55gal Brackish Concerns

[Tonyb849]

My tank is stocked with: 1 green spotted puffer, 1 mono, 2 bumble bee gobies, and varying (small) quantities of ghost shrimp and nerite snails. The shrimp and snails are a food source for the gsp.

I have been noticing that the color of the gsp and mono are not always the bright white/silver that I would like to see. I am more concerned with the gsp whose stomach is typically dark while the light is on. At night when the light is off his color is very good. Is there a recommended wattage that I should be using in a brackish tank? I do bi-weekly 20% water changes and cleanings. I have read that weekly changes are necessary, but with my work schedule this proves almost impossible. My average water quality parameters from my weekly testing are as follows:
PH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
SG 1.0125

For filtration I use a Aquaclear 70 as well as an Aquatech 30/60 (which IMO is a piece of junk). I have been reading up on also using skimmers and/or refugium setup as I have room for up to a 20gal sump beneath my tank. Is this necessary to ensure my fish are healthy or are there cheaper/easier steps I could take? Also green algae has been somewhat of a nuisance which leads me to believe I should use lower wattage bulbs. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Terrance]

Instead of bi-weekly water change, do one 40-50% water change.

You need to rehome the mono and gsp or the bumblebees. Bumblebees are light brackish fish and the other 2 are better suited for full marine. If you go full marine, then a refugium for macro algae and a skimmer will help reduce the frequency of water changes. Live rocks are also a good source of bioological filtration.

 

[Tonyb849]

Is that one 40-50% water change per month? Thanks for the help.

 

[Terrance]

40-50% per week. I thought you were doing two 20% water change per week.