Tank has been up for about three years now. 40 breeder with a 15 gallon sump. My stand isn't set up properly so it's hard to get to the back of the sump.
I've got two 660 power heads from current USA .I also had another 600 gph power head and today during cleaning the ceramic shaft broke. I can't find the spare power head. So now I have an oddesea surface skimmer to help give more flow. I've got about 70lbs of live rock in there and 50lbs of live sand. Return pump is rated for 1200 gph and my overflow is a HOB .
I have a hydor slim skim as my skimmer because the sump wouldn't fit larger and originally I didn't have a sump so it was in tank .
Stock is minimal. Pair of clowngish. There's a pistol shrimp too. About five hermit crabs because my local store rarely gets them. Three snails, one bumblebee, an astrea and nacarissus (sp). That's it. I can't get to a fish store, I don't drive. I can't ship because it's so expensive. Top that off with the fact my brother in law was in the hospital for two months .I was his caregiver and because of the length his case was closed .I've been unemployed for three months and we have no idea the length of time it'll be before his case will be opened back.
Husband's job has been iffy too. They haven't been giving him but 20 to 30 hours a week. Now he's off all week for Thanksgiving.
I'll have to check the parameters but phosphate is through the roof. It registered 4 earlier .I don't even really want to check anything else .Just crawl in the corner and cry.
I never had success with blackouts.
[emoji53]
Minimal snails is the first problem to easily fix.
The bumblebee is nothing but a cool looking predator. Zero effect on your (and our) tank.
One nassarius is good at cleaning up overfeeding (within reason) and should be plenty for your 2 fish.
Only the astrea actually eats algae.
I would recommend 1 small turbo snail *or* 1 trochus snail be added.
Both are larger and really efficient.
Adding too many snails up front just means they die when you finally have things under control. (Which adds more unnecessary phosphate to the tank. )
You have a great amount of live rock.
Was it dry rock when you started?
You have decent equipment and your tank is basically empty of everything. (That's a *great* thing!) Should be easy to adjust. [emoji846]
Guessing the main problem is overfeeding and possibly too few water changes. Or water changes with "bad" water.
If you're Clowns beg for food as much as our clowns do, it is effortless to overfeed them.
[emoji6]
Twice A-day feeding is good, it's just the amount.
What you really need is to export the phosphate from your tank.
The snails just hide the problem by mowing it down and then pooping the phosphate back into the tank.
I use GFO in a bag to do that.
Aluminum beads are another option.
Some cheato (will need to add a light to the sump or just grow it in the main tank like I do) will absorb the phosphate but it also works slow.
You don't have any LPS or stonies so you don't need to worry about dosing chemicals yet.
Simple water changes should help maintain your parameters besides nitrates and phosphates.
Do you have access to RODI water?
If you are using regular tap water with dechlorinator then you should check it for phosphates. They will often be through the roof.
Do you have hard water?
Do you use softening salts on it?
If you are using tap water, do you get it before or after the softener?
If your incoming water is really rough, a 6 stage RODI will be much more efficient in the long run. It is money well spent. The 2 extra canisters will greatly reduce the total number of cartridges you go through over time.
Just grasping at straws here because I don't know your entire situation other than you said he don't have a local LFS for things like water, etc.
[emoji846]
About the sand. If you have been overfeeding and have not been siphoning the sand to clean it when you doing water changes, or haven't been doing water changes at least every other week with 'good' water, then your sand bed is probably a (full) toilet.
I started my first salt water tank January 1, 2012.
I had a 6" deep sand bed when I first started. It provides amazing buffering capabilities.
I was able to grow stoney's and LPS for the first few years.
I had no idea what I was doing but the deep sand bed made everything possible. (For a while!)
It was sugar sand. I didn't realize the amount of filth that would fit between those minuscule grains of sand.
After about 3 years the sand bed was fully saturated and everything started to die.
I didn't realize that the sandbed had been doing all the work for me and that was the reason I was able to grow anything I wanted!
Send beds are like a kitchen sponge. Once they are fully saturated, they can't do any more, except drip out the mess inside.
When you do your water changes, locate the nassarius so you don't hurt it, then siphon the sand just like you would the gravel in a fresh water aquarium. You might be amazed at what come out.
I know you said there are no local LFS. What part of the country do you live in?
Top photo is before I could do no wrong. (I was the $5 frag king [emoji6])
Middle is mid disaster.
Lower is current photo.
BTW, I went bare bottom after emptying and redoing the aquarium. Without the buffering ability of the 6" sand bed I can no longer grow sps well.
Tank is now strictly softies and easy LPS because that is what I have time for.
[emoji846]
