My sad little tank

[Freenow54]

Yes! Thank you! I've been watching the 52 weeks of reef keeping although some of the stuff is still light-years beyond me and they talk SO fast I can hardly keep up. But I'm watching the whole thing and then gonna ask alllll the questions! Lol (after I've checked to see what's already here of course).
My friend ran a fish store for many years, but the rona shut them down unfortunately. He is a wealth of amazing knowledge! Just tossing out coral names left and right! I can't stump the man!!!

But yes, lights. Because there are several different corals who attached to my rocks, which lived in his trough style sump, I gotta use the lights because some of them are "super hard corals to grow" don't know what kind they are, but super cool looking. Plus several mushrooms have popped up in the last few days... he just frags stuff and any lil pieces he just let's attach to rocks, which I get to be the proud owner of and learn to care for, should they live!

They redid the long ones into 5 minute segments which are way better, and don't put you to sleep. Just do what I did bookmark them, and just watch the segments as to where you are. Specifically for you watch the one about " the ugly stage" If, and when you have an outbreak, r failure it will encourage you. I have watched, and watched these. The best piece of advice they gave was this. By the time you see a problem realize that it took months before you can see it, as you are dealing with bacteria. Therefore it will take months for you to escape it. The best source of immediate help on this forum is to simply ask the reef squad they are established I believe scientists. I forget the so called link at the moment but I believe it is to simply put reefsquad# on your post It is on the forum somewhere. If I find it I will tell you.

 

[Freenow54]

Here it is #reefsquad

 

[Sleeping Giant]

stephj03 and FMF0331, The idea is to redo the rock, we just tossed it in the day we were trying to get the water in as well. Because I am allergic to bug stings, I am hesitant to get my hands in there and start rearranging things, plus I need to go grab more rock. I do keep several epipens in my house and vehicles (I'm that allergic) but I think I can wait until someone is available to help me, hubby, friend, whomever lol. My idea is to build for the specific corals and fish I have deemed "must haves" and then everything else needs to work within that window. And of course since it is previously used rock and been kept in water the whole time, I am discovering little mushrooms and encrusting corals that were left on the rocks that I have to figure out what to do with. But it was super exciting to find some in there! lol Its like a treasure hunt everyday finding things that are popping out of the back or underside of a rock to show their little fluorescing bodies to surprise me. Its definitely an exciting ride!

You could buy a pair of rubber gloves that go up to your elbows. That might help

 

[CMMorgan]

Your knowledge will grow with your passion. Chin up, ask questions.... we're along for the ride...

 

[Freenow54]

Your knowledge will grow with your passion. Chin up, ask questions.... we're along for the ride...

Quite the video to pick SOOO FUNNY

 

[AlliRose907]

I have a question one of you might be able to answer. Or maybe a few...
1) there is shaggy black algae? I guess growing and flowing all over the sides, back and even on the tops of my pumps, in my tank. Is this stuff good or bad? Do I use a scraper to get a bunch of it off or just leave it?
2) do peppermint shrimp eat snails? I caught one bugging a margaritas snail so I shoo'd it away and the next morning the snail was in the same spot all cleaned out and shiny.
3) do peppermint shrimps bother corals and feather dusters? My cute lil mushroom that randomly appeared (later found out he's a space invader I think) he looks slightly smooshed up and less round and fabulous. And my coco worm doesn't seem to like to come out as much as she did her first few days. Ideas? I need to feed her again, but she barely pokes out?

 

[Freenow54]

I can only advise you on one thing. The rest you will find posts from other people on the forum. The algae is hair algae, which is what I warned you about. You will have excessive lighting, and or high nutrients caused by over feeding. my son caused it with reef roids for the coral. I suggest you get a test kit to measure your parameters. I had a huge problem. It took seven months, and a lot of patience to get things back to normal. You can see if you have high Nitrates with the test kit, and correct it by feeding less. I was advised constant water changes. Was a complete waste of time. I assume you have a skimmer. I cured it by removing the rocks, and whatever and just keep scrubbing them clean, and picking it off, Your lighting may be too much as well. Try the reef squad for help. It is hashtag reefsquad . Just put that on your post. They may help you with a solution, but they will ask for all the parameter readings and maybe pictures. There was just a post about peppermint shrimp. It seems there are a lot of shrimp that look familiar , but are not them. The post had pictures. They said they were beneficial Good Luck. Let me know how you make out Wally

 

[Freenow54]

Forgot one thing. Get a bristle tooth tang. Yellows are too expensive. All the critter does is eat algae. Also do this. This is from someone else. Draw a triangle On the top of the paper write ALGAE CONTROL. On the top of the triangle write Lights underneath that write Spectrum Which means the different colors I don't know what lighting you are using I suggest cut down the on time. Also Intensity. Back to triangle bottom right write flow. This means entire tank. A Professor wrote if your sand isn't moving its not strong enough. I have the sand moving and obviously then tip it up until it stops. No dead zones Bottom left of triangle Nutrients No2 20 ppm or less, Phosphate .01

 

[AlliRose907]

I tested for everything I had a test for last week, thursday-ish. They are as follows;

Salinity 1.025 which is where we keep it.
Ca 300
Cl 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
pH 8.5
kH 8
Cu 0
Po 0.25

The only inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp, a harlequin shrimp, an acropora (sp?) THAT happened to be on a rock as well as a mushroom that popped out of the rock and a coco worm along with a bunch of snails. I haven't fed the tank at all since it was set up, as was instructed by my friend. Last week I started feeding a tiny but, targeted to the corals and coco worm. Today my coco worm doesn't seem as happy. She doesn't come out all the way and when she does she is kinda curled up some. I don't run any white lights, just blue at about 75% as I was instructed, for 8 hour increments. However I have two skylights on that side of the house too (my suspicion of where the light is coming from). I have two powerheads on either side of the tank, one points to the other end and one points toward mid back plus the filtration. Since I added the second powerhead the coco worm has looked sad. Everything has movement, even the string algae on the sand.
Of course I don't have a lick of knowledge about any of this or what it does... I am so lost and so confused. It's literally a different language and there is sooo much info and sooo many ways to do this, it's overwhelming and frustrating and it makes me want to quit now before it gets to a point its more trouble to break it down and get rid of it.
I appreciate your suggested method with the triangle, but none of that makes any sense to me because I don't know what it means.

 

[vetteguy53081]

off to nice start.

 

[AlliRose907]

 

[AlliRose907]

 

[Freenow54]

I tested for everything I had a test for last week, thursday-ish. They are as follows;

Salinity 1.025 which is where we keep it.
Ca 300
Cl 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
pH 8.5
kH 8
Cu 0
Po 0.25

The only inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp, a harlequin shrimp, an acropora (sp?) THAT happened to be on a rock as well as a mushroom that popped out of the rock and a coco worm along with a bunch of snails. I haven't fed the tank at all since it was set up, as was instructed by my friend. Last week I started feeding a tiny but, targeted to the corals and coco worm. Today my coco worm doesn't seem as happy. She doesn't come out all the way and when she does she is kinda curled up some. I don't run any white lights, just blue at about 75% as I was instructed, for 8 hour increments. However I have two skylights on that side of the house too (my suspicion of where the light is coming from). I have two powerheads on either side of the tank, one points to the other end and one points toward mid back plus the filtration. Since I added the second powerhead the coco worm has looked sad. Everything has movement, even the string algae on the sand.
Of course I don't have a lick of knowledge about any of this or what it does... I am so lost and so confused. It's literally a different language and there is sooo much info and sooo many ways to do this, it's overwhelming and frustrating and it makes me want to quit now before it gets to a point its more trouble to break it down and get rid of it.
I appreciate your suggested method with the triangle, but none of that makes any sense to me because I don't know what it means.

Don't fret It is just a nuisance it wont harm anything just ugly. As I said it will take a long time to get rid of it. It was probably lurking all along. It does get frustrating at times. I had the hair algae which is what it is come back, and as they say by the time you see it its too late. I kept on it, and it disappeared again. Everything you are doing and the readings look very good except Nitrates. They make pads that you cut that will fit into a canister filter. I am no expert, but you will find what works for you. As I said it took me 7 months and just kept pulling it off, and scrubbing rocks. Even on Bulk Reef Supply videos they said it happens, and will correct over time. The Triangle is simply the three factors that if not correct balance will cause algae. I don't see any problems. Try the bristle tooth tang. I also used a product called Nitra- Guard bio cubes. You can put it in filter bags, and hang it in front of the power heads, but better in a canister filter. It is not magical but works

 

[Freenow54]

I tested for everything I had a test for last week, thursday-ish. They are as follows;

Salinity 1.025 which is where we keep it.
Ca 300
Cl 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
pH 8.5
kH 8
Cu 0
Po 0.25

The only inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp, a harlequin shrimp, an acropora (sp?) THAT happened to be on a rock as well as a mushroom that popped out of the rock and a coco worm along with a bunch of snails. I haven't fed the tank at all since it was set up, as was instructed by my friend. Last week I started feeding a tiny but, targeted to the corals and coco worm. Today my coco worm doesn't seem as happy. She doesn't come out all the way and when she does she is kinda curled up some. I don't run any white lights, just blue at about 75% as I was instructed, for 8 hour increments. However I have two skylights on that side of the house too (my suspicion of where the light is coming from). I have two powerheads on either side of the tank, one points to the other end and one points toward mid back plus the filtration. Since I added the second powerhead the coco worm has looked sad. Everything has movement, even the string algae on the sand.
Of course I don't have a lick of knowledge about any of this or what it does... I am so lost and so confused. It's literally a different language and there is sooo much info and sooo many ways to do this, it's overwhelming and frustrating and it makes me want to quit now before it gets to a point its more trouble to break it down and get rid of it.
I appreciate your suggested method with the triangle, but none of that makes any sense to me because I don't know what it means.

Like I said long struggle

but here it is now

 

[Aclman88]

Don't fret It is just a nuisance it wont harm anything just ugly. As I said it will take a long time to get rid of it. It was probably lurking all along. It does get frustrating at times. I had the hair algae which is what it is come back, and as they say by the time you see it its too late. I kept on it, and it disappeared again. Everything you are doing and the readings look very good except Nitrates. They make pads that you cut that will fit into a canister filter. I am no expert, but you will find what works for you. As I said it took me 7 months and just kept pulling it off, and scrubbing rocks. Even on Bulk Reef Supply videos they said it happens, and will correct over time. The Triangle is simply the three factors that if not correct balance will cause algae. I don't see any problems. Try the bristle tooth tang. I also used a product called Nitra- Guard bio cubes. You can put it in filter bags, and hang it in front of the power heads, but better in a canister filter. It is not magical but works

Her nitrates are fine at 10. I would not be worrying about that at this stage.

 

[Aclman88]

3) do peppermint shrimps bother corals and feather dusters?

They have been known to pick on corals so it is definitely a possibility.

 

[AlliRose907]

Added a third powerhead. I dunno what I'm doing so hopefully I have everything pointed in a way to get flow everywhere. And scrubbed all the algae I could off the glass surfaces and gave the sand a bit of a stir where it was growing...

 

[Freenow54]

Wondering how you made out

 

[AlliRose907]

Still have some algae in the tank, I scraped everything I could and it's gotten a bit better.
I had a pretty bad seizure Friday night so I'm unable to drive until I'm released again so I won't be making it to my local fish store for a bit, so no algae eating fish for a bit longer.
A friend did bring me more corals from his collection so that was exciting, but I want some fish action! Need to find a torch of some sort cause I want a clown fish, but I'm not willing to pay hundreds for it... so I guess I'm just waiting to see what's in my price range.

 

[ThePurple12]

Still have some algae in the tank, I scraped everything I could and it's gotten a bit better.
I had a pretty bad seizure Friday night so I'm unable to drive until I'm released again so I won't be making it to my local fish store for a bit, so no algae eating fish for a bit longer.
A friend did bring me more corals from his collection so that was exciting, but I want some fish action! Need to find a torch of some sort cause I want a clown fish, but I'm not willing to pay hundreds for it... so I guess I'm just waiting to see what's in my price range.

Instead of a torch, you could get a bubble tip anemone. The basic green ones are around $30. FWIW, clowns don't really need anemones or other hosts in aquariums. They do just fine without them.