algae and more

[stargazingmommy]

100 gallon long 100 lbs San(40 of it live), 60 or so lbs rock(some bought live), 4 chromis, 1occillaris clown, 2 snails of some kind. One small is in the process of cleaning of some rocks the other is sitting on the sand. When I put it on a rock out sticks to it but doesn't move, I half expect it to die. Water tested great except the ph was 8.4(but down from 8.8). Tanks been up and running about 6 wks. Eventual goal is to have a reef but starting with fish and going slow.
The algae is a new issue. We cut down on feeding and closed the blinds on the window near the tank.
Kids first question- would it help to keep the lights off most of the time. Right now they are on about 10 hrs.
2- what would be a good addition for clean up crew.
3- copapods. She wants to buy some and colonize the tank. She also wants to set up a smaller tank just for a copapods colony(goal with that is to get a mandarin eventually). Methods for going about this?
4- supplements, are there any she should be dosing the tank with now.
5- RO filter. She wants to get one instead of buying the water. She came across one on Amazon that's 100 gpd. It only has two reviews, both good, but it's pretty cheap compared to the others. So she's wondering if this unit will be worth it http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Reve...TF8&qid=1404896963&sr=8-30&keywords=ro+filter

I think that's all her questions for now...
Thanks for the help
That rock is nearly back to white on that side, he works fast

 

[NanaReefer]

I would cut lights down to 6-8hrs. With having no corals growing there's really no need to go longer.

Definitely more snails. 1 or 2 Mexican Turbos, 12-15 Cerith Snails and a couple of Scarlet Hermits which I found to be less aggressive towards snails then the Blue Leg Hermits.

With that much rock you won't need to culture Copepods separately. You can buy some initially and seed the tank, and the pods will take off from there.

As for now no supplements are needed. May never need them. Most are money makers anyways IMO

I'm personally not familiar with that RO/DI unit. Seems to be ok. But a good unit is not something I would skimp on. They are worth their weight in gold when it comes to our tanks. Spectra Pure 4 or 5 stage units are great as are those found at Bulk Reef Supply's.

Good luck and I hope I've been of some help

 

[stargazingmommy]

Lots of help thanks! Of the live rock she only bought two chunks, the rest was left over from her uncle's tank that he took down years ago. It was beyond dead. Like sitting in his yard covered in court and leaves. She soaked them, scrubbed them, bleached them, soaked, rinse, more soaking and rising.

 

[user 26995]

I agree with Nana. The RO/DI unit, it is mostly the filters you use and how many. dont know what kind of filters that one uses or if you can get them easily. I personally too, would spend a few extra for a unit from Bulk Reef Supply or The Filter Guys or Air Water & Ice.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems.html
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/
http://www.airwaterice.com/

I use and recommend the 5 stage units. 75 gal gal per day units. unless you have a 500gal or larger tank to do water changes on, I dont see the need for 100 gpd or bigger unit. dont think there is much of a cost difference though.

 

[stargazingmommy]

Thanks, got them book marked. Another question about filtration. She eventually wants a sump set up, but at the moment cost is preventing that(mom helped with initial set up and stuff, but the rest is up to her...well moms still helping but it's supposed to be all on her) She has a canister filter for now. What kind of things should she have in the b baskets? Currently 2 have cotton floss and one has activated carbon.

 

[user 26995]

She has a canister filter for now. What kind of things should she have in the b baskets? Currently 2 have cotton floss and one has activated carbon.

thats all she really needs in that filter.

get a used 40 long or 40 B tank for the sump. someone is bound to have one on craigs list. I used plexi from home depot to make the baffles and sealed them in with aquarium silicone.

she will need an overflow box. Eshopps is a good brand. I use them and have never had a problem with them.
a return pump. I use eheim 1250 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4587+4604&pcatid=4604 on all my tanks. I have the 1250 on my 90.

 

[Blue Lip]

Invest in a good protein skimmer. Skimmers that sell for around $100 are usually junk.

 

[NanaReefer]

Invest in a good protein skimmer. Skimmers that sell for around $100 are usually junk.

Totally disagree here I purchased the SCA-301 rated 65g for $89.00 and this skimmer rocks! Check it out!


Sent from my iPhone 4s via Tapatalk.

 

[stargazingmommy]

Right now she has a sea clone skimmer, the 100 gallon one. So far it seems to be working really well.
Looking at the eshopps overflow boxes, would the 800 be adequate or should we go higher? Single or dual?

 

[stargazingmommy]

It all seems so complicated to me. I've only had fish only tanks before but had an awesome well balanced system. Water was always perfect, never did water changes(water was tested a couple times a week). Oh, I take that back, I did have a few anemones and stars, and a clean up crew, just no corals. That was around 15 years ago, and had it up for 6 yrs. Took it down after a heater incident(cat knocked plug loose, temp dropped to 58, couldn't save it). If this kid didn't have her heart set on this I would just say screw it. I know one is completely set up life will be less confusing and easier in fish tank land, but at the moment I find myself wishing she had stuck to her 10 gallon with the lone betta.

 

[user 26995]

LOL! yes learning and getting it set up could take a little while. Yes the eshopps 800 will be perfect. Get an extra U tube also. Makes cleaning it easier.

Check out the spokane group in the group forums. see if you can meet up with someone in the area that can show you how their system is set up. Get some more ideas and it will be easy to do. I've set up many tanks. its not hard if you can see others and get the right equipment.

 

[mimosa]

If the tank is all cycled by now and you still have algae issue, few suggestions and questions:

- Any pictures?
- Consider adding a foxface fish and an urchin.
- When it comes to cleanup crews, I had good experience with just few Turbo snails. Add a few healthy and large ones.
- Did you change your skimmer? I had Seaclone long ago when I started the hobby (on a 10G setup) and know how it operates together with its limitations/quirks. It seems not enough for 100G setup you have. Do a bit research and consider upgrading to a more powerful unit. Usually many fellow reefers in this forum have good suggestions and might comment on your selection (before you purchase). Few key criteria to keep in mind: ease of maintenance, needs to produce "lots" of fine bubbles and flow, preferably with waste collection container and auto-shutoff feature.
- What kind of lights do you have? Proper spectrum lights might help to prevent excessive algae growth.

 

[stargazingmommy]

Hi ya, I should have updated sooner but kept forgetting.
Algae is non existent. We have a Fox face, Hannibal was remiss on cleaning the sand, the coral beauty angel has helped very much there. We had 3 snails, and added 6 more, turbo and margaritas. We also added a watchman goby who is helping keep things mixed up.
We are still using the same skimmer, I know before we advance more into reef stuff we will need a different one. For now this one seems to be working adequately. We also added biomax thingies to the filter.
We thought we'd were having nitrate issues, but it seems it's our test that's having issues. We had the water tested at two different places and nitrates barely registered.
Lights are a work in progress. Right now she just had regular fluorescent. I'm picking up pieces to convert them to T-5s.
We've kind of stalled in the process, my kiddo was getting overwhelmed with everything we need/want to do(sump, refugium, lights, water, all of it). So back to baby steps and going slow. I'm trying to not overwhelm her and take over myself, since it really is her project.

 

[mfinn]

Baby steps are good.
Focus on one thing at a time

 

[mimosa]

I am glad no pesky algae anymore. When it happens, it really hinders enjoyment with the tank...