Help! things are dieing :(

[nyuu]

I had a 25 gallon before with no issues but I have recently been trying to keep up a 7 gallon mini reef.

I'm having water trouble like crazy.
I have a bio wheal for up to 20 gallons with nitrate absorbing bag.
I have plenty of lighting
5lb of live rock
2lbs of live sand

i want to add deeper sand to help with filtration however will that not make my water go crazy?

im using:
-crystal sea salt
-Kent  Marine, essential element liquid
-Reef Complete, calcium
-Reef-Roids, coral food
-Prime, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate reducer
-API, buffer max ph increasing powder

I can't afford a sump system so I use a separate tank to cycle the water through a different filter with no fish to remove the nitrates or ammonia, then when its time for a water change i just switch the water........... is that ok???

my frags started dieing and i want to make sure the rest make it.

 

[pulpfiction1]

you need to tell us what your test results are,we need to know where to start to advise whats going wrong,please post N03,NO2,NH3,phosphate,alk,mag,salinity,PH,temp,calcium to start

 

[TORX]

I have been doing a lot of reading on mini reefs lately, primarily Pico systems. Other then your levels, my question is, do you have any livestock in there?

If you are doing a 7 gal build, you more then likely do not need all the additional supplements and could be choking your tank out. Also, as it is such a small build, you should be doing about a 50% water change every time that you dose with roids.

There is no need to 'cycle' your water change water. With such a small system, you should be doing a water change every other day or twice a week to keep your levels good.

Like Pulp said, post your level results. We will have more from there. Maybe a pic of your system to, but that is because I like to see things.

 

[pulpfiction1]

I'm using:
-crystal sea salt
-Kent  Marine, essential element liquid
-Reef Complete, calcium
-Reef-Roids, coral food
-Prime, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate reducer
-API, buffer max ph increasing powder

  definitely way to much shit going on for a little tank,i am assuming you tested your water thoroughly before adding any of those supplements

 

[phi delt reefer]

do three 50% water changes over the next couple of days and stop dosing all that stuff. Tanks as small as yours will remain stable with just water changes.

i dont understand you water cycling regime. We just put RO/DI water in a bucket, add a neccessary amount of salt, a heater and a powerhead to mix the water and let it mix over night. Then measure the salinty and temp before changing the water with your display tank to make sure the levels are the same.

reef roids is good stuff but use is SPARINGLY. It can easily pollute a tank. You should be using a pin heads amount in your tank and should only use it once or twice a week.

the smaller the reef the harder to keep stable - water quality shifts much easier and you are not helping things by adding all that product to the water. I would pull the corals out and ensure the system is stable and then slowly introduce one coral PER MONTH while ensuring system stability.

 

[Zakk]

I think we're all in agreement.  A tiny tank is fine with regular water changes.  Who told you to put all those extra things in there? 

Also, how old is the system?

 

[TORX]

The more I re-read this the more I want to get my 5 gal tank up and running. Only I want to go smaller, maybe 2.5gal with bi-daily water changes.

 

[TORX]

There are also a lot of local reef keepers in the London area that I am sure could offer some one on one help. I would, but I am an hour away.

Lets see that tank though!

 

[Zakk]

The more I re-read this the more I want to get my 5 gal tank up and running. Only I want to go smaller, maybe 2.5gal with bi-daily water changes.

Maybe do it in a cup like they keep betta fish in  ;D

 

[Blob-79]

agreed. We need test results.

As a rule of thumb, Never dose anything that you cant test for. Most of those supliments are useless for the most part, especially for a small tank. water changes are all you need.

i think im understanding how your doing your water changes, sounds just fine, you can ditch the filter though, and make sure you have a heater in the new water to get it to the same temp as your display. I dont normally bother with it, but I have almost 200 gallons of water it takes alot to affect my water temp, 7 gallons not so much...you could probally spit in the tank and change the temp 

 

[pulpfiction1]

yes,a cup ......

 

[pulpfiction1]

the furnace kickin on could effect the water temp ill bet

 

[Zakk]

There are also a lot of local reef keepers in the London area that I am sure could offer some one on one help. I would, but I am an hour away.

Lets see that tank though!

I don't think there's any big surprise here... mostly looks like he got bad advice.  Bio's need to set up just like any other tank, you can't speed it up with ammonia killers and nitrate suckers and whatnot.  Small tanks mean that every drop of anything that goes in the tank can have an effect.  They have to be kept very stable, and have very regular water changes (especially with only a bio wheel).  The water has to be 0TDS, and the salinity on the change water has to be -exactly- the same as the tank water, which means using a good refractometer.  In my humble opinion, bios should only be attempted by very seasoned reefers, they are not for 'impulse buyer' purchasers.  People selling these to newbs are just cashing in on a quick buck (again, just my opinion).  15 years of doing this, and I don't know as if I would want to try a mini reef. 

 

[pulpfiction1]

can you imagine the planning of just the maintenance of a mini reef?

 

[Zakk]

That's just it...I got the apex because I can get lazy with the 125gal.  I imagine having to change the water once every 4-6 days, and man I can lose 4-6 days just by sleeping in sometimes.  ;D

 

[pulpfiction1]

lol

 

[TORX]

Wow, nyuu is going to log in and have a lot of reading to do LoL.

A small tank this may be good for some people, but they are a lot of maintenance. For me, I have no life, so it is not a big deal to do a water change every other day LoL.

 

[Blob-79]

frakin right...if I didnt have my tank set on autopilot, my tank would be a disaster lol...ATO, RODI controller, Doser...really all i need now is to automate water changes and get a fish feeder

 

[pulpfiction1]

Wow, nyuu is going to log in and have a lot of reading to do LoL.

A small tank this may be good for some people, but they are a lot of maintenance. For me, I have no life, so it is not a big deal to do a water change every other day LoL.

wow  2 pages already  hahaha  if he didnt read before he sure has a task now

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Hey torx....there is a post I'm another reef club.  Some reefer got a wall frame tank.  2.5 gallon tank  I'll see if I can find the link  he has it I'm his office.