New Guy Honestly looking for criticism and advice..

[Guy Cesario]

I have had this 10 gallon tank up for about 3 months.

My Direct Questions are:

1. Will anything eat that long algae?
2. Can I get some help identifying and opinions and placements in my tank?
3. The Black Spot on the pink coral? Bad?
4. The damaged spot on the duncan coral? Bad?
5. How long should I have the lights on? And which type when?

Any advice is appriciated, no matter how harsh..

I do a 1-2 gallon water change weekly, and test about every 10 days.

I add Kent Marine Nano A&B 2 ml each every other day & Kent Magnesium 2 ml M-W-F.
My Filter is a Skilter 450, I had from "back in the day", I don't run the Skilter, because I heard the mirco bubbles are very bad. Are they?

These are the lights I have:
1 - Niello 18W LED Aquarium Light Bulb Hood Lighting for Aquarium and Plant Growth,Full Spectrum Lights,Blue and White Light for Reef or Freshwater Refugium–Maximum PAR for Coral and Plant Growth

1 - ABI True 24W Tuna Blue LED Bulb Coral Reef Optimized Spectrum PAR38 with Active Cooling

Fish are:
1 ocellaris clownfish
1 six line wrasse
1 yellow watchman goby

Inverts are:
1 "Gigantor" emerald crab
1 small pistol shrimp
4 red hermit crabs
7 blue leg hermit crabs
3 narcissus snails
1 Margarita snail
4 Astraea snails
1 stomata snail

Thank you all in advance!

 

[jp_75]

what water you using? have similar problem with algae because i picked some water from bad source.Nothing really bad if you ask me...Try to manually remove some and get RO DI unit or make sure tou getting water from good source.

 

[diablomaster9045]

Just my $0.02, the reason the algae is growing is because there is an excess in nutrients. So it is a big balancing game to get the nutrients down so the algae can only grow as fast as your cleaners eat it but high enough that your corals don't starve out of those nutrients that they need. Your cleaners are probably eating it but it is growing faster than they can eat it. My recommendation would be make a refugium of some form, be it sump, chaeto reactor, or algae scrubber.

As for corals, the only 2 corals that don't look fine are the reg goni and the bleaching candy cane. I am not sure what to recommend on the goni since I have never owned one, but the candy cane looks like it is getting too much light.

 

[Guy Cesario]

what water you using? have similar problem with algae because i picked some water from bad source.Nothing really bad if you ask me...Try to manually remove some and get RO DI unit or make sure tou getting water from good source.

I am using distilled water.

 

[Guy Cesario]

Just my $0.02, the reason the algae is growing is because there is an excess in nutrients. So it is a big balancing game to get the nutrients down so the algae can only grow as fast as your cleaners eat it but high enough that your corals don't starve out of those nutrients that they need. Your cleaners are probably eating it but it is growing faster than they can eat it. My recommendation would be make a refugium of some form, be it sump, chaeto reactor, or algae scrubber.

As for corals, the only 2 corals that don't look fine are the reg goni and the bleaching candy cane. I am not sure what to recommend on the goni since I have never owned one, but the candy cane looks like it is getting too much light.

So move the Candy Cane to a less lighted section?
Is the a flow that they like more or less?

 

[diablomaster9045]

So move the Candy Cane to a less lighted section?
Is the a flow that they like more or less?

yah less light for the candy cane. as for flow, I would put them in medium flow.

 

[Guy Cesario]

yah less light for the candy cane. as for flow, I would put them in medium flow.

Thanks.

 

[mcarroll]

I add Kent Marine Nano A&B 2 ml each every other day & Kent Magnesium 2 ml M-W-F.

Just to check.... You should only be dosing these as indicated by test results...which you might be. Be the scheduling and age of the tank makes me think you might be dosing off the label instructions, which can be questionable in some cases.

Test the parameter first, then (ideally) look up your results on the Reef Chemistry Calculator to determine the correct dosage.

I don't run the Skilter, because I heard the mirco bubbles are very bad. Are they?

Some folks obsess about never ever ever ever ever seeing them in their display, but no they don't hurt anything.

These are the lights I have:
1 - Niello 18W LED Aquarium Light Bulb Hood Lighting for Aquarium and Plant Growth,Full Spectrum Lights,Blue and White Light for Reef or Freshwater Refugium–Maximum PAR for Coral and Plant Growth

1 - ABI True 24W Tuna Blue LED Bulb Coral Reef Optimized Spectrum PAR38 with Active Cooling

Unless you like the look of mixed lighting, I'd switch up for something standard across the whole tank.

Use a lux meter to make sure light levels stay about the same before and after the switch.

1 six line wrasse

He's not going to be happy for long in a 10 gallon. Try to trade him if you can. Don't let their relatively compact size fool you.

4 red hermit crabs
7 blue leg hermit crabs

Watch these guys.....they get lazy on algae and will murder your snails for their shells.

I would literally trade these guys for snails if you could. Ceriths are my favorite, but you have a nice assortment to add to already.

Please get your PO4 tested before taking any action against nutrients....it's possible you can make things worse.

Let me know when you do! (LFS if you don't have a kit....get a kit if you want one....Hanna meters are nice for this function cuz the normal kits can be very hard to read.)

 

[Guy Cesario]

Just to check.... You should only be dosing these as indicated by test results...which you might be. Be the scheduling and age of the tank makes me think you might be dosing off the label instructions, which can be questionable in some cases.

Test the parameter first, then (ideally) look up your results on the Reef Chemistry Calculator to determine the correct dosage.

I've been doing it at my LFS.

Some folks obsess about never ever ever ever ever seeing them in their display, but no they don't hurt anything.

Thank you.

Unless you like the look of mixed lighting, I'd switch up for something standard across the whole tank.

Use a lux meter to make sure light levels stay about the same before and after the switch.

So the Blue only is ok?

He's not going to be happy for long in a 10 gallon. Try to trade him if you can. Don't let their relatively compact size fool you.

I am getting a pre-drilled 90 gallon this week.

Watch these guys.....they get lazy on algae and will murder your snails for their shells.

I would literally trade these guys for snails if you could. Ceriths are my favorite, but you have a nice assortment to add to already.

I think I may do that with the big guys.


Please get your PO4 tested before taking any action against nutrients....it's possible you can make things worse.

I have a kit and will check tonight.

Let me know when you do! (LFS if you don't have a kit....get a kit if you want one....Hanna meters are nice for this function cuz the normal kits can be very hard to read.)

I will, THANK YOU!