Tank Reboot - Need suggestions

moneymm · 04/07/2021, 10:08 AM

So i started this hobby about 7 years, and i would say its been a complete failure for me, i dont remember ever having a time where my tank looked good and didnt have an awful algae attack.

My fish and few corals all died about 6 months ago.

I want to transition to an easier to care for tank, one that cant get away from me like this one did.

i have fewer time then i did years ago for maintenance, but really want to get something looking nice.

What would you recommend i do, ditch the live rock and go with some fake coral insert, remove my nice light and just get a cheap LED to not grow any algae?

maybe switch over to freshwater?

or are you gonna convince me to give reefing another shot?

FelixAguilar · 04/07/2021, 10:30 AM

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

moneymm · 04/07/2021, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FelixAguilar

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

yes alot of money invested, thats why its hard to give up. plus the kids want some new fish. i just dont want the headaches of quarantine tanks and algae problems

Oldreeferman · 04/07/2021, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FelixAguilar

Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!

I was going to mention the same thing. With a fish only tank with live rock you would not have to monitor all the chemistry anymore only for corals does that present an issue, especially if you do not have the automation or the time to invest beyond water top offs & feedings. Even fish can be a handful due to ick & odd feeding habits & tank shape & size etc. Be certain to research everything you can about said fish before purchasing any so that you will know what & when to add so they all get along and be sure to get them from a reputable LFS if possible so you can see them feed & are ick free verses the online gamble. A QT tank would be a good investment if you plan on delicate species big time.

Sk8r · 04/07/2021, 10:45 PM

Algae come with excess phosphate. Phosphate can test zero amid fields of waving green, because phosphate goes into the algae. To be sure you don't have it, get well-conditioned rock and well-washed or live sand, and if you start to see it anyway, run GFO (Phosban) in a reactor---which will remove the remnant of it. Also don't get fish that require green food. After you've solved the phosphate problem, the rest is fairly easy so long as you keep your alkalinity steady, which means testing it and using buffer.

04/07/2021, 10:08 AM	#1
moneymm Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 536	Tank Reboot - Need suggestions So i started this hobby about 7 years, and i would say its been a complete failure for me, i dont remember ever having a time where my tank looked good and didnt have an awful algae attack. My fish and few corals all died about 6 months ago. I want to transition to an easier to care for tank, one that cant get away from me like this one did. i have fewer time then i did years ago for maintenance, but really want to get something looking nice. What would you recommend i do, ditch the live rock and go with some fake coral insert, remove my nice light and just get a cheap LED to not grow any algae? maybe switch over to freshwater? or are you gonna convince me to give reefing another shot? __________________ 45 Gallon Bow DT - Lifereef Berlin Sump/Skimmer - 36" ATI Dimmable Sunpower 4 x 39W Phantom Clown, Ocellaris Cown, 10 Snails, 4 Hermit Crabs

04/07/2021, 10:45 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,441 Blog Entries: 55	Algae come with excess phosphate. Phosphate can test zero amid fields of waving green, because phosphate goes into the algae. To be sure you don't have it, get well-conditioned rock and well-washed or live sand, and if you start to see it anyway, run GFO (Phosban) in a reactor---which will remove the remnant of it. Also don't get fish that require green food. After you've solved the phosphate problem, the rest is fairly easy so long as you keep your alkalinity steady, which means testing it and using buffer. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, chromis, royal gramma basslet, tailspot blenny, ocellaris clown, yellow watchman, chestnut turbo snails, bristleworms, couple of hermits.

04/07/2021, 10:30 AM	#2
FelixAguilar Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 6	Well from your signature it looks like you have some money in your equipment (Lifereef) so that tells me you didn't go about it just to see what would happen. You should consider a fish only tank for a while see how that goes. You will have to provide a good environment for them to thrive but that's not too hard. Get a clean up crew and some fish that eat algae and see if they make some headway cleaning up your tank. Fish are cool to look at and I would say less maintenance than a reef tank. Good luck!