20G Saltwater Setup. Corraline dying off live rock?

[Faithy]

I just set up my 20g Landen AIO. I bought the live rock yesterday with corraline all over it, set up my tank and added it yesterday but when I woke up today it looks like a large portion of the corraline on top that isn’t covered by sand is dying off already. The guy at the aquarium shop said all I needed to do was add the saltwater I bought from the shop, put the rock in and that I don’t even need a heater yet. Also said I didn’t need to dose it with anything but when I woke up this morning the water is still cloudy although much less than before I added the sand, rock & water. Temp went from 85 degrees to 74 now this morning and the corraline is definitely dying off. Can someone tell me what I did wrong? Something tells me I should have went with my gut and added the beneficial bacteria and dosed some calcium once I set up my tank. Sounds like I may have made a few newbie mistakes too.

 

[blaxsun]

Yes, you need a heater (78°F is what most typically set their temperature to). What kind of filtration do you have? (you should dust off your rocks if everything is covered in sand)

 

[Faithy]

I have an AIO and using the filter pump it came with. Added some ceramic filter media in the first compartment where the water intakes (adding a protein skimmer later on). Middle compartment has polishing pads, ceramic filter media, filter floss and more ceramic filter media (that’s their order from top to bottom), and the last compartment where the pump is driving the water back into the tank has nothing. It also seems like the water flow isn’t that powerful, maybe I’ll consider switching out the pump if necessary. Rocks are not covered in sand, specifically I turned the rocks over (the area of the rock that was sitting on the sand bed does not have any die off). Now the pictures included are after I turned them over.

 

[Faithy]

Yes, you need a heater (78°F is what most typically set their temperature to). What kind of filtration do you have? (you should dust off your rocks if everything is covered in sand)

Didn’t realize i have to hit reply, I responded in the thread. This is my tank now after some rock placement ideas.. But yes, definitely will be getting a heater today (the one I got from Amazon was broken when I received it), Thanks

 

[Idech]

I don’t know as I’ve never done it, but I wonder if a brand new tank has what it takes to sustain coralline algae ?

In any case, yes, start keeping the temperature right and stable, along with slowly ramping up the lights.

 

[williamCreery]

20G… remove the skimmer. And only an 1 1/2” of sand! Or you’ll be siphon vacuuming that thing almost twice a week.
Even if you are going to over stock it with fish.
I agree with the other comments, definitely temperatures needs to be at 79 that would explain it dying off the rock. Tough truth is if it’s in the process of cycling 9 out of 10 everything dies in the bloom. Unless you borrow water from a friends tank and use they’re bio-sponge full of beneficial bacteria. Then and only then it would’ve lived.