Here We Go, PICS Inside, And Yes...I Need Help ;-)

I would pass on the berghias. Once they eat the aiptasia, they die. A couple peppermints should do the job.

About your salinity, have you been topping off what evaporates with fresh or salt water? Always do top offs with fresh water and water changes with salt water.
 
Heres the reason to ditch the bioballs.Your live rock is the biological filter.Not only the outer surface for aerobic bacteria but deep inside(no oxygen) where anerobic bacteria thrive.The accumulation of aerobic bacteria on the bioballs will increase nitrates if the balls aren't cleaned often.(that didn't sound right:mrgreen:)When you do clean them,clean half one week and the other half the next week.For most people this is to much of a hassle,they either remove the balls and run it empty or replace with rock rubble.I'm not sure if rubble has the same effect as bioballs do.If you have enough live rock(which you do) then the BBs aren't needed,me thinks.

Good luck with the battle.
You don't happen to be from Arizona?
 
not all peppermint do eat aiptasia, and so what if berghia die after wards you only get them to get rid of aiptasia what you do is pass them on to a fellow reefer when your done with them.
 
reeffreak said:
Heres the reason to ditch the bioballs.Your live rock is the biological filter.Not only the outer surface for aerobic bacteria but deep inside(no oxygen) where anerobic bacteria thrive.The accumulation of aerobic bacteria on the bioballs will increase nitrates if the balls aren't cleaned often.(that didn't sound right:mrgreen:)When you do clean them,clean half one week and the other half the next week.For most people this is to much of a hassle,they either remove the balls and run it empty or replace with rock rubble.I'm not sure if rubble has the same effect as bioballs do.If you have enough live rock(which you do) then the BBs aren't needed,me thinks.

Good luck with the battle.
You don't happen to be from Arizona?
Click to expand...

Gotcha, the bioballs are almost history. I guess I can just put some rocks in there. I don't want it to sound like a leaky faucet. Does anyone else have more thought on the rock instead of bioballs? I don't want the same effect as the bioballs. Nope, sorry, not from Arizona. I'm sweating my ass off in Florida right now :^:.
 
I have four peppermint shrimps.Sometimes it takes awhile for Peppermints to get around to all of them.Definitely make sure you get peppermints and not camels,I to have seen this before.Berghias work even better so I heard but yeah they will starve afterwards.
 
bioballs are good if you have a fish only w/o live rock or a shark tank. They are too efficient in breaking down junk in your tank and you get a bloom of nitrates, which create so much nutrient in your tank that you get that lovely algae bloom. You are overdoing it having LR and bioballs. They do the same thing, just that LR is natures way of keeping things moving in the cycle. Corals do not do well with bioballs as the nitrate levels are too high. Have between 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon of water in your tank and you can just toss the bioballs. Feed every other day, keep light to a minimum (4-5 hours is all you need to keep corals alive) and do weekly water changes, larger than normal - say about 15-20%. Your tank will take care of itself. Be patient and don't try too much at once. DON'T add anything in your tank until you have things stable, it will just contribute to your mess. After you have stabilized your levels get mexican turbo snails for the hair algae (altho Biff prefers some weird slug-looking thing :bounce:, but then again, she and I have had our differing opinion about her sea hares for about a year. regretably, she is smarter than I, but I still like Mexican Turbos).

You will work it out just fine. Also, how many inches of fish per gallon do you have? It sounds like you have it stocked pretty full, which will contribute to poor water quality. Shoot for about 4-5 gallons of water per 1 inch of fish. For a 75 gallon that equates to (let's see, carry the three...) about 16-18 inches of fish for your tank. If you are way beyond that, start planning on which fish to remove to help get your system in order.

There, now that I have filled you with ramblings, I wish you the best of luck and welcome to the forum.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Thank you Dr. Marco! :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

Bio Balls are history. I just wish my LFS could have explained this to me in the beginning. Oh well, I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on my progress. I've got my next few projects for tomorrow night already planned. Thanks for the warm welcome all. I'm looking forward to furthering my education in such a nurturing environment. Cheers :Cheers:!
 
You're Welcome. Hope things turn out for the best for your tank.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Dang that was expensive. I made one out of pvc, plastic hose, and bio balls. I would agree with everyone else get some peppermint shrimps.
 
You might want to get your salinity and nitrates back in line before you spend your money on pepperments.Inverts cant handle quick changes in salinity,or high nitrates.
 
Hi - I agree with the advice you have been given so far: get rid of the Bio Balls (I used to have Bio balls and a Nitrate problem that went away once I took them out), get water parameters stable, then peppermint shrimp for the Aptasia (if they really are bothering you - I kept a FO tank for a while with a healthy number of Aptasia - no evidence of them stinging fish).

The only other thing that I might consider at the route of your problem is the denitrator. I bought the Koralin BioDenitrator having read up on all the options because there seemed to be a lot of stories of 'standard' denitrators crashing, emitting sulphides and killing all the fish in a tank... just a thought.
 
I worry about people getting what I call "gadget happy" as far as things they can attach to their tank, especially when things in the tank aren't happy. There is so much out there you could go broke and still not buy all the crap sold for your tank. Patience was MY biggest enemy when my tank was not running perfectly. I killed SO MANY fish when I was impatient. Let your tank do what nature has always done, you will be OK.

I have found that there is great value in patience and letting your tank run its natural course. Keep up with water changes, let your live rock (make sure you have enough) and little critters do their job. Evaluate your bioload (inches of fish) and don't push putting more things in your tank just yet. Grab algae eating critters in two weeks, look to get peppermint shrimp (I like Joe's Juice to kill Aptasia) in about a month and a half. It will work out for you.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Well I guess the opinions abound here as well as everywhere else. no two systems are the same and although some very good advice has been given, one thing needs to be said, what everyone calls gadgets, the bioballs, etc etc, all have a purpose. to just add stuff for no reason or plan i would agree is a mistake, but, do not be misled, each piece of equipment has a purpose, so if you feed heavy, or manage your system where nitrates have tendency to build, a denitrator is a piece of equipment that can help if used correctly, now water from a denitrator is oxygen depleted, so the water needs to be smartly oxygenated prior to returning to the system. as for the bio balls, they will tend to oxygenate the water and provide a larger bacteria bed. to use one you should also run an air line to the chamber where the bio balls are and keep a supply of fresh air going there, and less we forget your maintenance should include a quaterly removal and rise of the bioballs in your discarded saltwater and while out clean the bottom of the sump. If the above is done you will not starve your system of oxygen and create a crash, you will have a functional system that will be easy to maintain. having said all that, the other camp is just as effective, low bio loads, frequent water changes. at any rate in either case you will need some patients as good things take time. in closing, follow the golden rule and your path will be much easier for the most part, "do not put anything into the system, live, or, mechanical that does not contribute to the well being of the system, to support your display. hope something here helps. all suggestions will work, just depends on which path you want to follow. Equipment should only be added to the system when there is a clear need for it, a purpose, and then use only the best equipment you can afford. welcome and good luck keep us posted.
 
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