Bought a house...came with a tank.
- Thread starter branflake12
- Start date
Anybody use tapwater (Prime'd) for top ups? With the glass tops gone, my evaporation rate is crazy, and i've spoken with several people in my area that us our tap water successfully in soft coral (reef) tanks, but have to do some crazy things to it. I will still buy the RODI (presalted) from my LFS until i decide/afford my own RO unit, but for the 5 gallons between changes, is tap water ok? Or is this a try-it-and-see type solution?
Thanks!
Update: my salinity i think got to high (SG was around 1.030) for my peppermint shrimp (havent seen either in a couple weeks), so i think i lost them. $25 meal for my crabs i imagine. Emerald crab has eliminated nearly all of the grape algae.
I have a green hairlike algae coming out of the spillway of the HOB filter and on some of the live rock. Snails dont seem to be interested in it. Put the skimmer back in and have been emptying a dark slime out every few days. I emailed Coralife CS to ask about the adapter to run the LED moonlights in my fixture but never heard back. Clowns appear happy as a fiddle.
Saltwater is hard.
Thanks!
Update: my salinity i think got to high (SG was around 1.030) for my peppermint shrimp (havent seen either in a couple weeks), so i think i lost them. $25 meal for my crabs i imagine. Emerald crab has eliminated nearly all of the grape algae.
I have a green hairlike algae coming out of the spillway of the HOB filter and on some of the live rock. Snails dont seem to be interested in it. Put the skimmer back in and have been emptying a dark slime out every few days. I emailed Coralife CS to ask about the adapter to run the LED moonlights in my fixture but never heard back. Clowns appear happy as a fiddle.
Saltwater is hard.
It depends what's in your tap water. Some people can get away with it, many cannot. Generally speaking, the nutrient levels in tap water are high enough to fuel nuissance algae growth, only adding to the problem in a tank that has algae issues.
+1 and over time the nutrients can potentialy saturate your rock and will become a long term leaching source. Personally think you are asking for trouble eventually.
Alright guys. Ill check around and see what the water tests at on all levels and do my homework. Until then, Ill keep buying RO at a quarter a gallon.:yuck:
Hard? no.. unrelenting and tedious.. soul sucking.. and frusterating...yes
i joined this way late but holy **** did you start with one hell of a tank.
Forced into it or not man welcome to the darkside.. Just stick with it.
Also not trying to sound mean but i would focus on getting the tank into tip top shape before going out and buying stuff that could die..especially an anem. i dont know why that was encouraged but id strongly recommend against it until you got the basics down pat and feel very confident in what your doing.
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Thanks conski. Basics of aquariums in general, down pat. My rift lake cichlid tank has been running for 4 years (thru 3 moves as well). But, as you saw, what i inherited wasnt exactly in tip top shape. I bought the shrimp for aptasia control, so i didnt go broke buying joes juice. It looks a ton better than when i got it, but it still just feels likes its barely holding on to that. I hope someday it will look like a tank is supposed to, I just dont want to go broke getting there.
I've got quite the growth of this hairlike green algae, mostly attached to spillover of the HOB filter and the intake tube of the HOB, and a little on all the powerheads. Without a picture, any idea what it is and how to remedy?
Sounds like just hair algae. Is is soft/furry looking?
You tend to see it where water is being drawn into and out of because the nutrients that fuel the algae are being mobilized to those places along with everything else. How does the rest of the tank look these days? If the algae is now only limited to these spots you probably have brought levels down pretty well. Any recent water tests? Posphates? Nitrates? Are you running in type of GFO (phosban, etc.)?
Until you get your nutrient levels under control you will likely continue to see this and other types of nuissance algae. I don't mean to say that like you aren't trying (I know you are). I said early on this tank likely had a good build up of nutrients from poor maintenance by the prevous owner which is why I recommended gutting the whole thing and cleaning everything out as best you can. This would at least give you somewhat of a clean slate although the rock itself may be fairly satuarted with nutrients which will drag things out.
Other options are:
Frequent/regular WC's using good RO/DI
Running GFO
Setting up a good size refugium or Alage Turf Scrubber
Larger than normal cleanup crew (although just a band-aid)
Manual removal of algae
You tend to see it where water is being drawn into and out of because the nutrients that fuel the algae are being mobilized to those places along with everything else. How does the rest of the tank look these days? If the algae is now only limited to these spots you probably have brought levels down pretty well. Any recent water tests? Posphates? Nitrates? Are you running in type of GFO (phosban, etc.)?
Until you get your nutrient levels under control you will likely continue to see this and other types of nuissance algae. I don't mean to say that like you aren't trying (I know you are). I said early on this tank likely had a good build up of nutrients from poor maintenance by the prevous owner which is why I recommended gutting the whole thing and cleaning everything out as best you can. This would at least give you somewhat of a clean slate although the rock itself may be fairly satuarted with nutrients which will drag things out.
Other options are:
Frequent/regular WC's using good RO/DI
Running GFO
Setting up a good size refugium or Alage Turf Scrubber
Larger than normal cleanup crew (although just a band-aid)
Manual removal of algae
I went with a combination of manual removal and running phosguard pellets in media baskets. Seems to be keeping it in check just on the filter for now.
On another note, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS:
I was fiddling with my timers to get back on "normal" time and went from lights out to full daylight and the sand was COVERED with this gross little things. They scattered like cockroaches. Gross. What is it and how do i kill it.:FIREdevil:
On another note, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS:
I was fiddling with my timers to get back on "normal" time and went from lights out to full daylight and the sand was COVERED with this gross little things. They scattered like cockroaches. Gross. What is it and how do i kill it.:FIREdevil:
