29 gallon: R.E.E.F Tank

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

1 hour ago, jedimasterben said:

The pic you posted with the arrow doesn't point to anything that can be seen with that resolution. 🤷‍♀️

 

I’m sorry, but it’s hard to get a super clear picture with an iPhone camera. A better camera is not on my list of priorities😂

1 hour ago, kimberbee said:

It's probably a false mouth. I'm surprised you didn't know that. Just like butterflies have false eyes to confuse birds, some corals have false mouths to confuse scavengers. Like @Tamberav said, shrimp will try to pull food out of the mouths of corals, but with a false mouth, they will pick the wrong mouth and won't get the food. 

You use sarcasm and jokes way to much😂

[jedimasterben]

1 hour ago, kimberbee said:

It's probably a false mouth. I'm surprised you didn't know that. Just like butterflies have false eyes to confuse birds, some corals have false mouths to confuse scavengers. Like @Tamberav said, shrimp will try to pull food out of the mouths of corals, but with a false mouth, they will pick the wrong mouth and won't get the food. 

I wish I could react to this twice 😂

[jedimasterben]

But at any rate, like @Tamberav mentioned, any cleanup crew is not going to reduce your bioload or turn the algae into anything else, they'll just crap it out so that it's possible for your skimmer to remove from the water. Your best bet for algae removal are trochus and astraea snails. Those two are, by far, the best workhorses you can buy. Nassarius snails don't do a particularly good job of sifting through sand beds (despite being 'well known' for it), though they can help to find larger bits of food and break them down for easier skimmer removal. The best option is to stir parts of the sandbed every week or two. When I do water changes in my tank (every few months) I stir the sand bed with all the pumps off and then siphon out basically all of the water in the tank to make sure I get as much of that gunk out, and then let the skimmer handle the rest.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

5 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

But at any rate, like @Tamberav mentioned, any cleanup crew is not going to reduce your bioload or turn the algae into anything else, they'll just crap it out so that it's possible for your skimmer to remove from the water. Your best bet for algae removal are trochus and astraea snails. Those two are, by far, the best workhorses you can buy. Nassarius snails don't do a particularly good job of sifting through sand beds (despite being 'well known' for it), though they can help to find larger bits of food and break them down for easier skimmer removal. The best option is to stir parts of the sandbed every week or two. When I do water changes in my tank (every few months) I stir the sand bed with all the pumps off and then siphon out basically all of the water in the tank to make sure I get as much of that gunk out, and then let the skimmer handle the rest.

So what’s the best thing to get rid of film algae? I haven’t really been stirring my sand bed a bunch, bc it really pisses off my nems.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

I want to also do a lights off for 3 days or more, but everything looks like it’s dying whenever I try that. Are you sure that it would be safe?

[Tamberav]

If your nems get pissed about the sand....it sounds like it's dirty and full of silt. 😞 Can you siphon it so you get the filth out without it getting into the water column much?

 

All my snails eat film...I have a mix... A Mexican turbo..some normal cernith plus dwarf cerniths and nerites...a few nass to catch fish food....hermit's...a conch and trochus. The rocks stay clean except for some pest macro that no one seems to like...even the urchin just wants it as a hat  Glass has to be cleaned regardless of CUC.

 

I don't do lights out except for dino so idk enough about that except the algae will probably return. Sounds like the sand is yucky.

 

[jedimasterben]

4 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

So what’s the best thing to get rid of film algae? I haven’t really been stirring my sand bed a bunch, bc it really pisses off my nems.

Astraea and trochus will eat different film algae, but it's not really a big issue. Your anemones shouldn't really care if the sand is stirred up and in the water column unless the water continues to be cloudy for days, which would be a problem.

 

Lights off periods won't really hurt anything unless it is already super stressed out. Corals, nems, and even algae will be fine, storms happen all the time and stir up sediment keeping light super low for several days.

[kimberbee]

1 hour ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

You use sarcasm and jokes way to much😂

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

41 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

If your nems get pissed about the sand....it sounds like it's dirty and full of silt. 😞 Can you siphon it so you get the filth out without it getting into the water column much?

 

All my snails eat film...I have a mix... A Mexican turbo..some normal cernith plus dwarf cerniths and nerites...a few nass to catch fish food....hermit's...a conch and trochus. The rocks stay clean except for some pest macro that no one seems to like...even the urchin just wants it as a hat  Glass has to be cleaned regardless of CUC.

 

I don't do lights out except for dino so idk enough about that except the algae will probably return. Sounds like the sand is yucky.

 

Yea, I think I’ll just replace the sand bed

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

41 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

Astraea and trochus will eat different film algae, but it's not really a big issue. Your anemones shouldn't really care if the sand is stirred up and in the water column unless the water continues to be cloudy for days, which would be a problem.

 

Lights off periods won't really hurt anything unless it is already super stressed out. Corals, nems, and even algae will be fine, storms happen all the time and stir up sediment keeping light super low for several days.

I’ve done it before, and on the third day my nem was up floating around being all grumpy. After I turned the lights back on tho, he found a spot that he liked and hasn’t moved since

[jedimasterben]

It probably wasn't happy with its spot to begin with.

[Matteo]

3 hours ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

I’m sorry, but it’s hard to get a super clear picture with an iPhone camera. A better camera is not on my list of priorities😂

You use sarcasm and jokes way to much😂

What iPhone Gen do you have? 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

56 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

It probably wasn't happy with its spot to begin with.

Oh ok, well that’s good to know

31 minutes ago, OverCookedRock said:

What iPhone Gen do you have? 

8

Wish I could afford a 10

[WV Reefer]

1 minute ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

Oh ok, well that’s good to know

8

Wish I could afford a 10

All of my photos were with an older iPhone than that up until two months ago. 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

7 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

All of my photos were with an older iPhone than that up until two months ago. 

Well I’m just using the regular camera, not the paid app to take good pictures 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

Would it be smart if I bought some Macroalgae to lower my nutrients? I could introduce some so it could fight the nuisance algae?

I want your opinions before making a decision 

[WV Reefer]

6 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

Well I’m just using the regular camera, not the paid app to take good pictures 

I don’t use an app. I’m not even sure what you are talking about. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

4 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

I don’t use an app. I’m not even sure what you are talking about. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oh, there’s an app on the AppStore that someone told me about in my journal a while back. It’s like 2.99

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

What about a fuge? What if I get a hang on fuge? I could introduce some chaeto to it? Would this help with lowering nutrients?

I don’t know much about refugiums, so don’t criticize me for asking this

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

Or I have a 7.5 gallon tank just sitting around, could transform that into a fuge? How would I do this? How would I create a pump and everything?

[mitten_reef]

7 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

What about a fuge? What if I get a hang on fuge? I could introduce some chaeto to it? Would this help with lowering nutrients?

I don’t know much about refugiums, so don’t criticize me for asking this

Would you stop with the new idea already?  This is why I said you’ve barely figured out the basics. 

 

Clean your glass, siphon your sand (look up python sand siphon), change your water and filter media (the inserts inside your aqua clear) regularly. Understand the basics and get it right, or no new accessories will be able to help you. Accessories are mostly meant for convenience AFTER you understand the basics. Otherwise, it only causes more areas that you need to understand and troubleshoot when problems occur.  @WV Reefer runs her tank with just power heads and heater, no filter, no skimmer, no fuge, and yet she has tank of the month. Many TOTM runs less equipment than you do, so GET THE BASICS!!!!!!!

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

12 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

Would you stop with the new idea already?  This is why I said you’ve barely figured out the basics. 

 

Clean your glass, siphon your sand (look up python sand siphon), change your water and filter media (the inserts inside your aqua clear) regularly. Understand the basics and get it right, or no new accessories will be able to help you. Accessories are mostly meant for convenience AFTER you understand the basics. Otherwise, it only causes more areas that you need to understand and troubleshoot when problems occur.  @WV Reefer runs her tank with just power heads and heater, no filter, no skimmer, no fuge, and yet she has tank of the month. Many TOTM runs less equipment than you do, so GET THE BASICS!!!!!!!

Wow, I literally said not to criticize me. It was just an idea. You could’ve said(instead of yelling and putting it the way you put it), that would not be a very good idea. I would’ve understood. I don’t know much about fuges and sumps. I’m just trying to find ways to help my situation. I didn’t know if we might’ve left something out.

[jedimasterben]

1 hour ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

Would it be smart if I bought some Macroalgae to lower my nutrients? I could introduce some so it could fight the nuisance algae?

I want your opinions before making a decision 

Not unless you feed basically nothing.

37 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

What about a fuge? What if I get a hang on fuge? I could introduce some chaeto to it? Would this help with lowering nutrients?

I don’t know much about refugiums, so don’t criticize me for asking this

Unless your refugium has a better light than your display and is also around half the size or larger, then it won't be of much benefit realistically.

[Tamberav]

I love macro algae in the display, it is beautiful. However if the tank is imbalanced, pest algae will grow on the macro and try to smother it. Macro seems to do amazing at keeping nutrients down when established in a balanced tank but can't out compete GHA, especially frags of it you would start with.

 

It may be something to consider once your tank is balanced to add color and let grow into colonies to help keep the tank clean. It sort of needs to get there first though. 

 

Don't toss the sand out, the new stuff will eventually get dirty too.

 

Do you have a aquarium vaccume? https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Aquarium-Siphon-Cleaner-10-Inch/dp/B004RK405A/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=gravel+siphon&qid=1554750408&s=gateway&sr=8-14

 

If not you need one.... and a turkey baster.... and a glass scraper. That is all I use to manually clean my tank. Maybe a cheap toothbrush and tweezers once and awhile to remove a pest. 

 

This is what I do:

 

Water change once a week and clean sand during

Scrape glass 2-3 times a week

Change floss 2-3 times a week

Turkey baste rocks twice a week depending how its looking

 

Don't really have to put hands in tank for most of that btw... more or less just changing media and stirring things up so the filter can catch it. 

 

Once a month I clean the pumps/filters ect... remove and scrub with toothbrush and vinegar. 

[mitten_reef]

15 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

Wow, I literally said not to criticize me. It was just an idea. You could’ve said(instead of yelling and putting it the way you put it), that would not be a very good idea. I would’ve understood. I don’t know much about fuges and sumps. I’m just trying to find ways to help my situation. I didn’t know if we might’ve left something out.

What you left out is your detailed routine maintenance! ALL OF YOUR ALGAE ISSUES are indicative of poor maintenance.  How often do you clean your aqua clear filter, and refresh/clean the media? How much and often do you do water change?  So again, get the basics. And read all the TOTM!! If you want to be successful, read what successful people do, don’t just hang out in your own thread. Go read TOTM features and Pick one that resonates with you, and outline your future maintenance plan. You have all the equipment to run a decent tank. It’s your laziness or lack of commitment that is the issue here. 

 

Link to TOTM: https://www.nano-reef.com/featured/