Take my tank to the next level

[Chrysemys]

Hello Folks,
This is my first time posting. First I want to thank everybody for the advice I’ve already found in this forum. I’ve had my tank up for about a year. Things are running fairly well water test are consistently good and fish stay alive. (Mostly... scooter Blenny too soon without robust enough copepods) Corals do okay but don’t thrive. I know that there are folks here that could help me identify the one or two easy fixes that could change the dynamic.
So here are the details.....
55 gallon tank...20 gallon refugium
LED lighting (nothing fancy)
Canister filter..outflow 50/50 to refugium and direct back to tank. (A little unorthodox I know)
Two power heads for circulation. One I have an air attachment to. (I worry about dissolved oxygen maybe more than I should)
50lb live rock 2” medium size aggregate sand bed. Use 100% RO/DI water.
Livestock:
3” Koran angelfish, blackline blenny, lawnmower Blenny, 3” clown fish, 2 yellowtail blue damselfish, 2 blue/green chromosome. Typical “clean-up crew”
Pulsing xenia which is barely hanging on, Kenya tree that splits rather than grows. Gets about 4” then starts to release braches. Some green button polyps that survive and spread, but have lost the vibrant color. 2 mushrooms. The red one has run off somewhere again the green one is new to the tank. A couple Zoa frags I picked up recently that I had to move to the sump because that dang anglefish decided that was the first coral he would start nipping. Various macro algaes in the refugium. They appear to just hang on nothing really goes wild to the point of needing harvesting. Sadly a few apistasia. I thought they were a worm of some kind at first and let them spread a bit. Oops.
Shrimp will not survive in the tank. Period. I have tested for copper and zero ppm.

My focus right now is more on the fish and invertebrates rather than the coral. I would love to have some shrimp and would like to be successful with corals as well. I plan to get a much larger set up in the future, but I want to know I have all the beginner blunders conquered and a little more confidence before I make the huge investment.
There you have it.... a list of what I have, what I want, and a few blunders I’ve made over the past year. I’d appreciate any advice you can provide.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

It sounds like you had a rough ride, don't feel bad mine had a lot of bumps as well. Glad your sticking with it. How about some pics and we will try to get some folks in to help out with some ideas.

 

[Barry_Cuda]

What are your water parameters?

 

[Jason mack]

#WelcometoR2R , lots of people to help and advise ...a few pics and list of params will be helpful , also details over your light and lighting schedule...lets start there ...get it figured out for you ...
Happy reefing .!

 

[Swoody]

I think a detailed list of your current water parameters as well as your feeding regimen and dosing info is a good start to getting the help you are seeking. Also I just have to add that even though your Koran Angel is only 3" your tank is just way too small for that fish to ever thrive and live happily. Honestly I would look to re-home or set up a swap with your LFS livestock for livestock and you can add something that is much better suited for that size tank. They need room to roam and it just isn't there with that set up. With that amount of rock scape in that size tank he is just going to be unhappy and that can and will most likely lead to aggression (and no matter what he is going to eat your corals!) Lets see some pics and some more info and you will get all the assistance you need from a great group of folks here.

 

[SPR1968]

As already said let us have your water parameters and also some pictures would be really great

And welcome to R2R as well, it’s great that you’ve joined the forums!

 

[Chrysemys]

I am working on finding a bigger tank. Mainly for the Koran. I’ve become very attached to that fish even though he constantly frustrates me. I know the right used tank will pop up eventually. I am hoping for 180 to 200 but will would settle for 120. You think those would be big enough to house that angel long term? I know I will won’t be successful keeping the angel and corals long term, but so far he has stayed away from everything except the zoa.

Water Test Results: (API test kits and hydrometer)
Salinity: 1.024
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 to 5 ppm
Calcium: 380 ppm
Copper: 0
Don’t have a hardness or phosphorus kit. I do run some carbon and GFO in the canister filter.

I feed frozen brine, mysis, “angel/butterfly diet” about a 1/2 a cube per feeding once a day. Not of each. I mix it up day to day, a little of this a little of that, which amounts to about 1/2 a cube. The other feeding in the day is typically omega one marine pellets. I put some dry seaweed or romain lettuce in there about every three day. Typically it is consumed in the first 24 hrs.
I have added some photos of: overall tank, typical coral example, my uh so called refugium.

Thanks for the interest.

 

[Chrysemys]

Someone also asked about lighting. I found my old order info and thought I would share lighting too.

Display tank:


Blue comes on a 6:30, white at 7, both ramp up to 100%. White off at 21:00, Blue off at 21:30.

Refugium:

I stole this light from a vivarium build. I was planning on dendrobatid frogs. Fortunately this marine aquarium thing takes up most of my time. No way would I have time to focused on bug cultures and all the needs of those little frogs. This was growing plants really well in the vivarium. So, I thought it should suffice for a refugium. I don’t have a controller for this one. I turn it on the same hours the tank is running.

I have dosed kalk. 1/2 tsp. overnight on a few occasions. Maybe once a month.

I think that covers the question I didn’t answer in the last reply.

Thanks

 

[Chrysemys]

Well shoot, not sure why I havnt heard much back on this. Must be doing everything perfect. Or it is so bad nobody wants to touch it.

Either way, I hope I can get some insight because I found the large tank (180) faster than I thought and want to understand what I could improve.
BTW when my wife asks about this bigger tank I will tell her R2R made me do it.

 

[cmcoker]

I'd do an icp test on the water. Another reefer on here found high nickel and vanadium, iirc that eventually was linked to the black sand he was using. High metals would explain poor coral condition and inability to keep shrimp. Also if you tested for copper with an titration test they wont show very low levels, that are still enough to cause problems.

I think he determined his rock was trashed from the metals as well. I'll see if I can find the link.

Edited link
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ati-results-back-sources-of-vanadium.385031/

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Ok, let's get some more eyes on this now that we have a little more information on your tank. I agree something is going on if you can't keep inverts. I would also recommend looking at a better test kit and maybe switching your hydrometer for a refractometer. #reefsquad. Any ideas?

 

[Lasse]

In order to solve the shrimp problem - let´s start there.

I would (as others had) recommend you to invest in an ICP test first of all. There can be something wrong in the water chemistry - an ICP test is the best way to test that. There is other things that maybe have to be changed but the best is to have some structure in what you should do. If you get an zero answer on trace metals from the ICP (no high values at all) we can go further with suggestions.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I've read here in the forums, a lot of people light their refugiums opposite hours of when their tank lights are on. Is your current usa light the freshwater one? The colors of your corals look similar to how mine looked before I upgraded my lights. It's possible the light isn't strong enough.

 

[reefwiser]

The current light is real weak had a club member that bought it and I tested the par on it and it is lucky to get 50 par at the bottom of a tank. That pump on the right is blasting the corals pretty good. What shrimp have you tried?

 

[Chrysemys]

I will do the ICP test. I am planning the ATI because I really like the idea of getting a base line on the water I will be using in the new tank.
I couldn’t get the link to work regarding sand and high metals. Story is not too important since I will be doing the test any way, but would be interested in that persons experience.
I did make a rookie mistake with this tank that may play a factor here.....I used tap water to fill it....
I have been using RODI since March, but if I introduced metals with that first water could they still be in there in quantities that are deadly? Bioaccumulation in fish/coral? ICP will tell us about the water I suppose. Worry about long term affects on my fish?
Funny story associated with that... for the life of me I couldn’t get my nitrates down, I finally tested the tap water. It was off the scale of the test kit. About a month later, we get an official bulletin “do not drink the water, nitrate at extremely high levels.”
I could have told them that months ago.
I could see with my TDS meter when they fixed the issue. Went from 500TDS to 200TDS. As you can imagine I go through a lot of DI media.
Display tank light is labeled a marine light. I really don’t have many plants in the fuge yet, so I am not worried about balancing pH with fuge lighting schedule. If it ever takes off, I will swap fuge lighting.

 

[Chrysemys]

What shrimp have you tried?

A Cleaner shrimp and a peppermint shrimp. Both in the tank about a week antennae start to turn black then it’s over. I stopped trying new shrimp there until I could get some more info.

 

[theMeat]

Those lights have.5 watt bulbs that work well for a shallower tank

Better off putting a hob filter with bio wheel to help with aeration. And get rid of the circulation pump that pulls bubbles into tank

Welcome to posting

 

[Captain Quint]

Welcome to R2R Chrysemys. Lots of good input thus far.

I have to tell you. I am a huge fan of a Koran Angelfish and a hearty fish which you could have for a good 15 to 20 years in a tank. A 120g would be pretty decent but the bigger the better. Tell your wife to blame us for your plans on the 180g you are considering.

It is awesome to watch these beautiful fish go from juvenile to adult.

~Happy reefing Koran Angelfish~

 

[Chrysemys]

your plans on the 180g you are considering.

Cap’n. Can I call you Cap’n?
It is more than plans or considering. It is sitting in the garage waiting for me to clean it. Picked it up yesterday. I am so glad to have started with this smaller tank and look forward to y’all helping me find the error in my ways before getting this thing going. I am not quite there yet knowledge wise, but I couldn’t let this tank slip away. 180 gal reef tank, metal frame stand, and ~80 gallon sump. I know to take it slow this time plan every little step out and ask for tips when needed.

 

[Captain Quint]

My friend, call me anything you like.

Congrats on the tank and this forum definitely does have the most helpful members and Staff, reef squad, some of the biggest and best names in our hobby always willing to help in any way possible.

Chrysemys, we all make mistakes. I know I do and I've been salty since 1974. None the less we just keep on trucking along.

Time and patience definitely on a build win the race and we look forward to yours.