Fairly new reefer looking for any and all advice!

[SoonerBerrios]

Thanks for the welcoming!
I am currently alternating foods between the three san Francisco bay brands, such as mysis, emerald, and another I can't think of off the top of my head. I tend to not feed very often at all I feel which is something I wonder perhaps thats why my fish don't seem to grow? I do three cubes in a little container and disperse it evenly throughout the tank with a turkey baster with the ecotech on feed mode.
The water changes I could probably to more of; I just guess I didn't really see them making a change in my overall tank health so I didn't feel a need to do them more often then every 2-3 weeks; but when I did do them it would be around 15-20 gallons at a time with Coral Pro Salt. The RO/DI unit I ordered is 100 GPD so I should be all set I think for having water at a reasonable rate; and now that I am no longer lugging gallons from the store, it might encourage me to change them more often. Can an RO/DI hook up to a regular sink? What do you recommend as a 4 bulb setup for the ati bulbs? I feel my tank is really bright with the lights on as opposed to others I see here which look nicer.

@Be102 how often do you feed the three cubes? There's quite a bit of food in each one of those cubes. Maybe cut down to 1-1.5 cubes and spread that over two days. How's the skimmate production from your skimmer?

 

[Be102]

@Be102 how often do you feed the three cubes? There's quite a bit of food in each one of those cubes. Maybe cut down to 1-1.5 cubes and spread that over two days. How's the skimmate production from your skimmer?

Thanks, I will definitely cut down to one cube every few days alternating between them. I was told feeding daily was too much so I figured 3 at once would be good to give them the variety and whatever wasn't eaten by the fish was by the few hermit crabs/ corals and whatever I don't see. That might be a large cause of my problems. What do you feed? How often? What is your lighting schedule like?

 

[Sgt Jonny]

I would get rid of the canister filter. Theres no need as long as your biological is established and your skimmer is working well. canisters promote nitrates.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

IMO ... RO/DI and ATO are the best investments you can make

its these two.
if you diy you can make an ato cheap.
but its the water imo. look around and see if anyone close sells it. LFS, Ice stores, gas manufacturers/retailers like co2 helium etc. glad you have one on order.
about three weeks youll see it turn around.

 

[Be102]

I would get rid of the canister filter. Theres no need as long as your biological is established and your skimmer is working well. canisters promote nitrates.

If I was to get rid of this filter, what would I do? What would be some sort of cleaning system that works for my tank? I understand my skimmer does a good job at removing stuff and i suppose if the canister has nothing it in; whats the big deal.. but then I wouldn't have any sort of really flow other than the powerbeads? Maybe if I added a sump I could get rid of the canister filter? its one of these .. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3580+32937&pcatid=32937&r=619

 

[Be102]

its these two.
if you diy you can make an ato cheap.
but its the water imo. look around and see if anyone close sells it. LFS, Ice stores, gas manufacturers/retailers like co2 helium etc. glad you have one on order.
about three weeks youll see it turn around.

I have purchased a 100 GPD RO/DI from marine depot that will be here any day this week. Is this not good enough? I understand about the ATO however since my tank is covered I honestly don't find much water evaporates at all... Like I said before; I feel the protein skimmer being at the wrong height takes more water out of my tank than actual evaporation.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have purchased a 100 GPD RO/DI from marine depot that will be here any day this week. Is this not good enough? I understand about the ATO however since my tank is covered I honestly don't find much water evaporates at all... Like I said before; I feel the protein skimmer being at the wrong height takes more water out of my tank than actual evaporation.

it perfect.
skimmers can be adjusted, top off can be observed and controlled manually not the best but... Ive had slight issues with salinity swings and loss of more sensitive live stock.
but nothing like bad water probs. Ive seen that tank before(so to speak). bottled water "should" be fine but sometimes isnt(r2r experience). the rodi is gonna make you soooooo happy.
imo, you top off w rodi and do 5 gal wc every week its gonna be a different tank in a month.
I hope you like purple.

 

[Be102]

it perfect.
skimmers can be adjusted, top off can be observed and controlled manually not the best but... Ive had slight issues with salinity swings and loss of more sensitive live stock.
but nothing like bad water probs. Ive seen that tank before(so to speak). bottled water "should" be fine but sometimes isnt(r2r experience). the rodi is gonna make you soooooo happy.
imo, you top off w rodi and do 5 gal wc every week its gonna be a different tank in a month.
I hope you like purple.

Great! Thanks for the encouragement! It is exactly what I need. I am going to start to test tomorrow when the first half of my tests come in ( Calcium, Nitrate, Phosphate, pH, Alkalinity & Magnesium) and will then basically come back with lots of questions such as why is something so high/low, how to fix it, and how have i survived this long without dosing/testing! Look forward to the RO/DI considering lugging 15+ gallons of water from the store every other week or so is tiring /time consuming. the idea is to basically do as you suggested, a 5 gallon change weekly which will be little to no work at all; and then move from there! Thanks!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Great! Thanks for the encouragement! It is exactly what I need. I am going to start to test tomorrow when the first half of my tests come in ( Calcium, Nitrate, Phosphate, pH, Alkalinity & Magnesium) and will then basically come back with lots of questions such as why is something so high/low, how to fix it, and how have i survived this long without dosing/testing! Look forward to the RO/DI considering lugging 15+ gallons of water from the store every other week or so is tiring /time consuming. the idea is to basically do as you suggested, a 5 gallon change weekly which will be little to no work at all; and then move from there! Thanks!

yup. from my experience as a total newb way back when(last week ) stuff will grow ok when all that stuff is outta whack. bad water has sunk me. From "Trusted" sources.

oh, the canister. put some carbon in it and floss only. the water will sparkle. clean it twice a month, or more depending on livestock. its tricky to get those set right for marine. eventually you'll prob only pull it out when you clean and stir stuff up.
good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Be102]

yup. from my experience as a total newb way back when(last week ) stuff will grow ok when all that stuff is outta whack. bad water has sunk me. From "Trusted" sources.

oh, the canister. put some carbon in it and floss only. the water will sparkle. clean it twice a month, or more depending on livestock. its tricky to get those set right for marine. eventually you'll prob only pull it out when you clean and stir stuff up.
good luck and keep us posted!

So should I remove the other stuff in it? It has about 4 layers of random things that I thought were needed. Would you bother with a reactor just yet? Do you have a sump?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So should I remove the other stuff in it? It has about 4 layers of random things that I thought were needed. Would you bother with a reactor just yet? Do you have a sump?

I have both.... kinda.
a sumpless and a sumped and a skimmerless filterless, I started with Hob aquaclear tanks.
yea imo dump the random stuff(research for later). make it just mechanical(floss strainer catches food and poop n particles). I use the cheap blue white floss. on in each three basket, when I use it. Its not full time, it pulls out too much for my tank.

you can basically use the can as a reactor IF you need to. depending on the nutrients you may not need one. as you looking at a rehab kinda, Id run carbon, and maybe just maybe gfo, it takes out more than just Po.

imo chem filters like gfo should be used according to the numbers. right now your numbers are bad, trust me. once you do the good wc's id add bottled bacterias and see where you are. go from there.
with a skimmer and hob you may not need the can later.

fwiw I dont run gfo pretty much ever, only a little carbon.

 

[Be102]

I have both.... kinda.
a sumpless and a sumped and a skimmerless filterless, I started with Hob aquaclear tanks.
yea imo dump the random stuff(research for later). make it just mechanical(floss strainer catches food and poop n particles). I use the cheap blue white floss. on in each three basket, when I use it. Its not full time, it pulls out too much for my tank.

you can basically use the can as a reactor IF you need to. depending on the nutrients you may not need one. as you looking at a rehab kinda, Id run carbon, and maybe just maybe gfo, it takes out more than just Po.

imo chem filters like gfo should be used according to the numbers. right now your numbers are bad, trust me. once you do the good wc's id add bottled bacterias and see where you are. go from there.
with a skimmer and hob you may not need the can later.

fwiw I dont run gfo pretty much ever, only a little carbon.

I currently apparently have 'The 2076 requires 2 liters of Ehfimech and 4 liters of Ehfisubstrat Pro.' I believe in the canister currently... which Like I said is nearly a year old let alone not really that effective... can I just completely remove all that stuff and put in some of the things you suggested? I suppose I was afraid that it would cause it to clog/ overflow/ not work correctly.. Clearly it is just a device that pumps water through it from in one side and out the other.. To think it was doing more help. Maybe if I remove it i can fit a sump down there no problem.

 

[Ineedhelp]

Welomce and my best advice put the tank somewhere people will see it, I neglected my tank whern I removed it to a room that no one coming over would see it. I should of kept up with it but I didnt, it always made its way on the bottom of the list of things to do. Now its a main piece in the house so I take care of it much more!

 

[Be102]

Welomce and my best advice put the tank somewhere people will see it, I neglected my tank whern I removed it to a room that no one coming over would see it. I should of kept up with it but I didnt, it always made its way on the bottom of the list of things to do. Now its a main piece in the house so I take care of it much more!

Great advice! Thanks for this. I am actually really similar however now I am tired of just having a tank full of rocks beside my bed! Its one thing for the lights but for it to not have much going on its upsetting!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I currently apparently have 'The 2076 requires 2 liters of Ehfimech and 4 liters of Ehfisubstrat Pro.' I believe in the canister currently... which Like I said is nearly a year old let alone not really that effective... can I just completely remove all that stuff and put in some of the things you suggested? I suppose I was afraid that it would cause it to clog/ overflow/ not work correctly.. Clearly it is just a device that pumps water through it from in one side and out the other.. To think it was doing more help. Maybe if I remove it i can fit a sump down there no problem.

its more for fresh water. marine requires a bit more care imo and research. yes eventually you may be able to get rig of it. Imo id hang on to it for a bit and help it heal up.
some floss and a scrub brush. get that dictoya out. and the hair algae.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

oh and baby steps. go slow. it goes better that way usually.

 

[Be102]

No problem ... please be sure to post updates.

Hi. Haven't been able to test just yet today, however before I head home would you help me being pointed in the right direction on what to pick up on my way home tonight to dose for the first time? I see so many different a & b solutions and have no clue which to purchase. Seems like Kent's , seachem and fluval seem to have a lot of products apparently online for my local petco. I was thinking some of kents products. Thank you

 

[helen ann]

Hi. Haven't been able to test just yet today, however before I head home would you help me being pointed in the right direction on what to pick up on my way home tonight to dose for the first time? I see so many different a & b solutions and have no clue which to purchase. Seems like Kent's , seachem and fluval seem to have a lot of products apparently online for my local petco. I was thinking some of kents products. Thank you

what are you trying to accomplish with the 'Kent's , seachem and fluval products ....'?

 

[Brew12]

Hi. Haven't been able to test just yet today, however before I head home would you help me being pointed in the right direction on what to pick up on my way home tonight to dose for the first time? I see so many different a & b solutions and have no clue which to purchase. Seems like Kent's , seachem and fluval seem to have a lot of products apparently online for my local petco. I was thinking some of kents products. Thank you

I think you are putting the cart before the horse. Don't worry about dosing anything yet. I don't think you have enough currently in your tank to require dosing anything.

Start with the basics. Let's get the water right first. Once you start testing, those results will tell you if you need to dose, what you need to dose, and how much of it you need. Odds are you won't need to dose anything for at least a few months.

 

[Be102]

I think you are putting the cart before the horse. Don't worry about dosing anything yet. I don't think you have enough currently in your tank to require dosing anything.

Start with the basics. Let's get the water right first. Once you start testing, those results will tell you if you need to dose, what you need to dose, and how much of it you need. Odds are you won't need to dose anything for at least a few months.

Perhaps dosing isn't the correct word? I am under the impression to get my levels stable; I need to add stuff to the water such as calcium and whatnot? Or is my only problem that I am not doing enough water changes to replace these trace elements? Like I am beyond sure some if not all of my levels will unfortunately be out of range.. but I guess I won't know until I actually test later on today.