Reef Tank or Divorce - Last Chance

Dinkin's Aquatic Gardens
Jump to Last
Stlrfan88 said:
un-controllable algae out breaks that literly would take over the tank in a matter of days. Fish would last about a month if I was lucky. it got to the point I tested water every day and all the levels read in tolerance. I just think the tank never fully cycled like it should have and had to many elements (live rock, sand, fish, coral) and the fish shop couldn't put there finger on the issue to help me so their answer was to cover it in blankets for a month, tear it down and bleach it and add more chemical. This time I am going simple and slow and use this forum for help. Already getting great advise after only an hour. thanks
Click to expand...
i mean what kind of algae we talking like a diatom bloom or like full on gha i feel like you shoulda just rode it out urchins can do some serious work to algae my longspine can pull up coralline and just keep it simple and slow all i run is a hob filter and hob skimmer on my 55 that is very heavy stocked and other than cleaning the glass the rocks stay algae free with some snails a urchin and diamond goby sifting my sand
 
Deltec
Welcome to R2R!!! I get my wife involved by having her help pick out fish and corals. So far, she has picked out the two most expensive corals in the tank.

Hope it goes better for you this time around! You have a great support crew here at R2R.
 
I am sure we can get you on the track to success!

r2r-gif-welcome.gif
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Stlrfan88 said:
Thanks. Binged watched the 52 weeks of reefing and all these videos over the last several days. Cant find if the dry rock & sand + Seed will give me the same effect as buying live rock & sand. If not will the red sea mature pro + dry rock and sand get me there?
Click to expand...
I dry started mine with Biospira and a bit of ammonia then added fish a week later, but plenty of folks dry start with bottle bac and add livestock immediately with successful results.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Nutramar Foods
Personally I think all the trouble your having is a direct result of you being a fan of the wrong football team. Just sayin ;). But seriously. no chemicals. i know they look like an easy fix but its like domino's. Like everyone else is saying take it slow. just when you think you going slow enough...slow down some more. Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. I started a year ago with a Pet store kit tank. no sump no skimmer no fancy lights and have learned a lot. This forum is an amazing resource and you will get differing opinions. Do what works for you.
216 CLE
 
Last edited:
Simpler is better. Start basic and “add” equipment as you need it. I started my tank with a refugium, skimemer, reactor, blah blah blah. Come to find out I need nutrients in the tank so now all I have in the tank is a skimmer which I am not even using for Foam, it is just for airration! Don’t go all out in the beginning just to leave a lot of equipment in storage we all have that stuff we can use but dont
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Stlrfan88 said:
un-controllable algae out breaks that literly would take over the tank in a matter of days. Fish would last about a month if I was lucky. it got to the point I tested water every day and all the levels read in tolerance. I just think the tank never fully cycled like it should have and had to many elements (live rock, sand, fish, coral) and the fish shop couldn't put there finger on the issue to help me so their answer was to cover it in blankets for a month, tear it down and bleach it and add more chemical. This time I am going simple and slow and use this forum for help. Already getting great advise after only an hour. thanks
Click to expand...
I’d be looking for a different fish store. Chemically treating a tank is absolute last resort. Almost every new tank nuisance such as algae blooms etc. can be managed in other ways. Everything when first starting a tank matters. You are trying to bring a balance to it and that takes time. Literally years...however, I am assuming you had your lights on too long or too powerful too early in the game. Along with populating the tank with livestock too soon...and that is OK. Anyone in this hobby that started off and said they didn’t do otherwise would probably be lying.
Start off slow with lighting. Don’t ramp it up to 100% and have it on for 8 hours. Being you are starting everything dry you are right to add bacteria because otherwise there is nothing to help start the cycle. However, use caution when starting to add fish. You may see in a week your water parameters look decent. Once you pull the plug and add fish that can change in a matter of a day...have a huge ammonia spike and you are doing 50% water changes trying to get the ammonia out.
Just understand too that you are going to experience algae and other “new” tank syndromes. With time they pass. Post pictures of the tank when a problem starts and people on reef2reef will give great insight with how to help and their experiences.
Also, my wife for a long time rolled her eyes and wanted the tank out of the house every time algae or something unsightly would happen with the tank. Just like the tank itself it took time but now I see her passing the tank admiring it. It isn’t her hobby but she appreciates it now. The tank is a centerpiece.
 
Orphek OR3 reef aquarium LED bar
Big G said:
Welcome to R2R! A 90 is a nice size tank. Best piece of advice. Let the tank fully cycle, that's 30+ days min. Then start with corals that have been QT'd and pods from a clean source like Algae Barn. Slowly build the bio load. S-l-o-w-l-y. Enjoy the build. And do a "Build Thread" in the members tank section. You get a cool banner.
Click to expand...
+100000. The key to success is patience. My dad always taught me to be patient because “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Stability is key in this hobby and that comes from having an established tank with tons of biodiversity! Wait on that cycle! After about two weeks of having no ammonia, add a chromis or some small fish to help the cycle keep going and mature. Pods etc from algae barn will help the tanks diversity. I always started with live sand as well. I think it helps with introducing more beneficial bacteria and microorganisms you won’t get any other way. Don’t be afraid to take care of issues with a natural route first. I always try as many natural alternatives before I “go nuclear” and pour a bottle o magic cure it all in my tank. Most chemicals will aggravate your corals but natural ways won’t. As for carbon and gfo, YEEESSSSSS. I ALWAYS run carbon. It works miracles. Carbon binds to toxins and generally bad stuff in the water making it easy for a skimmer to take it out. It just works and goes miles with water clarity! Gfo is not a necessity but if I ever have elevated phosphates, I’m not hesitant to put some gfo in a reactor. It works great with no side effects. A refugium or some sort of cheato reactor is also a must imho! It helps export nutrients, and offers a safe place for pods and micro fauna that might be preyed upon in the dt.
 
Dinkin's Aquatic Gardens

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%

  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
See comments…

New Posts

Dinkins Aquatic Gardens
World Wide Corals
Nutramar Foods
Tidal Gardens
Chewy.com
Top Shelf Aquatics
Deltec
TCK Corals
New Posts
Back
Top