Nano reef advice

[bluejuice]

Hey guys, I'm a new reefer looking for help, any and all will be welcome, so feel free to chime in!

So, here's a brief history of my reef tank. It's an AIO 14-gallon tank, set up about 2 months ago. I used Carib-sea live sand, and waited to make sure it was cycling. About two weeks later I added two clownfish, 1 Goniopora, and 2 Zoas. One zoa and the goniopora opened the next day, while still to this day the second zoa has never opened. Later down the line, about two weeks after that (1 month since cycled) I added a leather tree coral, which hasn't opened either.

In an attempt to figure out what was wrong, I decided to do a Coral Rx dip on everything, which got the sick zoa to open briefly but it closed up again, and since then has become covered in a brown hair algae, with a couple little hydras on the base as well.

About a week after the Coral Rx dip I got a brown algae breakout covering the rocks glass and substrate, and I assumed it was the same stuff that was growing on the sick zoa, but now I'm not so sure as the stuff on the zoa is hairy, while the algae elsewhere looks more like dino or diatom. I looked under a microscope and it is not 100% of either. I saw a couple diatoms in the scope, but also a lot of what I believe was dinoflagellates. I still need to look again because the microscope I used had a very bad resolution due to mold or dirt or something on the lenses. If it is Dino it is not highly toxic because I have a few hermit crabs which were (to my knowledge) unphased.

I treated it like it was Dino and did a 4 day blackout, which pushed it back and for a few days. Everything was looking clear and even my sick zoa slightly opened up. After about a week of ramping the light intensity up, I'm right back here I started. So last week I tried to raise the nutrients with feeding flake food, which according to my API kit read Phosphate at 0-0.25 (I assumed 0 because I had a Dino bloom) and nitrate was around 5. Nutrients according to my kit then jumped up to Phosphate- 0.5-1, and nitrate around 10. This high a reading of phosphate scared me (Tested numerous times) but for whatever reason it rapidly fell over the next 2 days, and now is in the 0-0.25 range with nitrate around 5. The algae seems unchanged by my attempt at altering nutrients, but my Gonioporian has closed up, my healthy zoa has lost some color, and I'm thinking its due to this rapid fluctuation but am unsure.

So basically the 1-month-old tree coral hasn't opened, a 2 month old algae covered Zoa hasn't opened, and recently the gonioporan and healthier Zoa are stressing about something.

I'm wondering if this is all to do with the algae, or if it's parameters or something I'm not aware of.
I did initially mess with the flow and decided to keep it pretty low.

Parameters:
Nitrate- 5ppm
Phosphate- 0-0.25
Kh-8dkh
Calcium- 520ppm
Ph- 8.2
Salinity- 35 ppt

 

[TX_REEF]

How's your lighting?

If the only source of bacteria you used was the "live" sand, I think you also probably have a lack of diverse beneficial bacteria that should be supplemented by real ocean live rock or reputable bacterial additives.

 

[Subsea]

A picture with white light would help.

Your nutrients are fine. Your tank is young. Why are you turning off your lights?

For me, Gonipora was difficult to keep.

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Have you been testing your Ammonia at all?

Using CaribbSea "live" sand and waiting a couple of weeks unfortunately does not mean your tank was fully cycled, if at all.

 

[MoshJosh]

What light are you using? What powerhead/wavemaker are you using?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

A picture really helps provide some visual reference. What type of lighting and flow in the tank?

Corals are very delicate sensitive animals, adding corals into a brand new sterile tank is generally not a good idea, most would suggest to wait a couple of months for the tank to stabilize.

Throw the API phosphate kit in the garbage. We generally keep our phosphate at about .1 or below. The API test only gives a range from zero to .25. Its not accurate enough for our purpose, don't use it. Try not to use API kits.

I would suggest to slow down, you are going too fast, do more research. Research is key in this hobby.

 

[bluejuice]

deleted text

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would suggest to get a powerhead in the tank and aim it up at the surface, the surface is too flat, we can see debris building up on the surface in the pic. Agitating the surface will also help oxygenate the water.

Those looks like diatoms to me, they feed on the silicates in new sand, once the supply is used up they usually die out on their own after a couple of weeks. You can add some sand sifting snails like nassarius snails that will stir it. After the diatoms is when the real algae fun starts.

 

[bluejuice]

How's your lighting?

If the only source of bacteria you used was the "live" sand, I think you also probably have a lack of diverse beneficial bacteria that should be supplemented by real ocean live rock or reputable bacterial additives.

 

[bluejuice]

How's your lighting?

If the only source of bacteria you used was the "live" sand, I think you also probably have a lack of diverse beneficial bacteria that should be supplemented by real ocean live rock or reputable bacterial additives.

My light is a Kessil A80 Blue tuna, which currently at the highest intensity setting is hitting about 80 par at the bottom, 100-110 in the middle, and 115-120 at the top. (I posted a picture for reference)

I have thought that I must have a low bacterial or microbial diversity and that this was the reason for the outbreak, but I'm just not sure what to do... H2O2 dosing and then adding beneficial bacteria? what brand or specimens would you recommend?

 

[bluejuice]

A picture with white light would help.

Your nutrients are fine. Your tank is young. Why are you turning off your lights?

For me, Gonipora was difficult to keep.

Thanks mate, I posted a picture if you wanna look.
I turned the lights off (blackout) to hopefully kill the algae

 

[bluejuice]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Have you been testing your Ammonia at all?

Using CaribbSea "live" sand and waiting a couple of weeks unfortunately does not mean your tank was fully cycled, if at all.

Yeah I initially was- watched ammonia spike and then get oxidized and what not until only nitrate was reading.

 

[bluejuice]

What light are you using? What powerhead/wavemaker are you using?

Kessil A 80. Pretty weak I think but okay for the softies I'm keeping
80 par on the bottom rock and 120 at the top.

No wavemaker, but the return pump can create a sandstorm if I want it. I have it on one of its weakest settings because the layout of the tank. My tree coral (retracted) slightly waves about a mm back and forth...

 

[bluejuice]

I would suggest to get a powerhead in the tank and aim it up at the surface, the surface is too flat, we can see debris building up on the surface in the pic. Agitating the surface will also help oxygenate the water.

Those looks like diatoms to me, they feed on the silicates in new sand, once the supply is used up they usually die out on their own after a couple of weeks. You can add some sand sifting snails like nassarius snails that will stir it. After the diatoms is when the real algae fun starts.

Thanks, in response to both of your replies. The photo was taken with the return pump turned off, there's usually a good bit of agitation.
I'm gonna look at them under a microscope soon and determine what they are exactly, hopefully just diatoms.

About the snails, will they disturb thecorals? I had some hermit crabs that before I gave them away liked to hangout on top of the corals. I'll look into it, but will they eat the algae?

Also, do you have any advice for dealing with the hair algae which I presume is behind my Zoa not opening?

 

[bluejuice]

Hey guys, I'm a new reefer looking for help, any and all will be welcome, so feel free to chime in!

So, here's a brief history of my reef tank. It's an AIO 14-gallon tank, set up about 2 months ago. I used Carib-sea live sand, and waited to make sure it was cycling. About two weeks later I added two clownfish, 1 Goniopora, and 2 Zoas. One zoa and the goniopora opened the next day, while still to this day the second zoa has never opened. Later down the line, about two weeks after that (1 month since cycled) I added a leather tree coral, which hasn't opened either.

In an attempt to figure out what was wrong, I decided to do a Coral Rx dip on everything, which got the sick zoa to open briefly but it closed up again, and since then has become covered in a brown hair algae, with a couple little hydras on the base as well.

About a week after the Coral Rx dip I got a brown algae breakout covering the rocks glass and substrate, and I assumed it was the same stuff that was growing on the sick zoa, but now I'm not so sure as the stuff on the zoa is hairy, while the algae elsewhere looks more like dino or diatom. I looked under a microscope and it is not 100% of either. I saw a couple diatoms in the scope, but also a lot of what I believe was dinoflagellates. I still need to look again because the microscope I used had a very bad resolution due to mold or dirt or something on the lenses. If it is Dino it is not highly toxic because I have a few hermit crabs which were (to my knowledge) unphased.

I treated it like it was Dino and did a 4 day blackout, which pushed it back and for a few days. Everything was looking clear and even my sick zoa slightly opened up. After about a week of ramping the light intensity up, I'm right back here I started. So last week I tried to raise the nutrients with feeding flake food, which according to my API kit read Phosphate at 0-0.25 (I assumed 0 because I had a Dino bloom) and nitrate was around 5. Nutrients according to my kit then jumped up to Phosphate- 0.5-1, and nitrate around 10. This high a reading of phosphate scared me (Tested numerous times) but for whatever reason it rapidly fell over the next 2 days, and now is in the 0-0.25 range with nitrate around 5. The algae seems unchanged by my attempt at altering nutrients, but my Gonioporian has closed up, my healthy zoa has lost some color, and I'm thinking its due to this rapid fluctuation but am unsure.

So basically the 1-month-old tree coral hasn't opened, a 2 month old algae covered Zoa hasn't opened, and recently the gonioporan and healthier Zoa are stressing about something.

I'm wondering if this is all to do with the algae, or if it's parameters or something I'm not aware of.
I did initially mess with the flow and decided to keep it pretty low.

Parameters:
Nitrate- 5ppm
Phosphate- 0-0.25
Kh-8dkh
Calcium- 520ppm
Ph- 8.2
Salinity- 35 ppt

 

[Fish Fan]

Yeah I initially was- watched ammonia spike and then get oxidized and what not until only nitrate was reading.

Did you add ammonia and it reached ~2ppm concentration? It typically takes A LOT longer than a couple of weeks to cycle a tank using that sand alone, and if you didn't add some source of ammonia such as fish food or ammonium chloride then you may not have completed a full cycle.

I personally think new tank instability has more to do with your corals not opening than hair algae around them.

 

[bluejuice]

Did you add ammonia and it reached ~2ppm concentration? It typically takes A LOT longer than a couple of weeks to cycle a tank using that sand alone, and if you didn't add some source of ammonia such as fish food or ammonium chloride then you may not have completed a full cycle.

I personally think new tank instability has more to do with your corals not opening than hair algae around them.

I added ammonia and used beneficial starter bacteria. There's no ammonia or nitrite present anymore.
It might be new tank instability, idk, but it couldn't be ammonia or nitrite causing an issue because those aren't at detectable levels.

There's definitely at least one, possibly more, issues because I have two corals closed up- one with hair algae covering it and one tree coral that just appears stubborn lol

I appreciate the secondary view though because tbh I have nothing but guesses.

 

[Fish Fan]

If you used supplemental bacteria besides just what came with the sand, then you're likely good there.

But even after the initial nitrogen cycle new tanks can unstable.

If the algae is growing on your frags, you can try to gently brush it off with a soft toothbrush. Obviously, be careful of the coral itself, don't brush and damage the flesh, but you can brush the algae off the frag plug, and then try to siphon it out of the tank. Any algae you can physical remove from the tank, go ahead and pull it out. If the frags are small and you can dislodge them and take them out of the tank, you could try a dip in hydrogen peroxide bath to hopefully knock back that algae. And, as was already mentioned, get a good or more of a clean up crew like snails and hermits. Most will not bother your corals, but can do a good job getting rid of a lot of that algae. Algae control is often a multi-prong approach.

If you need a source of CUC critters, I suggest ReefCleaners.org, they have a big selection at great prices with inexpensive shipping on most, but not all, their critters.

 

[Rhetoric]

Nice little tank.

I think adding coral to a cycling/newly cycled tanks is a fantastic way to add bacteria and diversity. Good job. Give it time.

My thoughts are to leave it alone. Stop dipping and "treating" with anything. Give it time.

I just had a zoa frag that's been in tank for over a year, it had doubled in size... melt within a couple days... no idea why. Sometimes it's part of the hobby. I've definitely had new zoa frags not take. Buy 6 new ones, 5 do great one dies.

Keep focusing on the basics.

Get a few snails to help clean up some alge/diatoms. Don't be afraid to manually remove or brush back alge.

All this talk about Ammonia is off point and is nothing to worry about regarding corals.

Nice little tank, keep the chemicals out of it and give it time.

Just my 2 cents. Full speed ahead, by leaving it alone.

 

[Fish Fan]

All this talk about Ammonia is off point and is nothing to worry about regarding corals.

My $0.02, is that you’re right if you only add corals to the tank. But the OP added fish, and fish can raise the ammonia to levels that will negatively impact corals, especially in such a small tank.