1,5 meter

A

AhmedD

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Mayfair, JHB
Hello everyone!!!

I hope you guys can assist me, its kinda urgent.

I have a 1,5 meter by 850 by 650 high marine with a similar size sump.
currently running a reef octopus skimmer, a phosphate reactor, a nitrate reactor, 4 T5s , 2 250 watts metal halides. I use red sea salt

The tank is 3 years running and ammonia, nitrite are zero nitrate is 30, PH is between 8,1 to 8.3.

I feed once a day either flakes or frozen Mysis , oyster or krill.

the T5s are on for 8hrs a day and the metal halides for about 1.5hrs.
I do a water change every 2 weeks and clean the skimmer once a week.

current in mates of the tank include:

1 emperor snapper
4 blue demsels
1 saddle back clown
1 tomato clown
1 sand goby
1 cleaner shrimp
4 snails
10 mushrooms
2 fairy wrasse
1 coris wrasse
1 white stripped wrasse

fish I lost in past 3 months
1 emperor Angel
1 coral beauty
2 Pakistani butterfly
2 threadfin butterfly
1 niger trigger
3 yellow tail blue demsel
3 common clowns
1 flame angel
2 yellow tangs
1 pyjama tang
1 purple tang

as you can see there's something seriously wrong with my tank and cannot find what it is. I am seriously sad because of the loss of so many fish and endless bills.

if there is anyone who could possibly help me or if you could come and have a look at my tank to find out whats wrong I would appreciate it. I would have hoped that by now I would have a beautiful marine reef with fish and lps, sps and sof corals but 3 years and its bare.

also since December I have had a serious issue with green hair algae but then I have removed all the live rock and now my tank is algae free. please help! I would really like my tank to be like a small ocean.
 
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first off welcome to the forum :) you nitrates are pretty high there, can you posts some pics of the tank and sump...you could try starting up a small refugium in one of your sump compartments, the macro algae will help remove excess nutrients from the water, which over time should bring them down. You could also try a few big waterchanges frequently for the next few weeks, just my 2 cents
 
AhmedD said:
I have removed all the live rock and now my tank is algae free
Click to expand...

hi and welcome to masa

1.what did you replace this live rock with.(not a good idea to take all rock out at once)
2.did you take out the live rock before or after the fish started dying.
3.i think the nitrates are a little high
 
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Welcome ahmed! Hope you enjoy the MASA community!!!
Can you perhaps upload some pics of the tank. It sounds nice!

Your high nitrates could be one of the problems (indicates a lack of general maintenance & water changes)

Can you perhaps give us your maintenance regeme? Will help in identifying the problems...

Also, removing all the liverock from such a densely stocked system would DEFINITELY be one of the factors of the dying fish as it is the hosting place for all the biological activities in your tank & will definitely make your system less stable!
Removing the liverock wasnt the cure for the hair algae as the algae is there due to the high nitrates & possibly phosphates too...

Solutions:
1. Add some fully matured liverock back into the system.
2. Do a series of large waterchanges to help stabilize & clean the system.
3. Get some nitra-guard biocubes to help lower the nitrates (fantastic product!!!)

Please post some pics to help us identify the problems!
 
The liverock is also the feeding / hiding place for fish & especially angels, butterflies & tangs require lots of liverock & hiding places to stay happy & healthy!
 
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Hello and welcome AhmedD
First
where are you based? Easier if we know that you are in Pretoria, Or Durban, Or some little village that is still not on google Maps. Then somebody could just come around.
 
welcome to MASA.
setup sounds awesome. but like Riaan said. it would help if we know where you are from. also post a few pics of the system.
 
Hi everyone thanks for the warm welcome and help.

firstly I removed 80% of the live rock after my fish started dying. so currently theres 20% of the rocks in the tank. I do water changes about every 8-10days and do a refill every 3days 20liters of R.O water.

I wipe the glass every 7 days and clean the skimmer every 5-7days. other then that I do nothing else.

I live in Johannesburg Mayfair. this is Actually my second marine tank, originally had a 1.2m and the same story but after moving houses decided on a bigger tank and well to my luck I seem to be having the same issues. I really feel like giving up.
 
also the red snapper had a serious case of white spot, but had used proto marine drops and fed with garlic soaked flakes. it seems to be under control but could that have been the problem. mu temp is constant between 23.7-24.1 also my tank as no glass slides or enclosed canopy and is and open top tank
 
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as promised the Pics. my sad empty tank as you can see and my dead dsb at the bottom. if anyone sees any faults do point out and suggest what can be done. also I would like to set a quarantine tank next to this tank but keep to one sump is that possible? thanks for the help guys.
 
you definately need to get more rock back in there even if its dry rock and you let what rock you have in there seed it, this will just help with filtration in the sense that nitrogen fixing bacteria will colonise the rock over a period of time (obviously the rock that you already have in there will or atleast should have an established 'colony')

As for running the DT and QT on the same sump, it defeats the object of having a QT as any bacteria/disease or parasites that make it through the sump will be pumped into the DT and thus exposing your livestock to possible infection anyway.

Hope this helps a bit, maybe the other guys could give you a bit more advice with regards to other possiblities, but definately look into that live rock situation.
 
That DSB got a few things wrong with it, first it does not seems to have 150mm deep sand. The return pump is too small that is why you have all that settlement on top of the sand. First siphon that settlement away, then add 10mm sand per week until the DSB is 150mm deep. If you cannot upgrade the return pump, then ass another 1000L/h pump that flows directly back to the first chamber. Get a cup f sand from a fellow reefer decease free system. and add that to the DSB.

another thing is that the DSB is to small. The second third and forth chambers of your sump can all be made into one chamber by removing the panels and also use that as a DSB. Might even remove the baffels to the left of the current DSB to use that also for sand.

Is the sump an old 1.2m tank with bracing? If so then you should be able to remove the panels. Else make sure that the panels do not provide structural strength as well.
 
AhmedD said:
also the red snapper had a serious case of white spot,
Click to expand...
did the other fish die due to whitespot as well?

Do you have an quarantine tank? Or maybe still the old tank?

What did you do to the rock you removed. Your system have a serious shortcoming on filtration capability and the rock does form an integral part of it. Cycle that rock in a tub to get them acceptable for use and place them back. The fish also need the extra space and hiding spots the rock provides.

Do not buy any new fish for the next 2, maybe 3 months. sort this tank DSB and rocks out first. And if you actually had fish losses due to whitespot, then look at quarantining the fish you still have. Look at the bucket method and then an alternative holding tank for 5 weeks thereafter. So that your system can become decease free. Then never put any new fish into the tank directly, qT them first

Whitespot: Know your enemy - Marine Aquariums South Africa
Bucket Method Quarantine - Marine Aquariums South Africa
 
WOW many small mistakes that will make a big difference.

first thing. Syphon the detritus from the bottom of the sump. the bottom should look like the viewing pain of the DT.

The filter mat is not going to collect particles rolled up in a ball. It has to filter out all particles returned to the sump. if it clogs then it needs to be washed or replaced. Replaced is better. Do not skimp on this as it costs in the long run. so make sure the filter mat is sealing the compartment the water flows through so as not to allow any water to bypass.

Fix that and an improvement will be seen. We can then move to improve and help further.
 
thanks dorry and wesd. will surely add more live rock.
@RiaanP the sump is a 1.3 meter tank which was made specially, however i'm not really sure if the panes of glass are structural or if they were put there just to make more compartments. will ask the pet store that built the tank. I have been trying to get hold of a cup full of sand from fellow aquarists but to no avail. also have you noticed the colour of the muck from the skimmer does it seem right?
 
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