so many questions about things and information overloaded, please help!

[Introvertedmaniack]

Hello everyone!
I'm starting to feel lazy just coming on here everytime I get stuck for information, but everytime I do my own research I get overloaded with different information, conflicting information, and advice that doesn't seem applicable to my particular case :(
I've got a 65L tank with 4 lovely peppermint shrimp, 2 astrea snails, 1 hitchhiker squat lobster, and 3(?) hitchhiker brittle stars that are thankfully all still small. The equipment in my tank include a Seachem Tidal35 HOB filter with coarse sponge, filter floss, activated carbon, and seachem matrix rock media, a normal aqua one heater set to 24°C, a thermometer, aqua one LED light strip that came with my tank, and a sponge filter with an airline going into it.
I've got a pretty long list of questions that I can't seem to get answers for, so I'll get started on those.
1. what does my tank being "low-bioload" mean for my tank? I want to get some macroalgae but I think I'll need to get some fertiliser compounds because, if my understanding is right, my tank being "low-bioload" means there won't be enough nutrients in the water for them to grow well.
2. how do I grow and maintain biofilm for my peppermint shrimp and snails to eat? my tank seems to struggle to grow biofilm at a good rate and it's really bothering me but i don't know what to do :(
3. Should I change my equipment? I know different lighting impacts the tank differently, a protein skimmer has its own uses in a normal reef tank, and a wave maker can create more gas exchange via surface disruption, but i don't know what's better for my tank. I have been told to remove my sponge filter as it's a nutrient sink, but i worry my tank won't have enough oxygen and I'm pretty sure my critters don't need a lot of water flow, and I'd really like to save my money where I can :(
5. Should I use any extra supplements in my tank? I currently dose magnesium, calcium, and KH if my values are low in testing, but should I be using anything else? like a bacteria in a bottle product to fortify my biofilter or maybe bacteria food? i have a bottle of redsea NOPOX but I stopped using that to get my water to clear up from what was apparently a bacteria bloom. what other bacteria foods are there or nutrient supplement solutions?
6. should I dose iodine? I read that it helps peppermints molt pretty consistently but getting an iodine test kit is a hassle since none of my local LFS have *just* an iodine kit in stock, i'd need to shell out for the whole redsea trace elements test kit which i'm not too keen on considering the price. I also hear some conflicting information about not needing to bother, but i just want to make sure I'm doing the best by my animals.

most of my parameters are stable, my pH sits a bit low at 7.8 or so, my salinity is kept at 35ppt, Mg at 1500ppm, Ca at 450ppm, KH a 8dKH, but my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate fluctuate a bit because of the small tank size. i do my best to keep them down by doing small water changes if i need to but my animals are behaving normally, eating normally, and have good colouration on them so I try not to worry about them too much. my phostphate also sits low a lot of them time but I don't know what to do about it. in my last test, i had ~0.5ppm which is the first time i've had a phosphate reading at all. my tank was cycled with the redsea reef mature kit and also allowed to establish without interference for at least 3 - 4 months before i dared put anything in the tank in terms of animals.
any and all advice is appreciated! I'd also be keen to hear any other information you think i should know because it seems that my marine biology degree hasn't helped at all in this process. I'll also attach some images of my tank to help people give advice based on whats Here already. thank you to everyone who reads all this in advance!! and I hope everyone is having a good day/night!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Bioload refers to the fish load, we have to feed fish regularly and they poop regularly, so its constant nutrients being added to the tank. Corals and inverts don't really count as 'bioload'. 65 L means litres? 65 litres is a 17 gallon tank, you can fit 2-3 small fish in there IMO.

Biofilm will grow on everything, rocks sand glass equipment, etc,,, You don't need to promote, it just grows.

IMO flow is very important and usually underestimated. My 15 gallon tank has 2 powerheads. Surface agitation is extremely important. Skimmer can be useful but not needed on a small tank, weekly water changes will take care of nutrient export. For a 17 gallon tank, any 50-ish watts led light will work. I have AI Prime on my 15, but there are cheaper options, just stick to about 50 watts.

Personally I'm not a fan of sponges since they become detritus traps, but I know some people use them.

The reason you get so many conflicting informations, is because there are so many ways to run a reef tank. Ask 20 reefers and you will get 20 correct answers. You have to decide which is best to implement to your system and your like.

I'm not a fan of bottle products, most of them are snake oil, just to get your money. I don't know how long your tank has been up, but water changes are a better way to increase the alk, calcium, mag, etc... in a new tank with low coral load. IMO no need to dose anything at all for at least the first year.

Iodine again can be replenished with water changes. I don't believe there is any test for iodine, and the rule of the reef is never dose what you cannot test for.

Try to think water changes instead of bottled products until you get the hang of your tank. If you go through the forum, you'll find lots of horror stories of crashed tanks from overdosing something in a bottle.

I don't know if you've seen this article, but its a good article to explain the basics of filtration and different equipment, and it might answer some questions you have. Good luck

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Introvertedmaniack]

i

Bioload refers to the fish load, we have to feed fish regularly and they poop regularly, so its constant nutrients being added to the tank. Corals and inverts don't really count as 'bioload'. 65 L means litres? 65 litres is a 17 gallon tank, you can fit 2-3 small fish in there IMO.

Biofilm will grow on everything, rocks sand glass equipment, etc,,, You don't need to promote, it just grows.

IMO flow is very important and usually underestimated. My 15 gallon tank has 2 powerheads. Surface agitation is extremely important. Skimmer can be useful but not needed on a small tank, weekly water changes will take care of nutrient export. For a 17 gallon tank, any 50-ish watts led light will work. I have AI Prime on my 15, but there are cheaper options, just stick to about 50 watts.

Personally I'm not a fan of sponges since they become detritus traps, but I know some people use them.

The reason you get so many conflicting informations, is because there are so many ways to run a reef tank. Ask 20 reefers and you will get 20 correct answers. You have to decide which is best to implement to your system and your like.

I'm not a fan of bottle products, most of them are snake oil, just to get your money. I don't know how long your tank has been up, but water changes are a better way to increase the alk, calcium, mag, etc... in a new tank with low coral load. IMO no need to dose anything at all for at least the first year.

Iodine again can be replenished with water changes. I don't believe there is any test for iodine, and the rule of the reef is never dose what you cannot test for.

Try to think water changes instead of bottled products until you get the hang of your tank. If you go through the forum, you'll find lots of horror stories of crashed tanks from overdosing something in a bottle.

I don't know if you've seen this article, but its a good article to explain the basics of filtration and different equipment, and it might answer some questions you have. Good luck

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

I have read that post, mostly! and don't worry, I do absolutely test for anything I dose because if I don't then theres a risk of over correction. Too much of a good thing is still too much and all that. my tank and its inhabitants (I don't really want to get a fish, I quite like watching my inverts scuttle and scamper about!) has been set up for about the month and the tank itself (sand, rock, sponge filter) was set up and cycling for a minimum of 3 months but I can't remember if it was longer. my salt (redsea blue bucket salt because thats what was available) has some minerals in it but I find they get consumed pretty quickly in some cases and I don't like doing water changes too frequently because I don't want to disturb things too much. the biofilm does worry me though, because it's not really something I can see so I always worry if my critters have enough to eat :( thats why i have the sponge filter, its primarily for oxygenation and attempting to encourage a good biofilm for my peppermints to eat, but I've heard it can also be a nutrient sink and if i want to get more macroalgae (and I do, a lot more really) I should probably get rid of it. my light is also just a white LED strip as far as I'm aware, so i'm not sure that'll cut the mustard for my tank long-term when light wavelengths can affect a LOT of factors in sea life. And there are some tests for iodine, iirc theres a costly red sea one, as there always is, but there's also a salifert one and probably some others too but I tend to stick with salifert because their tests are affordable and reliable, in my limited experience. thank you for the notes on flow, I'll look into some affordable wave maker or powerhead options. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to all my nervous questions, it means a lot!

 

[Subsea]

Peppermint shrimp do not eat biofilm. However, biofilm could be an Incubator for what they do eat. Depending on biodiversity as to how nutritious biofilm is.

 

[Introvertedmaniack]

Peppermint shrimp do not eat biofilm. However, biofilm could be an Incubator for what they do eat. Depending on biodiversity as to how nutritious biofilm is.

then what do they eat? everything I've read up until now has said they do eat biofilm, specifically the microcrustaceans and such that can help form it. other than that, my research says they're detritovores with a preference for meatier foods :0

 

[Subsea]

then what do they eat? everything I've read up until now has said they do eat biofilm, specifically the microcrustaceans and such that can help form it. other than that, my research says they're detritovores with a preference for meatier foods :0

Peppermint shrimp are opportunistic. I have seen them pull food from anemones as well as corals. I suspect they would eat adult amphipods & copepods.

This is what AI says:

Peppermint shrimp are omnivorous scavengers that primarily eat aiptasia anemones and detritus but will also supplement their diet with leftover food and sinking pellets. They are a popular "clean-up crew" because they help control aiptasia, a common pest in reef tanks.


Primary diet

• Aiptasia anemones: Peppermint shrimp are well-known for eating these nuisance anemones. You can encourage them to eat more by limiting other food sources for a few days.
  
  
• Detritus and leftover food: They scavenge the tank for uneaten food, dead matter, and organic waste.

 

[Introvertedmaniack]

Peppermint shrimp are opportunistic. I have seen them pull food from anemones as well as corals. I suspect they would eat adult amphipods & copepods.

This is what AI says:

Peppermint shrimp are omnivorous scavengers that primarily eat aiptasia anemones and detritus but will also supplement their diet with leftover food and sinking pellets. They are a popular "clean-up crew" because they help control aiptasia, a common pest in reef tanks.


Primary diet

• Aiptasia anemones: Peppermint shrimp are well-known for eating these nuisance anemones. You can encourage them to eat more by limiting other food sources for a few days.
  
  
• Detritus and leftover food: They scavenge the tank for uneaten food, dead matter, and organic waste.

that sounds consistent with a lot of what I've read. I feed them hikari crab cuisine and carnivore pellets, soon i'll be supplementing their diet with hikari seaweed extreme as well (mostly for the benefit of my 2 astrea snails but also to offer my dudes a balanced diet!)
I also havw freeze dried mysis shrimp but I've stopped feeding those for the time being because they were much too hard to clean if they didn't eat it all and it's caused me a lot of stress. but now that i have some brittle stars (hitchhikers) maybe it'll be ok.

 

[mcarroll]

I'm starting to feel lazy just coming on here everytime I get stuck for information, but everytime I do my own research I get overloaded with different information, conflicting information, and advice that doesn't seem applicable to my particular case :(

Check out a book or two...that should help firm things up! Look for authors like Martin Moe, Sprung, Fossa, Baench, Tullock, etc. Lots of these seem to be online, so look around.

Start with Moe if you have trouble deciding where to begin.

The equipment in my tank include a Seachem Tidal35 HOB filter with coarse sponge, filter floss, activated carbon, and seachem matrix rock media, a normal aqua one heater set to 24°C, a thermometer, aqua one LED light strip that came with my tank, and a sponge filter with an airline going into it.

You are basically set up like a fish tank rather than a reef tank.

Do you intend on having only the 3-4 invetebrates that you have now, or will you be adding fish and/or coral?

Your setup would still work for a reef, but it less optimal than it could be. You might decide to replace the filter units and remove the extra media at some point, replacing them with a protein skimmer and a powerhead – perhaps adding a little more to your live rock as well. The tank should look "about 1/3 full" of rock.

But if this is all the inhabitants you plan on, then your setup now is perfect!!

1. what does my tank being "low-bioload" mean for my tank?

If your tank has a low bio-load it means that the tank is capable of processing all the byproducts of all the animals living within it without issues like waste building up. It's an ideal state if you can maintain it....many folks don't have this concept at all and just set out to pack as many fish in their tank as they can.

I want to get some macroalgae but I think I'll need to get some fertiliser compounds because, if my understanding is right, my tank being "low-bioload" means there won't be enough nutrients in the water for them to grow well.

Folks usually do this not becasue they like macroalgae, but because they have overloaded their tank beyond its carrying capacity (ie high bio-load) and hope that the macroalgae will ease the side-effects.

Unless you just like macroalgae, you don't want it in your tank....it's actually a competitor with corals, not an ally. It can badly throw off a new tank.

Unless you're only keeping the animals you have, and not more. They would actually like it a lot!

2. how do I grow and maintain biofilm for my peppermint shrimp and snails to eat? my tank seems to struggle to grow biofilm at a good rate and it's really bothering me but i don't know what to do :(

You don't do anything but keep the tank running. Moe has great info about bacteria in his "Marine Aquarium Handbook". I highly recommend reading this before doing anything more with your tank!!

3. Should I change my equipment? I know different lighting impacts the tank differently, a protein skimmer has its own uses in a normal reef tank, and a wave maker can create more gas exchange via surface disruption, but i don't know what's better for my tank. I have been told to remove my sponge filter as it's a nutrient sink, but i worry my tank won't have enough oxygen and I'm pretty sure my critters don't need a lot of water flow, and I'd really like to save my money where I can :(

Already commented on this once, but if you're intending on this being a reef tank, you'll eventually want to transition this gear to reef gear as it's better (for the tank) in many respects and easier to maintain (for you) as well.

You could do this for your current inhabitants as well, but if they are what you set up the tank for, then your current setup is fine!

5. Should I use any extra supplements in my tank? I currently dose magnesium, calcium, and KH if my values are low in testing, but should I be using anything else? like a bacteria in a bottle product to fortify my biofilter or maybe bacteria food? i have a bottle of redsea NOPOX but I stopped using that to get my water to clear up from what was apparently a bacteria bloom. what other bacteria foods are there or nutrient supplement solutions?

Water changes when nutrient levels get "high" should do it IMO, if the current inhabitants will be all.

A reef may entail more work like this, depending what you want to keep.

Avoid NOPOX and other specialty additives....most of them have a role, but you only need them when you need them, and they can often cause harm when used otherwise.

6. should I dose iodine? I read that it helps peppermints molt pretty consistently but getting an iodine test kit is a hassle since none of my local LFS have *just* an iodine kit in stock, i'd need to shell out for the whole redsea trace elements test kit which i'm not too keen on considering the price. I also hear some conflicting information about not needing to bother, but i just want to make sure I'm doing the best by my animals.

IMO not worth testing or dosing it. Just do water changes when needed and feed *high quality foods* regularly and in correct amounts for your animals. (Moe also has great info on foods and feeding.)

 

[Introvertedmaniack]

Check out a book or two...that should help firm things up! Look for authors like Martin Moe, Sprung, Fossa, Baench, Tullock, etc. Lots of these seem to be online, so look around.

Start with Moe if you have trouble deciding where to begin.


You are basically set up like a fish tank rather than a reef tank.

Do you intend on having only the 3-4 invetebrates that you have now, or will you be adding fish and/or coral?

Your setup would still work for a reef, but it less optimal than it could be. You might decide to replace the filter units and remove the extra media at some point, replacing them with a protein skimmer and a powerhead – perhaps adding a little more to your live rock as well. The tank should look "about 1/3 full" of rock.

But if this is all the inhabitants you plan on, then your setup now is perfect!!


If your tank has a low bio-load it means that the tank is capable of processing all the byproducts of all the animals living within it without issues like waste building up. It's an ideal state if you can maintain it....many folks don't have this concept at all and just set out to pack as many fish in their tank as they can.


Folks usually do this not becasue they like macroalgae, but because they have overloaded their tank beyond its carrying capacity (ie high bio-load) and hope that the macroalgae will ease the side-effects.

Unless you just like macroalgae, you don't want it in your tank....it's actually a competitor with corals, not an ally. It can badly throw off a new tank.

Unless you're only keeping the animals you have, and not more. They would actually like it a lot!


You don't do anything but keep the tank running. Moe has great info about bacteria in his "Marine Aquarium Handbook". I highly recommend reading this before doing anything more with your tank!!


Already commented on this once, but if you're intending on this being a reef tank, you'll eventually want to transition this gear to reef gear as it's better (for the tank) in many respects and easier to maintain (for you) as well.

You could do this for your current inhabitants as well, but if they are what you set up the tank for, then your current setup is fine!


Water changes when nutrient levels get "high" should do it IMO, if the current inhabitants will be all.

A reef may entail more work like this, depending what you want to keep.

Avoid NOPOX and other specialty additives....most of them have a role, but you only need them when you need them, and they can often cause harm when used otherwise.


IMO not worth testing or dosing it. Just do water changes when needed and feed *high quality foods* regularly and in correct amounts for your animals. (Moe also has great info on foods and feeding.)

thank you for your long and detailed reply! it means a lot, i really truly appreciate it! Indeed, I don't want fish or corals, just my current inverts! and yes, I just like macroalgae! I think its very beautiful and fascinating! I have also indeed gotten more rock, that was just round 1 to give my peppermints good habitat because I have a poor memory for scale, so I figred I'd rather have a bit less rock than i need than go ahead and spend a LOT of money on too much rock. I've had one of the 4 peppermints pass away (i think) very recently and it's hit me a bit hard because after i upgraded the filter properly, got proper live rock, got food that my research told me is good (Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Seaweed Extreme, Hikari mini algae wafers, and Hikari carnivore pellets, no it wasn't intentional that it's all hikari thats just what is accessible and cheap for me lol, I also use reef essential pure-phyto and continuum ocean snow for the filter feeders and as food soak for the occassional freeze dried mysis shrimp i feed the tank), I thought I was doing everything "right" :(( there's no body that I can see but the brittle stars, other peppermints, and little crabs probably didn't hesitate to clean that up for me. the other three seem to be doing well, they're eating and moving just fine, but their colours aren't as good as i'd like. I'm attributing this to the ongoing struggles I have with maintaining a good pH and the water quality issues i had while learning how much to feed and how often, since it was originally a peppermint-only tank but is now a general invert-only tank with my live rock stowaways! I'll do some research on where I can get those books, I do better reading physical paper than e-books! and thanks again for your lovely advice, I was worried I would get smacked around and told to use RO/DI water ONLY and my tank is too small and I'm an idiot for not having a full sump set up and ready to go, etc. I do want to get a RODI system eventually because it will only be better for my tank overall and reduces unknown variable interactions, but they're an investment, I'm sure you understand. hopefully I can take all this info on board to make a happier, healthier tank!