incept
New Member
I have set this tank up about 7 months ago and all has been well. Been reading and reading and reading and reading and, well you get the point. As with all new people I found I had a lot to learn. The more I learn and the further I go I realize the less I know. At any rate the tank ran with nothing in it except the rock and sand for about 5 months before anything was put in it. the current set up is a 90 gallon with a 33 gallon sump. I have two 250 watt metal halides at present in blue color and a regular old flourescent bulb as well. The halides are being run approx. 12-14 hours a day. Between the sump and display tank I have about 120-140 pounds of live rock in place and about 40-50 pounds of sand. There are two powerheads in the display tank and my return pump in the sump is an 1100 gph. I am currently saving my pennies to get one of the Reef Radiance Lumentek pro 240 systems. Not quite there yet. It will eventually replace the lighting I have now. I also have a protein skimmer in the sump.My current stock list is as follows,
1 ocellaris clown - have had about one month
2 Fire fish - I think. I put two in on Friday and have only seen one in the past two days ( I just went to check the tank and they are both out. One looks like he is not doing so well though. Just lying on the sand not really doing anything. Tips over then rights itself)
2 Blue legged hermit crabs
1 Scarlet hermit crab
1 Peppermint shrimp
1 Red banded cleaner shrimp
3 different types of snails (total of about 10 or 11)
1 Blue tuxedo urchin
3 Feather dusters
1 Rose bubble tip anenome (it planted right after being put in and has stayed there for two weeks until last night when it moved about 3 to 4 inches around the rock it is on.)
1 Frogspawn
1 Green torch
So far everything has been good. I am running RO water from start up and do 10% water changes about every 10 days. I am using Instant Ocean salt. The sump has a light in it which runs all day.
I have recently had a few new algae blooms, right after I changed some rock work. I have developed a green film algae which I wipe off the glass daily and it is on the top of some of the rocks and on the sand is some brown algae which I believe from my limited knowledge may be cyano.. The brown stuff seems to have air bubbles trapped in it from time to time. I have no algae growth to speak of in the sump. From what I have read this green and brown algae is normal to have at about this stage of tank life. I just want to confirm and possibly get verification of the type of algae and best ways to combat it. some say leave it alone, I just don't want to get behind the eight ball on it. My water tests are as follows,
PH - 8.3
Salinity - 1.021
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5
Water temp - 82 degrees with the halides on at the surface. 79 surface in the morning before the halides come on
I have attached the following pictures for some suggestions and advice. Just wondering how I can tweak things to make it better and hopefully avoid issues down the road. So please, tel me what ya think and how it can be improved. I'm very much a rookie and want to learn as much as I can. The wife and kids are really starting to get into it now. Every mornig my two year old has to go down and say good morning to the "shushies"
1 ocellaris clown - have had about one month
2 Fire fish - I think. I put two in on Friday and have only seen one in the past two days ( I just went to check the tank and they are both out. One looks like he is not doing so well though. Just lying on the sand not really doing anything. Tips over then rights itself)
2 Blue legged hermit crabs
1 Scarlet hermit crab
1 Peppermint shrimp
1 Red banded cleaner shrimp
3 different types of snails (total of about 10 or 11)
1 Blue tuxedo urchin
3 Feather dusters
1 Rose bubble tip anenome (it planted right after being put in and has stayed there for two weeks until last night when it moved about 3 to 4 inches around the rock it is on.)
1 Frogspawn
1 Green torch
So far everything has been good. I am running RO water from start up and do 10% water changes about every 10 days. I am using Instant Ocean salt. The sump has a light in it which runs all day.
I have recently had a few new algae blooms, right after I changed some rock work. I have developed a green film algae which I wipe off the glass daily and it is on the top of some of the rocks and on the sand is some brown algae which I believe from my limited knowledge may be cyano.. The brown stuff seems to have air bubbles trapped in it from time to time. I have no algae growth to speak of in the sump. From what I have read this green and brown algae is normal to have at about this stage of tank life. I just want to confirm and possibly get verification of the type of algae and best ways to combat it. some say leave it alone, I just don't want to get behind the eight ball on it. My water tests are as follows,
PH - 8.3
Salinity - 1.021
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5
Water temp - 82 degrees with the halides on at the surface. 79 surface in the morning before the halides come on
I have attached the following pictures for some suggestions and advice. Just wondering how I can tweak things to make it better and hopefully avoid issues down the road. So please, tel me what ya think and how it can be improved. I'm very much a rookie and want to learn as much as I can. The wife and kids are really starting to get into it now. Every mornig my two year old has to go down and say good morning to the "shushies"
