Current, do I have enough?

[zizmans]

I have a 7 gal bowfront, w an aquaclear 200. Does that unit give enough current? I was thinking about adding a mini-jet. Can you have too much? I have 7 lbs of LR. one of the rocks is getting more algea than the others so I'm thinking I might have a dead spot there. Also, when you clean your equiptment, skimmer etc...I know with large tanks the people I've talked to use the 25% water they take out for the change. I can't see having enough with a nano. Do you use fresh RO, salt, tap water?

[zizmans]

Oh, I plan to have a mated pair of perculas. I'll move them if they get too bug. And an anenome, haven't decided what kind yet.

[zizmans]

I'D REALLY APPRECIATE ANY VIEWS ON THIS!

[zizmans]

Well thank you very much for the views. I'm not trying to be an a-hole here, I just need some advice. Before posting this thread, I did try searching "current" "enough current" "ph", to no avail. Please give me your opinion on my question. I am with-holding any additions to my tank befors I get a response. Thank you.

[Brianc_4]

DAMN SETTLE DOWN!!

 

Your post was up for a whopping ONE day without a response. You have only been on this board for one week, So you reply three times and get sarcastic. Give me a f****n' break!! People have lives, give your post a couple of days before you get all huffy that there is no response. Hey, look you got a response!!

 

Add another powerhead, you want at least two sources of current/countercurrent to create some turbulence and inconsistency in the water flow. Wash your equipment with the same water you use for top off.

Word of advice....practice on your patience, you will need it in this hobby.

Good luck

[zizmans]

Fair enough. I suck. I appreciate your advice. I got so much bad advice to start with that 3 months later, my patience is gone. Sorry. I admit, I have had a few soda-pops this evening. It has been longer than a day, but whatever. After reading as many posts as I could from this sight I asked advice from the people that seemed the most knowledgable. (spelling?) I remember what a life was like, I actually got laid every night, now I look for microscopic worms under a mag. glass. Tell you what, if you live in the Seattle area. Give me a call, 425)823-1142. I will give you free drinks and free cover in Pioneer Square for a little help.

[AZDesertRat]

First off, what are you running in the 200? Is it just for circulation? I would normally run it empty and only add carbon or other media as needed. Secondly, how long has your tank been set up? Next, what is your lighting, what is the lighting period, how high is your rock stacked and is the rock that is growing the algae on top? Maybe your lights are on too long or are too intense. What is the water temperature? How many fish do you have and how often do you do water changes? What test kits do you have/use and what are your nitrate and phosphate levels?

 

There are a lot of things that can contribute to algae growth.

 

As to your other questions, yes I would definitely use RO/DI water, add a Minijet or small Rio type powerhead(notice I said Rio type as some people have heartburn with Rio although I use two Rio 50s in my 20g). As far as cleaning my equipment, maybe I am a little lax but I just use tap water and do a final rinse with my RO water. Hope this helps.

[LiQuiD]

Ditto, get yourself a small PH for additional current.

[zizmans]

OK. I ahve 7 lbs of live rock, 10 lbs of live sand, jbj 36 watt combo, 4 weeks long, is my set up, I tried to stack my rock so that it ended up[ about 4 inches from top of water. I use "fastest" kits. 12 hours. no fish yet. Only RO water. In the 200 is my piccolo skimmer and a bag of reef carbon.

[AZDesertRat]

Ditch the test kits and go with Salifert. I also learned the hard way. You get what you pay for and Salifert is the best. What have you used to cycle the tank? A lot of people suggest the dead shrimp method now days and I wish I had done that 13 years ago when I set up my 20H. 3 months ago my 3 stripe damsel finally died,He was the very first fish I added in 1990 to cycle the tank and could never get him out of the tank after that. I was able to trap a Coral Beauty and a Hippo Tang but he was too smart and got fat and sassy as well as too large forthe tank causing a big bio load.

During the cycle process you don't need lighting for 12 hours. I would almost bet if you shut the lights off ofr two days your algae would disappear. I just set my son up a 135 and he was experiencing the same thing. Once we shut the lights off for a few days the algae went away. He added a couple turbo snails ( probably too big and would bulldoze their way through a nano) and some small hermits and the tank still looks good.

I too use a skimmer contrary to what some believe.

I am in the process of setting up a second nano using a ViaAqua 418W 15 gallon glass tank with rounded corners. I already have a MiniJet 606, Aquaclear Mini and Seaclone to start with. I plan on a Percula clown, six line wrasse and clown goby with assorted snails and hermits for clean up. I have about 20 lbs of rock and 30 lbs of sand cycling in another holding tank until the new one arrives. I am getting excited just thinking about it. My 20 is so crowded I need to thin out the corals before they kill each other.

[logicalreef]

Yes, increase the circulation if you can. Thats probalby ot the sole cause of the algea though, could be a number of things. Be patient, you will get some great advice here over time, just as your reef will become great over time.

 

I'll get more detailed tomorrow after some needed sleep.

 

Peace, Bryan

[coralreeferkim]

You're learning, as am I, that people can gtty

huffy on here sometimes. I'm glad you liked my reply

to "snails and hermits", God's honest truth, man. To

be totally honest, I don't really know what the flow rate

is on that pump. Please do not assume I am an "expert"

because I have been lucky with a 55g and I am forever

putting in my 2 cents on everything.(I am an insomniac,

who gets mighty bored late). I use my siphoned water

for rinsing my filters, but I only do a 10% change weekly.

I will use conditioned tap water if that isn't enough. I

also am pretty new to the nano side of the issue,(look

up how many times I"VE been flamed!) Right now, all I

have in my nano is some LR from my 55, 2 small transplanted

rics, snails, hermits, a sponge crab and an arrow crab.

I have a small wet-dry filter, one 50/50 florescent and

that's it!

I know that nanos are more challenging, but sometimes

I wonder if people try to make things harder than they

need to be. (My 55's on Berlin, easy). As for the pygmy

my guess is no, in a tank that size, but what the hell do

I know?! . Long live soda pops and reefs!!!!!

[lizbeth]

Dearest Ziz, Yep kick up the current! In my 5.5 I run an AQ 200 at half throttle plus a Zoomed micro pump. If I turn the AQ all the way up it digs a hole in the sand.

 

I use Catalina Natural water for my infrequent water changes and top off with RO from the .25 water machine. To wash the tanks stuff I use plain old tap water. (shhhh, I've topped off with conditioned tap water when I was too lazy to get Ro)

 

Algae is natural, especially in a new tank. First you might get diatom, then you could get some purty red slime, then you graduate to green hair. This too shall pass, have another soda pop. Enjoy the ride. Do your weekly water changes, cut your lighting back a little. If your water tests ok add your clowns.

 

Night, night, I'm going to bed.