Help ive taken over my buddies tank and its got some problems NEWB PICS inside

ace1204 · 02/13/2008, 11:09 PM

First thank you very much for your time and knowledge.
I just came upon a free tank which a friend of mine no longer has time to maintain and he has kind of let go for a while now.
Tank is 21g cube
Only fish in the tank is a Clown
has a few snails and few hermits
1 power head and i just bought a oceanic skimmer for 14-29 tank
My tank is NOT a bio cube but the skimmer is working as well i just have it setup inside the tank instead of hanging the the back part that the biocubes allow for.
Had all the levels tested at the local LFS he said everything looked fine except my PH was low so i bought some buffer and have given 1 dose a day past 2 days and will have water tested again tommorrow

Setup:

Questions:
1.First question i have is that there are the reddish-purple jelly looking broccli formations growing off some of the live rock. Good or Bad? see pic

2.The bottom half of my rock looks like it has green dust all over it? How do i clean this up and what is this?

3 The sand is kind of course and rocky but is discolored to a yellowish green tint? How can i fix this?

4 There are these light green-yellow cotton ball looking growths on about 5-6 spots spread throughout the rock.

5 also there are these little white things poking out of the rocks in parts they dont move just curious as to what they are>?

6. Should i change out the ammonia remover, carbon, and sponge?
7.The tank has no heater what temp should i run it at and do i need to buy a heater?
Thanks so much guys im new to this and have read a fair amount but looking for somequick answers before i make a big mistake.

Anemonebuff · 02/13/2008, 11:37 PM

1. I believe is some type of sponge. I had the red kind and now have a green kind.

2. Detrius, which is waste or poo.

3. Lower the nutrient content. Removing/syphoning the detrius will help. Wet skim and water change as well.

4. Sponges=good.

5. Fan worms=good.

xenon · 02/13/2008, 11:51 PM

Match the ph, cal, alk, mag on your make up water and do some 90% water changes.

Just enough water for your clown to breathe.

dragonforce · 02/14/2008, 12:00 AM

For the sand I would siphon it out, you dont need to remove all of it, but leave about an inch and then replace with an oolitic sand or some other fine aragonite sand. You can use a peice of PVC with a funnel to add sand without creating a mess. Good luck man.

RumLad · 02/14/2008, 04:13 AM

The key word in your opening post was "free"
If I can offer one piece of advice in this hobby, it would be that NOTHING is free in this hobby

Believe me, you will pay for it at some time.

Do a few water changes (by siphoning through the sand bed) over the next week (20% each) Make sure you let the new salt mixture de-gas for a 12 hours before adding to display tank.

And most of all, keep reading and asking questions. It is a great hobby, but can be very frustrating at times.

ManotheSea · 02/14/2008, 06:07 AM

I think your friend was using a calcium additive evidenced by the coraline growth on the glass. This is good and should be continued. Ask what was being used. Usually the calc additive will also maintain your Alk and stabilize the pH. Alk and pH are very important for healthy corals.

Instead of shooting for a certain pH number, try aiming for an Alk number. When the Alk and calc are correct the pH should fall in place on its own.Test kits you should have that a LFS may not test for and mention are Alk, Calc, pH, Phos, Nitrate, Mg. Dont waste money on Ammonia and Nitrite tests.

gdavis17 · 02/14/2008, 07:09 AM

If I were you, I would go get a couple maxijet 900 powerheads, or even better a couple hydor koralias #2. I really think you will like the results of more dispersed flow in your tank that just the one internal pump in the corner. If you configure the powerheads just right, you will eliminate most of your algae problems and detrius buildup on the rocks. I have a 30 cube and have had the best success using a maxijet 1200 in one corner and a koralia in the other. Both of the pumps I listed only cost about $20 a piece. If you search here on the fourms, you might even be able to get them for $10 a piece. Good luck, and welcome to the hobby.

ace1204 · 02/14/2008, 08:16 AM

Wow thanks for all the help everyone

dzeadow · 02/14/2008, 08:32 AM

#1 looks like red valonia, you'll want to remove that if possible w/ out breaking it, it'll release spores in to the tank causing more. Manually remove the stuff on the sand bed and if it's only on one rock, take that rock out and try scrubbing it in a bucket to get rid of it. it'll become a huge nuisance. Or you could try getting a emerald crab to take care of it, but it'll be hit or miss.

And yes, you need a heater if it doesn't have one. you'll want to keep the water temp anywhere between 79-82 depending on what you plan on keeping in there.

02/14/2008, 04:13 AM	#5
RumLad Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Suburban Chicagoland Posts: 794	The key word in your opening post was "free" If I can offer one piece of advice in this hobby, it would be that NOTHING is free in this hobby Believe me, you will pay for it at some time. Do a few water changes (by siphoning through the sand bed) over the next week (20% each) Make sure you let the new salt mixture de-gas for a 12 hours before adding to display tank. And most of all, keep reading and asking questions. It is a great hobby, but can be very frustrating at times. __________________ "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. " H. D. Thoreau

02/14/2008, 07:09 AM	#7
gdavis17 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Muncie, Indiana Posts: 496	If I were you, I would go get a couple maxijet 900 powerheads, or even better a couple hydor koralias #2. I really think you will like the results of more dispersed flow in your tank that just the one internal pump in the corner. If you configure the powerheads just right, you will eliminate most of your algae problems and detrius buildup on the rocks. I have a 30 cube and have had the best success using a maxijet 1200 in one corner and a koralia in the other. Both of the pumps I listed only cost about $20 a piece. If you search here on the fourms, you might even be able to get them for $10 a piece. Good luck, and welcome to the hobby. __________________ Half of my life is perfect because if I think about it I'm either at work or in front of my tank. Current Tank Info: 30 cube, 40# lr, 30# ls, misc. softies, 2 maroon clowns, lawnmower blenny

02/14/2008, 08:16 AM	#8
ace1204 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 151	Wow thanks for all the help everyone __________________ 34g Solana Barebottom w/ Vortech mp20 wave action and Picassos Solana Build thread: Click my red house -Clint- or -Ace- Current Tank Info: ELOS 70, Solana

02/14/2008, 08:32 AM	#9
dzeadow Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bozeman, MT Posts: 2,589	#1 looks like red valonia, you'll want to remove that if possible w/ out breaking it, it'll release spores in to the tank causing more. Manually remove the stuff on the sand bed and if it's only on one rock, take that rock out and try scrubbing it in a bucket to get rid of it. it'll become a huge nuisance. Or you could try getting a emerald crab to take care of it, but it'll be hit or miss. And yes, you need a heater if it doesn't have one. you'll want to keep the water temp anywhere between 79-82 depending on what you plan on keeping in there. __________________ - Danny Current Tank Info: Dual 50 Breeder system, 30g custom sump/fuge, MSX200, Tank1-6x24T5 retro, Tank2-4x39T5 retro

02/13/2008, 11:09 PM	#1
ace1204 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 151	Help ive taken over my buddies tank and its got some problems NEWB PICS inside First thank you very much for your time and knowledge. I just came upon a free tank which a friend of mine no longer has time to maintain and he has kind of let go for a while now. Tank is 21g cube Only fish in the tank is a Clown has a few snails and few hermits 1 power head and i just bought a oceanic skimmer for 14-29 tank My tank is NOT a bio cube but the skimmer is working as well i just have it setup inside the tank instead of hanging the the back part that the biocubes allow for. Had all the levels tested at the local LFS he said everything looked fine except my PH was low so i bought some buffer and have given 1 dose a day past 2 days and will have water tested again tommorrow Setup: Questions: 1.First question i have is that there are the reddish-purple jelly looking broccli formations growing off some of the live rock. Good or Bad? see pic 2.The bottom half of my rock looks like it has green dust all over it? How do i clean this up and what is this? 3 The sand is kind of course and rocky but is discolored to a yellowish green tint? How can i fix this? 4 There are these light green-yellow cotton ball looking growths on about 5-6 spots spread throughout the rock. 5 also there are these little white things poking out of the rocks in parts they dont move just curious as to what they are>? 6. Should i change out the ammonia remover, carbon, and sponge? 7.The tank has no heater what temp should i run it at and do i need to buy a heater? Thanks so much guys im new to this and have read a fair amount but looking for somequick answers before i make a big mistake. Last edited by ace1204; 02/13/2008 at 11:38 PM.

02/13/2008, 11:37 PM	#2
Anemonebuff Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: LI,NY Posts: 3,877	1. I believe is some type of sponge. I had the red kind and now have a green kind. 2. Detrius, which is waste or poo. 3. Lower the nutrient content. Removing/syphoning the detrius will help. Wet skim and water change as well. 4. Sponges=good. 5. Fan worms=good.

02/13/2008, 11:51 PM	#3
xenon Owner of Canada Corals Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mississauga, Canada Posts: 3,148	Match the ph, cal, alk, mag on your make up water and do some 90% water changes. Just enough water for your clown to breathe.

02/14/2008, 12:00 AM	#4
dragonforce Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Laguna Niguel, 92677 Posts: 587	For the sand I would siphon it out, you dont need to remove all of it, but leave about an inch and then replace with an oolitic sand or some other fine aragonite sand. You can use a peice of PVC with a funnel to add sand without creating a mess. Good luck man.

02/14/2008, 06:07 AM	#6
ManotheSea Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: FL Posts: 414	I think your friend was using a calcium additive evidenced by the coraline growth on the glass. This is good and should be continued. Ask what was being used. Usually the calc additive will also maintain your Alk and stabilize the pH. Alk and pH are very important for healthy corals. Instead of shooting for a certain pH number, try aiming for an Alk number. When the Alk and calc are correct the pH should fall in place on its own.Test kits you should have that a LFS may not test for and mention are Alk, Calc, pH, Phos, Nitrate, Mg. Dont waste money on Ammonia and Nitrite tests.