Will this really working out with a canister?

[Ireland.Escada]

I am less than a year into the hobby and I am starting to feel depressed that I am not successful. I am spending a lot of time each week with cleaning, water changes (usually 5-7 gal per week), ect.

I have been taking things slow for coral. The Zoa’s never looked good and now they look worse. I can’t ethically purchase coral if they can’t thrive. The anomae had not eaten in a month and a half (I give him silver fish once per week)

could my problem be the canister system?

I added new lights, fans and an algae scrubber.

I filter the sand once a month, sometimes more.

I find I am covered in purple, green some slimy some bubbly algae. I have been using a toothbrush to scrub.

I am currently using 1/2 dose of balance for the Ph. The disk scan said everything was ok.

Zoa’s: it could be I am not feeding them properly and I can do more research on that.

 

[leighton.bingham]

Looks like you have quite an algae takeover on your hands. The first thing I would do is get rid of the canister filter. Do you have the ability to do a sump only no canister filter?

 

[I never finish anythi]

Tank perimeters would help .

 

[Ireland.Escada]

Looks like you have quite an algae takeover on your hands. The first thing I would do is get rid of the canister filter. Do you have the ability to do a sump only no canister filter?

I don’t know where to start. But I have been thinking of that. One issue: how would I start a new tank, cycle the tank, then get the fish into that tan. Then- magically get that new tank into the location of the current tank.
I have a small house and a small room. But that seems to be what I need to work out.

 

[I never finish anythi]

Do you have a cuc ??? Do you use ro Di water ??

 

[TokenReefer]

Just a quick take (from your pictures), if it were my tank, (assuming you have a separate return toward the surface) I'd lower the powerhead about midway and get it aimed across the front of the rock work then start dialing in a higher flow so that the corals aren't being whipped around too hard but nothing can settle (anywhere ideally). I'd look at food when I put it in the tank and see where it is settling etc

That would just be one step I'd take however...

FWIW your tank doesn't look too bad at all imo, don't give up

 

[Rp8]

System being less than a year could be the major part. Please post parameters and your tank routine. Bacteria in the water column takes time to not only balance out but also maintain.
Ugly phase is a real thing.

 

[Tamberav]

Tanks don’t need a canister or a sump. You could just remove it. One less thing to maintain.

what are your parameters? You said the scan disk was okay but we need numbers. Those discs are not very accurate for phosphate btw.

What is your source water?

I would buy your own test kits before I would invest in any coral for sure.

 

[Idech]

I have only been reefing for less than 2 years but I doubt very much the canister filter is the problem if it is well maintained.

I don’t have a sump on my tank; I use an internal filter (Tunze 3168) and it does a superb job. I’m sure your canister is fine.

What you need to fix is the algae/bacteria problem. You might even have dinos and those can bother corals. You’re still in the ugly phase and this has nothing to do with your canister filter.

If I were you I would concentrate on fixing the uglies. Maybe do more maintenance on the canister if need be but that’s it.

 

[FSP]

I think folks are finger pointing at the canister because: best case scenario, it's providing flow and is otherwise not harmful. A powerhead. Worst case, it's trapping uneaten food and beneficial particulate matter and allowing it to rot. Not convinced it's the biggest problem but also not a solution to anything.

It sounds like the OP is doing an awful lot to a tank just hitting the one year mark. "Biodiversity" gets thrown around a ton, but it looks like the kind of situation where I'd throw some "good" (not from a petco bag) sand/mud/rock and reevaluate after a few months assuming the source water is good.

 

[Ireland.Escada]

Tank perimeters would help .

I can’t log into the API system to get last weeks reas

Do you have a cuc ??? Do you use ro Di water ??

i use the rodi that I get from the LFS. I don’t know what a cuc is

 

[Ireland.Escada]

I think folks are finger pointing at the canister because: best case scenario, it's providing flow and is otherwise not harmful. A powerhead. Worst case, it's trapping uneaten food and beneficial particulate matter and allowing it to rot. Not convinced it's the biggest problem but also not a solution to anything.

It sounds like the OP is doing an awful lot to a tank just hitting the one year mark. "Biodiversity" gets thrown around a ton, but it looks like the kind of situation where I'd throw some "good" (not from a petco bag) sand/mud/rock and reevaluate after a few months assuming the source water is good.

The crush coral bottom has bothered me from the beginning. The tank it’s self is over 10 year old, but I moved the tank and took owner ship in feb.

thr LFS advised I not change the sand out. Watching some YouTube, I thought it was not a good idea.

but, it very bothersome to me. I don’t know why

 

[Rmckoy]

I am less than a year into the hobby and I am starting to feel depressed that I am not successful. I am spending a lot of time each week with cleaning, water changes (usually 5-7 gal per week), ect.

I have been taking things slow for coral. The Zoa’s never looked good and now they look worse. I can’t ethically purchase coral if they can’t thrive. The anomae had not eaten in a month and a half (I give him silver fish once per week)

could my problem be the canister system?

I added new lights, fans and an algae scrubber.

I filter the sand once a month, sometimes more.

I find I am covered in purple, green some slimy some bubbly algae. I have been using a toothbrush to scrub.

I am currently using 1/2 dose of balance for the Ph. The disk scan said everything was ok.

Zoa’s: it could be I am not feeding them properly and I can do more research on that.

First I would stop dosing anything to chase ph numbers and let it naturally find its balance .
Second : anemones don’t need to eat and will get a huge percentage if not all of their energy they require from the light .
Have you tested nutrients ?
Having a canister filter they are known to be nutrient factories and by that of the canister isn’t cleaned throughly it will be next to impossible to lower nitrate levels .
Have you tested nitrate and phosphate levels ?
By the algae I would assume they are elevated

 

[Rmckoy]

Next thing I’d consider is buying test kits ( salifert are affordable )
A rodi unit you know for sure you’re getting zero tds ( total dissolved solids ) and a bucket of salt that you know exactly what each parameter is supposed to be .

lfs I’ll often change salt to the cheaper brand which can not be the exact same parameter ( higher or lower Alk , cal etc )

take the control of the most important thing to do with your tank ( water source being the most important )

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I am nearly 3 years in with cannister filter so I'm still relatively new also

What size is your aquarium and what cannister do you have?

It appears you have an algae problem more than filtration so I would recommend turning down power of lights if possible, if not you could reduce amount of light by hours via a timer plug if neccasary, I think this will help moving forward in your aquarium

In regards to cannister filters, mine is 3 X trays, bottom bio balls, middle ceramic rings, top carbon.

I have hair algae issue so I do all my cleaning via toothbrush etc in the morning, I constantly clean my cannister filters cage so it's open to more debris, (instead of being clogged by floating hair algea), I turkey baste my sand/ fish poop/ anything that looks heavy waste towards this cage, then I use a hoover/pump to suck up debris from sand which takes my aquriam water down by 20%
I fill up with newly mixed water to about 2 inch from top line (this stirs up more debris when I fill), leave aquarium for about 2 hrs, then clean out cannister filters along with other filters

Check on salinity then top up with more or less salty water
I usually clean completely every 2 weeks
I hope this helps

 

[FSP]

If it bothers you, siphon or scoop out a little crushed coral over the course of a few months (maybe 5-10% at a time, not too fast) until it's bare. Your stocking isn't so great that it would concern me not having the substrate, and the depth and size of your substrate is mostly for looks anyway.

After 10 years, your substrate and rock is possibly (likely) loaded with phosphate.

The phosphate (and nitrate to a point) tests folks have mentioned would go a long way. As is, and without being rude about it, everyone is basically taking a stab in the dark given the information available.

 

[Rmckoy]

I am nearly 3 years in with cannister filter so I'm still relatively new also

What size is your aquarium and what cannister do you have?

It appears you have an algae problem more than filtration so I would recommend turning down power of lights if possible, if not you could reduce amount of light by hours via a timer plug if neccasary, I think this will help moving forward in your aquarium

In regards to cannister filters, mine is 3 X trays, bottom bio balls, middle ceramic rings, top carbon.

I have hair algae issue so I do all my cleaning via toothbrush etc in the morning, I constantly clean my cannister filters cage so it's open to more debris, (instead of being clogged by floating hair algea), I turkey baste my sand/ fish poop/ anything that looks heavy waste towards this cage, then I use a hoover/pump to suck up debris from sand which takes my aquriam water down by 20%
I fill up with newly mixed water to about 2 inch from top line (this stirs up more debris when I fill), leave aquarium for about 2 hrs, then clean out cannister filters along with other filters

Check on salinity then top up with more or less salty water
I usually clean completely every 2 weeks
I hope this helps

If using salted water doesn’t it increase your salinity

 

[Rick's Reviews]

If using salted water doesn’t it increase your salinity

Yes sorry I tried to make it brief
I have been using reef crystals for my last water changes and noticed my salinity increased during water changes.

I use refractometer to measure constantly so I adjust by using more saltwater or plain water (unsalted) I kind of got it down to milligrammes but that's for another post lol

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Evaporative purpose you top up with clean unsalted water, water change you add salt

 

[Rmckoy]

Yes sorry I tried to make it brief
I have been using reef crystals for my last water changes and noticed my salinity increased during water changes.

I use refractometer to measure constantly so I adjust by using more saltwater or plain water (unsalted) I kind of got it down to milligrammes but that's for another post lol

I always mix my new water to 1.026
Before the next water change the salinity is always closer to 1.024 which I believe it’s dumping ato water to compensate for water taken by the skimmer .
that’s the only reasonable answer …