help with rtba and tank

[chevy59101]

my RTBA has been really restless moving around all over not finding a spot it love's. it has been caught in my pump 3 times(put fine mesh cloth on the pump after the first time) and hurt once but this time he got caught when I got him freed I put him on the rock and he did not move much and flat but still has lots of color and has moved on the rock but still flat looking but is moving some I am lost... I also have a xenia soft coral he is not as active as he was when I got him. I have had the RTBA 2 months and the xenia 1 week the sent up is.

55gal tank, 10gal sump 2gal cascade canister filter.
50lbs of gravel (crushed coral)
60lbs of live rock
48 inch coral life T5 double fixture.
#1-Actinic blue light 28watt.
#1-day light 10,000k 54 watt placed 9" from the lid.
just replaced all the bulbs 1 day ago
age of tank is 4 months.

current levels from test kit is API marine and reef master test kit

Phosphate <.25
Nitrate .0
Calcium 420
dkh 214.8
salinity 1.025
temp 79.3
ammonia .0
nitrite .0
High range pH 8.2
water changes are done biweekly I am lost and am in need of help please......thanks

 

[Sniperhank]

Anemone will continue to move until they find a place that makes them happy. This is controlled by either parameters, lighting, or flow.

When looking at the setup you described, I see possible issues with flow and lighting.
The most pressing would be the need for powerheads in the system to get circulation and co2 exchange. This may be the solution. A reef setup should have between 10-50x turnover of the water column. Hob filters simply don’t cut it for this and also won’t keep uneaten food or poop from settling on the bottom and decaying in the sandbed (or crushed coral in your case).
As for the lighting, photosynthetic anemone need intense lighting to fulfill their needs. This can’t be met by two t5ho bulbs. On smaller systems I wouldn’t want anything less than 4, for a 55 I’m almost certain I’d go for even 6. The easiest solution would be LEDs. There are cheap Chinese knockoff panels that are cheap and will put out enough pur to successfully support the photosynthetic needs of both anemone and even the most light demanding corals.

 

[chevy59101]

I have two power heads both are (hydor koralia circulation and wave pumps) 1 is a 1150 gph flow rate and 240 gph flow rate. the canister filter is rated for 320gph and that is what I have been using in place of my return pump with a spray bar I was told it would work great from a salt water pet store. I forgot to add I do have a back pack skimmer in the sump it as well rated for up to 75 gal on its own pump

correct me if I am wrong please

1#lights are not good enough
2#not enough turn over

pay day I will buy a dc pump for the sump and led lighting
in the mean time I will drop my light bar closer to the tank and pray that will work until then.......

 

[chevy59101]

I have two power heads both are (hydor koralia circulation and wave pumps) 1 is a 1150 gph flow rate and 240 gph flow rate. the canister filter is rated for 320gph and that is what I have been using in place of my return pump with a spray bar I was told it would work great from a salt water pet store. I forgot to add I do have a back pack skimmer in the sump it as well rated for up to 75 gal on its own pump

correct me if I am wrong please

1#lights are not good enough
2#not enough turn over

pay day I will buy a dc pump for the sump and led lighting
in the mean time I will drop my light bar closer to the tank and pray that will work until then.......

what would you recommend on pump and lighting anything specific?

 

[Sniperhank]

Is the skimmer producing a nice skim?
With what you stated about powerheads things sounds fine in terms of flow.
I'd go back to lighting then. The chinese knockoff panels are the cheapest and quite effective. You can find them all over even on amazon.

 

[chevy59101]

yes its blackish brown and fills the bowl with in 2 weeks.

 

[54seaweed]

what would you recommend on pump and lighting anything specific?

these are the lights a lot of us use
MarsAqua-Dimmable-165W-LED-Aquarium-Light-Full-Spectrum-Reef-Coral

 

[coralbandit]

these are the lights a lot of us use
MarsAqua-Dimmable-165W-LED-Aquarium-Light-Full-Spectrum-Reef-Coral

^^^ Plus one ^^^
I like Jeboa DC pumps myself. They are cheap so not the hugest investment much like the light. Chinese knock offs for less then 1/2 the price..
I run the Mars LED also for a couple years now without issue..
https://www.ebay.com/p/Jebao-jecod-...Reef-Tank-Skimmer/1755412192?iid=382305442402

 

[chevy59101]

thank you all for your help

Thanks again everyone
my RTBA did not make it. It happened so fast. Everyone else is doing fine, so fare. I had to do a huge water change and prying my Xenia makes it now. I think he had a disease or something, I just don't know. It happened so fast literally over night.. day 2 since it passed and a huge water change all levels look ok so fare.

 

[Sniperhank]

The moving was the sign of issues and it was going on for a long time.