Perfect, thanks for all the info! The end goal is to make it a mostly coral tank, but for now, I'm just trying to get it stable and learn before I start throwing more expensive things in there. The hammer coral was one of the first things I threw in there after the first cleaning, so I'm not shocked it died. Good thing you said avoid cucumbers, I was thinking about picking one up, but I'll just keep adding snails and I'll pick up a kit for magnesium today and start adding that to my test log.
Currently, I test about every two days and keep a running spreadsheet going so I can chart trends. Would you suggest changing out the live sand at all, or should I let the tank handle cleaning what's in there already?
Welcome! Glad you joined. My advice ... SLOW DOWN...
Your cleanups, while needed are likely throwing your tank into continued 'brand new tank' mode. Stop adding fish until you have everything controlled or at least stable. Stop adding corals until you have everything controlled or at least stable. So much has been happening so fast. You are doing outstanding keeping everything alive as you combat her neglect. Give yourself and your tank time to settle. With what you have already accomplish, I can tell you will be super successful in this hobby but don't burn yourself out early on.
Nitrates, phosphates and light (esp white and/or sunlight) are fuel for algae. They are suggesting turning off lights to help you get to the other side of the algae growth battle.
FYI: I don't believe your nitrate numbers at above 1 PPM given everything else you describe further above, though I could be wrong - it wouldn't hurt to go to a LFS (or two) and get second opinion on your water parameters (or third opinion). If nothing is close to you, you could send away and have an ICP test done but due to postal mail it takes longer to get back results (... gets back to SLOW DOWN thinking... lol)
You ask about water, someone mentioned RO/DI, and I know you said well water with conditioners, etc. I'm in RO/DI camp, so I'll vote for RO/DI when you can enhance what you have.
Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID).
This might help you find people local to you:
Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.
www.reef2reef.com
This is a good reference book type online article I still review:
This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...
www.reef2reef.com
