Giving up

[deefish714]

I just don't know what I'm doing. New lights ok did that. New powerheads ok did that. New rodi filters for chlomines ok did that. Skimmer will break in ok that didn't happen. Reactor will help ok that didn't. It's just freaking frustrating and I'm at ends with this hobby bout to call it quits and off all these pieces of equipment and go on with my life. I can't keep dropping endless money in this hobby with no return. Nor can I spend 5 hours a day working on the tank. I'm just fed up. Completely fed up. I never ever seen my tank thrive. I can't seem to get flow down. Dosing will never get down cause the corals eat it up and then they dont. Can't seem to figure out why corals are bleaching. Only thing that lives or Lps and my fish. Can't seem to get sps to grow for nothing. I just don't understand.

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[Zenkie83]

Patience patience and more patience, you dont need the best stuff to see your tank thrive , just water changes and thats all I dont test and dont dose I just let nature take its coarse and Ive been pretty successful and Im happy with my results , just be patient and youll get there


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[bryanle87]

What he said. Would u have posts of levels and maybe dosing equipment. Your routine schedule and maybe pics of tanks. Maybe someone can spot the problems or at least give advice that u may have overlooked. Before I was stubborn and things got out of hand and then asked around and slowly things got better a lot better

 

[deefish714]

Well here it is.


Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate .5
Phophate 0
Ca 450
Alk9.2
Mg 1400

80 gallon vizio 48x18x24
Center over flow
1 inch drain
3/4 return
Eshopps es200 sump
Eshopps s120 skimmer
Lifeguard turbo reactor full of matrix
2 brs dosers
Eflux 2100 return at max
2 eflux 6006 2100 gph powerheads at max
50 lbs of live rock
45 lbs of live sand
Ati 48inch 8 bulb
6 bp 1cp 1antic
10 hours on 100 percent
Dosing esv 2 part as needed




2 lyretail
1 Scopus
1royal gama
2 damsels
2 clowns
Probable 100 different types of snails. Started with 30 and they just blew up
2 conch

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[suvuong7]

Donnie can you give us more info on your tank like how long have you had your setup and how youd set it up...if you give us a cleare picture from the start of your setup maybe all of us on here can help you out. Again best equipments might not always be better or have best results its consistency and patience will help your tank thrive especially sps corals....however I wouldnt dab into sps until you know whys going on with your tank and your water parameters. Once you established the correct parameters and know how much to does to keep the parameters consistent then try sps until then you will be wasting money trying to keep sps

 

[suvuong7]

How long have you setup your tank ....I would recommend more biological filtration looks like you have very little live rocks in the display and dont see a refugium in the sump ....do you dose any trace elements or amino also how often do you do water changes....I find for my 120 gal tank doing less water changes and have proper filtration is the key for my tank and also I dose trace elements, Acro power iodine, 2 parts, mag, Red Sea abcd and only doing water changes once every 2 mons keeps my tank and sps happy...

 

[deefish714]

Some pics. Tanks been up for I'd say 2-3 months. Used Fritz turbo start. I have not worried about nutrient support because I have no seen any raise in nutrients pho trates. Using my matrix has seemed to keep up. I did drop a few sps but have not purchased any more cause they did not thrive. I got hit with dinos last few weeks. Tested and found out silicate and chlorimine were present. Got some special filters for my rodi. So I've been doing a few large water changes lately. To remove these. I usually do 15 gallons every other week. I did remove the hard plumbed return and uses spa flex. Once the lights turn on at 12 I'll take a few pics of the display for you. There is still dinos present I've been blowing off rocks and vacuuming sand bed when I've been doing water changes.

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[sklywag]

You just set this tank up. Not using the hood I see. Anyway. One thing I learned and have experienced is no two tanks are the same. Sure someone will say something different.

You had a nice tank so you know you can have another. Don't mess with it so much. Take a break from worrying about it and just go with what you can right now. LPS and fish.

I thought I'd turn my FOWLR into a softy tank. Bought lights, new skimmer, Built a bigger sump, changed to a fuge and added some coral. Now I have Cyano everywhere and bubble algae popping up. Went from a sparkling clean tank using just two 18 watt T8s and an Aquamora Urchin with a baffless sump to a mess. I've had tanks that would make anyone quit. But I'm a fish tank junkie. I can't quit. I have buckets with things living in them.

Like I said. Settle down and go with what you can. SPS doesn't make a reef tank. Mushrooms with bubbles on them doesn't make a reef tank. Algae in it doesn't make it not a reef tank. Just an ugly one.

Plus this was a gift from the girlfriend. Can't give up a gift.
And no. His plumbing doesn't look like that in reality.

 

[deefish714]

Correct I'm just tries of seeing it go to junk. Been in this hobby for about 2 years have never ever had this much trouble. I'm not unexpierence and I know what's going on here. Patients patient. But when it's constantly going downhill it's hard to just wait it out.

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[bryanle87]

For what its worth results may be different for others. But in the beginning my Sps took off like crazy I was doing weekly wc. And then out of nowhere they plateaued. Given that my tank was only 20ish gallons volume my assumption was there was fluctuating parameters even tho i made my own salt ect. Its been 3 weeks since my last wc and since I stopped the colors are coming back and are growing taller and encrusting much more. Im currently dosing aquaforest components. And have a specific parameter levels. Found out that my salt fritz rpm wasnt consistent so that was giving me swings. I originally set my parameters based on fritz site but I cant trust that anymore and stopped wc and maybe do once a month to see how things go.

 

[BeanMachine]

Too many changes in a short period of time. The only thing I would do is reduce the photo period from 10 hours. Don't change anything else and give your tank time to mature.

 

[deefish714]

After I check it is at 10 hours

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[bryanle87]

My tank has been running since October 2017 started off with sand first 3 months no algae everything was perfect. Decided to up the flow sand blew everywhere and went bare bottom. After removing all sand I think I took away most of the biological bacteria I keep getting red slime everywhere even on acros. They stn. Added gfo reactor the necrosis got worse. And finally added a more coarse grain. The algae slowly started thinning out. Only thing left I have is bubble algae which I was talking to another Reefer with algae hes going to be trying algaefix and Im trying reef flux. That is where Im at now ordered it on amazon wont arrive til Monday. Other than bubble red slime is gone. Btw before I posted that I was doing weekly wc 5g also trying to get water cleaning thinking it was dirty hence algae. No wc 3 weeks I dose aminos every other day feed mysis daily and reef roids once a week no red slime. So I agree with Cody that it take more time for more biological bacteria to colonize and that everybtank is different. Ive been in the hobby for 7 years and still consider myself a noob learning new things. My old 120 was easy but this 30g nuvo is super hard lol

Old tank

 

[bryanle87]

Btw your very local to me if u ever need help hit me up Im always down to help another Reefer maybe even go coral shopping lol

 

[deefish714]

Hmu let's do this

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[reefes pieces]

I agree with the others. Don't give up but take a break and let the tank settle itself in. The tank probably hasn't stabilized biologically. Sometimes it happens fast and sometimes it takes a year or more. I wouldn't buy anything right now either and just enjoy the LPS and fish for now. I'm not too far either so always willing to swing by and help as well. If there's beer, I'll gladly be there. lol

 

[deefish714]

There's always beer!!!!!!! Ahahah

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[nay]

Probable 100 different types of snails.

just wondering if maybe its not dino just daiatom? cus dino usually kill snail and as snails die off, they release incredible amounts of nutrients, fueling more dinoflagellate growth.

 

[deefish714]

Yeah haven't has issues with snails they breeding multiplying by the day. Here's a few more pics.

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For example this happened last night

 

[deefish714]

Busted out the salifert and refractometer this morning to see where we are at. After my water change Thursday.

Temp 79
Salt 35ppt
Mg 1440
Alk 9.6
CA 460
Trates 0-2
Phosphate 0.25

Not doing anything to the tank unless told otherwise here by some veterans. I think I'm gonna skip water change for a month. What do you guys think.



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