I'm in desperate need some advice

[boboyo]

My apologies, I just scrolled up and saw all the algae. You seem to have some cycling done tho... assuming all that algae is also eating trates. Try a bottle of bacteria and add a fish. It seems pretty safe to me at this point. The bacteria is a just in case scenario if you didnt cycle fully yet

 

[1guydude]

Whats your salt level? Whats temp? This is in the garage?

 

[1guydude]

Probably safe at this point to add some nano or botton dweller fish.
Take the rock with cyano red slime algae on it and shake it off in a 5g bucket of warm sw. Maybe your old sw wc water.
I would add more flow and remove the canister filter. Add a ehiem liberty or similar. Black out no lights for 8hrs at night is ok.
D

 

[Trusted smiles]

Okay... So we worked out I'm a amiture here... I did ask for help. All this is very confusing.. I got 9ver excited added live stock too early I've listened to advice 1 person says don't do this the other says you should no wonder I'm confused can't add fish cos tank hasn't cycled but i need fish to create Ammonia talk about contradicting. I posted some pictures before of my tank and now I'm going to do it again I have lost pretty much everything I bought so please don't give me needless advice or negative comments cos I'm really not in the mood but can somone please tell me if it looks like I'm now heading in the right direction

 

[Uncle99]

Yes
You don’t need lights, just feeds the algae....starve it
Keep N in the 2-5ppm range and phosphate at 0.03-.1
Again, starve it.

Then just let it mature.

 

[Trusted smiles]

Yes
You don’t need lights, just feeds the algae....starve it
Keep N in the 2-5ppm range and phosphate at 0.03-.1
Again, starve it.

Then just let it mature.

Thank you

 

[DeniseAndy]

All this can get very overwhelming to a new person starting out. It looks like you are getting some perfectly normal stages in the beginning.
What have you put into it that died? Maybe that will help us determine the issue.

I do see a canister filter set up. Does it have uv on it? What are you using inside it?

 

[Trusted smiles]

Probably safe at this point to add some nano or botton dweller fish.
Take the rock with cyano red slime algae on it and shake it off in a 5g bucket of warm sw. Maybe your old sw wc water.
I would add more flow and remove the canister filter. Add a ehiem liberty or similar. Black out no lights for 8hrs at night is ok.
D

Okay sorry for being thick but what do you mean by removing the canister filter do you mean getting rid full stop?

 

[Trusted smiles]

All this can get very overwhelming to a new person starting out. It looks like you are getting some perfectly normal stages in the beginning.
What have you put into it that died? Maybe that will help us determine the issue.

I do see a canister filter set up. Does it have uv on it? What are you using inside it?

I don't have a uv yet I got filter wool ceramic tube activated carbon and phosphate ban..

 

[Trusted smiles]

All this can get very overwhelming to a new person starting out. It looks like you are getting some perfectly normal stages in the beginning.
What have you put into it that died? Maybe that will help us determine the issue.

I do see a canister filter set up. Does it have uv on it? What are you using inside it?

I lost my toad stall and I have crabs still alive

 

[DeniseAndy]

Thanks for that info. Some of those come with a uv included. That is why I asked. Just make sure to keep up on changing the filter wool. It will gunk up quickly.
Not too many reef keepers use canister filters. Lots of maintenance involved as they clog and collect debris so fast. Plus, we like to add refugiums to our sumps which canisters cannot do.

 

[DeniseAndy]

If crabs are alive, you should be cycled. Loosing the coral probably means that the lights and flow along with stability were not quite ready.
Stability is a huge word we use and it is very important. We need the pH, salinity, temps and other major parameters especially Alk to stay fairly constant over the 24hr time period and beyond. Too much variation (+/- 3d degrees of temp, .3 or .4 of pH, 2 or .003 salinity/specific gravity, Alk (2 or more) can cause lots of stress on the system.

How are you topping off? Is it automatic or are you doing it by hand?

 

[Trusted smiles]

Thanks for that info. Some of those come with a uv included. That is why I asked. Just make sure to keep up on changing the filter wool. It will gunk up quickly.
Not too many reef keepers use canister filters. Lots of maintenance involved as they clog and collect debris so fast. Plus, we like to add refugiums to our sumps which canisters cannot do.

I had a sump years ago on another set up and altho was easy to manage addatives it wasn't as good as a canister I've created a additioal pump to drip addatives in to tank over time but will regularly clean filer wool

 

[Trusted smiles]

Created a drip

If crabs are alive, you should be cycled. Loosing the coral probably means that the lights and flow along with stability were not quite ready.
Stability is a huge word we use and it is very important. We need the pH, salinity, temps and other major parameters especially Alk to stay fairly constant over the 24hr time period and beyond. Too much variation (+/- 3d degrees of temp, .3 or .4 of pH, 2 or .003 salinity/specific gravity, Alk (2 or more) can cause lots of stress on the system.

How are you topping off? Is it automatic or are you doing it by hand?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Good. That will mean your salinity should be staying fairly constant. That is great. Huge hurtle with smaller systems. Especially the open tops like yours.

I would give the tank more time. Let it equal out a bit. Maybe get a fish you want that is on the easier side and not aggressive. Snails are good too, just not huge turbos. Maybe some ceriths, nerites, astrea. They are usually hardy and do a great job.

Have you had reefs before? Or did you mean with a freshwater set up sump? Thanks.

By the way, my hubby is from Kent area. Tenterden (for part of growing up).

 

[Trusted smiles]

I had a sump years ago on another set up and altho was easy to manage addatives it wasn't as good as a canister I've created a additioal pump to drip addatives in to tank over time but will regularly clean filer wool

Built this today to view might need to log in to Google or fb but it's a home made doser I'm gonna make another for salt water this one was to add calcium https://www.instructables.com/editInstructable/edit/E1BHIV4KKFFV83C/

 

[Trusted smiles]

Good. That will mean your salinity should be staying fairly constant. That is great. Huge hurtle with smaller systems. Especially the open tops like yours.

I would give the tank more time. Let it equal out a bit. Maybe get a fish you want that is on the easier side and not aggressive. Snails are good too, just not huge turbos. Maybe some ceriths, nerites, astrea. They are usually hardy and do a great job.

Have you had reefs before? Or did you mean with a freshwater set up sump? Thanks.

By the way, my hubby is from Kent area. Tenterden (for part of growing up).

Yeah i had a tank years ago with sump salt water grew nothing but aluge hence reason I'm trying to learn couldn't keep anything beside hair algue have up in end but new house new relationship more time and more patients.. This time I'm trying to Learn more and get it right

 

[DeniseAndy]

My advice... keep it simple. Overthinking and over automating without the knowledge of the chemistry is asking for disaster.

 

[Trusted smiles]

My advice... keep it simple. Overthinking and over automating without the knowledge of the chemistry is asking for disaster.

Okay..

 

[Rmckoy]

Built this today to view might need to log in to Google or fb but it's a home made doser I'm gonna make another for salt water this one was to add calcium https://www.instructables.com/editInstructable/edit/E1BHIV4KKFFV83C/

Are you dosing calcium or anything else ?
A little too soon to be adding calcium or anything for that matter .

without the demand of corals growing , prime algae there will be no consumption therefor dosing ( adding ) anything will only make everything worse .