skipperawe January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 (edited) I suppose I qualify for this section... Anyway, I have a well settled tank, about 2 years old, that has a slight problem. It doesn't seem to be able to maintain corral well.. I lost three gsp colonies, and a green trumpet aswell as a group of reindeer sps... I have compact fluorescent lighting and minimal flow.... I would really like to know how I can get a good gsp running in my 12gal... Edited January 11, 2011 by skipperawe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 What are your water parameters? I'm most interested in nitrate, but also salinity, alkalinity, and calcium. How long does it take for these colonies to die? Is it rapid or is it a process of wasting away? Do they "brown out" first, or retract and never come back? Both flow and lighting are important, but water quality is an important factor, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 To be honest I'm not too sure of water quality.. It is normally that when I get them they reach a state of almost full bloom and then.... Slow decline over about a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Do you have test kits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 Yes I do.... But I haven't used one In years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Yes I do.... But I haven't used one In years I am no model of perfect example. But you need to get on that. Most more "expreienced reefers" will say weekly. I might do it once a month or two. I second Origami2547 you need to check. Something may have changed and spiked one of your levels. Or even contamination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 What about water changes? How often do you do them? What salt mix do you use? How do you determine salinity? And top-off water? What kind of water do you use? Tap? RO/DI? Distilled? It's probably a pretty good idea, if you haven't got test kits that are under a year old, to get some to test the quality of your water. I'll bet that Mr. Lin could run a couple of quick tests or any of our hobbyists in your area. Maybe even one of the LFS's. How is the algae situation in your tank? Do you have frequent algae breakouts? How old are the bulbs in your tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Do you have a good book on marine aquariums that tells you what to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterDog January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Echoing the sentiments of testing the water here...also, how much is "minimal" flow? Because that may also be a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 when i get home i will do a barrage of tests on my water... i get water from marine scene. i would asume that is R/O the whole 9 yards.. i have a very cool salinity checker.. it looks like a colidescope.. but it has a display screen to show light refraction i guess... i change water about every 4 weeks or so.. 15% (i know it should be every 2 weeks) I have bad habits in maintaining my tank similar to that of the bad habits many people have w/ their teeth.. when i say minimal flow i mean.. a very small waterfall (1") back into the tank into the corner.. but its not like the tank is stagnant, i can see that when i stur up dirt.. i do not have algea breakouts, but i need to get some margaritas. as i believe i only have 1 left. i always found those tests lack-luster, as I don't have much in the way of supplement, should i discover i have odd values. my lights are about a year old.. they are 4 tubes of ~6" (two white, two blue). they are compact flourescents. all of this lack of the ability to midify my begginer level tank is really making me think that i should get one that doesn't have a pre-made hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 also, i do not have an "oracle book" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 You are overdue for some bulbs, and it sounds like you could use some more flow- oxygen in the water will help. You will need new test kits, and you should check especially on such a small system more routinely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 The book "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Bob Fenner is a good place to start. It is a great investment into the hobby. I would also recommend that you have one of the WAMAS members near you make a quick house trip to help out and make some recommendations to you. It sounds like your husbandry skills and equipment could use some adjustments. You have your work cut out for you, but you have come to the right place to find assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 when i get home i will do a barrage of tests on my water... i get water from marine scene. i would asume that is R/O the whole 9 yards.. It probably is RO/DI water. Good. i have a very cool salinity checker.. it looks like a colidescope.. but it has a display screen to show light refraction i guess... i change water about every 4 weeks or so.. 15% (i know it should be every 2 weeks) I have bad habits in maintaining my tank similar to that of the bad habits many people have w/ their teeth.. It's called a refractometer and it's a good tool to have. Brush after every meal. Floss at least once a day. when i say minimal flow i mean.. a very small waterfall (1") back into the tank into the corner.. but its not like the tank is stagnant, i can see that when i stur up dirt.. It sounds like you have a HOB (hang-on back) filter. Probably not the best to use as, depending upon how it's set up, could lead to higher nitrates. You might be able to put additional live rock in there for filtration, but if you have sufficient live rock in the tank, you probably don't even need this unless it's to filter particulates or if you've got it set up as a refugium. You may want to consider getting a powerhead in there. For a small tank like yours, a Maxijet 600 would probably be much more effective. i do not have algea breakouts, but i need to get some margaritas. as i believe i only have 1 left. i always found those tests lack-luster, as I don't have much in the way of supplement, should i discover i have odd values. It's good that you don't have breakouts, but it sounds like you have a constant level of algae growing in the aquarium. The tests are not only to detect deficiencies in chemistry but also pollutants that indicate problems with husbandry. If you have a problem, you need to start somewhere. Observations and water quality are where most of us would start. my lights are about a year old.. they are 4 tubes of ~6" (two white, two blue). they are compact flourescents. all of this lack of the ability to midify my begginer level tank is really making me think that i should get one that doesn't have a pre-made hood. The lamps are a little old, but my starting point would be to look at your water parameters, the livestock you're keeping, and your husbandry procedures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 Starting my tests... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 datadatadata... pH- 8.2 NO3- 15ppm NO2- .1ppm Ammonia- .5ppm salinity- 1.020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 (edited) Check your phosphates. Slowly raise your salinity up to at least 1.024 over a week or so. (edit: and equal to or less than 1.026 or 35ppm) Edited January 11, 2011 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 i dont have anything to check phosphates... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Salinity is low. Unless you're just now cycling the tank, you should have no ammonia and no nitrite. Has something recently died? How much live rock and sand do you have? How often do you clean the mechanical filter? How much do you feed? The nitrates are high for my tastes, but plenty of people in the hobby have trouble keeping their nitrates down. What bothers me most are the ammonia and nitrite levels. Those need to go to and stay at zero if you want to have a chance with your corals. You may also have problems, in the long run, with keeping other invertebrates and even fish (who'll be stressed with these ammonia levels in the tank). Here's a quote from the article, "Reef Aquarium Water Parameters" by Randy Holmes-Farley (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php) as it relates to ammonia: "Ammonia levels as low as 0.2 ppm can be dangerous to fish." Ammonia also becomes more prevalent (and toxic) at higher pH, so I would be very careful right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 No, nothing has died recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 Answers to the other questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 11, 2011 Author Share January 11, 2011 I have an ok amount live rock and 2" sand.. I clean my carbon filter once a week or so... I probably feed more than I should.. About 2 pinches a day... Not too big, but not small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 11, 2011 Share January 11, 2011 I suspect your test kits aren't accurate. Take a sample of tank water to your LFS and have them test it for everything. Go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 12, 2011 Share January 12, 2011 Could be the test kits, as Rob's suggesting. Are they new? If so, what brand? You aren't that far from Marine Scene, give them a call and see if they won't do a couple of quick water tests for you. Most important at this point are ammonia, nitrate, and, if you want, phosphate. If they won't do it free of charge, let me know and I'll swing by, pick up a water sample, and run the tests for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperawe January 12, 2011 Author Share January 12, 2011 they aren't new... ill have water tested, or maybe give them to somebody... certainly not with the MONSTER SNOW STORM (2-hour delay) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now