mari.harutunian July 26, 2017 Author July 26, 2017 diatoms choking rock pores, mini-cycles, undocumented isopods killing shrimps..... these seem like youre grasping for a solution rather than the fact that you didn't let the tank cycle properly on initial statrt-up and added lots of fish and corals rapidly and now you're paying the price months later. Slow down, don't add anything else to the tank, and focus all your energy on getting your water chemistry dialed in. I'd also recommend that you get a better test kit for ammonia, like Salifert. Those AP tests aren't very accurate or reliable. I'm throwing out suggestions to see what people think about the ammonia and waiting for the more experienced people to give me an answer(which, by the way, you could've done by suggesting "hey maybe your tank never fully cycled"). Meanwhile I'm readying a huge water change and selling my seahorses. You, on the other hand, are blaming me. I add my fish at least a month apart always. The shrimp HAS the trademark injury of an isopod. I've seen the damage they do, I research incessantly, and I found a picture of the exact telltale injury from a thread that came to the same conclusion. Honestly, you're probably not wrong. I'm 19, i started college a few months ago. I add corals like a hoarder and my cycle was only a month. But, pro tip, if you ever want anyone to listen to you, don't start by saying"hey it's all your fault you did everything wrong and also you don't know anything". I harbor no bad feelings toward you. I give you the benefit of the doubt in every thread and you're almost always very helpful, but you never fail to sound as negative as you can when doing it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
sethsolomon July 26, 2017 July 26, 2017 I am pretty sure an ammonia spike is probably what killed the shrimp. A shrimp dieing would not cause that much ammonia. Feeding 2 cubes a day of mysis would. As for the eggs you are seeing on the shrimp, those are shrimp eggs. The very often come in carrying eggs. I have several peppermint shrimp that are carrying eggs as well. Some feedback towards what you're facing until you can rehome the seahorses: wash the frozen food. this will help mitigate excess ammonia and phosphate that comes from the water the shrimp is frozen in. These are what I use to wash my frozen food: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CULTURE-SIEVE-ZOOPLANKTON-COPEPODS-MYSID-SHRIMP-DAPHNIA-/151944974525?hash=item2360a050bd 1 cube of mysis should be more than enough for 2 seahorses. When I had 16 seahorses in a 104g cube, I only fed 4 cubes a day. I strongly recommend a salifert ammonia and nitrate test kits. they are very accurate. get some decorative macro algaes to help export some of the nitrates that are getting generated from all that food. I recommend this: https://www.live-plants.com/redsampler.htm as for zygote2k, he is blunt, but his advice is good. All these local fish stores tell you that 1 month is fine to start putting fish into the tank and what not but it's really not true. Cycling a tank can take months depending on what rock you get and what sand you get. The one month cycle time is only true when you are using rock from a previously established tank and using live sand with 2-3 cups of sand from several other tanks. If you used dry rock and sand, it can take over a year to properly cycle.
mari.harutunian July 26, 2017 Author July 26, 2017 I am pretty sure an ammonia spike is probably what killed the shrimp. A shrimp dieing would not cause that much ammonia. Feeding 2 cubes a day of mysis would. As for the eggs you are seeing on the shrimp, those are shrimp eggs. The very often come in carrying eggs. I have several peppermint shrimp that are carrying eggs as well. Some feedback towards what you're facing until you can rehome the seahorses: wash the frozen food. this will help mitigate excess ammonia and phosphate that comes from the water the shrimp is frozen in. These are what I use to wash my frozen food: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CULTURE-SIEVE-ZOOPLANKTON-COPEPODS-MYSID-SHRIMP-DAPHNIA-/151944974525?hash=item2360a050bd 1 cube of mysis should be more than enough for 2 seahorses. When I had 16 seahorses in a 104g cube, I only fed 4 cubes a day. I strongly recommend a salifert ammonia and nitrate test kits. they are very accurate. get some decorative macro algaes to help export some of the nitrates that are getting generated from all that food. I recommend this: https://www.live-plants.com/redsampler.htm as for zygote2k, he is blunt, but his advice is good. All these local fish stores tell you that 1 month is fine to start putting fish into the tank and what not but it's really not true. Cycling a tank can take months depending on what rock you get and what sand you get. The one month cycle time is only true when you are using rock from a previously established tank and using live sand with 2-3 cups of sand from several other tanks. If you used dry rock and sand, it can take over a year to properly cycle. Can a shrimp I've had for 5 months still have eggs? It's hardly new. So to do list: wash food & buy salifert tests I do have 3 mermaids fan. Had red macro but it died in my lights out period. Nitrates are at 5 though(according to API). Should I grab a few cups of sand from various established tanks? Or is it too late. His advice is good. I'm just having a bad morning. 16 seahorses in a cube sounds amazing. Got any pictures? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
sethsolomon July 26, 2017 July 26, 2017 Can a shrimp I've had for 5 months still have eggs? It's hardly new. 16 seahorses in a cube sounds amazing. Got any pictures? I have seen shrimp carry eggs until they changed colors before. So it is possible. Here is a link to the cube: http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum/reefkeeping/tank-builds/38199-seth-s-104g-rimless-cube
sethsolomon July 26, 2017 July 26, 2017 Should I grab a few cups of sand from various established tanks? Or is it too late. More biodiversity wouldn't hurt.
YHSublime July 26, 2017 July 26, 2017 I'm throwing out suggestions to see what people think about the ammonia and waiting for the more experienced people to give me an answer(which, by the way, you could've done by suggesting "hey maybe your tank never fully cycled"). Meanwhile I'm readying a huge water change and selling my seahorses. You, on the other hand, are blaming me. I add my fish at least a month apart always. The shrimp HAS the trademark injury of an isopod. I've seen the damage they do, I research incessantly, and I found a picture of the exact telltale injury from a thread that came to the same conclusion. Zygote is one of those more experienced people. And it doesn't look like he's blaming you, he's just stating observations. As mentioned above, his advice is sound, he just comes across as human sandpaper. Also, just because you read it on the internet doesn't make it true, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Honestly, you're probably not wrong. The advice you're getting is not wrong. This is a common story, and a lot of us have been there with you, getting excited, wanting to fill up our tanks and have a beautiful saltwater tank like we read about and see all over these forums. I personally have been in your exact shoes, and have concluded I've had everything in my tanks from flatworm to velvet, neither of which I've had. They seemed like they could be the only solution at the time because that's what you see hobbyists waving the banner about and preaching as problems. You're on the right track. Water changes, getting rid of the sea horses, cutting back feeding while you work on it. Don't worry about adding bio-diversity (IMO) just literally slow down. The mantra in this hobby is "nothing good happens fast."
Bruleyii July 26, 2017 July 26, 2017 Zygote is one of those more experienced people. And it doesn't look like he's blaming you, he's just stating observations. As mentioned above, his advice is sound, he just comes across as human sandpaper. Also, just because you read it on the internet doesn't make it true, there is a lot of misinformation out there. The mantra in this hobby is "nothing good happens fast." +1
zygote2k July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Mari- remember way back when I talked to you in January about what I recommended for a cycle time? And many other things too? You just need to slow down. It happens to everyone when setting up their first tank. I've watched your posts over the year and saw that you were going down the route of "add a whole bunch of things in a short amount of time" and "use a whole bunch of products that claim to do X" and realized that you were just going to be one of those people who are going to do that approach. IME, those people quickly burn out and sell off their equipment and move on. You have to approach this hobby much differently, otherwise you are bound for failure and discouragement. As always I'm here for any questions that you'll have. And yeah, I'm blunt and to the point, but it comes from watching people go down that bad rabbit hole that leads to unnecessary fish death from ignorance and negligence and I think that is one of the sad aspects of this hobby. Joshifer coined the term "human sandpaper" and where is he now....? Gone, burned out, etc.
mari.harutunian July 27, 2017 Author July 27, 2017 Mari- remember way back when I talked to you in January about what I recommended for a cycle time? And many other things too? You just need to slow down. It happens to everyone when setting up their first tank. I've watched your posts over the year and saw that you were going down the route of "add a whole bunch of things in a short amount of time" and "use a whole bunch of products that claim to do X" and realized that you were just going to be one of those people who are going to do that approach. IME, those people quickly burn out and sell off their equipment and move on. You have to approach this hobby much differently, otherwise you are bound for failure and discouragement. As always I'm here for any questions that you'll have. And yeah, I'm blunt and to the point, but it comes from watching people go down that bad rabbit hole that leads to unnecessary fish death from ignorance and negligence and I think that is one of the sad aspects of this hobby. Joshifer coined the term "human sandpaper" and where is he now....? Gone, burned out, etc. I started off on the wrong foot in this hobby doing pukani dry with no live rock. Then I had no tds meter and caused a huge Nitrate spike. From there I've had green slimy algae that will not go away no matter how many water changes I preform in a week, whether or not my phosphate is zero-Hanna checker, or whether or not I have a light out period and scrub the rocks-came back in a week. I definitely add things too fast and that was a mistake. Turned to products that have good reviews and have been used by a lot of reefers because I don't know what to do. What can I do? The products and water changes don't do anything. Idk how many times I've scrubbed all my rocks and pulled out handfuls of algae and idek what kind of algae it really is- diatoms?green cyano? The seahorses go home Monday. What does someone do to stabilize an unstable tank? Buy established rock or marine pure from someone? The tank is frustrating, but I wouldn't give up so easily. I may have burnt out yesterday but I think I have a valid excuse of getting hives on my face... but I am sorry I snapped at you. Your advice is good. Your attitude is blunt. And I should listen to you. What would you have me do? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Origami July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 So, take a deep breath and slow down. Realize that you're striving to set up a balanced ecosystem and that ecosystems, when stable, respond slowly to small (good) changes. In a way, it's like learning to drive. The new driver is watching right out in front of he car, responding to everything right as it comes up. Their control is erratic and the car is unstable as it moves down the road. It may even wreck. A more experienced driver is looking further out, seeing and recognizing things, planning and making small adjustments, and traveling smoothly. Algae is not bad. Diatoms are not bad. They're responses to energy availability - nutrients, sunlight, etc. "Life finds a way." Isn't that what Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park? Algae is like a biological vacuum cleaner: Powered by sunshine, it sucks up dissolved nutrients cleaning the water and locking it up in its tissues. When you pull it out, you're emptying the bag on the vacuum. If no other "dirt" is being brought in, (e.g.,from food, additives, decaying organics, leaching phosphates, etc.) eventually the algae will gather it all up and clean up the water. Pukani rock is not bad. It's rock. Plenty of great tanks use Pukani. In your situation, it probably needs to finish curing to stabilize. Tony Vargas spoke to the club years ago and described what he called the European perspective on cycling a tank. Because of the available information on the web, we tend to equate cycling to nitrogen cycling only. That's a really short term perspective. That's looking right out in front of the car. And, think about it: It's driven by bacteria. Microscopic life. The chemical signatures show you the development of populations of bacteria. First aerobic bacteria and then, on a longer timescale, anaerobic bacteria. And there in is an epiphany of sorts. Different life forms emerge and develop on different timescales. Stability and the ecosystem evolve - building up in layers over time. It's bacteria, diatoms, cyanobacteria, algae, pods, grazers, fish... Not bacteria then fish. Start with a longer view and an attitude of determined restraint and patience. Take care of what you have, but expect and welcome these early intruders as part of the evolving story. Let the algae grow if it has room, harvesting it when needed. Vacuum up cyanobacteria when there's enough to warrant your attention. Establish an area where pods can grow, free from predation. Let them grow. Add a cleanup crew and sand sifters. Let the gaps fill. Watch your tank to learn how it looks when things are happy and when they're not. Test but moderate your urge to react. Stability takes time and time requires patience. Lack of it causes more discontent, generates more sales (searching for the magic bullet) , and drives more people away from the hobby with livestock taking on collateral damage. Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk
Bruleyii July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Ironically here is an article posted about that exact thing about taking it slow. Sorry if cross forum posts are not allowed.
mari.harutunian July 27, 2017 Author July 27, 2017 Ironically here is an article posted about that exact thing about taking it slow. Sorry if cross forum posts are not allowed. That brought me to a thread with lots of zoa pics? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Origami July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 That brought me to a thread with lots of zoa pics? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk It's weird. From inside Tapatalk, it takes you to R2R's tapatalk home page. However, if you open the link in your browser, it'll take you to Scott Fellman's article, "Celebrating Patience." I was, until this morning, unaware of Scott's article. I think that a lot of us that have been in the hobby for a while must feel this way. Scott, though, said it with such eloquence. I highly recommend opening the link in a regular browser. https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/celebrating-patience-elevating-the-reef-hobby.338/
mari.harutunian July 27, 2017 Author July 27, 2017 So, take a deep breath and slow down. Realize that you're striving to set up a balanced ecosystem and that ecosystems, when stable, respond slowly to small (good) changes. In a way, it's like learning to drive. The new driver is watching right out in front of he car, responding to everything right as it comes up. Their control is erratic and the car is unstable as it moves down the road. It may even wreck. A more experienced driver is looking further out, seeing and recognizing things, planning and making small adjustments, and traveling smoothly. Algae is not bad. Diatoms are not bad. They're responses to energy availability - nutrients, sunlight, etc. "Life finds a way." Isn't that what Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park? Algae is like a biological vacuum cleaner: Powered by sunshine, it sucks up dissolved nutrients cleaning the water and locking it up in its tissues. When you pull it out, you're emptying the bag on the vacuum. If no other "dirt" is being brought in, (e.g.,from food, additives, decaying organics, leaching phosphates, etc.) eventually the algae will gather it all up and clean up the water. Pukani rock is not bad. It's rock. Plenty of great tanks use Pukani. In your situation, it probably needs to finish curing to stabilize. Tony Vargas spoke to the club years ago and described what he called the European perspective on cycling a tank. Because of the available information on the web, we tend to equate cycling to nitrogen cycling only. That's a really short term perspective. That's looking right out in front of the car. And, think about it: It's driven by bacteria. Microscopic life. The chemical signatures show you the development of populations of bacteria. First aerobic bacteria and then, on a longer timescale, anaerobic bacteria. And there in is an epiphany of sorts. Different life forms emerge and develop on different timescales. Stability and the ecosystem evolve - building up in layers over time. It's bacteria, diatoms, cyanobacteria, algae, pods, grazers, fish... Not bacteria then fish. Start with a longer view and an attitude of determined restraint and patience. Take care of what you have, but expect and welcome these early intruders as part of the evolving story. Let the algae grow if it has room, harvesting it when needed. Vacuum up cyanobacteria when there's enough to warrant your attention. Establish an area where pods can grow, free from predation. Let them grow. Add a cleanup crew and sand sifters. Let the gaps fill. Watch your tank to learn how it looks when things are happy and when they're not. Test but moderate your urge to react. Stability takes time and time requires patience. Lack of it causes more discontent, generates more sales (searching for the magic bullet) , and drives more people away from the hobby with livestock taking on collateral damage. Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk I was an awful driver starting out. Still kind of am. I have a rock pile for pods and they're doing very well. I see little clouds of swimming ones. The crawly ones dart in and out too fast to see. Have any cleanup crew recommendations. I'm down to like five snails, 10 hermits, two fighting conches, and one very large and very hungry red brittle star after that Nitrate spike- or is that enough(36 gallons)? My lfs redid their saltwater section so I put it off. I'm in need of sand sifters. So I found this bag sunk behind the back panel of my tank. I guess I lost it while temp acclimating after fragfest. I checked for leaks and the top is partially open. Tested the ammonia in the bag- My tank is definitely not properly cycled, but maybe this is what's giving me ammonia.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Origami July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Good news is that you probably found the source of the ammonia. A level like that will kill quickly if it was tank-wide. Try to keep the level below 1 ppm at the most during cycling. 1/2 ppm if you can. If it hits 1 ppm, do a 50% water change with water aged at least 24 hours. Don't add a clean up crew until your parameters settle down. People have different perspectives on clean up crews. Some avoid any sort of crab and only go with snails and sand sifters like serpent stars. My advice is to get stuff that you find interesting that will catch your attention as you (and others) gaze into the tank. After all, they're part of the living landscape of a tank. For example, I have a donkey dung cucumber that's been in my tank for over 10 years, a variety of snails, a few scarlet hermits, and a couple of serpent stars. I hardly ever see the stars, but sometimes an arm will come out to grab some food at feeding time. Small crabs move all around the tank picking at rock and sand. When you have a bunch of small ones in a tank, it makes for an interesting landscape. Nassarius snails will rise up from under the sand at feeding time. (They're carnivores - know that before you buy them and be prepared to feed some meaty foods from time to time to keep them fed.) You have so many options. Depending upon the size of your tank, a handful of small blue leg hermits and a few Astrea and Cerith snails can be (relatively) inexpensive. Just make sure that there's enough food available to discourage predation among members of the crew.
mari.harutunian July 27, 2017 Author July 27, 2017 (edited) Good news is that you probably found the source of the ammonia. A level like that will kill quickly if it was tank-wide. Try to keep the level below 1 ppm at the most during cycling. 1/2 ppm if you can. If it hits 1 ppm, do a 50% water change with water aged at least 24 hours. Don't add a clean up crew until your parameters settle down. People have different perspectives on clean up crews. Some avoid any sort of crab and only go with snails and sand sifters like serpent stars. My advice is to get stuff that you find interesting that will catch your attention as you (and others) gaze into the tank. After all, they're part of the living landscape of a tank. For example, I have a donkey dung cucumber that's been in my tank for over 10 years, a variety of snails, a few scarlet hermits, and a couple of serpent stars. I hardly ever see the stars, but sometimes an arm will come out to grab some food at feeding time. Small crabs move all around the tank picking at rock and sand. When you have a bunch of small ones in a tank, it makes for an interesting landscape. Nassarius snails will rise up from under the sand at feeding time. (They're carnivores - know that before you buy them and be prepared to feed some meaty foods from time to time to keep them fed.) You have so many options. Depending upon the size of your tank, a handful of small blue leg hermits and a few Astrea and Cerith snails can be (relatively) inexpensive. Just make sure that there's enough food available to discourage predation among members of the crew. Got it. So I plan on getting salifert ammonia, Nitrate, and silicate. Any other tests I should get? I already have Hanna phosphate and alk as well as Red Sea cal and mag. I was thinking maybe I could also get some marine pure that someone with a big tank could put into their sump for a few weeks or months that I could later put behind my back panel. Would that help with diversifying bacteria ? I'll probably try and steal a few cups of sand off my friends too lol. And other than that I just ride out the algae storm with good maintenance. Also just looked up that cucumber and it is aptly named. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited July 27, 2017 by mari.harutunian
zygote2k July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 I try to make every inhabitant do some sort of cleaning. In a 36g, I'd put 25 astreas, zero hermits unless they are the tiny 1/4" blue leg hermits- if so, then 25 as well. A donkey dong or tiger cuke is fine. Ditch the fighting conchs and nassarius as they'll ultimately run out of food. A tang is fine as long as it's small- tang police will getcha if you get something large. Tomini or white-tail is an excellent grazer. Algae blenny or fuscus blenny is also a good algae eater. Provide enough circulation to avoid dead spots, but not so much that the corals are irritated-assuming you're going mixed reef. Keep your lighting on a regular natural cycle- no moonlight unless it's 1/4watt and on moon cycle. Skimmer should be sized for a 50-75g tank. Do regular weekly water changes, test before each change, adjust doser as needed. Use good test kits like Salifert. Feed appropriately and monitor nutrient levels. In a 36g, you should have 5 or less fish. The old rule of thumb is one inch of fish per 5 gallons and "less is more". It's a 36g tank- keep it realistic and you will be successful. Overload it and you won't be.
Origami July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 The cuke actually kind of grows on you as time goes on.... An ammonia badge is probably going to be more useful in the long run than a test kit. Ammonia test kits normally expire on the shelf nearly unused for me. I don't even bother testing nitrate any more. And, except for a time at the beginning, I've never kept a silicate test kit. I measure calcium using Salifert and Red Sea Pro. Results are pretty consistent between them. I have a Hanna Checker for calcium but haven't used it since, when they were first introduced, there was a lot of trouble with getting a good measurement out of them. They have since updated their directions and testing protocol and it's supposedly better, but I've had no reason to use it. I test magnesium with Salifert, Red Sea Pro, and Seachem. I'll test alkalinity with Hanna, Red Sea Pro, Salifert, and Seachem, too. I've been playing with a ITS iDip meter for alkalinity and other parameters, but am still working out some inconsistencies with it. It seems to work well for others, but there are a few of us that have seen consistently low numbers come out of their algorithm and test methodology. So, at this point, I don't trust it. Alkalinity is the test I perform most often. Maybe once every week or two. Calcium is tested once a month or less. Magnesium is probably tested a few times a year at most. If I'm making a dosing adjustment or if something's not right in the tank, testing intensifies. For example, I had an issue with the regulator on my calcium reactor a short while ago, causing my alkalinity to drop. I put a replacement in and, after making bringing levels up with chemicals, had to dial the reactor in again. This required testing alkalinity once a day or every couple of days to keep things somewhat stable. Again, testing gives you information - right or wrong information, but information nonetheless. Don't feel compelled to act with every test. And, if you have reason to suspect the validity of the test, then don't do anything. Get another test.
Origami July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Also, my tank is larger. It has more inertia. Yours is smaller and can change more quickly. Your test schedule may be more frequent as a result.
mari.harutunian July 27, 2017 Author July 27, 2017 I try to make every inhabitant do some sort of cleaning. In a 36g, I'd put 25 astreas, zero hermits unless they are the tiny 1/4" blue leg hermits- if so, then 25 as well. A donkey dong or tiger cuke is fine. Ditch the fighting conchs and nassarius as they'll ultimately run out of food. A tang is fine as long as it's small- tang police will getcha if you get something large. Tomini or white-tail is an excellent grazer. Algae blenny or fuscus blenny is also a good algae eater. Provide enough circulation to avoid dead spots, but not so much that the corals are irritated-assuming you're going mixed reef. Keep your lighting on a regular natural cycle- no moonlight unless it's 1/4watt and on moon cycle. Skimmer should be sized for a 50-75g tank. Do regular weekly water changes, test before each change, adjust doser as needed. Use good test kits like Salifert. Feed appropriately and monitor nutrient levels. In a 36g, you should have 5 or less fish. The old rule of thumb is one inch of fish per 5 gallons and "less is more". It's a 36g tank- keep it realistic and you will be successful. Overload it and you won't be. Currently I have a sixline wrasse, pair of clowns, bicolor blenny, and the seahorses go home Monday. Once I can officially call my tank stable and cycled, I can add one fish. I could replace the clowns but forget about catching the sixline or bicolor... I didn't think I could add a tang at all wow. It would have to be for a small portion of its life I assume and then I'd have to catch and rehome it? I'll turn off my moonlight. My powerheads are maxed out rn and my sand bed cleared up because of it. Corals seem fine with it too. I have the tunze 9001 skimmer but it's been pulling out a lot less skimmate recently. The bubbles just seem to get backed up sometimes-which probably doesn't make sense. I don't dose anything. Is a 5 gallon weekly water change enough? Or 10 gallon? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bruleyii July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 You may need to adjust your skimmer. I find that mine needs some adjusting from time to time. Especially after a good cleaning.
Jon Lazar July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 - I have the Tunze skimmer too on our Red Sea Max. The air inlet adjustment screw gets clogged with salt buildup over time, blocking the air flow. Eventually the bubble level drops to the point where the skimmer doesn't skim. - Salifert ammonia badges are awesome! You're much more likely to notice an ammonia problem early when all you have to do is glance at the badge and see if it's not yellow. - A 5 gallon weekly water change should be plenty. - Astraea snails are great, but you have to be committed to turning them right side up when they fall over. Think of it as daily snail maintenance and you'll be fine. - My prioritized tank parameters are temperature, alkalinity, nitrates, phosphates, and salinity. I keep an ammonia badge in my sump. I'll occasionally check calcium and rarely check magnesium. I personally don't check silicates.
madweazl July 27, 2017 July 27, 2017 Just about all of us have been there and done that; I cant count how many things I've killed over the years and even this year (20+ years into keeping a reef aquarium) I killed a number of corals and fish. Staying out of the tank and leaving it be is usually the hardest thing to learn (this doesn't mean letting things take a digger when there is a problem); we get caught up in chasing "perfect" parameters without realizing just how hardy these critters actually are. It's rarely one issue that will take things down, it's almost always a combination of a few things that lead to disaster. Eventually we learn to trust ourselves, realize the tried and true methods exist for a reason, and become successful.
zygote2k July 28, 2017 July 28, 2017 I test the big 5- ca, alk, p04, n03, mg. Ammonia only happens when cycling or if you're overpopulated. I don't even own a kit for it. Same with silicate and pH. Temp and salinity important too. I'd ditch the six line as they turn into a-holes in smaller tanks. Why not do a simple clown and rbta tank? Perfect size for it....
mari.harutunian July 28, 2017 Author July 28, 2017 I test the big 5- ca, alk, p04, n03, mg. Ammonia only happens when cycling or if you're overpopulated. I don't even own a kit for it. Same with silicate and pH. Temp and salinity important too. I'd ditch the six line as they turn into a-holes in smaller tanks. Why not do a simple clown and rbta tank? Perfect size for it.... Im unfortunately obsessed with corals... all kinds. The tank has corals on all the rocks. So far the sixline has been good. May have eaten a feather duster.. I would need a fish trap to catch that one and I don't even think that'd work because he's skittish around anything new. I love the idea of a low maintenance rbta clown and anemone shrimp tank. A little too late to switch though. I'd have to gut the corals from my tank, catch some fish, then wait for it to be established. Most people say a year for any anemones? Probably longer for me? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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