New Guy

[PeterCip]

What?s happening everybody?
I'm Pete, and I?m living in southie.
I recently switched apartments and had to move my 90 gallon reef to a new home. I lost 3 leathers in the transit, my scooter, algae blenny, and all of the inverts. I just couldn't move/setup the damned thing fast enough!.

So now I have some zoo's in there, star polyps, and mushrooms. one sand star, and a snowflake eel.
The conditions are stable, (nitrates 10, nitrites 0, sal 1.023, alk 8.5 ph 8.3, calc 420) and I am in the midst of a brown algae bloom. its amazing that the 20% of the water i saved had 0 effect on the cycling of the new/old tank!
so all my purp coralline is covered by a brown algae/diatom bloom. its really frustrating...

For the tank, i have the 90 gallon w/ 440 watts of VHO lighting set on a 14 cycle. 1200gph squid circ, two power heads (220gph), skimmer, wet/dry, 2 300 watt heaters..

Its almost been two weeks, and i still have this damned bloom..
Any ideas? Suggestions on when to start re-adding? i am still kinda a newb in the reef field(only had a tank for a little over a year) so i could use any advice!
-pete

 

[Liam]

I had the same problem when i moved,i attribute it to the disturbance of my sand bed,just keep on the water changes and upkeep and wait it out Did you refill the tank with new water,was it filtered because diatoms can be caused by silicates found in tap water also.
Oh and welcome by the way HTH
-Liam.

 

[Moe_K]

Welcome to the BRS!

 

[PeterCip]

Brendan and Ally told me not to water change..
but no, didn't have time to buy a RO/DI.. i think i am gonna get one soon enough. so you think this is diatoms that I am seeing?

 

[denvig]

Welcom Peter.
"so you think this is diatoms that I am seeing?"
Yes, get the RO/DI it will help. If your going true Reef you may want to think about dumping the wet/dry.

 

[PeterCip]

I have already ditched most of the bio balls, i'm using the acrylic case as a "sump". I was always unsure when i should get rid of the rest of the balls..
I have about 150-200 lbs of live rock in there and 150lbs of sand.
I am assuming that its the reason i am seeing a never dropping 10 on the nitrates scale...even when my bio-load died

 

[denvig]

With that much rock don't worry about removing the bio balls. You also may want to get your sal up a little to say 1.024 or 1.025. Just give the tank some time it should settle down. What size skimmer do you have?

 

[PeterCip]

I was planning on getting the sal up a bit..
i don't know what you mean by size.. but it is about 24 inches high, 5-6 inches in diameter.
It's a venturi style skimmer, and i have seen the same model on some of the skiptons 100~ gallon setups.
The temps today are gonna rocket my tank temps i bet..
I would like to keep it at 76, but it is more realistically at 78-79 at night, 80-81 during a warm day. is this to much fluxuation?

 

[denvig]

Size, Make, basically just asking if it?s adequately sized for the tank. Sounds like it is. 76 is a little low for a Reef IMO. 79-80 is good.

 

[PeterCip]

Size, Make, basically just asking if it?s adequately sized for the tank. Sounds like it is. 76 is a little low for a Reef IMO. 79-80 is good.

well i can't find a look alike online, but it has no problem keeping up with the bio load...
76 is what the guys at skiptons told me to aim for.

 

[NateHanson]

You may want to reconsider the snowflake eel if you're going reef too. Won't they eat smaller fish? Plus that's a pretty sizable chunk of your possible bioload if he's moderate sized.

 

[PeterCip]

You may want to reconsider the snowflake eel if you're going reef too. Won't they eat smaller fish? Plus that's a pretty sizable chunk of your possible bioload if he's moderate sized.

that?s what a lot of people say, but he is small, less than 8 inches, and he never bothers any of the inhabitants.. I have grown him up around fish, and he will only eat frozen clam.. Nothing else.
if he becomes a nuisance, i can always get rid of him.

 

[ReeferMedic]

My tank crashed pretty good 2 yrs ago when I moved also. That eel is going to be a big bioload. If you think you'll want to remove it in the future, do it now while there is not alot of living stock in the tank. I've been trying to get my snowflake out for 2 mos now and I'm still at it. I've tried everything and it gets a little harder every time you add something new to the tank.......

 

[PeterCip]

My tank crashed pretty good 2 yrs ago when I moved also. That eel is going to be a big bioload. If you think you'll want to remove it in the future, do it now while there is not alot of living stock in the tank. I've been trying to get my snowflake out for 2 mos now and I'm still at it. I've tried everything and it gets a little harder every time you add something new to the tank.......

But i will be so sad to see him go!

I can easily get him out when i feed him.. does anybody want a new friend?

so what about stocking this tank? any suggestions on when to start? it will be 2 weeks this friday, with no sightings of any "spikes".

 

[Moe_K]

You can plan a reef tank around the snowflake.
It'll mean you don't want to put any ornamental shrimp in there.
Small fish might get eaten too. Probably not as long as the eel is small and well fed.

I'd only start stocking the tank when ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all zero; and have been that way for a week or longer.

 

[PeterCip]

You can plan a reef tank around the snowflake.
It'll mean you don't want to put any ornamental shrimp in there.
Small fish might get eaten too. Probably not as long as the eel is small and well fed.

I'd only start stocking the tank when ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all zero; and have been that way for a week or longer.

they never got above zero.. except for nitrates, which never go below 10..i attrribute that to the wet/dry..

now i'm just witing for those pesky diatoms to finish eating all the crap in my water!

 

[Moe_K]

I'd make the nitrates get to zero, then stock.

 

[PeterCip]

I'd make the nitrates get to zero, then stock.

looks like i am chucking the rest of my bio balls then...

 

[NateHanson]

You certainly don't need them with 150-200# of LR in a 90.

 

[PeterCip]

So recent checks of everything shows well..
Calc =450
PH =8.2
alk =8 drops
sal =1.0245
nitrates =0
nitrites =0
no ammonia.

I still have this pesky diatom bloom.. and now the hair algea has been growing like mad! there is also a purple slime on one rock, and lots of bubble algea forming. Why now if not before the tank move?
Any suggestions? i am gonna vaccuum the tanks to get the dead diatoms/brown algea off the tank. but i am getting real sick of cleaning it every day..
I think i am gonna wait another weak to get some critters/blennies in there.
Thanks,
Pete