best way for zoas to thrive?

stevediaz1 · 05/13/2015, 11:37 PM

im new to this hobby i started on 4/12/15 i have a 8 gallon nanotank saltwater i cycled it with live rock and live sand for two weeks with no corals or fish just water,rock,sand i placed not long ago a small bag of chemi pure elite and a phosguard right amount of dosage according to seachem instructions on the bottle to reduce phosphate and i also bought a cobalt neo-therm water heater and placed the temperature at 78 what else should i do to keep them thriving?

i have currently in there;

1 clown fish, 1 randals goby, 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 nassarius snails 2 blue legged hermit crab, 3 regular hermit crabs, 2 snails, 1 torch coral green neon tips, 1 blue xenia, 1 shrunken pulsating xenia this xenia was healthy looking and pulsating when i purchased it now im lost and dont know what to do to it to bring it back to life

my current parameters are as follow

ph 8.0
nitrate 10ppm
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.25
calcium 380
magnesium 1400
alkalinity 10.5 dkh

toothybugs · 05/14/2015, 05:53 AM

Problem 1: AMMONIA! You will need to keep up with water changes big-time to get that level low. Sounds like you rushed your cycle and it wasn't complete yet. Scale back on feeding for a bit and let things catch up. You have a very full little tank already and it's really, really young.

Problem 2: I don't think you needed the PhosGuard yet. Just because the LFS tells you to buy it doesn't mean that you need to. Sort of like the auto shop telling you to change your air filter after 10,000 miles just because it has a tint of gray to it.

Problem 3: What are you doing for lighting?

Otherwise your chemistry looks pretty good. I like calcium over 400 but otherwise your numbers are where they need to be. Get that ammonia down!!

Newsmyrna80 · 05/14/2015, 06:17 AM

You need to slow way down! You have added too much too soon to such a new tank. What little biological filtration you had has been overwhelmed. Ammonia over 0 is lethal to all livestock. Add something to lock up/detoxify the ammonia (Prime, etc) until you can build up the biological filtration to sustain the tank. The Xenia may not make it in such a new tank. They are known for liking established and "dirty" tanks. The Xenia dying will also contribute to the ammonia.
And as if I haven't piled on enough bad news 8 gallons is too small for a clown. They need at least 20 gallons.
Research is your friend in this hobby. Read the stickies in this forum especially if you are looking to purchase livestock, equipment, etc.

toothybugs · 05/14/2015, 06:18 AM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2503007

Double posting, can we combine the responses and get rid of one of these threads?

05/13/2015, 11:37 PM	#1
stevediaz1 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 107	best way for zoas to thrive? im new to this hobby i started on 4/12/15 i have a 8 gallon nanotank saltwater i cycled it with live rock and live sand for two weeks with no corals or fish just water,rock,sand i placed not long ago a small bag of chemi pure elite and a phosguard right amount of dosage according to seachem instructions on the bottle to reduce phosphate and i also bought a cobalt neo-therm water heater and placed the temperature at 78 what else should i do to keep them thriving? i have currently in there; 1 clown fish, 1 randals goby, 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 nassarius snails 2 blue legged hermit crab, 3 regular hermit crabs, 2 snails, 1 torch coral green neon tips, 1 blue xenia, 1 shrunken pulsating xenia this xenia was healthy looking and pulsating when i purchased it now im lost and dont know what to do to it to bring it back to life my current parameters are as follow ph 8.0 nitrate 10ppm nitrite 0 ammonia 0.25 calcium 380 magnesium 1400 alkalinity 10.5 dkh

05/14/2015, 06:17 AM	#3
Newsmyrna80 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 2,312	You need to slow way down! You have added too much too soon to such a new tank. What little biological filtration you had has been overwhelmed. Ammonia over 0 is lethal to all livestock. Add something to lock up/detoxify the ammonia (Prime, etc) until you can build up the biological filtration to sustain the tank. The Xenia may not make it in such a new tank. They are known for liking established and "dirty" tanks. The Xenia dying will also contribute to the ammonia. And as if I haven't piled on enough bad news 8 gallons is too small for a clown. They need at least 20 gallons. Research is your friend in this hobby. Read the stickies in this forum especially if you are looking to purchase livestock, equipment, etc. __________________ 80 gal frag with 30 gal refugium, Orphek Atlantik LED, Red Sea RSK300 skimmer, predominately SPS and LPS Current Tank Info: 80 gallon reef tank with 30 gal refugium

05/14/2015, 05:53 AM	#2
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	Problem 1: AMMONIA! You will need to keep up with water changes big-time to get that level low. Sounds like you rushed your cycle and it wasn't complete yet. Scale back on feeding for a bit and let things catch up. You have a very full little tank already and it's really, really young. Problem 2: I don't think you needed the PhosGuard yet. Just because the LFS tells you to buy it doesn't mean that you need to. Sort of like the auto shop telling you to change your air filter after 10,000 miles just because it has a tint of gray to it. Problem 3: What are you doing for lighting? Otherwise your chemistry looks pretty good. I like calcium over 400 but otherwise your numbers are where they need to be. Get that ammonia down!!

05/14/2015, 06:18 AM	#4
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2503007 Double posting, can we combine the responses and get rid of one of these threads?