So frustrated!!!

OP
OP
Hilltopreef90

Hilltopreef90

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
722
Reaction score
221
Location
Jacksonville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Throwing away your rock and sand and starting over with what is just more dry rock that is painted will not fix your problems.

You don’t have any fish so getting nutrients down (butshould be easy as you don’t have tons of mouths to feed.

Do water changes and suck up any debris. Don’t feed the tank any powdered foods or that nonsense. The corals can eat when you stir the sand bed. Change the socks diligently and so on.

Expect it to take time to correct and it be fixed overnight. Unless you have a nano… nanos are easy to fix :)

You do not need fish to eat algae. A suitable cuc can do it all. I didn’t have any algae eating fish for the first 10 years in this hobby and now that I have one… I wouldn’t say my yellow tang is that useful.

If you need more cuc… then get more cuc… trochus snails are fantastic.. female emerald crabs can tackle more difficult algae. Conches like to vacuum the sand and lower rocks.

Algae and pests and problems are a normal part of the hobby. You need to learn how to defeat them. Starting over does nothing but reset your clock on what should be a mature tank and you don’t learn anything. My rock has been with me over 10 years now. I consider it the most valuable thing in my tank.
I think have plenty of trochus, it’s a 90 gallon. I have one conch cannot should I add more ?
I have nerite snails, nasseris snails and a few other kinds, a brittle star, emerald crabs, peppermint shrimp, tiger pistol and a cleaner shrimp and tuxedo urchin
Any suggestions on other cuc to add ?
 

Tamberav

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
9,550
Reaction score
14,629
Location
Wauwatosa, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think have plenty of trochus, it’s a 90 gallon. I have one conch cannot should I add more ?
I have nerite snails, nasseris snails and a few other kinds, a brittle star, emerald crabs, peppermint shrimp, tiger pistol and a cleaner shrimp and tuxedo urchin
Any suggestions on other cuc to add ?

Idk how many of each you have but if it is sufficient then just start stirring your sand, changing socks, blasting the rocks free of debris and doing water changes to bring nutrients to an acceptable range.

Realize algae is a normal part of the cycle of new rock but don’t neglect the tank and let it get out of hand.
 

Sleepingtiger

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 21, 2020
Messages
755
Reaction score
751
Location
Dallas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am dosing phyto and adding copepods. My tank too is fallow from ich. I had a huge explosion of pods since the tank is fallow. My pods are slowly eating away at the GHA. I would say I have a 90% reduction since the pods population exploded. I still add brine shrimp and mysis shrimp every other day to feed the two pistol shrimps.

I added a nitrate brick and that has helped me tremendously reduce my nitrates. I dosed alot of bacteria at the beginning. With the reduction in GHA, I am seeing cyno. They have not exploded like I thought they would. Covering maybe 5% of the rocks.

Your best shot is to let your tank fix itself. Add phyto and pods can help. As other mentioned, patience is needed.

I am so busy at work that I have no choice but to let my tank take care of itself. I purchased about 30 frags and to save the frags, I had to move them to a frag rack and wait it out.
 
OP
OP
Hilltopreef90

Hilltopreef90

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
722
Reaction score
221
Location
Jacksonville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I upgraded to this tank, I already had fish and corals, I did start over with new rock and sand and a new cycle in hopes of starting out with good parameters.
I’ll have a picture soon, it’s been so long since I started a new tank I don’t remember going through a green phase. I also worried it’s because there’s no fish to help clean the tank.
I should have more then enough of a cuc to do the job.
My nitrates and phosphates are both very high
Nitrate was 36.7 phosphates were 0.15 alk 7.7, calcium 447
Pictures 0CF3427B-373E-497E-A66A-FDE1980DDE31.jpeg 1C82FAEE-493C-48AA-88D1-BDF30D5FEC28.jpeg 77AE108E-3ED8-4F22-948B-5AA547D0C315.jpeg
BAB1F7F3-3F7B-4909-92C9-6C697A185969.jpeg
5C7158A1-B25B-48B9-89E4-46D5E08E61ED.jpeg
 

Lyss

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2021
Messages
1,263
Reaction score
1,925
Location
New York City
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I don’t think that’s anything to tear the tank down over — just manage nutrients and tank maintenance. My rocks looked like a lot of that right before the coralline started. They’re still green but covered in coralline that grows over that now.

I also see the goby still in there. Your tank isn’t in a fallow period if a fish is still in there.
 

Tamberav

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
9,550
Reaction score
14,629
Location
Wauwatosa, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Congratulations! Your tank is normal. The rocks are supposed to turn green with micro algae, maybe a little cyano, and green coralline is the first to come in. It is the phase before eventually your rocks start to get the pink and purple coralline chicken pox.

Proceed with regular maintenance. Look at your corals, they look happy.
 
OP
OP
Hilltopreef90

Hilltopreef90

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
722
Reaction score
221
Location
Jacksonville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I don’t think that’s anything to tear the tank down over — just manage nutrients and tank maintenance. My rocks looked like a lot of that right before the coralline started. They’re still green but covered in coralline that grows over that now.

I also see the goby still in there. Your tank isn’t in a fallow period if a fish is still in there.
I know, I have to re start it, I thought the goby died but he suddenly popped out of hiding, the quarantine tank isn’t ready yet.
Lol, I sometimes think I’ll just keep him, the cuc and corals. I hate having to remove him and leave his shrimp buddy alone but I know I can’t add fish until I go through a fallow period
 
OP
OP
Hilltopreef90

Hilltopreef90

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 23, 2021
Messages
722
Reaction score
221
Location
Jacksonville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Congratulations! Your tank is normal. The rocks are supposed to turn green with micro algae, maybe a little cyano, and green coralline is the first to come in. It is the phase before eventually your rocks start to get the pink and purple coralline chicken pox.

Proceed with regular maintenance. Look at your corals, they look happy.
That’s why I’m hesitant to change anything, my corals are doing well
Thank you
 

Bombschell

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
185
Reaction score
135
Location
East, Texas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I thought you tank looked pretty good. I have been fighting dino's after taking all me nutrients down to 0 with heavy skimming, and little feeding. Granted this is a nano, but after pulling the skimmer, increasing feeding, adding some pods and dosing phyto the various nuisance algae is noticeably thinning and slower to return after cleaning. The addition of an emerald crab has helped as well.
 

jesse88

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 17, 2021
Messages
100
Reaction score
61
Location
nashville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I did everything I could this time to do my reef tank the right way, I bought the best equipment, I even used a par meter to get my lighting right.
I’ve not missed a water change and yet I’m starting to have algae issues.
Unfortunately I’m in a fallow period because in spite of everything I ended up with what I assume was velvet disease and lost all my fish.
My corals and inverts are fine but the algae is starting and I’m worried it’ll get out of control like every other time in the past I’ve had a reef tank.
First off I’m wondering if part of the problem is my rock ? I used old rocks that I’d soaked in bleach for weeks, then rinsed and soaked with prime , rinsed and soaked several more times before drying and using in my current tank.
Before giving up I’m thinking of tearing down the entire tank replacing the rock and sand with caribesea live rock and sand, going through the cycle again.
Because the tank had a disease that killed all the fish except my goby should I run bleach through the system before filling again?
I figure I have to wait several months to be sure the velvet disease is gone and I’m already seeing algae and worried it’ll become an issue again so even though it’ll cost $$ to start over maybe it’s worth it to know the disease is gone and the algae and rocks that may be the problem are gone.
I guess aside from opinions I’d like to know if my old rocks could be the cause of my constant algae issues ?
One other question, I have over a dozen corals and inverts, can I use the water from the aquarium and transfer the coral and inverts into another tank using the water that’s already been cycled to keep the coral and inverts in until the tank is cycled again.
Do you have a UV STABILIZER if not I would start with getting one
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top