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My 20-Gallon (Tall) Softie/lps Nano-Reef!


Fishgirl2393

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Chemiclean treatment done and water change performed (5 gallons). Tank looks better though it doesn't look amazing because of the water change irritating corals. Still need to figure out the aiptasia thing but I didn't want to do it while the chemiclean was in the tank.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Fishgirl2393

The tank just had the glass and equipment cleaned somewhat. I am battling hair algae but every time I try to use PhosGuard, the corals act unhappy so I am not sure what to do (I'm sure phosphate is the cause of the algae). I need to figure out a phosphate control method that won't strip my water too quickly (or make it too clean). Advice would be appreciated.

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Fishgirl2393

I did a small (1 gallon) water change last night and a few days ago, I did another one. The corals look pretty happy. I am running GAC because I have read that kenya trees (and other leather type soft corals) can create some pretty nasty conditions for other corals (including LPS) in terms of chemcial warfare. I'm also running a phosphate remover pad (I know they don't work as well as GFO) because when I used PhosGuard, the corals acted upset so I don't want to use it anymore. I don't know if it is the aluminum in the phosguard or the fact that it strips phosphate really fast that is the problem, but I'm not using it anymore. I have slacked off feeding the planktonic foods for now since I have GHA (I'm still feeding a BIT of Zooplanktos-M to the acan but not much).

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Sounds like a good plan using the phosphate removing pad. I've used them and was happy. My water is high in phosphates and with seahorses and the heavy bio-load they put on the system I can use phosphate removers with impunity. Right now I am running chemipure pure elite and it's doing the job.

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Fishgirl2393

Here is an updated FTS. The reef has some GHA which I am trying to get rid of. I lost quite a few corals to the brown jelly disease earlier so I have not brought the tank back up to the number of corals I had before.

post-50769-0-54328800-1420678367_thumb.jpg

Here is one of the five Kenya tree corals. They are all healthy and thriving.

post-50769-0-39112800-1420678380_thumb.jpg

This is the newest addition (an acan), which I hope is doing well (does it appear to be?). It has been in the tank for about a month now. I think it got stung by aiptasia a few weeks ago (it appeared to be receded on one side near an aiptasia) but it seems to be OK now.

post-50769-0-56269600-1420678387_thumb.jpg

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Fishgirl2393

Just got a blasto (which is already open) and placed it on the bottom (at least, for now though I've read they don't need a lot of light so it may stay there). I dipped it first to make sure there were no "nasties" on it. It has quite a few polyps (8-10) and seems really happy.

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So I just got a Salifert phosphate test kit and it says I have 0ppm in my water. For MY corals, that can't be good and I wonder if that is why my LPS have receded some recently (the acan) and in the past. Any ideas?

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I always keep my phosphates at 0 on test kits. Natural ocean levels are around 0.005ppm and I'm not sure if there are any home test kits accurate enough to truly measure that low of a level.

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I even ran the higher resolution test but it still tested 0. I am keeping LPS and softies so I need to get it up a LITTLE bit. I am aiming for 0.03 or so (maybe a LITTLE BIT higher but not much). I removed some of my phosphate media (the filter pad type) so maybe it will go up some.

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Soft corals do better for most people when they have slightly "dirty" water. Since I do NOT plan to keep SPS at all, I need to make it slightly dirty. Even members on here like Metrokat run tanks with phosphate because corals need it (all life does). I am not planning to run it high, but I see corals happier when my phosphates are readable. I actually got this kit because I suspected they were low based on how the corals were doing in the tank recently. My tank is very good at handling nutrients it seems because I feed fairly frequently.

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Yep. Algae and cyano are using the phosphate up so your test kit can't read it. Phosguard is great but very easy to overdose and take too much out. Aiptasia I have no idea. I've never dealt with that.

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Yep. Algae and cyano are using the phosphate up so your test kit can't read it. Phosguard is great but very easy to overdose and take too much out. Aiptasia I have no idea. I've never dealt with that.

:slap: That's for never having aiptasia. You are a lucky man Bubbs.

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Well, the other reason to take the phosphate media out is because I now have a functioning algal turf scrubber in my filter so I have less of a need for the phosphate media. I really do not have much gha (only one rock is really affected and it is going away on that one too) and no visible cyano in the tank (I know it is there, but it is not growing and visible).

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I have not posted an updated one recently. The last one I posted was after I got back from a week of no maintenance and my family feeding a lot so the sides were yucky and the tank didn't look as good as it normally does.

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post-50769-0-53002500-1421354858_thumb.jpg

That is the acan I'm concerned about. Why is the skeleton visible on edges of polyps? Any tips?

Here is a pic of the new blasto (wellsi?)

post-50769-0-60742800-1421354936_thumb.jpg

I know the pics are not the greatest (I used my tablet) but I can't get anything better right now.

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Hard to tell what is wrong with the Acan. You've had it for awhile, right? In the picture I can only make out one head that is damaged. Usually that means physical damage; either something bumped into it or started picking on it. Watch and feed the coral closely over the next couple days to ensure the recession has stopped with that one head. Have you made any recent changes in the tank (water movement pattern, dosing,.. ect)?

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