tank problems

[55reef1146]

hey this is my first time posting. I have had a 55 gallon reef tank since december and am still experiancing algae problems. Fish seem to disappear, crabs dont eat the algae or they die, tank does not look good. Need help or I am considering keeping fish but starting over.

 

[quickwiz00]

In order to get well informed answers you'll need to post some more information. For example, posting your water chemistry stats is a great tool to help people diagnose what is causing these problems. Also do you use tap water or RO/DI, how large of a bioload do you have. What type of filtration ect...the more info the better.

As for the algae it can be many things, try uploading a picture to further aid in narrowing down your problems.

Also be advised that in the first year a tank usually goes through different outbreaks of algae, however it shouldn't take over and fish should certainly not be dying.

 

[55reef1146]

PH 8.4-8.6
Amonia Lighter than the Zero Color not sure what that means.
Nitrite 0
Salinity 1.030 I know that is a litte high
Use store bought RO/DI Fresh and Saltwater for top off and water changes
Water changes once a month
Berlin Filter
Protein Skimmer (Couple weeks old and is not working properly yet)

Another forum said i should restart what do you guys think.
If you need more info just ask.

 

[Lina5910]

if your fish disappear, that means they are somewhere dead in the tank fouling your water. The algae is most likely taking up all those phosphates and nitrates that are being released by the decomposing fish. Id say you need to do weekly 15-20% water changes. Dont buy any more fish until your tank stabilizes. Just my $0.2

 

[55reef1146]

I have had the problem before the fish died. Since december. I agree that I should do more frequent water changes.

 

[quickwiz00]

Aside from your high salinity (I keep mine at 1.023) your posted stats seem good. I would try getting the protein skimmer working asap.

Algae is usually caused by excessive nutrient levels, particularly elevated levels of phosphates and nitrates. One thing that could cause high phosphate / nitrate is excessive feeding, also try not to use flake foods as they are notorious for increasing algae growth.

Also you could try running some carbon (general cleaner) and particularly some GFO (granulated ferric oxide) for phosphate removal. I currently use the bulk reef supply dual carbon/GFO reactor.

As for starting over or not, that is a very difficult call. I say this because in this hobby there will always be times that something goes wrong and it takes time, research, and usually $$ to get things working again. So I'd say unless you feel completely hopeless don't start over just try different approaches. With proper dedication it usually works out.

 

[Lina5910]

you can get a GFO reactor which will decrease the algae blooms because it will take away the phosphates which is serving as a food source for the algae right now

 

[Lina5910]

aside from your high salinity (i keep mine at 1.023) your posted stats seem good. I would try getting the protein skimmer working asap.

Algae is usually caused by excessive nutrient levels, particularly elevated levels of phosphates and nitrates. One thing that could cause high phosphate / nitrate is excessive feeding, also try not to use flake foods as they are notorious for increasing algae growth.

Also you could try running some carbon (general cleaner) and particularly some gfo (granulated ferric oxide) for phosphate removal. I currently use the bulk reef supply dual carbon/gfo reactor.

As for starting over or not, that is a very difficult call. I say this because in this hobby there will always be times that something goes wrong and it takes time, research, and usually $$ to get things working again. So i'd say unless you feel completely hopeless don't start over just try different approaches. With proper dedication it usually works out.

+1

 

[55reef1146]

I use myssis shrimp (hoope i spelled that right). Is one cube too much?

Where do you by the reactor and how much does it run for?

Also how do you get the collection cup on the protein skimmer not to overflow with water

 

[quickwiz00]

Oh and you may want to post a picture of the algae you are dealing with or at least describe it, as different algae may have different different causes and treatments. For example, brown (diatom) algae is caused by elevated silica levels.

 

[quickwiz00]

As for where to go purchase one; I got mine from bulk reef supply, they are having a black Friday sale and the units run around $50. Check out this site: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/dual-brs-gfo-and-carbon-reactor.html

 

[Lina5910]

How many fish do you have? Do you feed one cube at one time or do you split it in several feedings? You can get a reactor from bulk reef supply, there are different kinds. I have a dual reactor filled with GFO and carbon which was bout $60 i think plus media.

If your collection cup overfills, you just have to empty it more often. How long does it take for it to fill up?

 

[55reef1146]

Will upload photos hopefully in morning. The lights are off in the tank. I have Greenish brown film on glass. Redish brown at sand line. Red and brown on sand. Light green hairs on rock. Dark green hairs on rock. Dark red film over rocks and on coraline algae on back wall. Pink Goo in one spot on my rock and orange and yellow versions of this under rocks. Red lines of something in sand. White, Green and Black algaes in overflow wich I have tried to remove but it grows back in a couple of days. And a few other varietys of these other places in the tank. So I'm guessing just about all accept the blue kind wich I'm sure I hae somewhere.:sad1:

 

[55reef1146]

How many fish do you have? Do you feed one cube at one time or do you split it in several feedings? You can get a reactor from bulk reef supply, there are different kinds. I have a dual reactor filled with GFO and carbon which was bout $60 i think plus media.

If your collection cup overfills, you just have to empty it more often. How long does it take for it to fill up?

My cup fills with water not gunk and it fills in under a min. Somtimes there are no bubbles.
One cube at once to what used to be 8 and is now 6 fish.
Blue Hippo Tang
Foxface
Banghai Cardinal
Two False percula Clownfish
Wrasse wich i forget the name of (larger wrase)

 

[Lina5910]

i usually split one cube in 3 feedings a day. You are suppose to feed the amount that the fish can eat in 3 mins.

Honestly i have no idea why your cup fills up with water. Have you looked at the instructions in the troubleshoot section? Are you getting any bubbles spinning in the skimmer at all?

 

[Lina5910]

Also for the red slime algae you have, there is a chemical made, i think its called slime away (dont quote me on this one) but when you add it, it gets rid of that algae. Im not a big fan of adding chemicals to my tanks, because they dont really fix the problem but just cover it.

How is the flow in your tank? I used to get the slime algae until i increased the flow in the tank and havent seen it in months

 

[quickwiz00]

My cup fills with water not gunk and it fills in under a min. Somtimes there are no bubbles.
One cube at once to what used to be 8 and is now 6 fish.
Blue Hippo Tang
Foxface
Banghai Cardinal
Two False percula Clownfish
Wrasse wich i forget the name of (larger wrase)

If your skimmer cup is filling with water and completely in under a minute it is safe to say it is not working at all. I wouldn't even have it on until I got it working properly. But the skimmer is an integral part of filtration and will really benefit your tank.

Bio load seems good I wouldn't add many if any more fish.

Whenever I feed mysis I always dissolve the block in RODI water then pass the melted food through a small hand held strainer. I then finally rinse the food that has caught in the strainer with some more RODI water and then feed slowly to my fish. This process helps remove many excess nutrients that would otherwise enter your water column.

 

[Lina5910]

Whenever I feed mysis I always dissolve the block in RODI water then pass the melted food through a small hand held strainer. I then finally rinse the food that has caught in the strainer with some more RODI water and then feed slowly to my fish. This process helps remove many excess nutrients that would otherwise enter your water column.

Thats a good idea, Ive never heard of doing it this way before

 

[55reef1146]

My fish dont leave any of the cube and they eat it in under a min. They are agressive eaters also i have a few cleaner shrimp that eat any leftovers.
There are no adjustments i can make on the skimmer. there are always bubbles just it either brings water with it so that it overflows in a min or the bubbles dont reach the top.

 

[quickwiz00]

Also for the red slime algae you have, there is a chemical made, i think its called slime away (dont quote me on this one) but when you add it, it gets rid of that algae. Im not a big fan of adding chemicals to my tanks, because they dont really fix the problem but just cover it.

How is the flow in your tank? I used to get the slime algae until i increased the flow in the tank and havent seen it in months

+1

If you do have cyanobacteria (red slime algae) I would definitely not use red slime remover, rather I would increase your flow (can really work wonders), perform larger water changes and cut down on the the level of nutrients entering the system as much as possible.