New to the Hobby, Looking for Tips!

[offdutyninja1]

Hello, new to the hobby and to this forum, looking for some guidance going forward with my tank!  Any and all help appreciated.  

 

First, tank parameters: 25 gallons, 76 degrees, 8.3 pH, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates.  The tank has been running for about 3 months.    

 

I have a powerhead rated for 160 gph running an undergravel filter, an old hang on the back filter with carbon, 10 lbs of liverock, and about 15 lbs of dead coral.

 

I have a juvenile ocellaris, a banggai cardinal, a skunk cleaner shrimp, a nassarius snail, and 4 astrae snails.  Also, a few very large bristle worms live in one of the live rocks.    

 

On to my questions! 

1.  There has been an explosion of dark green hair algae on the right side of the tank and the substrate.  On the left side (and the live rocks) red coralline algae is growing.  How do I help the good algae beat the bad?  When I do my weekly water change I vacuum as much off the substrate as possible.

 

2.  The clown has been thriving for over a month, but the cardinal seems to be struggling a bit (added about 3 weeks ago).  She only eats brine shrimp (goes nuts), and though the LFS thought she ate pellets, she just chews on them for a few seconds before spitting them up.  She frequently makes this strange motion - tucking all her fins in and jerking forwards in an erratic fashion.  Is this normal cardinal behavior, or is it a sign of stress?  

 

3.  The goal is to prepare the tank for a BTA for the clown to host in.  What are the necessary next steps?  I know I need to upgrade the lighting - do y'all have any budget LED recommendations? Preferably NOT hanging lights.

 

I can provide pictures if helpful!  Thanks in advance.

 

[ReefAddict]

1.  Your tank is still relatively young, so algae outbreaks are fairly typical as your tank matures.  Phosphates maybe high.  Manual removal as well as reduced photo period and feedings may help.  GFO reactor would be another option if it gets out of hand. 

 

2.  Never had a cardinal, not sure on that one.

 

3.  BTA's or any anemone like a mature system.  I would just be patient and wait for all your parameters to be stable for a few months.  Most marine LED applications should be fine for a BTA.  There are usually great lights here in the For Sale Forum.

[AlanM]

You will likely have trouble with nutrient export in your system as described. The undergravel filter will let detritus build and eventually it will turn into nitrate and phosphate which you will struggle to control and which will grow algae. Also, without a skimmer you are only able to get out dissolved organic stuff with filter media, so keep up on that. You may also not get good oxygen levels in the water. Without an overflow drain you will not be refreshing the surface of the water, so organic films may build up there instead of being drawn off to the filtration. All this is to say that you may have trouble running your current system long term. It will require water changes and filter media replacement for most nutrient export.

 

I have a cardinal that also doesn't eat any pellets. Only frozen. It also swims like that from time to time and mostly hangs out in one spot. Not sure if your cardinal is stressed or not, though. Was it quarantined before you got it?

 

I would recommend waiting a while before a nem. See if your tank is full of algae in the next few months. If you get a much more powerful light you will be pumping photosynthetic energy into the tank and algae can use it much easier than coral or nems, so you risk a bloom if you don't have really clean water.

[offdutyninja1]

You may also not get good oxygen levels in the water. Without an overflow drain you will not be refreshing the surface of the water, so organic films may build up there instead of being drawn off to the filtration. All this is to say that you may have trouble running your current system long term. It will require water changes and filter media replacement for most nutrient export.

 

I have a cardinal that also doesn't eat any pellets. Only frozen. It also swims like that from time to time and mostly hangs out in one spot. Not sure if your cardinal is stressed or not, though. Was it quarantined before you got it?

I would recommend waiting a while before a nem. See if your tank is full of algae in the next few months. If you get a much more powerful light you will be pumping photosynthetic energy into the tank and algae can use it much easier than coral or nems, so you risk a bloom if you don't have really clean water.

 

A skimmer is definitely on the list of upgrades.  

In terms of refreshing the surface, I believe the system does an adequate job, but could be wrong.  The hang on back filter overflows into the tank on one corner agitating the surface, and the powerhead on the opposite side is angled to graze the surface.  The surface is almost turbulent.  Is it still at risk of this film?

 

The cardinal was quarantined before purchase.  The LFS suggested she may be lonely for more cardinals, though all info I can find on them suggests they at most like to be paired.

 

The nem is definitely a few months away at least!