New 3.7 Pico Advice

[AquaEstaVita]

Updates from yesterday's testing. Testing Alkalinity and Magnesium in few. Terrible pet stores here didn't have any. I had all test kits but these.

 

11/15

PH- 7.8

Temp-78

Salt- 1.028

Amm- 0

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- 10 ppm

Cal- 520<

Alkalinity-

Magnesium-

Phosphate- 0.25

 

Feedback welcome.

[AquaEstaVita]

Update.

So after the long wait my AI Prime's mount comes with a ball screw that is too small! I wanted to and actually screamed. Marine Depot is sending one ASAP but I asked why are they still selling the mount with ill fitting pieces?! Ughh. I went to Lowes for a quick fix no luck I'll try HD before everyone starts their holiday shopping. The only good part my Zoas enjoyed some Reef Riods and even one stalk on my candy had its tentacles out tasting the yummy food. I'll update when the light's mount is functioning.

[AquaEstaVita]

Update.

So after the long wait my AI Prime's mount comes with a ball screw that is too small! I wanted to and actually screamed. Marine Depot is sending one ASAP but I asked why are they still selling the mount with ill fitting pieces?! Ughh. I went to Lowes for a quick fix no luck I'll try HD before everyone starts their holiday shopping. The only good part my Zoas enjoyed some Reef Riods and even one stalk on my candy had its tentacles out tasting the yummy food. But my hermits attacked or rather tried to clean the food off my zoa. So they were ostracized to my 20 tall tank. I'll update when the light's mount is functioning.

Update

Found a short term solution. Tried to take some pics. And I finally have some algae growth, after about 6 weeks.

 

 

 

[AquaEstaVita]

So I added a Green Star Polyp and for the 1st time did a coral did. It's mat had a lot of dirt looking debris that I cleaned off too. I also got 2 narite snails and a turbo snail to help with the tank maintenance.

 

But just this morning I notice my candy cane showing white where there was once a brown colored stem. And I see a tiny silver thing climbing over the Rock and even smaller pests in a mini flower pot. Please help, I did not dip my candy or my zoa (who is growing and doing well) when I first received them about a month ago. How do I rid the tank of the pest so my coral can start to look like it once did?!

 

 

 

@Elizabeth94 @NinjaReefer @ReefJar

[AquaEstaVita]

Haha sorry. I meant LPS. Dumb spell check. Your tank is just fine

Any ideas on my new issue? Thanks a lot.

[Merthynia]

Are they copepods or amphipods? Try looking at some google images of them and see if that is what they look like. Some of them can get bigger, but most are very small things. Apart from rarely bothering coral, they are considered good little guys.

[ReefJar]

The polyps still look okay and the skeletal area doesn't look like something is eating it. It could be caused by too much flow just looking at the picture of your setup. I'd definitely keep an eye on it and move it to a place with less flow. The polyp tissue of candy canes is too delicate for a strong/ direct current blowing against them.

 

On second look, is that head split in to two heads on end of that stalk?

 

There are some things that can also cause that as well, like water chemistry (too of this or too low of that). I recently had a hyper salinity accident that made my candy canes look completely dead, skeleton and no polyps (they detached and left a little bit of green polyp tissue). 2 weeks later after some patience and feeding (took a while to see any tentacles. At first they were very very tiny so they couldn't be used to eat food), they look better than when i bought them and one head has split with another in the process. The white skeletal areas have started to change back to a more brownish look. Just make sure algae doesn't get a hold on that exposed skeleton.

 

Have you tried feeding them? They love food and it might help them recover / stay healthy. When I feed my jar, their tentacles come out and readily accept food no matter what time of the day it is. I feed them Mysis and/or Calanus once a week.

[REEFerMAdNESS88]

it took my 2.5g about a month for algea to bloom happened about a week after i added my Gramma. it looks like you just have coral and cuc in there so your bio load isn't that big. algae needs nutrients like nitrogen and phosphates(produced by waist and food in the cycle). also according to your last test posting your salinity is pretty high and yo ph is kinda low. keep in mind a good ph for reef tanks is about 8.1 to 8.4, I get alarmed when my ph hits 8. remember:

 

low PH= more acidity, more acidity makes it hard for stony corals to make calcium skeletons and grow (calcium carbonate tends to dissolve relatively easy).

 

I keep my sal at about 1.023 to 024, how are dealing with evap????

[AquaEstaVita]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I definitely saw a small silver bug on the exposed (white) stem of the coral. I tried to suction him out but he ran off. I am hoping it's not an infestation issue.

I will test the water this evening and move the flow away from the Candy. I feed Reef Riods 2xs a week (they all love it) and do water changes 1x a week, mostly with low salinity, made that mistake before. Update this evening, you guys rock!

[AquaEstaVita]

Are they copepods or amphipods? Try looking at some google images of them and see if that is what they look like. Some of them can get bigger, but most are very small things. Apart from rarely bothering coral, they are considered good little guys.

I checked both images and they look more like amphipods then the other. I caught a slightly better picture, it's just so small and silver. I'll ask my LFS buddies too.

 

The polyps still look okay and the skeletal area doesn't look like something is eating it. It could be caused by too much flow just looking at the picture of your setup. I'd definitely keep an eye on it and move it to a place with less flow. The polyp tissue of candy canes is too delicate for a strong/ direct current blowing against them.

 

On second look, is that head split in to two heads on end of that stalk?

 

There are some things that can also cause that as well, like water chemistry (too of this or too low of that). I recently had a hyper salinity accident that made my candy canes look completely dead, skeleton and no polyps (they detached and left a little bit of green polyp tissue). 2 weeks later after some patience and feeding (took a while to see any tentacles. At first they were very very tiny so they couldn't be used to eat food), they look better than when i bought them and one head has split with another in the process. The white skeletal areas have started to change back to a more brownish look. Just make sure algae doesn't get a hold on that exposed skeleton.

 

Have you tried feeding them? They love food and it might help them recover / stay healthy. When I feed my jar, their tentacles come out and readily accept food no matter what time of the day it is. I feed them Mysis and/or Calanus once a week.

I moved the flow away from them especially because I upgraded to a Taam Rio plus 180 power pump. I can also lessen the AI Prime, I'll try anything. The Candy came from the LFS already split I feed Reef Roids twice a week. I really think something is eating them. I tested the water and have posted the results below. Thanks for your insight.

[AquaEstaVita]

it took my 2.5g about a month for algea to bloom happened about a week after i added my Gramma. it looks like you just have coral and cuc in there so your bio load isn't that big. algae needs nutrients like nitrogen and phosphates(produced by waist and food in the cycle). also according to your last test posting your salinity is pretty high and yo ph is kinda low. keep in mind a good ph for reef tanks is about 8.1 to 8.4, I get alarmed when my ph hits 8. remember:

 

low PH= more acidity, more acidity makes it hard for stony corals to make calcium skeletons and grow (calcium carbonate tends to dissolve relatively easy).

 

I keep my sal at about 1.023 to 024, how are dealing with evap????

I've been reading up a lot on their care. I do water changes every week, small amounts due to evaporation. Here are my water results. Any help is appreciated.

 

12/12

Salt 1.021

PH- 7.8

Temp-78

Amm- 0.25-0.50ppm

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- 20ppm

Cal- 440

Alkalinity- 4-5 meq/L (very difficult test, hard to determine colors. Reef Status)

API Test 196.9 ppm KH

Magnesium- 875-1000 (difficult test. Will retest tomorrow)

Phosphate- 0.25

[rjp83]

Im running the same tank as you are. I love it. I am a filtration freak so I am running massive filtration on mine. Chamber 1/overflow is a media pad with floss behind it, chamber 2 houses a nanocube skimmer with a drilled collection cup draining into a large snapple bottle, and the intake for my TOMS canister filter. Chamber 3 has the return pump and heater. Ziptied to the return pump outlet is the return hose of the canister so the 2 combined produce plenty of flow eliminating the need for a powerhead. I had to modify the tubing big time on the canister using sharkbite ball valves and connectors. Canister is packed with filter floss in the main chamber then in the second chamber is another layer of floss, purigen, floss and then it goes back out to the tank. I have various corals ranging from Zoas, leathers and xenia, a CUC, peppermint shrimp and a mis-stripe OC Clown. I will post pictures later on tonight. Glad to see someone else is running this tank also. For the 39.99 I spent on an AIO it really is a bang for your buck PICO/NANO setup.

[ReefJar]

If this is going to be reef only, I'd bump up the salinity 1.024-1.026

[AquaEstaVita]

Hey Reefers, sorry I've been away, it's basketball season. The Pico is thriving and I have a new brain coral, he's tiny. I do have a lot of algae growth and will be looking for maybe for another snail to handle it as well as lessening the lights time.

 

 

Last Test Results

1/17

 

PH- 8.2

Temp-78

Salt- 1.018 added salt in water change

Amm- 0

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- 0

Cal- 400 ppm

Alkalinity- 16 drops converted but misplaced #

Magnesium- n/a will run this week

Phosphate- 0.25

 

Still feeding Reef Roids. Also PH raiser & Kent Coral Vite when needed.

My new baby is a 46 bow w/a yellow head goby, red marble star fish & a flame angel.