So.... What do i do now?

[zaba859]

I am new in the hobby, i do have few fresh water taknks and all doing well no illnesses, no algae problems, no die off. I started my jurney with marine 7 weeks ago. Was thinking to try it for long time. Fimally i decided to go for it. I have done SOME research about setting up, cycling, LR etc. All seemed fine. I am affraid that was only wrong interpretation of what i read. I went through bacterial blooms, some algae, too good water quality, too bad water quality, now i am experiencing white spot. Ibrecently introduced powder blue tang into my DT. Only my fault as i didnt get lecture about QT. My fault and i accepted the blame and shame, some of you guys here on R2R helped me realise what that means (how big of a problem it is) and what I should do with fish now. Now i do have QT and all fish is there (just two clowns and powder tang) which will get treatment tomorrow. Tomorrow so they have a little of time to calm down in the new tank before i start dosing the "nasty" stuff. The question is: what do i do now with my DT for all those 72 days? What do i do to the DT during fallow period?

Should i switch the lights off to get rid of some algae?

Should i supplement some ammonia to keep live rock, sand and biofilter full of bacteria to be ready for fish to come back?

Should i keep my skimmer and uv on?

What will happen to polyps and toad if light goes off for longer period ?

Here is my tank situation just now:

I got mix of different rock including live rock covered in coraline algae, some dry reef saver and dry real reef rock which i guess is live now but still white with yellowish-green algae on it (very thin), is it normal? I cant get coraline to spread over previously dry rock. There are 2 patches of coraline on real reef rock but that's it.

There are some invers in as well like: brittle star, decorator crab, 6 turbos, 6 nasariuses and 2 hermits. I also got leather toadstool and two polyps that came with live rock.

Water parameters are as follows:
Temp 26 C
Salinity 1.025
Alcalinity 11.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate 0.3
Mg 1400
Ca 440

Any help much appreciated Thank you

 

[Big G]

76 days of fallow gives you a bit more wiggle room.

Continue to very lightly feed the tank to prevent the nitrates and phosphates from going to zero. So feed the tank a little bit more while monitoring over several days to raise the nitrates up to the 5-10 and keep the phosphates up just a bit. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. So feed a bit and test.

You could cut back the photo period just a bit from where it is now. Again, nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Drastic changes seldom solve problems in the long run.

I'd keep the UV running.

The "yellowish-green" algae is new tank stuff and very normal.

 

[beaslbob]

I like using macro algae in some kind of refugium to balance out and stabilize the system. the refugium can just be a simple in tank partition with some added side lighting.

If your getting cloudy water it probably is either cyano bacteria and micro algae. Both will die off with a blackout period. Then resume with reduced lighting and adjust so the corraline thrives but not the uglies.

You could also use a water polishing filter like the diatom series. they clean up a 55g in a hour or two.

my .02

 

[Webslinger]

slow and steady wins the race

 

[BeejReef]

76 days is a long time! I gather it's necessary and all, but for us newer to the hobby, that's a LONG time. Nothing is stopping you from growing some corals to fill the void! Give your leather and polyps some company. Maybe a hammer frag, some favias, or acans. Might as well use these months productively learning to struggle with calcium and alkalinity stability! Life hands you lemons

I would want to keep the lights on, personally. You still want the tank "maturing" and so on while you wait out this plague. Blacking it out will stall that process and keep your coraline from taking hold.

 

[zaba859]

I like using macro algae in some kind of refugium to balance out and stabilize the system. the refugium can just be a simple in tank partition with some added side lighting.

If your getting cloudy water it probably is either cyano bacteria and micro algae. Both will die off with a blackout period. Then resume with reduced lighting and adjust so the corraline thrives but not the uglies.

You could also use a water polishing filter like the diatom series. they clean up a 55g in a hour or two.

my .02

I dont really have problem with bacteria anymore i used to have but got rid of it by stopping to dose the nopox, i do grow (thats a wrong word for that) chaetomorpha in refugium but it doesnt really grow at all. I guess thats due to 0 nitrates in my system but even when fish was in and been fed 3 times a day my nitrates stood at 0. There was a time where i had 0 phos and 20 no3, but then suddenly changed to 0 no3 and little po4

 

[zaba859]

76 days is a long time! I gather it's necessary and all, but for us newer to the hobby, that's a LONG time. Nothing is stopping you from growing some corals to fill the void! Give your leather and polyps some company. Maybe a hammer frag, some favias, or acans. Might as well use these months productively learning to struggle with calcium and alkalinity stability! Life hands you lemons

I would want to keep the lights on, personally. You still want the tank "maturing" and so on while you wait out this plague. Blacking it out will stall that process and keep your coraline from taking hold.

Thats a great idea but isn't it that i should quarantine frags too. I am quite affraid to put anything new in my tank now. Spent a lot of money for it and dont want to ruin it. I guess i will be a bit too overprotective after experience with white spot ;(

 

[BeejReef]

Thats a great idea but isn't it that i should quarantine frags too. I am quite affraid to put anything new in my tank now. Spent a lot of money for it and dont want to ruin it. I guess i will be a bit too overprotective after experience with white spot ;(

Can't advise against caution. Pragmatically, if you added coral frags and you were extraordinarily unlucky and they had a speck of water stuck in them that contained ick or what not, they'd still be taken care of by your fallow period. Peeps generally QT corals to detect flatworms or red bugs or spiders, or aptasia before adding to their DT. Your display tank is pretty darn empty though. If you add one euphelia, one zoanthid, one favia... etc, there's nothing for them to infect. If you see evidence of a parasite, you can remove it and dip it.... potentially as many times as needed to break the pest's life cycle. Esssentially, you'd be using your DT as a coral QT, since it's not doing anything else useful atm.

So, yes, you are definitely correct. QT is best. I'm sure there are some coral pests that could pose a problem. Most that I've read about are fairly species specific though and can't survive long term without a host.
Kudos to you for being willing to take your medicine without complaint! I think you can guess what I might do in your shoes xD

 

[beaslbob]

I dont really have problem with bacteria anymore i used to have but got rid of it by stopping to dose the nopox, i do grow (thats a wrong word for that) chaetomorpha in refugium but it doesnt really grow at all. I guess thats due to 0 nitrates in my system but even when fish was in and been fed 3 times a day my nitrates stood at 0. There was a time where i had 0 phos and 20 no3, but then suddenly changed to 0 no3 and little po4

Then IMHO that non growing chaeto if even just a very small amount is setting lying is wait until nutrients spike. then it will take off keeping the tank balanced and stabilized.

my .02