please help me

[jshaw]

Tank Size: 55 gallon
Skimmer: Seaclone 100
Sump: DIY Wet Dry
Lights: 48' 260w odyssea power compact fixture (2x 65w day) (2x 65w 03 actinic) (8x blue led's)
Live rock: Bout 60 pounds
Sand: bout 1 inch deep bed
Fish: 1 niga trigger (getting out beacuse getting too agressive)1 percula clown, 1 blue hippo tang, 1 blue damsel, 1 scopas tang, and 1 dragonette.
Some of the paremeters: Ph: 8.0, Alk: around 2.4, Ammonia: 0, Nitrate: around 90...bad?, Nitrite: 0
Do waterchanges ever month1/2

I listed my set up beacuse i wanted to know if i went wrong anywhere. Im trying to slowly convert this tank into a LPS reef. I just got some mushrooms (LFS) and they dont seem to be doing well. and before i had some zoas and they just died off. Can anyone tell my why my corals wouldnt be doing well? Thanks.

[tongareefer]

I would start with the Nitrate issue.
What do you have in the wet/dry?
Bio balls.filter pads media.
What water do you use RO/DI or tap?

[firedogg2]

Also how long has the tank been up?

[Sk8r]

Start withdrawing media from wet/dry, AFTER you have deepened the sand bed [use fine aragonite, funnel into half inch hose, 1 cup every 4 days]. WHen your sand bed has reached 4", withdraw one layer of media every 3-4 days. By then you should have a stable sandbed.

Establish a refugium to feed your mandarin: it will add additional sandbed, [4"] as well. Plus the cheato will remove all algae from display tank.

Use ro/di only.
I'm sorry to say the tangs really need to go with the trigger. Adult size on the hippo is eighteen inches. You can have a lot of varieties of fish that aren't that large, but there are 2 problems with the big tangs: they eat so much vegetation that they will increase phosphate and harm the corals chemically in that small a tank, especially with a smaller skimmer,---and physically, they just don't have room to grow and run as they need to do. You have what you need for lps or softies, but your fish are overwhelming the system. I'd recommend a 20g fuge.

[george81]

ummmm......lets see
1. get all the tangs out of there. you re tank is way too small to have 1 tang let alone the number of tangs you listed.
2. get the trigger out again you re tank is too small
3. get a better skimmer a seaclone is a piece of junk.
you are way overstocked, you have the minimum amount of live rock, are you using ro/di water...
how did you acclimate the corals.

research the animals you are buying...its you re responsibility. get the tangs out and to a tank that is suitable for housing them.

[The Floodinator]

With those fish, toss the Seaclone and get a better skimmer. That's alot of fish for a 55. Lights should have been o.k. for zoos. Do water changes "as needed" not according to some arbitrary schedule. "As needed" means as often as it takes to keep the water parameters where they need to be. Nitrate at 90 ppm is way too high. If you can, add a 'fuge with macro.

[drillsar]

if you want more then zoo's you need a better light like the sunlight supply fixture. I would for a better skimmer dont go cheap on this, Go with a euroreef Sump, also look into buying a phosban reactor

[Avi]

I'd agree with just about everything said, but I suggest you test for everything critical...alkalinity, calcium, pH, nitrates, phosphates, magnesium. salinity...and post the results of your testing here. That way, there can be more specific advice regarding your water quality and what negative impact it may be having on the things you've put in the tank.

As for your lights, if you aren't ready to change them to MHs or T5s, then at least replace the two actinics with 50/50s.

[jshaw]

thanks for all the tips. so 1, get rid of tangs and trigger. 2, stable nitrate. 3, better skimmer. But the lightings a problem. i just got thes lights for the holidays and it would suck to have to save up for new ones. i guess i wasnt too smart about pickin them out. i didnt want to get metal halide( too hot, very expensive, didnt want to invest in a chiller) and i guess i should have looked more into T5's. but anyway im not tryign to go full out sps acros, melliepora, i just want some mushrooms, zoas, and maby an anenome for my clown. and as time goes by maby ill consider full out reef....when i win lotto... thanks for the tips again

[jshaw]

oh and its been up for about a year.

[drillsar]

Anemone is out of the question with that lighting even a t5 perhaps, Anemone's need high ligh (Metal Halides), Skimmer I would look into investing into a Euroreef skimmer, I perhaps maybe can get you one, let me know. Thanks

[drillsar]

Zoo's and musrooms probably will be ok under that light. But first is to try to keep a stable tank don't add anything you cant test for.

[drillsar]

You also should be pusing more live rock if this is all your going to use as a filter, They recommend 1 1/2lbs of rock per gal, what you can do is get what they call base rock, I forget where to get them, it's basically dead rock but in time will come alive, you put the base rock on the bottom and your live rock on top and it will seed it. I would be pushing for at least 90lbs of rock.

[jshaw]

alright drillsar. thanks. kinda of short on cash right now. still a student gettin a job soon haha. but deffinitly i will invest in a better skimmer.

[drillsar]

do you want DSB? if so then you need more sand, but add it slowly, try to get some local reefers to give you some of there sand. Also maybe get a kit from http://www.inlandaquatics.com/ Detivore kit if your sand ist live, this is if you want to go DSB. DSB sand you need at least 4 inches.

[jshaw]

good idea on rock. yeah tthey probably have some at my lfs.

[jshaw]

ill work on the sand bed aswell

[rmiga13]

Totally disagree!!! PC's are just fine for an Anemone! Mine has thrived for over a year and has since split and now I have 2 happy Anemone's! Water quality water quality water quality!!!

[madreefer14]

Jshaw, do you have access to a few basic power tools, if so check out the diy section reef central. There are several ways to cut costs. I would definitely agree with adding a sump/fuge. Can you convert your wet/dry into one? You can use a couple of old lights you might have for fresh water to light the fuge. For now if you cant afford a euoreef (highly unlikely on a student budget), keep the seaclone and adjust it to keep the skimmate as dry as possible. Try adding an aquatic micro ball valve between the air intake and venturi of your skimmer to help give you more control. Definitely get your nitrates down, WAY DOWN. What kind of draggonet do you have? If its a manderine or a psychadelic hopefully you have enough pods to feed it. This is where a fuge with chaeto would be a big help espessially in phospate and nitrate removal. How's the flow. Your goal should be 20x the tank volume for LPS. Your lights should be good for these. Keep your zoas high in the water colum. I would agree with changing them to 50/50s though. Keep up with the water changes. If your not using an ro/di filter at the very least use a tap water filter that you can get as your lfs. These are carbon/di filters which would be affordable but might not last to long. In the long run you would be better served investing in a ro/di filter. Hope this helps.

[Rustylugnuts]

Google marco rocks or eco rox for the base rock. I've seen a lot of folks happy about both. There is also messy, slow yet highly customizable DIY rocks (made out of cement).

[Avi]

Originally posted by rmiga13
Totally disagree!!! PC's are just fine for an Anemone! Mine has thrived for over a year and has since split and now I have 2 happy Anemone's! Water quality water quality water quality!!!

Which kind of anemone is this, rmiga?

[rmiga13]

BTA

[stingythingy45]

Originally posted by drillsar
Anemone is out of the question with that lighting even a t5 perhaps, Anemone's need high ligh (Metal Halides), Skimmer I would look into investing into a Euroreef skimmer, I perhaps maybe can get you one, let me know. Thanks

Wrongo on the anenome part....
Bubble tips and condylactis would do fine in a 55 with that lighting.
Oh and.......60 lbs of LR is fine also.
You have way too much bioload brother.
Reduce fish quanity,do a big water change,then add corals slowly.