Diatom problem-please help, I’m absolutely stumped

[Hemmdog]

I would imagine that fish need more oxygen than a couple of small corals and crabs but I couldn't say that I'm 100% sure on that

They do.

 

[candelloro]

They do.

I’m sticking to inverts only then. You think I could add some sort of anemone shrimp or Pom Pom crab instead? Maybe a rock flower nem? I run a 6W LED and my corals are all thriving in it

 

[Craigdoc]

I’m sticking to inverts only then. You think I could add some sort of anemone shrimp or Pom Pom crab instead? Maybe a rock flower nem? I run a 6W LED and my corals are all thriving in it

Good call, you can get some cool and unusual inverts

 

[ScottR]

Crabs can live out of the water for a long time. Not sure if they can breathe out of water. I’m not an expert but I’ve seen them survive for hours. A fish will die in minutes.

 

[Hemmdog]

Crabs can live out of the water for a long time. Not sure if they can breathe out of water. I’m not an expert but I’ve seen them survive for hours. A fish will die in minutes.

 

[ScottR]

;Nailbiting;Nailbiting;Nailbiting

 

[Hemmdog]

;Nailbiting;Nailbiting;Nailbiting

Lol, watch stranger things! It will be funnier! Lol

 

[Craigdoc]

Lol, watch stranger things! It will be funnier! Lol

Everyone over here is talking about that show to, I've never seen it though

 

[Dom]

I’m sticking to inverts only then. You think I could add some sort of anemone shrimp or Pom Pom crab instead? Maybe a rock flower nem? I run a 6W LED and my corals are all thriving in it

Personally, I believe the size of the tank really isn't an issue. I mean, you couldn't have a 4 inch tang in such a tank, but, you could have a nicely stocked 2.5 if you are smart about your choices.

But the real issue is supporting the life in the tank. And the demands vary based on what you put in the tank.

First, you can't over crowd the tank, but, I can see having a Nem and a clown with a few coral pieces and modest clean up crew.

I can't imagine having a skimmer of any kind on such a small tank, hang on back or otherwise. The key to success here would be water changes. I would do 1 gallon daily.

 

[candelloro]

Personally, I believe the size of the tank really isn't an issue. I mean, you couldn't have a 4 inch tang in such a tank, but, you could have a nicely stocked 2.5 if you are smart about your choices.

But the real issue is supporting the life in the tank. And the demands vary based on what you put in the tank.

First, you can't over crowd the tank, but, I can see having a Nem and a clown with a few coral pieces and modest clean up crew.

I can't imagine having a skimmer of any kind on such a small tank, hang on back or otherwise. The key to success here would be water changes. I would do 1 gallon daily.

I’m including some pics so you can see what I’m talking about. Do you think it should have good enough oxygen exchange now?

I do weekly water changes and have absolutely no issues with stability despite the size of the tank, I have to top off manually every 4 days or so but it’s not an issue either. Also I found th culprit was lack of oxygen, had a friend test my dissolved oxygen levels and they were severely lacking. He gave me a little Pico Koralia powerhead (100 gph) which I’ve already found works a ton better for surface agitation and flow for my corals. My Xenia wouldn’t fully open until now cause the koralia 240 was blasting them. I found that the koralia 240 didn’t really agitate the surface, more so the current inside the tank. I also cut the plastic lid in half to allow for much better gas exchange.Thanks so much for your input though, I’m seriously considering one clownfish and a nem now, I don’t mind frequent water changes especially this small of a tank.

 

[candelloro]

@Craigdoc so I got a green bubble tip anemone today cause my second lfs I go to had them for ridiculously cheap at $7. It seems like it’s doing really well, what do you think?

 

[ScottR]

Not sure how I feel about this to be honest. If it shows signs of stress, please take it back. @James M may be able to weigh in.

 

[James M]

Definitely don’t recommend a nem in your tank. The tank is too new and it will only cause complications down the road.
Possible to take it back ?

 

[Craigdoc]

@Craigdoc so I got a green bubble tip anemone today cause my second lfs I go to had them for ridiculously cheap at $7. It seems like it’s doing really well, what do you think?

Yep the bubble tip looks good and looks happy enough having just gone into a new system but unfortunately I agree with the guys, your tank has not been setup long enough to guarantee its survival, its generally recommended your system has been going for a year, 6-8 month minimum, that said people have put them in earlier and they've been OK, if its a tank split anemone then you have more of a chance.

As its in your tank and there a pain to get out half the time my guess is your not going to be taking it back, best thing you can do to help it is not touch it or feed it, let it walk were it wants even if it moves out of the light, the effort and energy it uses to feed can stress a stressed anemone even more so just leave it be.

Watch out for it expelling it's zooxanthellae, it might do this a bit at first but if it's doing it daily then it will be bleaching and that's a sure sign of it being in trouble, watch for the mouth hanging open to, it will do this from time to time but if its open all the time it's a sure sign of trouble.

Try and keep everything stable, it's going to be tricky in a tank your size but I wish you the best of luck with it buddy and keep us updated with its progress

 

[candelloro]

Definitely don’t recommend a nem in your tank. The tank is too new and it will only cause complications down the road.
Possible to take it back ?

@ScottR yeah I figured it wasn’t worth the risk. I took him back. I’m pretty good friends with the owner of the lfs and he said it was no trouble. I read all the risks regarding anemones in general and I’m really embarrassed at myself for rushing so quickly. My tank is only a month and a half old too. Sorry about all this guys, hope this doesn’t make you look down on me for being so impulsive and impatient, the price was just so tempting and it looked cool

Definitely doing full research from now on. I am still considering one tiny fish for this tank however I’m waiting until the tank matures so I can be sure of it’s stability in the long run. Keeping it coral and invert only at the moment.

 

[Craigdoc]

@ScottR yeah I figured it wasn’t worth the risk. I took him back. I’m pretty good friends with the owner of the lfs and he said it was no trouble. I read all the risks regarding anemones in general and I’m really embarrassed at myself for rushing so quickly. My tank is only a month and a half old too. Sorry about all this guys, hope this doesn’t make you look down on me for being so impulsive and impatient, the price was just so tempting and it looked cool

Definitely doing full research from now on. I am still considering one tiny fish for this tank however I’m waiting until the tank matures so I can be sure of it’s stability in the long run. Keeping it coral and invert only at the moment.

Well done that man, plenty of people wouldn't have took it back to the LFS and would of watched it die so for that I congratulate you.

It's so easy to rush and it's hard to apply the breaks sometimes I wouldn't worry about it, your asking and listening to advice so you'll do just fine

 

[James M]

@ScottR yeah I figured it wasn’t worth the risk. I took him back. I’m pretty good friends with the owner of the lfs and he said it was no trouble. I read all the risks regarding anemones in general and I’m really embarrassed at myself for rushing so quickly. My tank is only a month and a half old too. Sorry about all this guys, hope this doesn’t make you look down on me for being so impulsive and impatient, the price was just so tempting and it looked cool

Definitely doing full research from now on. I am still considering one tiny fish for this tank however I’m waiting until the tank matures so I can be sure of it’s stability in the long run. Keeping it coral and invert only at the moment.

Glad you took it back. People are usually too stubborn to listen to the advice we all give and the nem ends up nuking the tank.
Have you looked into upgrading to a 10 gallon ? I wouldn’t keep a fish in your tank due to its size. I would just stick to inverts and add a group of sexy shrimps

 

[ScottR]

@ScottR yeah I figured it wasn’t worth the risk. I took him back. I’m pretty good friends with the owner of the lfs and he said it was no trouble. I read all the risks regarding anemones in general and I’m really embarrassed at myself for rushing so quickly. My tank is only a month and a half old too. Sorry about all this guys, hope this doesn’t make you look down on me for being so impulsive and impatient, the price was just so tempting and it looked cool

Definitely doing full research from now on. I am still considering one tiny fish for this tank however I’m waiting until the tank matures so I can be sure of it’s stability in the long run. Keeping it coral and invert only at the moment.

Good call man. Don’t feel down. I think most of us here want you to succeed and none of us want to see anything die. You’re doing good with the corals. That says a lot about your success.

 

[candelloro]

Glad you took it back. People are usually too stubborn to listen to the advice we all give and the nem ends up nuking the tank.
Have you looked into upgrading to a 10 gallon ? I wouldn’t keep a fish in your tank due to its size. I would just stick to inverts and add a group of sexy shrimps

I actually prefer smaller tanks. I’m looking into getting a blue stripe pipefish down the road but nowhere near now. I don’t mind frequent water changes and I’d do everything I can to make sure I can keep it successfully despite the tank size. I’m aware they’re harder to feed but they are also the hardiest and smallest pipefish species available.

I did have a 20 G that was cycling but I needed some extra money at the moment so I took it down and sold it along with the supplies for it.

 

[Aiptaisia anemone]

Isnt 2.5 gal too small for rbta