Budget driven 75 gallon

[Wonderboy]

I agree, probably bacteria bloom do to change in oxygen availability. I would say just ride it out - if the snails seem to not be handling it well or if it gets more cloudy, WC and then test/share parameters.

[Kyle99]

@Wonderboy will do! Thanks for the reasurance. Btw i just found out about your build. That this is sick. Diffrent seeing it sunk in to the stand.

[Kyle99]

Quick update: 1 month and 1 day

Good news the tank is all cleared up! I did get worried for a minute becaus the room began to get a pickle smell. The smell Went away but makes me wonder if i droped a pickle in my room somewhere..... 

 

Also good news im getting light hues of pink and green on the rock! 

 

My turbo is keeping the hair alge under control (im not saying its bryopsis yet because im not 100%) 

 

 my chaeto that began as just a few stands (all my lfs had. It was free) is now a golf ball size.  All im using is a timer a clamp light from home deepockets and a cheap "grow" light buld they sell. (Reversed light cycle) 

 

I found one of those hitch hiker star fish in my sump. (The ones that invade the tank and are always missing one arm or two) 

 

Finnaly, heres a noob question. What is my skimmer pulling from the tank if all i have in the tank is the snails? 

 

[seabass]

25 minutes ago, Kyle99 said:

What is my skimmer pulling from the tank if all i have in the tank is the snails?

I assume various dissolved organics.  It could be from biological processes (like from the snails, micro-inverts, and protist), but might also include bacteria and the breakdown of algae.

[Kyle99]

Everyone say hello to my two first fish. They are babies unfortunately but it will be cool to see them grow out. 

 

They are missbar clowns. 

 

I have great green algy growth and also some purple and pink spots coming in!

 

 

 

 

[Kyle99]

Tested all my parameters for the test kits i have 

 

Nitrates 4ppm 

Nitrites DNT

Alk 8 dkh 

Ammonia 0 

ph 8.2 

 

I feel very accomplished for these numbers. Ik it doesnt matter for being this new but thats the lowest ive ever seen nitrates in my tanks. 

 

I am currently doing 1 week 15ish gal water changes. Tomorrow is wc day. But i am debating on jjumping to a 2 week wc schedule as thats what the futrue will be. Idk what do yall think? 

 

Also my clows (added tuesday) split up the chose oposite ends of the tank. Both swimming strait up in the corners. Woth them being small shouldi cut a power head or two? Should they be able to handle two 1200gph power heads and the return being that small? 

 

[Kyle99]

Update down to one power head. My hydo went clunk and wasnt spinning after i pluged jt back in. I went to shake/thump it and it shocked me through the water. Its 8+ years old tho so not worried. Just time for dc now. 

[mcarroll]

On 9/6/2019 at 12:09 AM, Kyle99 said:

pickle smell

How often are (or were) you cleaning your skimmer?    

 

Lactic acid from fementation is a good part of pickle smell...there's a good chance your skimmate is (was) fermenting and all the air flow carrying the "lovely scent" out into your living space.  (Often just vinegar in commercially made pickles.)

 

On 9/6/2019 at 12:09 AM, Kyle99 said:

My turbo is keeping the hair alge under control (im not saying its bryopsis yet because im not 100%)

Good news!  As long as you (and the snails) stay on top of it, it's actual ID won't really matter.  🙂

 

On 9/6/2019 at 12:09 AM, Kyle99 said:

my chaeto that began as just a few stands (all my lfs had. It was free) is now a golf ball size.

I'd keep it no larger than golf ball sized since your system doesn't have much in the way of free nutrients an chaeto is a nutrient pig.  IMO I wouldn't add chaeto until the corals were more established....and then only if it still seemed necessary.

 

On 9/6/2019 at 12:09 AM, Kyle99 said:

I found one of those hitch hiker star fish in my sump. (The ones that invade the tank and are always missing one arm or two)

Excellent freebie cleanup crew.   A welcome invasion, if invasion is the word you wanna use. 😉 

 

 

3 hours ago, Kyle99 said:

I feel very accomplished for these numbers. Ik it doesnt matter for being this new but thats the lowest ive ever seen nitrates in my tanks.

Don't turn test numbers into a competition for yourself or with anyone else.  

 

Lower numbers (or higher) aren't "better".

 

In fact numbers are really beside the point:  you're trying to create a balanced ecosystem.

 

Balance is possible under many nutrient circumstances.

 

Stability is the key factor.   Stable-high, -medium or -low.  All can work.

 

What is to be avoided is having no nutrients.  Measuring zero for nitrates or phosphates would be considered worrisome at minimum in a new tank.  If left unchecked or reinforced as a condition it can become extremely problematic.  (Measuring zero's on a mature tank would be a different circumstance altogether, for what it's worth as a comparison.)

 

If you're keeping corals or other photosynthetic critters, there is one hard rule for phosphates that applied to them.....0.03 ppm is required by them to sustain photosynthesis.  So if you find phosphates lower than that, keep an eye on the level AND keep your eye on the tank for side effects.

 

If you're doing anything to specifically target phosphates for removal, stop.

 

If you think there's room to feed your fish more without over feeding, then do it.

 

If you're feeding mostly dry food, try to make the biggest switch you can to feeding frozen, fresh or live foods - it makes a difference!

 

P.S.  If there's any sign of weird algae growth and other measures aren't helping to increase phosphate levels, consider dosing phosphates (eg Seachem Flourish Phosphates) to bring levels up if that's what you have to do.   Hopefully you won't have to worry about anything like this tho! 😉 

 

1 hour ago, Kyle99 said:

Update down to one power head. My hydo went clunk and wasnt spinning after i pluged jt back in. I went to shake/thump it and it shocked me through the water. Its 8+ years old tho so not worried. Just time for dc now. 

Tunze's 6045 would be a well-considered "side-grade"...maybe upgrade...from the Hydor. (AC not DC.....here read this: “AC and DC Pumps” – Internet Reefer’s Decoder Ring)

 

If ya gotta have DC because you just gotta have DC, consider the 6040, 6055 or 6095.

 

They range in price from $75-ish up to $230 or so.

 

Spoiler

Turbelle® nanostream® 6045

 

Turbelle® nanostream® 6040

 

Turbelle® nanostream® 6055

 

Turbelle® nanostream® 6095

 

[mcarroll]

(sorry for the long post....)

[Kyle99]

20 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Don't turn test numbers into a competition for yourself or with anyone else.

Oh, i wasnt meaning it like that. My last tank was just a desaster buecause it never reached under 50ppm 

 

20 hours ago, mcarroll said:

there is one hard rule for phosphates that applied to them.....0.03 ppm is required by them to sustain photosynthesis.

Good to know! Ik with soft corals you need to be a little dirty im aiming for 10ppm nitrates as well. Idk what my phos is at the moment because im out of hannas reagent. 

19 hours ago, mcarroll said:

sorry for the long post....)

All is welcome. Very informative. Like i said before with out you guys i probably would not be as successful this far (ik im in the baby step portion of the tank but its the building blocks for the future) 

[Kyle99]

Quck update. 

• Clowns are happy. But they keep splitting up and rejoining. 
• I didnt do a waterchange last week to see how the tank reacted to a 2 week run time. 
• Wont be doing that again till later on. Had a slow growth of diatoms growing in the sand. Algae on the glass was a daily chore. Im guessing my nitrates or phisphates are high. 
• More pink and purple is showing 
• Found a flat worm. Appears to be harmless from what i have seen. 
• Pods exploded. 
• Also have found hydroids 

[Tamberav]

All normal for a new tank...the pods ect suddenly get to crazy numbers but will then die off and stabalize as the tank matures. Hydroids will likely dissapear and so on.

 

The clowns look cool...are they perculas? They sort of look like it to me.

[Kyle99]

First off, sorry for going silent. I have been trying to be more active in my local club. Its a small one so i would like to be active in it. 

 

Second, lets do a update. 

The bad 

• I lost one of my clowns. Jumped or hid and died idk. Long story short, he had a white haze to one side of him that didnt grow or show signs of velvet ich or anything of the sort. Just poof gone. 
• I went 2 weeks on a water change with heavy feeding and boom. Algey out break. Im back to the norm 1 week changes now and taking control again.

The good

• the other clown seems fine for now but keeping a very close eye. 
• some guys in the club hooked me up today with a few corals. Thanks to those guys. I received a colony of scrambled eggs, i think he said white zombies, a orange recordia, some brown polyp pallys, and a neon green hairy mushroom thats about 2in acrost at full spread. The colony it came from are 4+ inches across.

  On 9/26/2019 at 10:34 AM, Tamberav said:

  All normal for a new tank...the pods ect suddenly get to crazy numbers but will then die off and stabalize as the tank matures. Hydroids will likely dissapear and so on.

   

  The clowns look cool...are they perculas? They sort of look like it to me.

  Im not sure what they are tbh. I just know they are miss bar clowns. 

[Kyle99]

Gah i forgot the goodies. All photos are with whites and atenic on. 

 

Btw is it ok to mix clown fish? I need at add another clown to pair with after im sure theres no diseases in the tank 

[Tamberav]

3 hours ago, Kyle99 said:

Gah i forgot the goodies. All photos are with whites and atenic on. 

 

Btw is it ok to mix clown fish? I need at add another clown to pair with after im sure theres no diseases in the tank 

 

75g is generally not big enough for multiple pairs. When they mature they will fight.

[seabass]

4 hours ago, Kyle99 said:

Btw is it ok to mix clown fish? I need at add another clown to pair with

They have to be the same species; but it doesn't have to be another misbar.

[seabass]

Oh, and if you are getting a mate for an existing clownfish, get a juvenile that is notably smaller than the current fish.

[Kyle99]

10 hours ago, seabass said:

Oh, and if you are getting a mate for an existing clownfish, get a juvenile that is notably smaller than the current fish.

I ment to ask about that. I guess im gonna have to grow this one out some. When i bought these they seemed to be the smallest size you could posibly buy. 

[Kyle99]

Hello everyone!

its been a while..... too long.... 

here is a little update. i am now 5 months in. everything is going great! I am running a "dirty tank" not boy choice but that's just where it seems to sit. 25ppm nitrates. i have a lot of coral now 4 fish and everything is happy at this current time. 

 

fish: 

lawnmower bleny 

2 clowns 

1 damsel 

coral: 

ultra orange favia 

3 different zoas eagle eye, scrambled eggs, and one i dont know the name of. 

frog spawn 

a white tip torch 

green harry mushroom 

orange recordia that has split 3 times. 

green birds nest 

red monti cap

hollywood stunner 

and another type of sps idk the name of. 

 

just a shout out to my local club. 

most of these corals i recieved from people in my local hobby for next to nothing or free. i am entirely great full for all the help these guys have given me. 

 

for those who may be questioning about joing a club or interested in starting one. DO IT. Help grow the community and the hobby! 

 

i will post photos in a few mins. 

 

[Kyle99]

for got to add my rbta, and my kenya tree. 

[new-age]

I see the potential for a very nice tank.

[Kyle99]

11 hours ago, new-age said:

I see the potential for a very nice tank.

thank you. now you say potential. is their anything you would change? I'm open to advice or opinions. this is only my 2nd tank and my first tank that is going semi well.