ajax

hi everyone! iv got a 33g saltwater tank with a built-in skimmer, 10kg of live rock, compartments at the back for carbon and bioballs, a heater and a UV light. my question is do i need to install an external filter? my tank water is clear and not smelly but ive noticed a lot of floating debris. nitrate levels are kinda high recently (>20). the tank has been running for 3months now. last water check showed pH 8.0, nitrite 0, salinity is within acceptable range. i have a regal tang, a clownfish and a long-tentacled anemone, a koran angel, a yellow-tailed blue damsel and a fire shrimp along with several (3) small crabs and a snail that came with the live rock. all livestock acquired with a 3-4week interval. am i doing something wrong? ive done a lot of reading before i set up my tank and i feel like i still need to know a lot of things. pls help. thanks a lot!

ATP

external filters are unnecessary. Your skimmer should of taken care of your water levels (nitrate, phosphate, etc). Did you adjust it correctly?

I would not keep a regal tang in your tank as they require about an 80 gal, but I would only put one in a tank around 100 gallons or larger.

ajax

hi atp! i think i'v adjusted my skimmer correctly. its been turning up waste quite effectively as my water parameters have always been within acceptable limits until just a week ago when my nitrate level spiked. im wondering if my recent water change has something to do with it? i've read somewhere that water changes are supposed to bring down nitrate levels even.

ajax

as for my regal tang, she seems to be doing well so far. iv had her for a month now and is very active indeed. my only real complaint is that she is a voracious eater! most of the time her tankmates dont get anything because of her speed and appetite. iv learned about their minimum tank requirement soon after i bought her which upsets me coz i realized i shouldve done more reading before buying. now its too late, iv grown attached to her and itd be impossible to return her to my LFS. should i be alarmed? do u really think i should let her go?

ajax

as for my regal tang, she seems to be doing well so far. iv had her for a month now and is very active indeed. my only real complaint is that she is a voracious eater! most of the time her tankmates dont get anything because of her speed and appetite. iv learned about their minimum tank requirement soon after i bought her which upsets me coz i realized i shouldve done more reading before buying. now its too late, iv grown attached to her and itd be impossible to return her to my LFS. should i be alarmed? do u really think i should let her go?

ATP

Unless you upgrade it would be best for the regal. A 33 gallon is not suite for any tangs (especially a blue tang). The smallest tang I know is a kole tang which IMO I would put it in a 60 gallon. If you want a good home for it instead of giving it back to a LFS, you could sell it or give it away to a good owner who has a proper tank through an aquarium society or craigslist.

I know how it feels when you're attached to an animal and than it goes away

____

Hopes your skimmer works correctly

ajax

my skimmer is producing foam and the collection cup always fills up with dirty waste water that i clean daily. water is clear and not smelly. i'm just bothered by the occasional floating debris here n there thats why i thought of getting an external filter. m planning to make a 20% water change today. is it ok to scrub the surfaces of my live rock just so i could remove some of the algae? i'v got a thin film of algae growing on the surface of my sand (reddish color). how do i remove it? iv cut down on my lighting period alrdy. thanks atp!

ATP

Check if it's dark redish or dark brown. Is it like dots of it or is it like a patch covering the sand?

Scrubbing the rocks will not be to good because the dying algae will release nutrients and spores causing more algae. I recommend you take a plastic tub or container full of saltwater and pick the algae off by hand the best you can and buy turbo snails. A water change is a good idea. Don't do more than 30% because that will have the risk of a mini cycle.

Also, do you use RO water or tap water?

Hope everything goes well

ajax

hi ATP! i use tap water but i let it stand for a few days (aftr mixing with salt) before i add it. the algae is reddish and looks more like patches covering the sand surface. i just siphoned the surface removing most of the algae in the process. theres a snail already eating most of the growth in my tank. just not sure what they are called. maybe ill try posting pics next tym. everythings goin well so far. i carried out a water change yesterday. when can i test the water parameters? hey thanks for all the help..i really appreciate it. id love to see what ur tank looks like.

ATP

never use tap water. Letting it stand doesn't make any difference. There's still a bunch of nutrients in the water. Since you used tap water, there's a high chance you might have red slime algae. google it. (Red Slime Algae).

my tank :

125 Gallon Aquarium

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/me...llon-reef.html

ajax

hi ATP! does it mean i need to get an RO unit to avoid using tap water? are there no other solution to this problem? what do u think about agents that decrease nitrate levels? is it safe and effective to use? is it a bad practice to regularly use it (if nitrate levels arent controlled)?

ATP

hi,

what do you mean by agents? An RO unit is expensive, but will save you money in the long run, but you could buy RO water from a LFS for like 5-10 cents a gallon

ajax

there's this product made by tetra "nitrate minus" that comes in a liquid form that is supposed to bring down nitrate levels. m thinking of using it but thought id ask u about it 1st. nobody is selling RO water where i live. iv looked around for an RO unit and still havent found any. its kinda frustrating to know that doing water changes wont solve my nitrates problem coz m using tap water.on my latest check my nitrates reading was around 50ppm and i'm worried although my fishes are all still active and eating a lot which is a good sign,ryt? iv read that high nitrate levels might cause fish to lose appetite. thanks for all the info btw. i appreciate it..

ajax

by the way, when i said they still eat a lot, i didn't mean i feed them a lot. i'm very cautious about overfeeding.

ATP

Try to find RO units online if your LFS doesn't have any.
honestly, I wouldn't put any of the nitrate remover, algae remover, etc. most of them either doesn't work or has very little effect.

Find the RO unit fast and as soon as you get RO water, make 25% water changes every week until your nitrate is at 0. 50 is really high. Try adding some macro algae in your tank. (cheato) it looks kinda ugly, but it will help. Once your water is good you could sell it to your LFS.

all so, get a skimmer

Hope this helps.

ajax

hello ATP! i alrdy have a skimmer on my Boyu TL-550 tank (which has a built-in skimmer smaller than most skimmers being sold separately). should i get another one? maybe my settings aren't correct? i'v adjusted the flow countless times to get it ryt, ensuring enough foam and waste water turnout (light green in color). i would empty the collection cup sometimes more than twice a day to ensure it doesnt overflow. although they all look healthy and eating voraciously, i'm still really worried about my fishies its causing me to lose a lot of sleep. i'v also read about macro algae before and have alrdy looked around and saw some. i didnt buy it at that time coz that particular store that sells them is 2hrs away from where i live and i didnt know if theyd survive the long drive home. i gues il try to look for an RO unit online just like what u said. i wont use the nitrate reducer for now. i think i'v bothered u enough alrdy. thanks for all ur assistance, ATP! uv been very helpful! i appreciate it a lot.

ATP

Your welcome

just ask me or post something if you need help. That macro algae should be able to live the drive. I've had all of my livestock in a buckets, plastic containers for more than 12 hrs and only 1 coral died a a few days later.