Where I went wrong

T

technofan

AC Members
Sep 17, 2006
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Hello everyone, this is my first post so be gentle with me:rolleyes: I have had a 220 ltr tank for about 6 months now and was almost at the point of giving up due to hair algae running amock. My local shop (big garden centre with aquarium section)only drip fed information to me and it wasn't until I found a reputable dealer that I decided to persevere. I have now learned lots more and I am hoping that my problem will eventually be cured. I do not have any fish but I have introduced a few shrimp/crabs and 6 Mexican Turbos to do the cleaning. I still need to buy more living rock inorder to get the nitrates to nitrogen process working better. I have decided to include a photo of my tank as I'm sure it will get an 'oh my gawd' reaction and may inspire further ideas. I have been advised to be carefull when selecting marine salt as some brands positively encourage the growth of hair algae. So my advice if you are starting out is find a trusted knowledgable dealer who has the time to assist you. If I had my time to start again I would have had my tank built to specification with sumps and filtration hidden away and would have 'not tried to run before I could walk'.

Kindest Regards,

Pete.:)

IMG_0516.JPG
 
Pete, firstly, i just want to give you a very warm welcome to the reef here on AC..

There are lots of knowledgable people here on the forums and we will help you out in any way possible...

If possible, could you start off by listing what equipment you currently have like skimmer, any filters, lighting, powerheads etc etc and also post your current water test results for Ammonia, nitrITE, nitrATE and pH...

see to have a little problem with the green hair and hopefully, we can help to erradicate that, and get your tank to the splender it should be...

Niko
 
Thank you for your warm welcome atnixon:) Well I have the following:

An Aqua One 220 ltr tank
A canister filter-Aqua One CF1000
2 3200ltr water pumps - the second pump was only installed last week!
A V400 protein skimmer

We had our water tested recently and was told that it was absolutely fine. Unfortunately my wife took the water to the garden centre and they did not give her any readings other than to say it was good.

I make the water myself from an RO unit and I had been using a particular salt brand but have since been advised to stop using it as it may well be part of my problem (too many nutrients?).

Edit
I forgot to add that I'm using 4 T5 40w tubes. Two marine white and 2 marine blue. I now give the tank around 9 hrs light per day...I used to give it 12 but again I thought this may be helping to encourage algae.

I will be getting more rock this weekend and I will also have my water tested at the new and very helpful dealership that has been recommended to me. As I understand things at the moment my biological media may also be pumping more nitrates into the water so I hope that I will be able to stop this by adding more rock and perhaps just having a phosphate removal media in the canister?
That's about it for the kit I think.

Thank you again and it's a real pleasure to be here!
 
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yes, the idea of removing the filter media is good when you have sufficient live rock is the best way in my opinion...i would also addvise you to buy your own test kits so you can monitor these yourself..save you lots of trips to the fish shop...Some fish shops ideas of water parameters being fine leave a lot to be desired, havin your own kits you can see for your self...I.E Ammonia 0, nitrITE 0 and nitrATE >5, phosphate 0 and pH 8.2 - 8.4....other tests may be needed if your going to be stocking it with corals...

stocking with rock, you want about 1 - 1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water..

Niko
 
Welcome to AC.

When you get more live rock, be aware that you can't just dump it into your tank. I believe the die off from the rock will cause your ammonia levels to skyrocket and could damage/kill your tank inhabitants.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think you need more "clean up crew" as in snails, hermit crabs, crabs etc. Its amazing how many can be in a tank from what i've read.

phosphates seem to be the devil when it comes to algae growth. how long do you leave your lights on?

I also recommend getting the liquid testing equipment. Local Fish Stores seem to always say your water is "okay" without really taking much thought. You'll read lots of other similiar post on AC. You should be the only person you trust when it comes to testing your water. hehe!

Just curious... Why don't you have any substrate in your tank? why no fish?
 
atnixon said:
yes, the idea of removing the filter media is good when you have sufficient live rock is the best way in my opinion...i would also addvise you to buy your own test kits so you can monitor these yourself..save you lots of trips to the fish shop...Some fish shops ideas of water parameters being fine leave a lot to be desired, havin your own kits you can see for your self...I.E Ammonia 0, nitrITE 0 and nitrATE >5, phosphate 0 and pH 8.2 - 8.4....other tests may be needed if your going to be stocking it with corals...

stocking with rock, you want about 1 - 1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water..

Niko
Click to expand...


All great advice atnixon thank you. I was admiring a small display tank in the dealers and apart from being staggered by its beauty I was amased to learn that the rock was doing ALL the filtration and a conch was doing a fine job of keeping the sandy bottom spotless. It made me feel so inept but at the same time gave me a tremendous lift as to what could be achieved and how the right setup can literally look after itself (to a point).:rolleyes:
 
Pallen81 said:
Welcome to AC.

When you get more live rock, be aware that you can't just dump it into your tank. I believe the die off from the rock will cause your ammonia levels to skyrocket and could damage/kill your tank inhabitants.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think you need more "clean up crew" as in snails, hermit crabs, crabs etc. Its amazing how many can be in a tank from what i've read.

phosphates seem to be the devil when it comes to algae growth. how long do you leave your lights on?

I also recommend getting the liquid testing equipment. Local Fish Stores seem to always say your water is "okay" without really taking much thought. You'll read lots of other similiar post on AC. You should be the only person you trust when it comes to testing your water. hehe!

Just curious... Why don't you have any substrate in your tank? why no fish?
Click to expand...

Hi Pallen81,

Thanks for your advice....I now have the lights on around 9 hrs per day and the rock I will be getting will have been through the die back process. All the fish and rock at my new dealers are quarantined/cured for a period before being allowed suitable for sale.

I must confess I did have a fish but lost it as being an idiot I took the feeding advice that I was originally given to heart. Unfortunately it was bad advice and the fish did not get enough food. I was gutted that I had starved an animal and decided I would not get any more livestock until I new much more about the subject.

Yes I think I may need more cleanup critters also. I was also advised not to go straight in with a substrate so this is something I will add in the future. My new dealer is about an 80 minute drive but I think it's worthwhile as these guys often have articles published and seem dedicated to the cause.

Thanks again and kindest regards
Pete:)
 
as a note to us americans, 220 liters is somewhere around 55 gallons, so ideally your looking at about 75 lbs of live rock (34 kilos). If your done with the cycle add the clean-up crew, there is a sticky somewhere saying what species eats what.
 
atnixon said:
yes, the idea of removing the filter media is good when you have sufficient live rock is the best way in my opinion...i would also addvise you to buy your own test kits so you can monitor these yourself..save you lots of trips to the fish shop...Some fish shops ideas of water parameters being fine leave a lot to be desired, havin your own kits you can see for your self...I.E Ammonia 0, nitrITE 0 and nitrATE >5, phosphate 0 and pH 8.2 - 8.4....other tests may be needed if your going to be stocking it with corals...

stocking with rock, you want about 1 - 1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water..

Niko
Click to expand...
agreed!
also welcome to the salty side i look forward to seeing you around here.:)
 
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