Looking for suggestions

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

I'm looking for suggestions on how to rehabilitate my 55 gallon tank. I only have the 2 clownfish and maybe 5 margarita snails. I really want to turn this tank around!! Where should I start?

hecterma · Jun 17, 2017

First, what is your setup?

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

hecterma said:
First, what is your setup?

Basically this tank has been running on auto pilot for about 2 yrs. I've got a sub pump, heater, and small lighting since the original went out. It's way over due for a water change. The clown fish seem to be partial to only one side of the tank. I recently had a sea apple perish and have yet to find the remains. Which makes me nervous. I would like to make it more colorful and hearty for the clownfish

hecterma · Jun 17, 2017

I am really new to the hobby but I know someone is going to ask for specifics. Like tank size, filtration, parameters etc....

I would say if your parameters are good start adding some corals like zoanthids, they have great color.

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

hecterma said:
I am really new to the hobby but I know someone is going to ask for specifics. Like tank size, filtration, parameters etc....

I would say if your parameters are good start adding some corals like zoanthids, they have great color.

Thank you !! It's a 55 gallon . I'm learning as well. My husband started the tank and lost interest. But I would love to learn and take over. I've tested the water and the numbers are great. I will look into the zoanthias! Thank you

LEOreefer · Jun 17, 2017

Just my 2 cents....... do a water change and test your parameters. I would say do a sand vac but it might do more harm than good. In my opinion aqua scape has to do a lot with how a tank looks. It seems your tank is packed with rocks , maybe pull some out and re imagine your aquascape. What kind of flow do you have in the tank? What kind of equipment are you running in your sump? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you have a ton of cyno bacteria which usually means you lack flow and your nutrients are high . Your right there don't give up with a dedicated maintenance routine and all the great info on this forum you will have a great looking tank in no time !

LEOreefer · Jun 17, 2017

Btw I'm no expert I'm just going off what I've learned on here and in my past reef keeping experience

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

Curryb15 said:
Just my 2 cents....... do a water change and test your parameters. I would say do a sand vac but it might do more harm than good. In my opinion aqua scape has to do a lot with how a tank looks. It seems your tank is packed with rocks , maybe pull some out and re imagine your aquascape. What kind of flow do you have in the tank? What kind of equipment are you running in your sump? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you have a ton of cyno bacteria which usually means you lack flow and your nutrients are high . Your right there don't give up with a dedicated maintenance routine and all the great info on this forum you will have a great looking tank in no time !

Thank you ! I have 2 airflow going , one on each side of the tank. The rocks are stacked and covered in red algae? I am on the same page with the sand. I'm afraid to do too much at one time and shock the fish. I may try to remove some of the rock and clean it. I would love to bring this tank to life and make this my hobby. It's so calming. I'm not sure what the sub pump is running. I do know it is caked up with salt. I have cleaned the filters and scraped the glass. Would anyone recommend more snails for cleanup or neigh?

nervousmonkey · Jun 17, 2017

Curryb15 said:
Just my 2 cents....... do a water change and test your parameters. I would say do a sand vac but it might do more harm than good. In my opinion aqua scape has to do a lot with how a tank looks. It seems your tank is packed with rocks , maybe pull some out and re imagine your aquascape. What kind of flow do you have in the tank? What kind of equipment are you running in your sump? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you have a ton of cyno bacteria which usually means you lack flow and your nutrients are high . Your right there don't give up with a dedicated maintenance routine and all the great info on this forum you will have a great looking tank in no time !

Yep, I agree with a new aquascape. If it were me I would take the rock out and rescape it to give you more room and a better look. With only the clownfish for now, you don't need so much rock for filtration. While you are doing that, I would also vacuum the sand bed. For that you may want to take the fish out for a day or so. Just put em in a styrofoam box that you would ship stuff in. Add a heater and it'll be fine for a day.
That'll give you a chance to clean and aquascape without worrying about your fish, etc.
If you think of it like cleaning and rearranging your living room, you will have a "new" tank when you are finished!
If you want somewhere go start as far as corals go, zoas are a great place to start, leathers, mushrooms, will be great and get you really involved.
What lights do you have?

LEOreefer · Jun 17, 2017

Ironbutterfly81 said:
Thank you ! I have 2 airflow going , one on each side of the tank. The rocks are stacked and covered in red algae? I am on the same page with the sand. I'm afraid to do too much at one time and shock the fish. I may try to remove some of the rock and clean it. I would love to bring this tank to life and make this my hobby. It's so calming. I'm not sure what the sub pump is running. I do know it is caked up with salt. I have cleaned the filters and scraped the glass. Would anyone recommend more snails for cleanup or neigh?

Your on the right track! I wouldn't add more snails until you can get the nutrients under control. Are you running a skimmer ?

Efranco · Jun 17, 2017

I would suggest hitting the rocks with a baster and conduct a water change...then do 72hrs without lights and conduct another water change...i just did this for the small amount of cyano I had due to over feeding and its gone, plus I added stronger powerheads to get more flow. Do you know which types of powerheads you have running and are you running a sump or hang on filters?

SmokeyGnar · Jun 17, 2017

Curryb15 said:
It seems your tank is packed with rocks , maybe pull some out and re imagine your aquascape.

+1 to redoing the rock work

Take some out, rearrange it, find something that looks good and has good flow through and around the rocks and provides caves and holes for fish to swim around in. There are tons of examples on here, take a minute to browse other members tanks and find some ideas. I remember seeing an entire thread about aquascaping here I'll try and find a link to it for you.

Do a couple large water changes (~10 gallons) as you move things around to remove the sediment and crud that gets kicked up

Also get some critters to establish a clean up crew. Hermit crabs and snails make your tank a lot more interesting while being super beneficial

Good lighting and filtration are also a must. Everything will be a lot happier and your tank will need way less maintenance once you get these squared away

And most importantly don't forget to keep us updated and don't be afraid to ask when you have a question! Once you get the tank happy and healthy again the possibilities will be endless

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

Curryb15 said:
Your on the right track! I wouldn't add more snails until you can get the nutrients under control. Are you running a skimmer ?

I don't think we have a skimmer.

nervousmonkey said:
Yep, I agree with a new aquascape. If it were me I would take the rock out and rescape it to give you more room and a better look. With only the clownfish for now, you don't need so much rock for filtration. While you are doing that, I would also vacuum the sand bed. For that you may want to take the fish out for a day or so. Just put em in a styrofoam box that you would ship stuff in. Add a heater and it'll be fine for a day.
That'll give you a chance to clean and aquascape without worrying about your fish, etc.
If you think of it like cleaning and rearranging your living room, you will have a "new" tank when you are finished!
If you want somewhere go start as far as corals go, zoas are a great place to start, leathers, mushrooms, will be great and get you really involved.
What lights do you have?

I bought just one set of lights that have the night glow from a saltwater dealer online. They are not nearly as bright as the original ones. I usually turn them on about 4pm and set them to night glow about 11pm. Do you think I should shorten the time to prevent the algae growth?

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

SmokeyGnar said:
+1 to redoing the rock work

Take some out, rearrange it, find something that looks good and has good flow through and around the rocks and provides caves and holes for fish to swim around in. There are tons of examples on here, take a minute to browse other members tanks and find some ideas. I remember seeing an entire thread about aquascaping here I'll try and find a link to it for you.

Do a couple large water changes (~10 gallons) as you move things around to remove the sediment and crud that gets kicked up

Also get some critters to establish a clean up crew. Hermit crabs and snails make your tank a lot more interesting while being super beneficial

Good lighting and filtration are also a must. Everything will be a lot happier and your tank will need way less maintenance once you get these squared away

And most importantly don't forget to keep us updated and don't be afraid to ask when you have a question! Once you get the tank happy and healthy again the possibilities will be endless

Yes! I love it. I think these 2 clownfish would love to explore the rest of the tank if they could get to it. I will try to move some rocks around and take new pics tomorrow. Then hopefully add some more life to get things moving. Thank you!

LEOreefer · Jun 17, 2017

Best thing you can do is read this site for hours ! There is so much knowledge that will be able to really get you on the right track to be successful!

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

Efranco said:
I would suggest hitting the rocks with a baster and conduct a water change...then do 72hrs without lights and conduct another water change...i just did this for the small amount of cyano I had due to over feeding and its gone, plus I added stronger powerheads to get more flow. Do you know which types of powerheads you have running and are you running a sump or hang on filters?

We have 1 hanging filter. I'm not sure on the powerheads. One is larger than the other and they are both pretty caked in the red algae. I've been working diligently on cleaning these. I've also washed out the filter from the bottom of the tank. It was filthy as well.

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

Curryb15 said:
Best thing you can do is read this site for hours ! There is so much knowledge that will be able to really get you on the right track to be successful!

Thank you !! I'm ready to learn and take this tank to its full potential!

Efranco · Jun 17, 2017

From what I could see in the picture your main issue is Cyano which is a bacteria not an algae...so your light schedule seems ok for now but might need to be adjusted once you decide to add corals

LEOreefer · Jun 17, 2017

Ironbutterfly81 said:
Thank you !! I'm ready to learn and take this tank to its full potential!

That's great I am excited for you! The best part of this hobby is being able to make a piece of the ocean in your living just as you imagine it, the sky is the limit !

Ironbutterfly81 · Jun 17, 2017

Efranco said:
From what I could see in the picture your main issue is Cyano which is a bacteria not an algae...so your light schedule seems ok for now but might need to be adjusted once you decide to add corals

When I do add corals would you increase or decrease the light schedule? Thanks !