7 month cycle, first nano tank, am I doing this right?

[CatfishSoupFTW]

omg hahaa hands down it is. it was a lot for me when i was (still am) doing fw.now that im more established with that im fine and only buy fish here and there. for SW lots of toys and set ups to consider no doubt. On the bright side, the corals can pay off for themselves via fragging. plants on the other hand make little money. lol

[anizato]

Hey guys,

 

First post and I been wanting to join the forums since I first started this tank!

So glad to finally join up.

 

Anyway,

 

I have a 10 Gallon tank that I have had running for about 7 months now and have had only one damsel in it and multiple clean up crew members. The damsel is going strong but my clean up crew seems to keep dying and I can not figure out why. All my levels test normal, I do a 1-1.5 g water change weekly, I only use the water from the local aquarium (I am assuming it is RO/DI water). I add Microbe-lift special blend weekly after my water change, and Kent Marine Nano Reef part A and B every 3 days. My light cycle is 6 1/2 hours (5 pm - 11:30 pm), with the first hour being the blue LED and final 1/2 hour being LED. The other 5 hours are white LED and the blue LED. The lamp I use is a SolarFlare 3wx5 LED (Bought it for 75$ at the local fish store). My filtration system is in the back of the tank with 2 separate compartments. On the left side where the tank water flows in, is my bio balls. It flows over to the right side, over a sponge which i clean once a week as well, and then flows thru the pump and back into my tank. I feed my damsel once a day (a pinch of flakes). For cleaning my glass of the hard algae, I use a sponge and gently scrub it off during my water change. The temp in my tank stays consistent 78-79 degrees and my water stays at 1.024.

 

Sorry for the step by step but I wanted to include everything I do. If there are any modifications of things I should or shouldn't be doing, please let me know!

 

My question is,

Why is my clean up crew constantly dying?

I have try adding coral too and it as well has slowly died off.

 

I am afraid to add to much at one time, in fear of loosing a lot of coral lol

 

What type of coral can be added with my type of bulb?

Should I buy a different bulb?

 

Here is a picture of the tank

 

Hey bud!

 

I couldn't tell you why CUC are constantly dying. I have been running a 10 gallon nano for roughly the same amount of time pretty well with about 60 various snails, 4 hermits, zoas and two clownfish . What I can tell you that I do different from you, and have read is best to emulate nature as close as possible, is :

 

...

 

First, your sponge, I would change it every other week, I know people who let it go for a month, because beneficial bacteria does store in there as some of that caught up detritus and death is being consumed by something! So that something isn't necessarily nasty but you don't want the poop stuff lingering for too long. AND they only do it when they want to seed the sponge or filter sock for someone else's tank, etc.

 

I think of my maintenance as a wave or a heavy current from another part of the world, bringing new nutrients and generally just a breath a fresh water.

 

I do not use bioballs. I noticed you mentioned you do. I read multiple times they are nitrate factories unless used in some sort of chamber with heavy flow. The only dude I know that runs these things is a guy that builds and maintains museum aquariums and has one showpiece at his home. Crazy pristine water, but has like $3k just in filtration equipment. and a 175g setup too. Different league from us bud.

 

Do you turkey-baste your rock every day (or every other day)? In such a small tank you need to be an azzhole about cleaning the tank m man. Its you vs algae bro!

I take about 20-30 mins a day to just blow that shizz into the current to help get some sucked out by the filters while I syphon it out with the same baster and deposit it into a small waste bucket I keep. Its hard with a small tank you know? I do about a pint a day just by syphoning stuff and replacing the water. Plus weekly WC of the same as you. Once every month it is good to draw your baster through the sand in straight lines all pointing the same direction, it tosses the sand without making a mess, looks like new again.

 

Sometimes its good to move your pumps around or have an extra one with lower flow that you can point at certain dead spots to avoid them from becoming permanent dead spots, just deadspots with a seasonal current that cleans the surfaces.

 

Also, I don't dose with any chemicals of any sort. I literally threw money at good food. Frozen and even concocting some of my own with live sea food from the market. Scrape it into some Marine Vitamins with a drop of Phyto. Literally 1/2oz. per feeding is overfeeding a tank this size bro. Its crazy AND I have about 14 Nassarius Snails.

 

I use Carbon once every 3 months for 2 weeks.

 

I use Purigen "The Bag". (have been since day 1)

 

ALSO, finally I promise... I have an RO/DI filter at home and make y my own salt mixes. That way I know my water is constant and stable at all times. It is paramount.

 

Hope this helps in any way!

[skyzpop]

I am a newbie myself but I have read that turbo snails get too big or have too big of an appetite for nano tanks and they shouldn't be used, especially 3 of them. I have read that you should use Ceriths, Nassarius and Nerite type snails for CUC in smaller nano tanks. Not sure is this helps any or not...this hobby has taught me to research, research, research and then when you think you understand something research again! Good luck on your tank!