55gallon

So far inverts are happy, corals are happy (accept the pulsing zinnia)... got flat worms from somewhere.... At least I plan on having fish that will eat them.
 
I have made several mistakes in reef keeping but the biggest by far to date was adding Pulsing Xenia to my tank. That crap is worse than algae it will take over the tank and you can't kill it!!!!!!!!!!! I tried a dremmel tool. Any small piece left on a rock will regrow! The only way I could kill it was trade all rock to LFS and buy new, completely redo my tank.
 
Well, one of the zinnia died... The other is barely hanging on... So anyway, I'm aware of how it spreads and anticipate cutting it back
 
You can try and control it, might have to cut every day that's up to you. Some have had success with it staying on one rock and not touching anything. Just remember to remove the rock to trim. Mine was a nightmare. I took a rock out and grinded the entire rock down with a dremel tool the xenia was back in days
 
The remaining zinnia are currently torn by the current... I think they are dying. I added another circulation pump and the clove polyps have closed up... Wondering if I should move them now.... The Hammer coral is actually opening up more so I think he might like the increase... I know the zoas and mushrooms are happier. I'm considering moving the hammer coral also though to a spot where it can get even more flow.
 
with you having coral in a tank with ammonia and nitrites not much is going to help them I don't think. Hope I am wrong
 
Most everything else seems very happy... They came on some live rock I bought. And they'be really boosted the cycle.
 
then keep going back to your LFS most stores sell that size as coral not hitchhikers. Usually a rock with a bunch of mushrooms on it sells as mushroom rock and can cost a pretty penny.
 
Anyone know what this is.... It's green, looks like algae but moves under its own power and has lots of red strings coming off it...
picture.php

Right below the red dot
 
Live rock has beneficial bacteria already established that is helping to process the ammonia, so nitrite will spike. The trouble is, all things the ammonia is killing is spiking the ammonia, as well. You're going to be in for a long cycle on this one as long as you keep adding organisms the ammonia can kill.
 
Yeah, except the ammonia levels have not changed, which means the ammonia is being processed as fast as it is being released... And everything (with the exception of a single coral that was half dead when it arrived on the live rock anyway) is happy and multiplying in my tank... Brittle stars, snails, limpets, corals, pods... They seem very healthy... The numbers that spiked was the nitrites and nitrates which from what I keep being reminded of by the other nay Sayer following me shouldn't be tested because nitrite isn't zero yet.

Thank you to those who have given me advice, and no thank you to those who seem to just want to say that my tank is going to fail because I did not follow some strict regimen... Oh wait, that's right I'm trying to replicate a peace of the ocean, and we all know how strict and regimental the ocean is, yeah, always the same never changing.... *facepalm*

How many times have I read that no two tanks are the same?
How many times have I read about hitchhikers survived a cycle?

If you don't have anything constructive to say than stop following me. I haven't added anything to my tank without first doing research on it, and without the assurance of those in the know that it will survive. Did you even look at the pictures? Did you see that the corals are still alive? And the live rock they came on was not from LFS... It was from a biology teacher... I think he should know.
 
The ocean is one of the most stable entities in the world.

People are trying to offer advice gained over years and years of first hand experience. No one wants you to fail. No one is assuming you will. All we are trying to do is offer some experiences and knowledge that has been accumulated over dozens of years. If you want to ignore it then so be it, but don't get angry about it when you were the one who asked in the first place.
 
Actially the coral in the above pic does not look healthy at all, the tenticals should be extended, open and swaying in the flow. Not pulled in. The reason i was telling you not to worry about testing your nitrates is because when you have nitrites they can give you a false positive on nitrates the tests are similar. In fact Red Sea Pro has a test out now that reads both. Its your tests run them if you want. If you come on RC and post people are going to give you opionons based on years and years of tried and true ways. Its up to you to decide what to do. But one thing is constant, true and thats if you have ammonia and/or nitrites your cycle is not complete. Once the cycle is complete then you should add a cleanup crew to get the sand bed ready to support fish. After a few weeks then add a fish wait a few weeks then add another. One of the biggest facts about reef keeping is one needs patients. The only thing that happens fast is crashes. Read the stickys in the "new to hobby" thread. The how to's are dead on. I followed them beacuse it had been years since i started my tank, i still learned a lot. I started my tank cycle on 3/21 i had patients, i added shrimp bacteria, and did nothing for 3 weeks but add top off water. Ammonia zero, nitrites zero still have not added fish. I have ordered a clean up crew that will add a constant ammonia source to keep building bacteria yet aid in any normal algae growth that goes with a new tank. By the way algae can also kill corals by sufacating them which is one of the reasons you should let the tank mature before adding corals. You can do what you want with the advice. If you don't want anymore just say so. By the way there are right many biologists, chemists etc.. On this forum that have been reef keeping for many many years.
 
And still the fact that I thanked you for the advice gets ignored... While you obviously are seeing only what you want to see, assuming I havent read up on the how-to and the why-for. The ocean is NOT stable, it is always in flux, the stable part is the abyss. Reefs are always changing. Its the changing that spurs the breeding seasons. I have taken advice. I am being patient. And I welcome advice. What I don't want is blanket statements of failure that tell me nothing....

Again, if you can't help me then shut-up. I don't want to hear your rant about how I'm not taking advice when I really am, AND YOU WEREN'T EVEN PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
 
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