Rock OK???

[mnnlaw]

I have had a tank for a little over 1 1/2 years and have seen my rock lose the growing shrooms that were on it and have had fish die in the tank in that time. I have tested everything and found all to be OK with the exception of the Salt. It was off the charts. I have fixed the problem now though. I am wondering if my rock looks OK though? I have no idea whether or not the green stuff on the rocks is OK. I used to have a lot of purple color on the rock and now it seems to have been overtaken by the other stuff on it. I have enclosed a picture for your review.

Can someone tell me whether or not it looks OK? Ways to fix it if not?

I have a 60 gallon tank and have two of the white fish in the picture in it. I have the one blue fish and a LARGE hermit crab as well as about 13 small blue legged hermits. I don't know if I need more rock? less Rock? Sorry to ramble, but looking for any advise I can to get the tank back to its former beauty.

I do not add any supplements at this time. I run the 350 with carb and chage it every three weeks. I have the green stuff growing on the glass often and use my magnet to get rid of it each two to three days.

I also have a skimmer. Mine is the long tubular type on the back. it works OK. I used to get a lot more foam but may be running it wrong as it does not collect any foam anymore. I have it opened just a bit and it swirls up the back but not enough to foam.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks to all for reading. Have a nice weekend and thanks for any replies.

 

[roka64]

It's hard to tell what kind of algae that is. Is it hairy (on the rocks)?
The "white" fish looks like a 3 stripe damsel and the "blue" might be a blue devil damsel.
Algae thrives with excess nutrience in the water.
How often/much/what do you feed?
How long do you run your lights?
If you go with 1.5-2Lbs of rock per gallon and keep the skimmer, you could ditch the filter, as the rock would provide the biofiltration.
What kind of substrate do you have?
I am not a huge fan of hermits, you may want to add some cerith and Nassarius Snails, assuming your substrate is not CC.
I haven't run carbon in my tank for months.
Does your filter have and media in it like bioballs or a bio wheel?
Do you have a test kit?
Do you have a phosphate test kit?

 

[mnnlaw]

I will try to anwswer these the best I can.

NOW, I feed the fish every 2 - 3 days. I was everyday until I read on this cite that I should not. *Thanks everyone*

I have two lights, I have the blue light that I run for 1 hour before and after the white light goes on each day. I run the Big light for 7 hours a day. So I guess the blue light runs for 9 hours total. Is this too much?

I probably do not have enough LR then. I only have those that are in my pictures. I suppose it is about 20 lbs. maybe. Should I get more?

I am sorry but I don't know what a Substrate is!!

I do NOT have a Bioball. I just have the tube coming from the filter with a divider on it that makes the water not come out in a straight line. It looks like this < with a divider in the middle as well. I guess it pushes the water in 3 directions then. Just the stuff that came with the 350 Magnum. Should I get something else?

I do have a test kit. I bought the big one for $45.00 I have tested everything and it all looks great. No Nitrates, and No Phosphate.

You mean to tell me that I could get rid of the whole 350 Magnum Filter if I had more rock? That would be great as it is a paiin in the ass to do water changes because I have to disconnect the Magnum from behind the tank and spill salt water all over my carpet in order to get to the filter to change it every month and add new Carbon.

Thanks a lot for your help. Much appreciated.

 

[roka64]

Folks run their lights from 8-12 hour, so you are good there (unless the lights are over 1 year old).
I would definitely get more rock, either cured or start adding base rock www.marcorocks.com(usually is mostly white).
Substrate is your bottom, is it CC or sand or something else?

 

[Sadielynn]

I will try to anwswer these the best I can.

NOW, I feed the fish every 2 - 3 days. I was everyday until I read on this cite that I should not. *Thanks everyone*

I have two lights, I have the blue light that I run for 1 hour before and after the white light goes on each day. I run the Big light for 7 hours a day. So I guess the blue light runs for 9 hours total. Is this too much?

I probably do not have enough LR then. I only have those that are in my pictures. I suppose it is about 20 lbs. maybe. Should I get more?

I am sorry but I don't know what a Substrate is!!

I do NOT have a Bioball. I just have the tube coming from the filter with a divider on it that makes the water not come out in a straight line. It looks like this < with a divider in the middle as well. I guess it pushes the water in 3 directions then. Just the stuff that came with the 350 Magnum. Should I get something else?

I do have a test kit. I bought the big one for $45.00 I have tested everything and it all looks great. No Nitrates, and No Phosphate.

You mean to tell me that I could get rid of the whole 350 Magnum Filter if I had more rock? That would be great as it is a paiin in the *beep* to do water changes because I have to disconnect the Magnum from behind the tank and spill salt water all over my carpet in order to get to the filter to change it every month and add new Carbon.

Thanks a lot for your help. Much appreciated.

Hi
It is hard to say what kind of algea that is it could be simply coralline (yes it comes in greens, pinks , oranges and fushia ) I personally would start from scratch and let me explain . First I am not sure what size tank you have but some times it is just easier to restart.This is why , if you had issues it is some times in your best interest to replace the substrate (sand on the bottom of the tank) and starve the remaining bad algeas on the rock. Secondly I am not sure that you have enough rock in that tank again I am not sure of what size tank you have it looks like you still are having an algea issue meaning too many nutrients ! The fish look like 2 damsels that will eventually fight due to territorial issues how are you testing your water for SPG (specific gravity) ? What kind of lights do you have ....PC , MH , NO lights ? As for the lighting you shoul be fine on that lighting schedule . As to the filter I would just go HOB for that it is easier to maintince it should the need arise as well as replacing it should it develop a problem . I would not get rid of the filter all together as this give surface agitation and helps with gas exchange , the LR will act as a surface for the biological filtration as well as the surface to which your bacteria will grow and breed as well as break down the nutrients in the tank .
Here is in a nut shell what I would do
replace canister filter with HOB
replace substrate with new LS (I only say this because it is wet and sinks easier , less chance of impeller seizing and burning up prematurely )
Add addtional LR if you are going for a reef go with about 3/4 LBS(the other 1/4 for corals as most come on LR rubble) per gallon in our 10 we have just over 8 the other 4-5 LBS that we have is with corals on it .If you are going FOWLR get the full pound or even pound and a half.
Cycle as you would a new tank and go slowly this will allow you to correct any wrongs that you have going on IE : High SPG , or nitrAtes , NitrItes ect ...
Open tops (with egg crate ) allow for better gas exchange .
You probably know this but if you decide to cycle out again ...
Ammonia will rise and fall 0
NitrIte will rise and fall 0
NitrAte will rise and fall you want this less than 20
PH you want steady at 8.2- 8.4 .
you can kick start your cycle with deli shrimp tossed in .
Also a money savings here on LR find base rock with one or 2 pieces of preimium (dont worry it will color up with coraline and you can use the 2 pieces you already have )Our LFS have fairly weird looking pieces that make aquascaping pretty easy too. And lastly go slow and enjoy going fast will break the wallet quicker also going slowly lets you learn and fix those things that will always come up and catch you off guard with out huge ammounts of money .

 

[mnnlaw]

Base is sand. It is about 2 inches thick.

I would like to add some coral in this tank. Would cured rock or the base rock be better?

I am in Minnesota so the LFS's here are not that great. Nothing like what they have in the Ocean bordering states.

Also, what is a HOB? thanks guys.

Sorry, almost forgot that this is a 60 gallon tank

 

[roka64]

Corals will dictate your lighting needs (I'll defer those questions to our reef folks).
Cured LR is the rock you see in your LFS, in with the fish. Uncured LR is usually (shouldn't be) in a different tank, curing. Base is rock that has been sitting out for a while or just dried up and all the nitrifying bacteria gone. Base tends to be cheaper.
Click on my bold post above and that will take you to the site were I bought my base rock, and show you some pics.
If you have an underlined word, like HOB, mouse over it and it should show you what it means. In this case, it is a Hang On Back filter.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that if you are going to a reef tank then you`ll need more LR. LR and a skimmer is really all you need for biological filtration. 1.5 to 2 lbs. is usually what is recommended. Is there anyway you can get a closer pic to be more precise?

 

[Sadielynn]

With that size tank even with weekly water changes I would say a skimmer is a good Idea . The LR you will want atleast another 40-50 lbs
As for corals look around get some names make up a list and we can help direct you to your lighting .... As was said my Roaka corals will determine lighting ....also you will want to get the most ammount of light you can afford now , this will save having to upgrade only a few months later

 

[mnnlaw]

I will take some better pictures tomorrow and post them. I will also get some more LR. I will get a ton of it if needed. As for the lights, I paid about $400 last year for the lights I have. I will include a long distance picture and include the light brands, and watts, etc.

As far as a skimmer goes. Are you saying I should get a biowheel and hook that up to my filter? I don't think I have enough water movement in the tank either and that is part of the reason that I get so much algae. Could this be true?

Thanks all, I will post better pictures tommorow. Say, can I put LR directly in there from teh LFS or do I have to put it in a separate tank for a while before just adding it to the tank that my fish are already in?

Have a nice night and I will watch for your responses. Take care.

 

[Sadielynn]

Nope no bio wheel needed they are nitrAte factories (I am not seeing any pics either )
The skimmer will remove disovled solid wastes...it will also remove some trace elements so water changes are essential to replace them .. As for the LR I would not add any to a tank with fish, due to the fact that even if it is cured you will have some die off , a tote bin works for this ,(this is why I suggested start over , or atleast take the fish back) then add your live rock from the LFS, our LFS keeps the base rock in their curing bin so it def has bacteria on just no pretty colors or hitch hikers (if you are really attached to the fish you could place them in a temp tank by using your water from your tank and a filter , heater as well, you will still do weekly H20 changes) stir your sand up place in your new rock your water will be very cloudy dont worry aquascape to your liking and add your freshly made salt water to replace your water that you placed in with your fish ....you will want to mix up about 50 gallons salt water for this ...
So here in a cliff note version
remove the fish use water from your tank place in a suitable QT this will only be up for a few weeks ....10 gallon works nicely for this and pvc pipe to hide in ....use filter heater and you could use a NO light or desk light to see them (remember this is temporary )
stirr your sand up add LR aquascape to your liking , add the water removed .
Add a filter (if you have it skimmer) rinse your filter pads daily and replace weekly ...
get a couple power heads 3-4 mini jet 606's will work well make sure to have good surface agitation for gas exchange .....place one lower to keep the ditris suspended and the filter a chance to pick it up ....monitor your perameters weekly
Ammonia will rise fall to 0
NitrIte will rise fall to 0
NitrAte will rise should be less than 20 PPM
Ph steady at 8.2-8.4 steady is key you dont want swings
once you see that you are through your "recycle"
do a 20% (12 gallon water change) have a trusted LFS cross test , then add your CUC
monitor your perameters again you may see a small cycle when every thing is back to 0 as above do another H20 change 20% (12 gallons) then ...... reacclimate your fish take them out of their QT place into a bin filled about 1/2 way with water dirp them till just about filled, then empty out the water to about 1/2 again dripping them till just about filled this should take 30-45 minutes to do (you want about 2 gtts per second dripping into the holding bin)then add your fish ....now that they are back in monitor your water you may have a small cycle agian this is just the bacteria trying to catch up to the new bio load ... always have some salt H20 at the ready to do a water change should test show that it is required . Then once that is done and you are stable add nothing else for a month or 2 to allow things to settle down. Start doing weekly or biweekly H20 changes ...this will remove the excess nutrients as well as replace the lost trace elements ...
***also replace your test kit they have a short shelf life once open of about 1 year or less***
***also this will give you a chance to maintenance all equipment this should be done monthly any way , that may be why your skimmer is not producing like it should be)