Should I start over ?

[Idech]

What test kit

Hanna

You posted good water chemistry levels but how much flux to each experience during every 24 hour period?

Crazy if you restart that.

I have no idea what the variations are during a 24 hour period. I’m not equipped to know.

 

[Dan_P]

This is my first reef tank and it is 22 months old (75 gallons, no sump). I’ve made mistakes and it seems that those mistakes have permanently affected the quality of the water, even though parameters are fine.

Salinity : 1.026
PH : 8.1
Cal : 480
Mag : 1540
Alk : 9.6
Nitrates : 18.4
Phosphate : 0,07
Temp : 78

I have had dinos for about 18 months. Got rid of them 3 times, but they always come back with a vengeance every time I do a WC more than a few gallons. Which is why I can’t just do a huge WC and be done with it. I dose All For Reef every day to make up for it.

I can grow very easy corals, but anything else will die. Sometimes they last a few months but they don’t show much growth and end up dying later. I would like to keep euphyllias and other corals with lots of movement or just nice. But it just doesn’t work.

Here is what I have tried and still have :

1 x GSP
1 x duncan
1 x frogspawn (euphyllia divisa) DEAD
3 x pulsing xenia
2 x green rodactis mushroom
2 x red Actinodiscus mushroom
1 x Discosoma
1 x purple blastomussa DEAD
1 x assorted acan lord DEAD
1 x kryptonite candy cane DEAD
1 x bi-color candy cane DEAD
2 x red acan Bowerbanki DEAD
1 x red goniopora DEAD
1 x green alveopora DYING
1 x green purple tip hammer
1 x myagi tort acropora DEAD
1 x branching gold hammer
2 x green torch DEAD
2 x cristata torch DEAD
1 x rose bud branching hammer DEAD
1 x yellow cyphastrea (bas) DEAD
1 x purple leptastrea DEAD
1 x JF techno cyphastrea DEAD
1 x pipe organ
1 x Hocus pocus lepto DEAD
1 x purple anthelia
1 x pastel yellow favia DEAD
2 x green polyp porites DEAD
2 x tropic thunder montipora frag DEAD
1 x green nepthea coral
1 x bird’s nest

Anemones
1 x rainbow bubble tip anemone

Fish and inverts are doing well.

My question : would starting over fix this problem that makes me feel like quitting altogether ? If not, what should I do ?

I would empty the tank and keep the rocks, corals inverts and fish alive in tubs. Then get rid of the sand and replace with new one, maybe just 1 inch instead of 3 inches like I have now.

Replace 100% of the water with fresh salt water made of RODI. Put everything back in, all on the same day hopefully.


Thanks !

Quitting is an option to consider. Keeping a exotic creatures is not for everybody. Vendors and hobbyists make it sound so straightforward. It is not. Many people fail or lower their expectations.

Starting over does not seem like an option that will fix your issues. You might want to just go with what grows for you and make the best looking aquarium with those creatures.

There is nothing wrong with fish only or soft coral. They both magnificently beautiful creatures.

 

[Idech]

If you have Dino’s from water changes don’t do any water changes. Wait for the Dino’s to get out completed.

I don’t do WC. I haven’t in more than six months, other than 4 gallons, once.

There are threads on how to beat Dino’s and it doesn’t appear you nitrate and phosphate are bottomed out. An ultraviolet sterilizer may be something to consider, permanently or temporarily.

I believe dinos are outcompeted for now. I see no more (touch wood). I run an UV 24/7, but my dinos are prorocentris, which aren’t affected by UV. I had to dose silicate heavily for months and months to get rid of them.

Keep it simple , go slow, nothing good happens overnight. Listen to the folks in this thread, your tank is beautiful.
Many people will say do this or do that. Stability is the key to success

Thank you for the encouragement.

What do you dose to keep phospahte under control?

Nothing. Phosphate hasn’t been an issue so far, except when it bottomed out, along with nitrates and then I dosed Neonitro and Neophos.

 

[Idech]

If it was me I would add more fish and increase the bio load.

I have six fish now. You believe adding one or two more fish would help ?

 

[ElementReefer]

Some soft coral like Sinularia will put toxins in the water, I didn’t have success with stony coral until I took out my huge toadstool. I put it in its own tank, so now I have a softie tank and my original tank that is growing all LPS and east SPS.

And guess what, I like my softie tank as much as the main tank…maybe even more. It’s so easy!

 

[Idech]

Some soft coral like Sinularia will put toxins in the water, I didn’t have success with stony coral until I took out my huge toadstool. I put it in its own tank, so now I have a softie tank and my original tank that is growing all LPS and east SPS.

And guess what, I like my softie tank as much as the main tank…maybe even more. It’s so easy!

The finger leather is a test (it’s doing well so far) and it is minuscule. I’ve only had it for 6-8 weeks so it’s not responsible for my problems. Or very little if it is.

Good to know though, thanks !

 

[thedon986]

Six fish in a 75 gallon is a low/medium bioload. You could def add more. I just got aquacultured rock and sand delivered three weeks ago via air cargo and still had a small couple patches of dinos on my sand pop up even with years old mature rock and sand. Dinos are everywhere. Keep on keeping on and you will get through this. I tore down my last setup that had them since initial transfer and setup. I still regret doing that.

 

[kevgib67]

Wow, I was surprised when I saw your tank after seeing your title. I think you suffer from the same syndrome I do. When you look at your tank you only see what is going wrong or what is not there that that you currently want. It really looks nice.

 

[Idech]

Wow, I was surprised when I saw your tank after seeing your title. I think you suffer from the same syndrome I do. When you look at your tank you only see what going wrong or what is not there that that you currently want. It really looks nice.

I suffer from being an insatiable perfectionist, lol ! It’s really not fun.

Thanks for the encouragement !

 

[Lavey29]

I agree with all the other posters. You have a beautiful tank and does not make sense to start over. Continue the battle but really focus on natural remedies like adding biodiversity and microfauna along with good bacteria like PNS probio. Pods and phytoplankton, stir that sand daily, Get those dinos into the water column and scooped out with your filtration. Maybe buy a couple small pieces of real live wet ocean rock and add them to your tank or sump to build your biome. Your numbers are good. Stay the course.

 

[PeterErc]

I have six fish now. You believe adding one or two more fish would help ?

I can’t promise it will help, but any excuse I can find to add more fish is good enough for me. Be careful though if you do. Quarantine the new fish and make sure they are compatible with the stock you already have. One diseased fish can kill them all.. That’s a whole different issue than what’s going on and would suck.

 

[KrisReef]

I suffer from being an insatiable perfectionist, lol ! It’s really not fun.

Thanks for the encouragement !

You need to fly to Los Angeles and visit Eric Cohen at TankStop
@Eric Cohen - can you ship to Canada?
I think the tanks looks great but 5-10lbs of Australian liverock would help get the microbes in line. Sorry you have had such a typical struggle with your dino's and coral deaths. Once your tank turns the corner it will grow what you want but it is never going to be perfect. IF you want perfect you should try a different hobby, but I don't know any hobby that will work out for you or me, which is why I'm here trying to grow a perfect coral and so far success has eluded me, but I've come close a few times. That is something we have to learn. Good luck.

 

[Idech]

IF you want perfect you should try a different hobby, but I don't know any hobby that will work out for you or me, which is why I'm here trying to grow a perfect coral and so far success has eluded me, but I've come close a few times.

I’m old enough to know that perfection is not attainable nor is it wise to wish for it. I just want to have more variety in my tank.

UPDATE : since I took this video, my anemone looks dead. I changed the flow a bit yesterday and 24 hours later, it looks dead.

I use a green pad attached to a Mag float to clean the glass and have been leaving it in the tank for months. Now I’m wondering if it’s leaking something in the tank and by changing the flow, I made it go more directly on the anemone.

I removed it (should have done it months ago) and I will now buy an ICP test. I put carbon in the tank.

 

[sfin52]

Agree a couple pounds of true live rock would help

 

[dadnjesse]

My concern is how do you know what the person who sells the copods has going on in that system. You can't dip them or quarantine them. you just dump whatever is in there in your tank. I'm not saying that's your problem.

 

[Miami Reef]

Beautiful tank!

 

[Idech]

My concern is how do you know what the person who sells the copods has going on in that system. You can't dip them or quarantine them. you just dump whatever is in there in your tank. I'm not saying that's your problem.

Okay, I understand. I never bought from an individual. I always buy from big companies so I suppose they are raised in an optimal environment.

But still, you have a point.

 

[7of9]

I agree with everyone else that starting over probably isn't going to fix your problems.

At this point, I think you've tried a lot of different things and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what might be going on. If it were me, I'd stop adding corals and try to simplify things some and let the tank mature. I know that's hard, though, especially when you don't like the way things are looking. I would probably double down on maintenance tasks and water testing to be sure things are stable. It can take a lot longer for a tank started with dry rock to mature than one seeded with live rock. If you can, maybe you could work something out with a reefer in your area to get a rock or two of their mature rock? If not, I think patience and stability is probably your best bet combined with an ICP test.

 

[Idech]

If you can, maybe you could work something out with a reefer in your area to get a rock or two of their mature rock? If not, I think patience and stability is probably your best bet combined with an ICP test.

Yeah, I’m leaning towards doing that. I’ve waited a few months before adding any last time but I guess it wasn’t enough.

I’ll do the ICP test and I might go to a store 1 hour away I found to get some of their live rock. It’s from their tanks, not the ocean but that would still help. It’s 6,99$/lb and he says shipping is very expensive so not worth it.

Would 10 lbs be enough ?

 

[Lavey29]

Yeah, I’m leaning towards doing that. I’ve waited a few months before adding any last time but I guess it wasn’t enough.

I’ll do the ICP test and I might go to a store 1 hour away I found to get some of their live rock. It’s from their tanks, not the ocean but that would still help. It’s 6,99$/lb and he says shipping is very expensive so not worth it.

Would 10 lbs be enough ?

No, if you are going to do it then do it right. Buy once cry once. Get real live wet harvested ocean rock from a known vendor not LFS tank rock. Just a couple small pieces will kick start your biome.