Total noob in need of advice

[WCO2 Neptune]

23 minutes ago, skyscraper2290 said:

Looks like you are headed in the right direction to get your tank turned around! What is in your new filtration set up?

White cylinder in a mesh bag, I think it's for ammonia. Charcoal in mesh bag, chaeto, finally filter floss... hoping enough.

[Clown79]

9 hours ago, WCO2 Neptune said:

White cylinder in a mesh bag, I think it's for ammonia. Charcoal in mesh bag, chaeto, finally filter floss... hoping enough.

Filter media looks good.

 

Just remember it needs to be maintained.

 

Vacuuinng out back chamber of detritus

 

Filter floss changed twice a week

Carbon changed every 2-3 weeks

 

Chaeto needs a light source or it won't grow and then it's useless for nutrient export

[4Swanson2Reefer0N00b]

 

 

Reading this thread is crazy what people are telling you to do!!!

 

 

[ReefGoat]

1 hour ago, 4Swanson2Reefer0N00b said:

 

 

Reading this thread is crazy what people are telling you to do!!!

 

 

Elaborate. Please.......I think the only crazy information that has been given to this reefer is the information coming from his or her LFS. Did you see this persons tank before and after this thread? I think the pictures speak for themselves. 

[WCO2 Neptune]

Today just another normal day. Tank is ok.. was hoping some of that stuff would have disappeared. Being patient for now...water looks really clear.  Fish look happy and hungry..

 

Just adding an updated photo to my diary..

[ReefGoat]

Looks a thousand times better than it did when you first posted here. You're doing a great job. Stick to the maintenance regime that was posted in this thread and that stuff will eventually go away. It's going to probably take a little while. I can promise you your fish a breathing a sigh of relief lol. 

[WCO2 Neptune]

Inquirying minds want to know if you can put one of them fancy ornaments in a salt water tank? 

[4Swanson2Reefer0N00b]

2 hours ago, ReefGoat said:

Elaborate. Please.......I think the only crazy information that has been given to this reefer is the information coming from his or her LFS. Did you see this persons tank before and after this thread? I think the pictures speak for themselves. 

Buy this buy that throw this away you don't need it get this instead.   

 

Reading through everything was exhausting.  Seemed to be the guy just needs to learn how to properly maintain the tank and with what kind of supplies.  Feels like this poor guy was taken to the cleaners and just needed some simple how to beginners advice and possibly the suggestion to just clear it all out and start anew with the correct basics.  Way over complicating things.  Just my opinion.  I have carbon in my nano that I've literally only changed three times all year and I have white ceramic bio media that I've changed once all year AND I use a sponge!   Successfully!   Didn't look like this guy was cleaning properly.  Also sounded like he was putting tainted fresh water in and possibly bad rock   On top of this he overstocked the tank.  No?

[ReefGoat]

The skimmer, UV sterilizer and some of the other equipment shown in this thread seemed to be pushed on him by the LFS that he goes to. If you look at the very start he had already ordered a new light and the InTank media basket.............Those bio balls that were in there were the plastic ones that come stock with the bio cube. Not ceramic porous media like you're using. He had already bought the InTank media basket so he was likely getting rid of that filthy sponge anyway. This long drawn out thread can be summed up into for the most part telling him to ditch the plastic balls and sponge along with cleaning the rear chamber and starting a maintenance routine. Which he did do and just look at the before and after pictures.  That doesn't seem too difficult to me. Or over complicated............You are correct about the tainted water, rock and overstocking though. I agree with you there. Which ALL was covered in one of the pages. I'm not trying to be argumentative for the record.

[4Swanson2Reefer0N00b]

Fair enough.  There's no denying it has dramatically improved maybe I just got lost in the back and forth and was frustrated for him. Full disclosure-I'll probably ditch the sponge and make a media basket this winter I just don't know what to put into it beside the carbon bag and biomedia bag and filter floss

[skyscraper2290]

22 minutes ago, 4Swanson2Reefer0N00b said:

Fair enough.  There's no denying it has dramatically improved maybe I just got lost in the back and forth and was frustrated for him. Full disclosure-I'll probably ditch the sponge and make a media basket this winter I just don't know what to put into it beside the carbon bag and biomedia bag and filter floss

I think the main thing we all pushed for was maintenance and probably pushed a refractometer. 

 

But it in terms of what to keep in there maybe some chaeto? Keep it simple, right now I’m just running normal filter floss that I change 2x a week and chaeto with some rock rubble. No chemical filtration at all though.

[Lula_Mae]

11 hours ago, 4Swanson2Reefer0N00b said:

Buy this buy that throw this away you don't need it get this instead.   

 

Reading through everything was exhausting.  Seemed to be the guy just needs to learn how to properly maintain the tank and with what kind of supplies.  Feels like this poor guy was taken to the cleaners and just needed some simple how to beginners advice and possibly the suggestion to just clear it all out and start anew with the correct basics.  Way over complicating things.  Just my opinion.  I have carbon in my nano that I've literally only changed three times all year and I have white ceramic bio media that I've changed once all year AND I use a sponge!   Successfully!   Didn't look like this guy was cleaning properly.  Also sounded like he was putting tainted fresh water in and possibly bad rock   On top of this he overstocked the tank.  No?

 He wasn't taken to the cleaners. He did get a lot of input from a lot of people which could definitely be overwhelming, but it was obvious he wanted help and was making strong efforts to improve. Most of what he got is beginner's advice, but this hobby has a lot of details that take time to get down pat.

 

The only people I've seen taken to the cleaners here were those who obviously didn't really want advice, weren't listening, and were blatantly, knowingly putting creatures in bad conditions. All of which are not this guy. 

 

Neptune, the tank is looking good, and will continue improving as you tend to it. Keep up the good work.

[BlennyBoi]

15g is FAR too small for 6 fish, corals wouldnt stand a CHANCE with nitrates that high. 2 clowns in that size tank is probably pushing it

[Tamberav]

11 minutes ago, BlennyBoi said:

15g is FAR too small for 6 fish, corals wouldnt stand a CHANCE with nitrates that high. 2 clowns in that size tank is probably pushing it

I think it is 4 but still too many... Will be fighting an uphill battle. 

[BlennyBoi]

Just now, Tamberav said:

I think it is 4 but still too many... Will be fighting an uphill battle. 

yeah it will be hard

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, BlennyBoi said:

15g is FAR too small for 6 fish, corals wouldnt stand a CHANCE with nitrates that high. 2 clowns in that size tank is probably pushing it

I just read the thread from start to present - he has four fish: 3 occys & 1 diamond goby, I *think. Clowns have notoriously high bioloads because they're poop machines, and his tank failed to cope with it in the beginning. Also, I *think the choice of using shelf rock and accumulated dead inverts has something to do with the fuzzy algae outbreak. But I'm glad his tank has turned around and is improving.

 

Keep going, Neptune. Don't forget to stick to regular WCs and maintenance and in time, your tank will be fine. I do agree with everyone else though - you *might need to return 3 of the fish to the store (either all 3 clowns or 2 clowns & 1 goby) as a start, to lower your bioload. If the store won't accept them, tell them you're giving it back for free. Most stores won't turn down free fish. 

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

5 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I just read the thread from start to present - he has four fish: 3 occys & 1 diamond goby, I *think. Clowns have notoriously high bioloads because they're poop machines, and his tank failed to cope with it in the beginning. Also, I *think the choice of using shelf rock and accumulated dead inverts has something to do with the fuzzy algae outbreak. But I'm glad his tank has turned around and is improving.

 

Keep going, Neptune. Don't forget to stick to regular WCs and maintenance and in time, your tank will be fine. I do agree with everyone else though - you *might need to return 3 of the fish to the store (either all 3 clowns or 2 clowns & 1 goby) as a start, to lower your bioload. If the store won't accept them, tell them you're giving it back for free. Most stores won't turn down free fish. 

 

 

I think he said he'd tried to return some and they won't take them.  I'm hoping he can find another LFS that will.

[Snow_Phoenix]

25 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

I think he said he'd tried to return some and they won't take them.  I'm hoping he can find another LFS that will.

I missed that. Yes, hoping he'll find a LFS that will. 

[WCO2 Neptune]

Update from today... tank water is looking clear. Little cuc that was suggested are doing some work.

 

Question is it possible for a tank to cycle twice?  My rocks do appear to be cycling again.. if that's the right term..

 

Here are today's pics

[WCO2 Neptune]

Wow here is today's water test... omg. This is working out amazingly.

[el_ote]

The cycle explains the beneficial bacterias ability to process the waste/food/live-rock-die-off by breaking it down to ammonia, then nitrite, then to nitrate. 

   When you first get a tank, you buy live rock at the store or order online, if there is die off between store and getting into your tank, that die off starts the cycle. People will wait out the cycle in order to see the ammonia rise from die off then get converted to nitrite then finally to nitrate where they can do a water change to lower the nitrate to safe levels. Then they could add some food to the rock only tank to try and make the ammonia show on a test again and test to follow the cycle from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. The tanks ability to process ammonia quickly is what's meant by being cycled. In your tank, we felt the tank was immature in the cycle process to handle all the waste created by the large bioload (all the fish) which is why most people are recommending rehoming most of the fish. Hope this makes sense. 

[BlennyBoi]

On 10/15/2018 at 3:01 AM, WCO2 Neptune said:

Inquirying minds want to know if you can put one of them fancy ornaments in a salt water tank? 

yeah, you can, but i prefer not to because they don't look natural and are of little to no use as a biological filter cos they're not porous. fake plants and fake coral are ok too.

[Clown79]

On 10/14/2018 at 1:01 PM, WCO2 Neptune said:

Inquirying minds want to know if you can put one of them fancy ornaments in a salt water tank? 

Yes you can but most don't because it just doestn't look right in a reef tank unless you  attach an encrusting coral like cynphastrea on it which will allow the cynphastrea to cover it completely.

[Lula_Mae]

I think metrokat did a whimsical little pico once with decorations like a picnic table and stuff. It's the kind of thing that most people don't do but if you want to, it probably won't hurt anything. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

There's actually nothing wrong adding it to your tank. I loved Kat's picnic table - that was quite cute. But make sure that if you're putting any ornament in, the paint doesn't flake off or leach anything into the water. Usually, aquarium-grade ornaments aren't toxic in freshwater, but I'm unsure if there'll be any reaction in prolonged exposure to saltwater. The reason most reefers don't put any ornaments in the tank is because they favor a more 'natural' look to their set-ups. But if you really like this thing, you might as well put it in. Clown gave a good idea of letting some coral encrust on it - it'll look really badass in the long-term. 🙂