Need some advice

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weemanpow3

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
224
I have a 30g tank that has been running for about 4.5 years. I am in college so that tank has been really taking care of its self for about 1 year. All I have been doing is adding RO water, feed fish brine shrimp, occasionally clean filters. Recently I removed lots of Pulsing Xenia as it was taking over the tank. I haven't done a water change for about a year, as I can only get 5 gallons of RO water per week. The only bad things about the tank is that is growing bubble algae, some sort of seaweed and aiptasia. Other than that, my corals are growing fast and everything seems well established. Once college is over next week, I plan on doing lots of work to the tank.

I plan on ordering a new filter online as my AquaClear 50 filter is all taped together and showing its age. If anyone has any recommendations as to what filter I should get or any suggestions that I should do to my tank, please let me know. Thanks

Tank Setup

Equipment
  • 1x 30 Gallon Tank
  • 1x 250w 14k HQI Lighting
  • 1x AquaClear 50 Filter
  • 2x AquaClear 50 Powerheads
  • 2x SeaClone 100 Protein Skimmers
  • 1x 150 Watt Heater

Fish & Inverts
  • 2x Ocellaris Clownfish
  • 1x Zebra Turbo Snail
  • 2x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
  • 1x Emerald Mithrax Crab
  • 1x Nassarius Snail
  • 2x Crocea Clams

Corals
  • Green, Yellow, Brown Polyp
  • Pulsing Xenia
  • Kenya Tree

Pictures

 
****.. those are a ton of green zoas you got there.

Tank looks really awesome. Amazing growth i'd say. Only thing that scared me was the whole.. not changing water in a year. Have you tested for nitrates lately? I could imagine they are pretty high up there.. but your coral growth makes me think otherwise.. but who knows.. as long as your nitrates aren't ridiculously high i'm sure corals could grow nicely.
 
****.. those are a ton of green zoas you got there.

Tank looks really awesome. Amazing growth i'd say. Only thing that scared me was the whole.. not changing water in a year. Have you tested for nitrates lately? I could imagine they are pretty high up there.. but your coral growth makes me think otherwise.. but who knows.. as long as your nitrates aren't ridiculously high i'm sure corals could grow nicely.

Yah I do have a lot of zoas. Its even growing on the sand.

Here are the results of the water test

Water Quality Test
  • Nitrate - 0
  • Nitrite - 0
  • Ammonia - 0
  • PH - 8.2
  • Salinity - 1.019

Im going to add more salt, how high should I go? Is 1.023 good?
 
I wonder if the bubble algae is eating up all the excess nitrates
 
Yeah you would think that you would have at least some nitrates? How old is your test kit?
 
I would definitely raise your salinity. 1.019 is kind of low.

1.023 is fine.. but ocean water is 1.026.. so.. the choice is yours. Whatever you do, just try and keep it as stable as possible. If you're going to put it at 1.023.. then i say keep it there. Don't try any sudden salinity changes otherwise you could bug out your livestock. If you ever want to higher or lower your salinity for whatever the reason, do it gradually and through your water changes. Not just sucking up water and then replacing it with more water at the preferred salinity level.
 
Yeah you would think that you would have at least some nitrates? How old is your test kit?

I have two different test kits.

Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit - 4.5 years (bought it when I set my tank up).
Red Sea Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate, Calcium) - Little over 2 years.

Both kits show the same results. How long do the kits last?
I would definitely raise your salinity. 1.019 is kind of low.

1.023 is fine

Thanks, ill raise it slowly when I add more water.
 
The kits have expiration dates. You should look for them on the box.. or just send an email to the manufacturer.
 
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