What else might I be doing wrong?

[DefStatic]

You can see my build in my thread. I just added a video to help get advise. So feel free to take a look and let me know what else I should be doing or not doing directly. I haven't lost any more coral or fish, but I still have not really seen anything grow.

But I had a topic going about a struggle I have had. And someone brought up something about topping off with RO/DI water. And while it may have seemed funny to some people to ask such a question, when I first started cycling my tank, I did not know this. I was topping off with salt water. My LFS noticed my salinity had gone up and knew i was getting my water from them. Then they asked if I was topping off with RO/DI water. "No, why would I? I said stupidly.

So the thought occurred, for all I know, maybe there are more things I do not know that I should be doing, or should not be doing. Target feeding for example. I had no idea. I thought coral got everything it needed from the lights and stuff floating in the water.

Are there any thoughts on newbie mistakes? Not talking advise for newbies, but maybe things that people do not do or do mistakenly.

[Benny314]

Don't feel bad about the topping off with salt water not RO, it's an easy over sight and unless you were paying a lot of attention in school chemistry lessons or have had it pointed out/explained before getting the tank wet the realisation salt doesn't evaporate might not be immediate.

 

Your right most corals do feed from photosynthesis/what they catch passing in the water column and don't need any special attention. I personally don't target feed corals, but I do broadcast feed finer foods and frozen foods which are all blown past any hungry coral. Some more specialist coral (non photosynthesising corals for instance) only get food from the water column so you have to make sure your adding enough to support them and often to avoid excessive waste in the tank people direct food at the coral that needs it so you only have to add a little.

 

What other issues are you having?

 

[Benny314]

Just found your other thread.

 

As mentioned in there, that's a lot of fish in a small space and 6 lines are known to be territorial and aggressive.

 

As for solutions, I put a sail fin tang in my sump for 5 days to try and calm him down after adding a copper band butterfly he took offence too (my mistake was adding the tang before I had finished stocking). On reintroducing the tang to the tank it seemed to have calmed him down a bit, but a few days later I lost the copper band. I don't know if the copper band just never started feeding properly due to the extra stress of a tang harassing it or if I just can't keep copper bands (they're notoriously sensitive fish). But I have read hanging a mirror outside the tank facing in can solve aggression in things like tangs and wrasse as the fish thinks it's reflection is a rival and spends all it's time attacking it's reflection and forgets about the other fish in the tank, after a while you take the mirror away and the aggressive fish will have forgotten about the new addition. I've never tried this trick, but I might if I have problems with any other new additions.

[Nano sapiens]

Are there any thoughts on newbie mistakes? Not talking advise for newbies, but maybe things that people do not do or do mistakenly.

 

Like Benny314 said, don't sweat it. Everyone makes mistakes (even seasoned 'masters') and no one knows it all.

 

There's a lot of old info still circulating around in books, articles and on the Web. A good example you brought up is the idea that photosynthetic corals could exist with just proper lighting. We now know that this is patently false and that these corals need to obtain at least some nutrition from the environment as well. If you run into something that doesn't seem quite right, seek out the latest information from the most trusted sources.

 

Look on the bright side..your corals are doing okay. For a new reef aquarist, the most important thing is to learn how to keep your livestock in a healthy state. Do not over fixate on growth as 'the' measure of success, but rather let coral appearance and coloration be your indicators of health.

[Gooburz]

Do not over fixate on growth as 'the' measure of success, but rather let coral appearance and coloration be your indicators of health.

 

+1 That is VERY true, corals take time to grow. I had a thing of zoas that haven't grown off their frag plus in almost a year now and when I leave for deployment they have exploded overnight. Some of my corals you can see the growth in a months time, it just depends.

[Nano sapiens]

 

Do not over fixate on growth as 'the' measure of success, but rather let coral appearance and coloration be your indicators of health.

 

+1 That is VERY true, corals take time to grow. I had a thing of zoas that haven't grown off their frag plus in almost a year now and when I leave for deployment they have exploded overnight. Some of my corals you can see the growth in a months time, it just depends.

 

 

Same occurs in nature. A perfectly healthy Acro might grow only 1/4" per year in one location while the same species may grow 5" per year somewhere else.

[Mirya]

So the thought occurred, for all I know, maybe there are more things I do not know that I should be doing, or should not be doing. Target feeding for example. I had no idea. I thought coral got everything it needed from the lights and stuff floating in the water.

 

Actually this isn't a newbie mistake. This is something that people debate! There is a coral farm near me that never target feeds any of their coral. All the coral get is sunlight (their grow-out troughs are in a greenhouse) and whatever organics are in the water. And believe me they can grow coral. A counter-argument is that our tanks are not likely to be as dense and diverse with zooplankton and phytoplankton as the ocean therefore supplemental feeding is a good thing.

[DefStatic]

It's funny, just simple things I never would have thought of like the topping off. Which now is even easier as I have an ATO.

But then I start to wonder are there other things I am doing that may not be good. Like I regenerate my Purigen, I use tap water in each step. Could this be causing any issues? Should I find a way to final rinse in some RO/DI water?

[HarryPotter]

It's funny, just simple things I never would have thought of like the topping off. Which now is even easier as I have an ATO.

 

But then I start to wonder are there other things I am doing that may not be good. Like I regenerate my Purigen, I use tap water in each step. Could this be causing any issues? Should I find a way to final rinse in some RO/DI water?

Tap water as in city water or well water? You want to be careful of the chlorine in city water

[DefStatic]

Tap water as in city water or well water? You want to be careful of the chlorine in city water

City water, I do the whole bleach thing with tap water, then soak in tap water with a cap full of Prime. Then before I reuse I smell and then rinse it in tap water and shake it off real good.

 

I am going to take a wild guess and say I should probably be doing this with RO/DI water huh? It is things like that I did not even think of for some reason.

[Hammerstone]

I might be wrong but I wouldn't put bleach anywhere near my aquariums.

 

And in my city they use chlorine and chloramine. I just make sure the water treatment covers both.