kinda feel like im in over my head here

[phantom2991]

i wanted to convert my 55 gal over to saltwater and i ended up acquiring a 100 gal that was already set up for saltwater. i think because everything was given to me instead of me putting it together myself, i dont really know what is going on with my tank the way i should, or what everything does and why. im getting really frustrated, and considering scrapping the 100 gal and just doing what i had originally intended with the 55 gal. havent lost any fish, water tests fine, but cant seem to keep the algea off the sand bed and glass, has to be cleaned DAILY even though i do vacuum the sand and wipe the glass everyday now. i need words of wisdom or someone to tell me what im doing wrong here before i loose my mind.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Don't fret too much. From time to time I think every aquarist feels out of touch with their tanks. First off, lets get some information on your system. Give us the full break down (all equipment, all additives, lighting schedule, water change schedule, etc.) this will help us help you .

Dont let the algae get the best of you, it is something that we all must deal with and in time you will have it beat, dont worry.

~Michael

 

[jjmoneyman]

First, take a big breath and relax. You say your water tests fine and you haven't killed anything yet so it's likely not as bad as you think. As stated above give us the whole breakdown of the system and I'm sure we can help to get it all fixed up for you. I've done the 55 gal route and a larger tank such as your 100 gal is generally easier to keep once all the bugs are worked out. We are here to help.

 

[jpsika08]

+1, larger tanks and more water volume means more stable parameters.

 

[phantom2991]

ok. im gonna try to list everything. but like i said before, since i didnt purchase everything myself, some of it i dont exactly know what im looking at. first off, it is a 100 gal tank, 55 lbs of live sand (3 inch sand bed) about 80 lbs of live rock with purple coraline algea and some red and green mushrooms. there is a briny starfish and a sand sifter star in there, lots of hermits and snails. 2 true perculla clowns who are about 2 1/2 inches long a piece. 1 maroon clown who is about 3 1/2 inches and a foxface who is the same size as the maroon clown. there is a long tentacle anemone in there, but i will be taking him with me to work (i work at a pet store) until the tank is more under my control and i dont want to kill him. as far as equipment goes, the light says current on it, it stretches the length of the tank and has 4 bulbs, 2 blue 2 white with a reflective background and a fan to keep it cool. it doesnt say the wattage on it so im not sure, but my boss said it is a light built for a reef tank. it has one canister filter that says the brand is a grech gw-302, voltage 120v/60hz, power 18w, h-mar 1.4m, q-max 1000l/h, 2 power heads, a uv sterilizer with no name on unit but it is pretty large and attached to a marineland magnum 350 convertible canister filter that also has 2 marineland biowheels attached on top of tank. rena cal heater 300w. tank is at 78.7 degrees presently. and a asm protein skimmer g-1x. salinity is at 1.025. ammonia is 0. calcium is at 400ppm, ph 8.2. i have been doing about a 20% water change every week sometimes a little more depending on how dirty it is.

 

[phantom2991]

with the lights, i keep them on about 7-8 hours a day and i leave the blue lights on at night.

 

[dmatt88]

Well seems to me ur on track perfect! Just keep in mind algae is part of a proper cycle. No way around it. When conditions stabilize add the cuc n a tang. Wha la no more algae ( for a while )

Don't sweat or panic ur doing great. Plus a 100 gal is so much nicer than a 55.

U probably wanna add a sump n lose the cannister eventually.

Matts DROIDX via Tapatalk

 

[jjmoneyman]

I would have to agree, you are on the right track. I'm not a fan of canister filters or bio wheels unless you clean them all the friggin time (I'm lazy). I would agree you would be better off with a sump with possibly a fuge - and the sump is great to put you skimmer and heater and goodies into as well. You say you have a lot of snails and hermits, what is a lot? In my system I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 200 of these little cleaners doing all the dirty work for me. I'm not big on a 3" sand bed either, I prefer either shallow or deep and that is somewhere in between but somebody that is more educated on sand beds can give you advice on what is best. You should also be testing for nitrates, nitrites, and phos as these are what supplies food to your algae. Don't fret you are doing well thus far.

 

[phantom2991]

well i started off with like 25 snails and 25 hermits, but they have breeded now there is babies everywhere!! thank you everyone. really, you have made me feel a lot better about this. maybe im not such a screw up after all.
time will tell.

 

[jjmoneyman]

No you aren't. You hang in there, you are on the right track!

 

[jpsika08]

Wow, already having breeding CUC, great news !!!

 

[phantom2991]

i didnt know that was hard to do. they have been "doing it" since i put them in there.

 

[jpsika08]

No inhabitant is going to breed under bad circumstances, your water quality and overall bio filter are at a point in which these little critters feel happy and breed.

 

[jessemac]

Sounds like you are doing great thus far, keep up the good work and regualr testing. You'll do fine and soon be so glad you stuck with the 100 and not opted to go back to the 55, trust me! I too would ditch the canister filters, maybe keep one just for a good quality carbon media and phosphate media like GFO, other than that, they are worthless on a saltwater system, IMO. Get yourself a sump, build your own whatever works best for you. And they arento hard to build either. Being you have a 100 gal, Im sure you have a decent amount of room underneath in the stand. Get yourself the biggest sump that will fit in there with out tearing the tank down to get it it. Have one compartment for the intake and skimmer, one for the fuge and one for the return. the sump should be geared and designed around the skimmer and leave room for upgrading if possible. You will also be able to put the heater and UV sterilizer in there as well. I would porbably go and pic out some more choice LR that you really like and add that to the DT between now and tanking down the canister filters. The LR, skimmer, sandbed are the core filtration for any saltwater system and good water movement may even be more important. Keep asking questions and posting threads, you will learn and get the hang of this in no time. Best of luck and welcome to this amazing and addicting hobby.

 

[tnwillia]

Your doing fine! Everyone here deals with algae at some point and it's part of the cycle of the first few months of a start up. The tank has to develop at it's pace not yours and each tank is different. The hardest thing I had to learn was "It takes time". You have new parts on order so as others have said... take a deep breath, step back and go over your tank piece by piece and get to know how it's put together and how it works while your waiting. Pictures will help everyone. Have fun with it!