?

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Thank you all for the comments — it’s been a while!

I visited once to clean the tank at my friend’s place, but he clearly wasn’t interested in maintaining it.

Eventually, he decided to give it to me. By that point, the tank had been running for months without any care: the water was reddish and very cloudy, full of black and red algae, and there had been major evaporation since it was running without a lid.

Despite that, I managed to rescue two clownfish, a red shrimp, and a handful of crabs — all of which are now thriving in my main tank. I’m honestly amazed they survived, and really happy to have them.

So now I’ve got a 16-gallon (60L) setup, complete with all the gear — light, canister filter, skimmer, wave-maker, and about 12 kg of live rock. For now, I’ve just cleaned it and filled it with water to keep the rock alive.

I’m trying to decide what to do next. Should I try to rehabilitate this tank? I’d love to create something different from my main setup — maybe a dedicated macroalgae tank? I do have some overgrown algae that could use a new home. My only concern is stability; keeping balance in such a small system can be tricky. What do you think — is a small marine tank like this worth the effort?

You cam absolutely be successful with s small tank. I have a 4.8 gallon deskmate, and a 9 gallon fluval. Both are softie dominant. Number 1 is i would get an ato, that goes a long way toward stability in a small rank. I would stick with more forgiving corals like softies until you get the hang of it.

 

[vlangel]

Look at the macroalgae topic and read the sticky on mangroves. This small cube tank might be cool next to your reef display with mangroves and maybe some easy coral and shrimp.

Purely macroalgae tanks are cool too. Tigaboy (I might have his username wrong) on YouTube has really cool small macro tanks.

 

[vlangel]

Look at the macroalgae topic and read the sticky on mangroves. This small cube tank might be cool next to your reef display with mangroves and maybe some easy coral and shrimp.

Purely macroalgae tanks are cool too. Tigaboy (I might have his username wrong) on YouTube has really cool small macro tanks.

I went back to find a link on YouTube and couldn't. I must have seen his tanks somewhere else. There are beautiful macro tanks on YouTube however and lots of info on how to keep them.

 

[kolius]

Look at the macroalgae topic and read the sticky on mangroves

Thank you! A tank with mangrove is a relly great idea, I will look into this. Tigaboy is on instagram, I've seen the videos, they look fantastic but I already have some macroalgae in my main tank
Thanks!