My New Saltwater Tank!

[stanleo]

As requested, a full tank shot of the tank today. I think I may have discovered my issue with algae. I was only doing 20% changes a week because that's what the book told me to do but after my research I am learning that every tank is unique and some require more so starting this past week I am doing 40% per week. We will see how that goes.
 
The new fish are doing great! the PJ cardinal did not eat the flakes for a few days which had me worried. But I put some brine shrimp in and he gobbled them up and now he is eating the flakes like crazy.
 
Next I am getting some cleaner shrimp when they have another sale. That's why I love that store, they have sales all the time!
 
I resolved the issue with the skimmer by putting a filter floss bag over the return and the casing was lose on the intake power thingy (that's the technical term LOL) and no more bubbles.
 
Here is the pic as of right now. I am really starting to love this tank!

 

[xXLeafeonXx]

Look really good keep up with the good work.

 

[stanleo]

Got some close up pics of the tank today that I wanted to show off. Some of the new fish.
 
First is a whole tank shot

 
Couple of starfish on the glass. They were hitchhikers on the leather coral and have been multiplying. I wonder though if they can breed in the tank or do they get cut up and grow for from the pieces?

 
The leather corals. Only corals I have thus far been able to keep successfully, besides the star polyps. It can be a lot wider than this.

 
My new PJ cardinal with the star polyps in the foreground and a starfish in the back.

 
This is the best shot I got of the yellowtail damsel. Little suckers of fast! (I think the PJ likes the camera)

 
I think this is a cool shot cause it shows more than one or two life forms. Especially in a tank that was dying just a few short months ago.

 
Well that's all for now. I think the algae and diatoms are under control now and the pH is stable at 8.3, haven't had any spikes for 3 weeks and the fish are doing great! They all eat like pigs and aren't as much of scardy cats as they used to be. Doing larger water changes every week has helped a lot. Not to mention all the wonderful people on here!

 

[theoilartist]

Looking good!

 

[stanleo]

Thanks theo!
 
Today my green chromis hurt himself by swimming into a powerhead! I got him out and looks terrible. I have a thread started about what to do and if he will be ok. In the process I took a pic of him to show the damage and accidently got the only good pic of my six line wrasse I have ever gotten so I wanted to share.
 

 

[stanleo]

For three weeks in a row now the phosphates are testing 0! I have concluded that my WC regiment was not right. 40% per week is doing the trick now to control the algae and the pH is still constant at 8.3. I am now going to start my research for the next coral that I will get on the next LFS sale. This tank is getting so exciting!

 

[Reeferbro]

Looking awesome!

 

[stanleo]

I just bought a new light for this tank. Its a Fluval T5 four lamp light with 2 10000K daylight and 2 actinic bulbs. It gives a lot of light and the colors look great! Maybe I can get some more corals finally.
 

 

[pingu2013]

Get some mushroom red green. Maby some ricordia if there's any local to you..
You made big improvements from the first pic

 

[stanleo]

Got some close up shots today that are kinda fun.
 
My new duncan coral. It ate some shrimp today that I target fed it so I think its doing pretty good.

 
hermit crab and star polyps

 
One of the many star fish in this tank.

 

[stanleo]

I got a pincushion sea urchin yesterday. I drip acclimated him for 4 hours by taking away  25ml of water from the bag and adding that much to it from the tank every 5 or ten minutes. He's pretty cute and i like his feelers moving around the spines. I.m gonna try to get a pic of those but it won't be easy.
 

 

[stanleo]

Wow... the original tank must have been depressing to live with!! When I moved in with my (now) Ex, he had an arrowana in an AquaOne 620T (mainly because the thing was so vicious, he couldn't get it out the tank without it trying to rip his face off, oh... and was clearly not an adult arro LOL) and an adult vieja synspillum (or whatever its been reclassified as now) in a tiny clearseal tank.
 
Unfortunately, Victor the cichlid didn't make it and I drained the tank, took it outside and 'dropped it' so he couldn't insist on reusing it

seriously.. the state of it... I cant believe it was holding water! The silicone was all but gone... Arro went into the 260L 4ft tank and then the 340L tank whilst we still had him, he calmed down considerably and grew into a stunning happy fish!
 
Glad he never had a marine tank when I moved in! Was hard enough when he decided the 340L was going marine and I had to change it over in the space of an hour as he was coming home with fish

tank god for mature media and rock in my tank! Came home with a blasted bamboo shark and some butterflies.
 
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Your tank is looking really good now! Glad you took control of it! It seems like a lot of grief with all the testing and faffing about but once things are all settled and you get more used to it, it all becomes so automatic that it wont seem difficult at all.
 
As for the diatom algae... what media have you got in the filter? I don't know if you can get hold of Rowaphos? The stuff is genius for getting rid of it in most cases, it removed the silicates as well as the phosphates, silicates are rarely tested for but often part of the problem

 
http/www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Rowaphos
 
Rowaphos goes a long way and comes with a little fine media bag and looks like fine ground carbon, I think the smallest pot treats about 400L saltwater or 800L freshwater

 
And for your rock with the polyps on, have you tried scrubbing the algae off with an unused toothbrush? The polyps will tolerate being out of water for a time (you can always pour a little water over them as well now and then) and you should be able to get worst off by scrubbing round the polyps.
 
Also with the skimmer... whenever you do a water change, you might need to adjust it and turn it down a little, they often seem to chuck water through at a fast rate when tank is newly cleaned and water changed because the levels are suddenly different.

MBOU, I don't know how I missed this when you first posted it but I was just looking through this for the dates and saw it. Thanks so much for the tips. I actually did go out and buy a toothbrush and used it on that rock. It worked really well.
 
And I like the suggestion about the Rowaphos and will see if my LFS has some when I go in there this week. Do you put that in your filter? IT couldn't hurt to have it I am sure. Right now I have filter floss, carbon and LR rubble in them. Every now and then when I miss a WC (I hate it when that happens but sometimes life gets in the way) I have a diatom bloom and I would really like something in the filter to help with that. Thanks so much!
Well I just placed my first mail order for aquatic life. I am nervous about it but I know that I will be home for the delivery and I got some cool stuff that I can't get at the LFS. I ordered a SW clam, Halimeda and an emerald crab. I also got a FW clam for my FW tank. There is a arrive alive guarantee so that's good. I am really excited about it.

 

[stanleo]

I got some new additions today and took some new photos.
 

 
Maxima clam.
 

 
My surprise! It was supposed to be a Halimeda SW plant and instead they sent this sea hare. I believe it is a Aplysia californica.
 

 

[stanleo]

So I found a new LFS that deals exclusively with saltwater and reef tanks. I LOVE this place! Cheaper than the one I have been going to from the beginning, more knowledgeable, more helpful, and way better selection.
 
They also did tests on my water using Salifert tests and a refractometer. My API kit was accurate for everything except the kH. so these were the results.
 
5ppm Nitrate
0 Phosphates
500 calcium
7.7 alkalinity (my API test was showing 9!)
1450 Mg.
 
I am going to use baking soda 1 teaspoon every other day for 4 doses to get the alkalinity and calcium right and then I am changing salt to Kent reef salt.
 
The most alarming thing was the salinity! With my swing arm I tested SG right before I went and it read 1.024. With their refractometer I was running 1.030!!!! I am in the process of slowly lowering it by every couple days changing 5gl with fresh R/O water. Needless to say I left the store with a refractometer. Its weird how I always read and heard that swing arms are crap but until he showed me that I never believed it could be THAT inaccurate.

 

[Donya]

Depending on how the pH responds to the baking soda  (sodium bicarbonate), you may need to convert it to sodium carbonate via baking in an oven. The bicarbonate can actually drag the pH down in some systems and not necessarily right away, so keep an eye on the pH while dosing and switch for a bit if it gets on the low side before the KH is where you want it. Be careful adding either to the tank - dissolve in RO first and don't put it anywhere near an invert.