Getting new light... which one?

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

mikenestle said:
I would get a fighting or tiger conch and maybe a half dozen hermits to help. For a new tank it's really not all that bad.

I actually aalready have several snails. I think that the tank is pretty bad rite now

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

ecamden said:
Definitely not the light. I agree with the other responses that it's most likely a nutrient issue. Don't go crazy chasing numbers and change parameters slowly, especially with that small of a tank. I use the second chamber as a refugium with a cheap Amazon grow light on the back and it works great.

In the fluval evo? Where did you put the filter media then?

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

Crustaceon said:
That’s a good point. I would ask “How much are you feeding and please provide an example”. Back when I professionally maintained tanks I heard some pretty funny stories about “how little” customers fed their fish. We’re talking 2-3 frozen mysis cubes PER clownfish PER day. “Ma’am, your fish are fat...”

I usually feed about have a cube every other day.

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

actik said:

That’s a nice tank, definitely better than mine right now

ecamden · Mar 1, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
In the fluval evo? Where did you put the filter media then?

Dont use any really. 1st chamber is a skimmer, second in macro algae, and 3rd is the return pump, heater, and small bag of carbon

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

ecamden said:
Dont use any really. 1st chamber is a skimmer, second in macro algae, and 3rd is the return pump, heater, and small bag of carbon

If I were to do it how would I do it? Do I just add the light? Also what light do you use?

Crustaceon · Mar 1, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
I usually feed about have a cube every other day.

Yeah, that’s not a lot. I think your only real options to have stability with low nitrates and phosphates are to either do very small daily water changes, run an HOB protein skimmer and VERY carefully dose vinegar, absolutely fill the tank with live rock (think double what you have or more) or add a cool looking macro algae to the tank like maybe dragon’s breath. Personally, I like the idea of a nano tank with just macro algae for nutrient control, a ruby dragonet for the unending buffet of pods, a bubble tip anemone with a pair of clowns, some feather dusters and maybe a cleaner shrimp. Kinda eyeballing that empty 10 gallon tank in my garage now. Hmmm.

Crustaceon · Mar 1, 2019

ecamden said:
Dont use any really. 1st chamber is a skimmer, second in macro algae, and 3rd is the return pump, heater, and small bag of carbon

+1 on getting rid of the filter media. Nicely played.

ecamden · Mar 1, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
If I were to do it how would I do it? Do I just add the light? Also what light do you use?

It's a cheap grow light from Amazon that I put adhesive velcro on it and stuck it to the back. Here's the light and skimmer

Screenshot_20190301-162945_Amazon%20Shopping.jpeg

Screenshot_20190301-162930_Amazon%20Shopping.jpeg

actik · Mar 1, 2019

Thanks, I think the only reason my tank went smoothly is because I went with the raw shrimp long 4 week cycle method. Added only 1 fish and trying to be patient....trying

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

ecamden said:
It's a cheap grow light from Amazon that I put adhesive velcro on it and stuck it to the back. Here's the light and skimmer

Thks. I already have a fluval mini skimmer, about to test parameters...

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 1, 2019

@actik @Crustaceon @ecamden @MaiReef @Tuan’s Reef @Eagle_Steve @acer @Bob Weigant @NotASpammerDude Moment of truth... ph is 8.4...nitrite and ammonia 0...phosphate 0.25ppm...nitrate about 2-3ppm...calcium 340ppm

Crustaceon · Mar 1, 2019

Looking good. Some will complain about that phosphate level but that’s debatable. Get that calcium up a bit and you’re golden.

Proteus Meep · Mar 2, 2019

On my heavily fed 6 gallon (30 litre) nano i just use Polyfilter, Xport Po4 cubes and occasionally a bit of Seachem Matrix Carbon as my filtration and would recommend them for helping in getting your nano cleaned up.... Po4 is undetectable and Nitrates run below 2ppm......i like using those medias as they are easy to use and work well, i also do 10% weekly water changes with Nutri-seawater

If you decide to upgrade your lighting i would recomend the AI Prime HD...love mine

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 2, 2019

Proteus Meep said:
On my heavily fed 6 gallon (30 litre) nano i just use Polyfilter, Xport Po4 cubes and occasionally a bit of Seachem Matrix Carbon as my filtration and would recommend them for helping in getting your nano cleaned up.... Po4 is undetectable and Nitrates run below 2ppm......i like using those medias as they are easy to use and work well, i also do 10% weekly water changes with Nutri-seawater

If you decide to upgrade your lighting i would recomend the AI Prime HD...love mine

Lol I always look at other people’s tank and I just know my tank will never look that good. You have 6 gallons and it still looks good

NotFishyFishGuy · Mar 2, 2019

Crustaceon said:
Looking good. Some will complain about that phosphate level but that’s debatable. Get that calcium up a bit and you’re golden.

How do I get the calcium up?

Proteus Meep · Mar 2, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
Lol I always look at other people’s tank and I just know my tank will never look that good. You have 6 gallons and it still looks good

Im sure it will it just takes time...another easy way of exporting nutrients in a nano as part of your regime is to vacuum your sandbed....i vacuum mine weekly as the way i remove water for the waterchange, i even change out a half of my sand every few months to keep it fresh the corals respond positively to it especially my organ pipe

PiggyPuffin · Mar 2, 2019

If you are only doing a really small water change every other day, then u don't likely need to go to the extra hassle of heating the new salt water. It shouldn't change the temperature of your display water by more than a few tenths of a degree.

Crustaceon · Mar 2, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
How do I get the calcium up?

You’ll have to start using a calcium chloride supplement every so often to keep up with coral and coralline algae growth (what makes our rocks turn purple). Something like this is good to have on hand to in order to make small adjustments to keep your calcium range in the “goldilocks zone”.

Another option until calcium demand becomes too great is a “reef salt” mix and a consistent water change schedule coupled with proper feeding amounts. When mixed with water, these salt mixes will have increased levels of alkalinity, calcium, magnesium and beneficial trace elements. One of my favorites is Tropic Marin as they tend to mix around 7-9 dkh depending on the exact mix you get, which is a pretty safe range. For example, this is what I would use on your setup if I were doing a 10% weekly water change (spread this out during the week if possible, it’ll keep your tank more stable and keep your inhabitants from being shocked by rapid water parameter changes):

Bio-ACTIF: Ca: 430-450 ppm, Mg: 1300-1350 ppm, Alk: 8-9 dKH, plus carbon dosing (gotta run a protein skimmer to benefit)

Some salt mixes, such as Red Sea can mix at 11dkh or higher, which is great for coral growth but can be more demanding to use as the tank has to be fed more to prevent burned coral tips and necrosis. The lesson here is to always make sure to check the specifications of a salt mix.