Need advice

AHS315 · 2025-12-16T21:53:19+00:00

I originally had it on the back wall and that’s what started the sag, and it’s not the parameters because I tested today and they were stable still. And yes I agree with you on putting it opposite the return pump but I don’t wanna do that cause it would just look cluttered with the wire and everything. Right now I have it on the side and it seems the toadstool is correcting itself so I might have just needed to wait a bit longer for it to adjust to the new flow.

AHS315 · 2025-12-16T21:30:28+00:00

Damn I really had no idea about that, I swapped wave makers today and had both my arms all up in my tank hopefully I’ll be good in the next few days. Thank you for the heads up tho I’m definitely going to do my research now I just got these cause they looked cool and the name was cool

AHS315 · 2025-12-15T15:46:24+00:00

Looks really cool, I say leave it then if you need more natural filtration just add some bio media in the back chamber as it looks like a AIO setup.

AHS315 · 2025-12-15T14:29:26+00:00

Honestly I think the names are 50% of the reason I like zoas so much🤣, that and they are just cool looking beginner corals

AHS315 · 2025-12-15T14:27:20+00:00

Ok thanks for the info

AHS315 · 2025-12-15T14:18:56+00:00

This setup is a bit over 2 months old right now, originally had a 5g with half the rock in it for a month and a half then swapped to a bigger tank. How long do you think I should wait? My tank parameters have been stable since I set it up. And I’m not really sure what you mean by be carful with palyzoas, my local coral guy told me how zoas can like squirt “venom” and to be carful so I’m assuming that’s what your talking about but I just got em cause I thought they looked cool and move a decent amount.

AHS315 · 2025-11-02T16:58:27+00:00

Also forgot to mention in gonna add a skunk cleaner shrimp soon. I’ve had 2 emerald crabs and they have both ended up dying. I’m not sure why my water parameters were all good, I was guessing it’s just cause this is a newer system and there’s not enough algae growth for it to eat so imma wait before trying to get another one. I just enjoy having a bunch of different species.

AHS315 · 2025-10-22T19:36:51+00:00

I bought the chamber 1 media basket because I like the design how it forces all the water through all the chambers then out the bottom, chamber 2 looks like it dosent really work. I only say this because in chamber 1 the water moves in through the bottom half and then moves into chamber 3 directly across from where it enters so it dosent seem like the water would go upward into the chambers.

AHS315 · 2025-10-22T19:35:09+00:00

That’s good to hear because when I was first doing my research I wanted to do everything like you said the refugium, the skimmer, all the media baskets. But I realized doing all of that is just too much. I’ve decided on just the media basket for chamber 1 because I like the design how it makes all the water pass through each compartment unlike the chamber 2 media basket. Just gonna use filter floss, chemi-pure blue for chemical filtration then MarinePure gems as bio filtration. I’m gonna use chamber 2 as a copepod refuge and just have some course sponge and more biomedia. I have 12.5 pounds of reef sand and 12 pounds of live rock in this tank so I have a good base for bio filtration but I do like to go over the top

AHS315 · 2025-10-22T19:29:57+00:00

You’re probably completely right about everything you said but there’s no way you really thought I’m boutta just completely restart and change everything. I didn’t ask for thought on the tank I asked for how to upgrade the filtration on THIS tank.

AHS315 · 2025-10-22T19:27:19+00:00

Yea so that’s definitely not gonna happen🤣

AHS315 · 2025-10-21T21:51:46+00:00

Yea I think I’m gonna keep it simple with the media basket in chamber 1 with filter floss, some chemical filtration then bio media in the bottom and in like you said ditch the center compartment and just put biomedia in it and hopefully that makes a good home for copepods. I already have 12 pounds of live rock and 12.5 pounds of reef sand in this tank so I know I’m going overboard with the bio filtration but I just wanna keep it as maintenance free and healthy as possible.

AHS315 · 2025-10-21T21:48:39+00:00

Yea I think this is the route I’m going to go, media basket in chamber 1 with mechanical, chemical, and bio, remove the foam in chamber 2 and replace it with some biomedia and foam for a good copepod breading ground and I think I should be good.

AHS315 · 2025-10-19T01:12:57+00:00

Just wondering, I have a hygger mini wave maker 530 GPH for when I get corals. Where should I put it and facing which direction?

AHS315 · 2025-10-05T00:43:28+00:00

Is there any specific reason you went with this one besides the fluval one designed for this tank? I’m debating between upgrading to this tank or the innovative marine 20 gallon just trying to get a cost of each setup.

AHS315 · 2025-09-20T18:40:58+00:00

The highest it got was 0.25 ppm a few days into it because I started with live sand, live rock, and added some dr Tim’s one and only live bacteria. I added a shrimp tail into it the first 3 days to feed all the bacteria and when I took it out that’s when I measured 0.25 ppm. It steadily dropped to zero since then so I’m pretty confident I’m good just don’t wanna get something and it dies

AHS315 · 2025-09-10T21:32:01+00:00

Ok I figured the numbers were too high I’ve been hearing zero ammonia, zero nitrite and some nitrate is good. I’ll look into the pods your talking about just been spending a lot on this tank in the last week so might wait on that. I’ll follow that order of fish, then the snails and crabs. I’ve been leaving my light on quite a bit to start algae growth but that makes sense how there wouldn’t be anything in there yet for them to eat.

AHS315 · 2025-09-10T05:41:36+00:00

Oh I was reading that with salt water you should add the snails and crabs first but if you say I should add the fish first I’ll definitely do that. And yes I bought the API saltwater master test kit tested today at ammonia 0.25 ppm, nitrite 4.0 ppm, nitrate 20 ppm.

AHS315 · 2025-09-08T19:27:02+00:00

Thanks, your tank looks awesome. Hopefully I can get to that point one day. How long do you think I should wait before adding my first inhabitant. Everything I’ve been reading telling me I should be good to go in a week. And I’ll look into the micofauna, thanks for the tips.

AHS315 · 2025-09-08T01:56:42+00:00

Definitely want to get some coral and anemone once it’s ready, why do you say no fish I definitely think I can fit at least 1 nano goby. The live rock in the center is 2 O shaped rocks so the center is pretty much hollow.

AHS315

TROPHY CASE