Nano Reef Tank Issues

[jcosta98]

I believe your biggest problem is a tank that is biologically overloaded and too young to sustain its inhabitants biology. IMHO 2 clowns in 10g is bad life for them and hard time for you

This has nothing to do with the OP problem.

 

[blasterman]

Calcium: 518ppm
Magnesium: 1593ppm
Potassium: 558ppm
Chlorine: 26298ppm <<<
Sodium: 14334ppm
______________________________________________

I assume this means "Chloride"???

While your basic levels are on the high side they shouldn't kill livestock. I'm not a fan of snails anyways for starter CUC for this such reason: High die off rates.

 

[Phillyjay]

What water are you using? RO/DI or RO or tap, etc?

Okay, not sure I have this correct, but you said you were adding the AB+ on schedule? Is that a trace element replacement dosing method? If so, you should not be doing that yet. Without corals to absorb them, you do not need to replace them and could be throwing values off. I never dose anything without actually measuring its usage (if it is new to me).

Get the salinity up to the target of 35ppt or 1.026 specific gravity. This will help keep the inverts happier. What snails are you buying? Some just do not handle change well and some do dormant during travel and some just do not work well in new systems.

Zoas can be touchy. A good starter test is gsp or palys. These can give you some help stabalizing and you can always remove them when you decide on the type of system you want. Just keep them confined to a rock away from other rocks (a bit more difficult in a 10g).

If I misunderstood what you were saying, please let me know. I want to give you accurate information.

Hey DeniseAndy,

yea sorry I should have been more clear. The AB+ is the lighting schedule I am running for my AI prime light. Will start increasing the salinity slightly to get to 35ppt. The snails I got and died were turbos. I also got 2 nassarius by my lfs recommendation which have disappeared but I am assuming/hoping they’re just deeper in the sand.
Thanks for the tips!!

 

[Reef.]

Hey DeniseAndy,

yea sorry I should have been more clear. The AB+ is the lighting schedule I am running for my AI prime light. Will start increasing the salinity slightly to get to 35ppt. The snails I got and died were turbos. I also got 2 nassarius by my lfs recommendation which have disappeared but I am assuming/hoping they’re just deeper in the sand.
Thanks for the tips!!

Cuc are very sensitive to water parameters more so then most fish, they also need a very slow acclimation, also, some think high magnesium above 1400 is not good for snails, so if your lvls are correct, (which they may not be) then that is probably why they keep dieing.

Also consider what they are going to eat, with a new tank, hopefully you haven't got much algae or detritus etc for them to eat.
It's a balance to just have enough cuc to keep the tank clean but also enough food for them to eat, I would only start with maybe 1 or 2 and see how you go, with it being a nano you can clean the tank as good as cuc can anyway.

Every time they die and you don't remove them straight away that is adding to the nutrients in the tank, so the complete opposite of what they are there for.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Calcium: 518ppm
Magnesium: 1593ppm
Potassium: 558ppm
Chlorine: 26298ppm
Sodium: 14334ppm

If those values are correct, the salinity is WAY too high.

that is where to focus.

Where did those numbers come from?

 

[DeniseAndy]

In a new tank, turbos will not survive. They need lots of food to constantly graze. The nassarius are fine and probably under the sand. Next I would do cerith and/or nerite (just a few). Those guys are smaller and will eat film algae and such that most new tanks will get too.