Everyone in the tank seems happy, But... for the past two days, the clam and snails have not been out much.
with a nitrate of 50ppm that isnt too suprising that the inverts are beginning to show signs of stress.
I have a 24gal Nano Cube, 30 lbs live rock, and 10 lbs crushed coral base (live).
Fish:
1 Coral Beauty 1.5" to 2"
1 Bi-Color Blenny 2"
2 Ocellaris Clowns .5" & 1.5"
Clean-up Crew:
1 Skunk Shrimp
1 Fire Shrimp
39 red legged Mexican Hermit Crabs
6 Zebra Hermit Crabs
4 Turbo Snails
1 small Red Footed Conch
1 Feather Duster
1 Waving Hands Coral (growing huge quick)
1 Conclea Clam
1 Bubble Anemone
that is a crap-ton of critters to have in basically a 20g tank and expect it to be stable with such comparatively minor filtration
Tank Conditions:
NO2 Nitrite Level 0.05-0.1 ppm
NO4 Nitrate Level 50 ppm
Alk Alkalinity Level 1.7-2.8 milli equaivalents per liter
NH3/NH4+ Ammonia Level 0.25 ppm
pH 7.8 - 8.0
PO4 0-0.1
Temp 78F-79F Degrees
well, you want your ammonia to be zero, your alkalinity is low, your ph is WAY low! are you buffering your top off water with ph/kh buffer? are you useing purified ro water?
PhosBan Phosphate Adsorption Media 25g (change once a month)
Carbon bag (change once a month)
phosban is a poor phos absorber, try rowaphos, and carbon in such a small system with no skimmer should be changed out every week.
for other medias to help with your nutrient levels, look at "purigen" by sea chem, and "poly filter" by i cant remember who
both are fairly available at most saltwater stores worth thier beans.
Food:
Emerald Entre Tropical Food (every other day)
Prime Reef 1/3 Cube (every other day) w/ Cyclop EEZE Freezer Bar (little addition)
make sure you defrost & rinse your food cubes in ro water before feeding, so your not putting that "food brine" in the tank
Twice a week:
Add 6ML ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System Component NO.1
Add 6ML ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System Component NO.2
thats fine for a nano, but make sure you remember to buff up that top off water!!!
