29 gallon: R.E.E.F Tank

[ECLS Reefer]

No joke. I have a ginormous bioload on my Evo and it requires everyday attention. And still haven’t quite figured out its rhythm yet. 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

9 hours ago, OverCookedRock said:

Hear me out but if you keep the maroon clown, maybe get rid of the false perc. Annnnd maaaaybe one more fish you'll have dramatically less algae issues. 

 

Trust me. You'll be amazed how much less algae you'll have. 1 or 2 fish can make a huge difference in nano reefs. 

 

You'll notice the people on the forum who never have algae issues or always have crystal clear tanks prob have a minimal bioload. 

 

Food for thought. 

I was actually considering this, bc the false perc is annoying the heck out of carpet nem.

Maybe the fire fish too

[Matteo]

7 hours ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

I was actually considering this, bc the false perc is annoying the heck out of carpet nem.

Maybe the fire fish too

Personally I like Clowns, Firefish, and Cardinals to be in pairs. I just think they look better in a pair but if you had a more "niche" tank with the Maroon being the bad ass of the tank along with keep the watchman goby

 

The solo clown and solo Firefish to me seem like your best bet. Also the day that carpet gets too annoyed is the day you find a clown tail sticking out of its mouth 😞 

 

Also regarding algae fixes:

 

1. feed sparsely maybe 3 times a week. (Organism don't need constant food, they thrive under certain stresses)

2. scrub glass and rockwork prior to water change 

3. short light cycle. Seriously do like 6-8hrs max, it should help. 

4. Keep tank topped off regularly as in many of your post the water level is below the filter causing bubbles and trickling. 

5. MORE FLOW MORE FLOW MORE FLOW. You could definitely benefit from a second power head or a much larger single power head. How many GPH is it? 

 

More than anything though like some mentioned, for a crystal clear tank you may need to scrub glass every day. I can let my tank go for about 3-4 days without scrubbing but my bioload is low and I have everything settling in. 

 

You will also notice that months down the road if you do what many on here have been suggesting you will find great success and algae won't be the issues but finding room for coral will! 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

28 minutes ago, OverCookedRock said:

Personally I like Clowns, Firefish, and Cardinals to be in pairs. I just think they look better in a pair but if you had a more "niche" tank with the Maroon being the bad ass of the tank along with keep the watchman goby

 

The solo clown and solo Firefish to me seem like your best bet. Also the day that carpet gets too annoyed is the day you find a clown tail sticking out of its mouth 😞 

 

Also regarding algae fixes:

 

1. feed sparsely maybe 3 times a week. (Organism don't need constant food, they thrive under certain stresses)

2. scrub glass and rockwork prior to water change 

3. short light cycle. Seriously do like 6-8hrs max, it should help. 

4. Keep tank topped off regularly as in many of your post the water level is below the filter causing bubbles and trickling. 

5. MORE FLOW MORE FLOW MORE FLOW. You could definitely benefit from a second power head or a much larger single power head. How many GPH is it? 

 

More than anything though like some mentioned, for a crystal clear tank you may need to scrub glass every day. I can let my tank go for about 3-4 days without scrubbing but my bioload is low and I have everything settling in. 

 

You will also notice that months down the road if you do what many on here have been suggesting you will find great success and algae won't be the issues but finding room for coral will! 

Before replying to any of this, I’m having a problem with the carpet nem?!! I just got home and he’s really small but he’s still attached to the rock? He’s not letting off zooanxanthelle(sorry if I butchered that). What could be wrong? 

Everything else is good. Long tentacle looks great

[Outofstock]

42 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

Before replying to any of this, I’m having a problem with the carpet nem?!! I just got home and he’s really small but he’s still attached to the rock? He’s not letting off zooanxanthelle(sorry if I butchered that). What could be wrong? 

Everything else is good. Long tentacle looks great

Ever have a bad day? Corals/Anemones can have them too. Give it a few days see what happens. 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Nems are moody bitches. Even the rock flower nems do some strange things.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

32 minutes ago, Outofstock said:

Ever have a bad day? Corals/Anemones can have them too. Give it a few days see what happens. 

 

26 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

Nems are moody bitches. Even the rock flower nems do some strange things.

Yea, I was freaking out over nothing. He was just a hungry nem and wanted fed🤷‍♂️. He’s on his way to puffing back up

I feed every 2 days, maybe I didn’t feed him enough last time. I’ve tried to reduce feeding, bc I wanted to lower nutrients. He must be getting mad at me for that

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

I just found these things in my closet. Can’t remember when I got them. Are they useful at all?😂

[Matteo]

48 minutes ago, EthanPhillyCheesesteak said:

 

Yea, I was freaking out over nothing. He was just a hungry nem and wanted fed🤷‍♂️. He’s on his way to puffing back up

I feed every 2 days, maybe I didn’t feed him enough last time. I’ve tried to reduce feeding, bc I wanted to lower nutrients. He must be getting mad at me for that

IMO you're for sure over feeding them. Nems get most their juice from photosynthesis. 

 

I give my nem some mysis like maybe once a week even less. 

 

Also no nem deflates if hungry. If anything they make themselves larger so they have a better chance of catching food. 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

My rock flowers only eat scraps floating in the water from when I feed my fish. I usually don't directly feed them. If I do maybe once a month. I'm also trying to keep feedings down slightly as well though.

[Matteo]

5 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

My rock flowers only eat scraps floating in the water from when I feed my fish. I usually don't directly feed them. If I do maybe once a month. I'm also trying to keep feedings down slightly as well though.

Yeah man many organisms don't need fed frequently. I sometimes forget to feed my clowns for over 3-4 days. 

 

Keep yourself and your animals thinner and we and they will live longer. Science Bruh. 

 

But Ethan stop feeding them so damn much 😂 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Just now, OverCookedRock said:

Yeah man many organisms don't need fed frequently. I sometimes forget to feed my clowns for over 3-4 days. 

 

Keep yourself and your animals thinner and we and they will live longer. Science Bruh. 

 

But Ethan stop feeding them so damn much 😂 

Yeah we do seem to over feed animals that don't require as much food as us. I have been told smaller feedings a little more frequently is better than one big feeding.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

3 hours ago, OverCookedRock said:

Yeah man many organisms don't need fed frequently. I sometimes forget to feed my clowns for over 3-4 days. 

 

Keep yourself and your animals thinner and we and they will live longer. Science Bruh. 

 

But Ethan stop feeding them so damn much 😂 

Oh, well then I’ll slow down on the feedings😂

What about that de-nitrate?

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

4/11/19 I must be doing something right, bc usually the tank would’ve been covered in algae by now.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

Since I’m just sitting around and waiting and doing whatever you guys say to clean and everything else, I decided to start my other tank thread back up again. I added the instant ocean salt mix too it, and attached the heater. In the morning when the salt is dissolved, I will add the sand and live rock. Now let me remind you that everything that it going into this tank was just laying around in my closet. I didn’t waste any money. 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

It’s just a small side project. It costs me no money and is fun. Still might go with the idea of a hitchhiker tank or a species only tank. 

[Tamberav]

Livestock costs money to put in it 😛

 

Salt... water changes 😛

 

 

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

8 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Livestock costs money to put in it 😛

 

Salt... water changes 😛

 

 

I’m not putting any livestock in it for like 4 or 5 months

No need to worry. Water doesn’t cost me anything either

I have enough salt left over to change 30 gallons of water

So no need to worry😁

[Snow_Phoenix]

Since you're still relatively new to reefing, I think it would be best to concentrate all your efforts on one tank first (this tank). Once you have this tank stabilized, then you can always start up other systems. 🙂 

 

Having multiple setups won't make a problem in this current tank go away or resolve on its own - in fact, having extra tanks requires extra work + care + time + resources + effort. You might not feel the pinch now, but you will feel it eventually. Even WCing your 'second' tank will consume your time and eventually patience. Your attention will also be split between two tanks - if something goes wrong in one, you'll have to hyperfocus on it and its issues, and you might accidently end up neglecting the other one in the process. 

 

So maybe just focus on your 29G reef first? You do already have a lot of people giving you help/encouragement/advice in this thread. You're in good hands. You just need to apply yourself, hold off any extra purchases and find your footing. In the meantime, do a lot of reading and researching. If you want something (eg. livestock etc.) in the future, try to plan for it for as much as possible. It'll save you a lot of time and money, trust me on that one. 

 

Just my two cents. 

[kimberbee]

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

6 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Since you're still relatively new to reefing, I think it would be best to concentrate all your efforts on one tank first (this tank). Once you have this tank stabilized, then you can always start up other systems. 🙂 

 

Having multiple setups won't make a problem in this current tank go away or resolve on its own - in fact, having extra tanks requires extra work + care + time + resources + effort. You might not feel the pinch now, but you will feel it eventually. Even WCing your 'second' tank will consume your time and eventually patience. Your attention will also be split between two tanks - if something goes wrong in one, you'll have to hyperfocus on it and its issues, and you might accidently end up neglecting the other one in the process. 

 

So maybe just focus on your 29G reef first? You do already have a lot of people giving you help/encouragement/advice in this thread. You're in good hands. You just need to apply yourself, hold off any extra purchases and find your footing. In the meantime, do a lot of reading and researching. If you want something (eg. livestock etc.) in the future, try to plan for it for as much as possible. It'll save you a lot of time and money, trust me on that one. 

 

Just my two cents. 

Ok, maybe your right. You think that it would be ok if I just got it cycling for now? I literally will just leave it alone and focus on my 29 until then. 

I was kinda thinking about making it into a hospital tank for fish and corals. Don’t have one

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

My 29 is really looking better. I changed my lighting schedule also. That may have helped a bit. I changed it from 10 in the morning to 10 at night, to 12 to 9. That may help with algae a bit. I also did a 20% water change last night.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

I’m going to myrtle beach over my spring break. I’m planning on hitting a bunch of LFS’s down there. I have 100 to spend at them. Anything in particular I should look for? I still need a better wavemaker. I’m thinking about a gyre. From icecap. They also have a nem protector.

[EthanPhillyCheesesteak]

I’m already ordering the sand vacuum online and a stainless steel algae cleaner.

[SliceGolfer]

If you’re manually topping off water due to evaporation, I would buy an ATO. Or make one from DIY projects listed here on NR. ATO adds stability.