Reef Tank Update - New Fish, Bacteria Blooms & Other Mysteries! 

You can get the tangs you want as a group and add them at the same time as you remove the powder blue temporarily. Once the tangs are settled, put the powder blue back into the 220 (couple days) 😊

With fish aggression, when I added my second tang, they kept attacking each other but I fixed that by putting a mirror on the glass for a bit. The dominant one will see its reflection and think there’s a more dominant fish in the tank so it’ll chill out a bit

1. Rodi systems are supposed to remove chlorine and chloramine from what I'm told. 2. Observation tank is a quarantine tank. Just not medicating it.? If you use tropic Marin salt there was a huge problem from the buckets made in turkey

Beautiful tank!!

Needing more fish is always a good problem to have in my opinion! I second the idea of getting a group of anthias in here! Will help control the food with the massive amount of feedings too.

Stephanie, the BRS universal carbon blocks can remove both chlorine and chloramines. I use 2 carbon blocks on my RODI unit.👍🏾

Hey girl! Something that worked for me with adding tangs was adding a couple at a time to disperse the aggression. I first started with a powder brown and a dejardini sailfin tang (I also had a foxface same size). A couple weeks later I added a scopas and golden kole eye. The scopas was about the same size as the other two but the kole eye was smaller. Powder brown started bullying the kole eye so I followed it with a mirror after a day the aggression stopped. A month later I added a hippo tang but larger than the rest of them. I was hesitant because I thought all hell would break loose, but the guy at my LFS said that hippo tangs are pretty docile. He was right! There was no aggression. My tang gang are truly the best of friends. Don’t be afraid to add more! You definitely have plenty of space. My tank is only 135gal. Thanks for sharing your tank. It’s beautiful! Good luck!❤️

Anthias are one of my favorites. I added 4 to my 150g, and after a few months, one of them has just recently turned male. So cool to see.

Seachem prime is the one thing you should always keep on hand. It's never too late to add some to the tank. You can also add more tangs if you add them all at the same time and remove the powder blue for a few days. Or try the mirror trick.

Sweet tank

Get a tunze refugium light. They are waterproof and can be submerged. Choose a corner of your sump which you want to turn into a refugium. Submerse the tunze light in the corner and use some bio blocks to create a basket for your chaeto . This will block off light from the rest of the fuge and protect your sponges

Highly recommend you get some more anthias quickly. They can be aggressive in pairs.

This was a lot of fun to watch! ☺️

I really like the light covers.

How is the tank doing? Have you ever used Seachem Safe? It removes Chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Might be good to get some and add it to your barrel for precaution? I used it for years and still do here and there. I am on a well vs city water now.

I would recommend waiting to start your refugium till after you add all the anthias you want, because if you do it now with those relatively low nitrate and phosphate levels. Once that macro algae starts to grow it will eventually take those out with it bottoming out ur tank. So see what those levels are after u add the new fish and if they are around 20 or 25 id say you should go and add the refugium. I did this when my tank was a yr old but had pretty low nitrate and phos lvls which caused me to bottom my tank out and then my acro paled out.

I love your aquarium!❤🙆‍♂️❤🙆‍♂️❤ I like the way you expressed yourself, you have a nice clear voice and accent! You are good at explaining👍👍👍

I would add a Captive-Bred Azure Damselfish very colorful!

Lets go new video!!!!

You can place a mirror beside your tank when adding a new fish and the powder blue should pay more attention to himself than the new inhabitants. You can also introduce new fish in a breeder box submerged in the tank for a week or more to let everybody get to know each other with a barrier between them then realase with little aggression because they are familiar now.

Just found your channel - gorgeous tank, kudos to you for quarantining the fish; I tend to put tangs in last (at least when planning on when to add your fish-) but in this case as a group as @ines Augot said, it spreads out the aggression

Get some Prime or Safe and add as directed before you introduce your new water to your water change,it removes all the Hesvy metals, chlorine, chloramines and other bad stuff and it will also remove Amonia. A Chocolate Tang (Mimic as Juvenile) is a great peaceful fish and and a cleaner. Tsnk looks real pretty 💜

I would go for the cryptic option instead of macroalgae since you are having low nutrient issues. I feel that sponge is way easier to maintain in the long run as you don’t have to keep harvesting it like you do with macro.

Wowzers

the treatment they give the water in your supply is definately the source of these issues. I have had the same exact symptoms in my tank when they treated the water and flushed everything out. it drive me nuts trying to figure it out . its your tank adjusting threw those impurities. I actually call the public works and find out whn they treat it and make some fresh water before hand and dont change the water for two weeks or so. I absolutely agree with using prime or seachem safe. btw dont disturb your sump, will cause chaos.(especially sponges) I saw your rock chamber, i would put some cheato in a hanging breeder basket under the light.

Love the look of the rimless WaterBox tank, but have you considered getting some type of lid for the top? I just ordered 3 lids for my 210-gallon Eurobraced Aquarium from Tyler at Top Lids. You don't want to find one of your babies on the floor.

Midas blenny 🧡 it might swim with the anthias

Nice looking anthias! Fatheads are on my list when my IM150 arrives in a few months

You should try an acclimation box. Large enough to house the new tang in for a few days where the powder can see him. Flex his dominance but not be able to get to him.

You can add a sponge (corse or fine) for the Micro bubbles and add them to your sock area. I’ll see if I can find a picture from my previous set up

You’re tank is Beautiful even with the ups and downs

Add a alge scruber you might be able to sit it right on top of the sump

Nutrient speaking , I’d rather fight keeping them up then try fighting to keep them down. That could be a whole other problem but I manage mines with NeoPhos & NeoNitro from Brightwell and haven’t had an issue since.

Plumb a 20-30 gallon tank into the system in the empty side of the cabinet and put your refugium there. That way it doesn’t disturb your current setup. Add dechlorinator to your mixing bucket before you add salt. I think the one Glass Aquatics (TX) makes is safe to use in the actual tank. I would call and ask them. Could help immediately.

another thing in Texas, depending on where u stay if the water in your area isn't used a lot of ammonia builds up and those chloramines fall and become ineffective. Recently my job had a problem with its source water and we had ammonia levels as high as 30 the rodi unit was only able to take it down to about 4 and with no amount of ammonia guard did it bring that down. It is better in the summer months because more people are using the water. Like filling up pools, water lawns things like that, so to combat that from ever happening again we try to test the source water at least twice a month.

I would strongly recommend removing the sock holder with a silicone cutting tool… adding an automated filter roller which will aid in removing the uneaten fish food/waste from your tank prior to it having a chance to break down into proteins helping to reduce the build up of nitrates/ phosphates… as for the bacterial blooms run UV 24/7 at the recommended flow to combat the bad bacteria… introduce good bacteria via means of slow introduction like gels (dr tims waste away) or similar brand… then you can dial back on UV over the course of 3 months to give everything a chance to stabilize so that the bacteria gets out competed. just my 2 cents, honestly the tank is looking great 👍🏻 patience is key

I did tank swap quarantine with a blue hippo and a powder blue. Once in my 150g the the tiny hippo tang hid a lot but I never saw any aggressive behavior

Haha unlocked fear was good info I liked your video.keep it up might be due to water changes that your bloom is happening I stopped using some coral foods because they caused blooms in my tank like powder foods there like Russian roulette might get a good batch might not.

Get a peacemaker from Melevs Reef for adding new fish. I used a different acclimation box and have had good luck, but his are larger and better suited for bigger fish and tanks like yours.

Pyramid butterfly fish also I would also get at least two more anthias as quickly as possible or the bullied one will pine away because of the dominant one putting constantly under stress.

My Duncan was super retracted and looked just like that. It ended up being my aptasia eating filefish. He was nipping at several LPS. As soon as I moved him, the Duncan returned as is thriving. You may want to try moving him temporarily. See if the Duncan recovers.

Have you considered an algae scrubber? That way you can keep your cryptic, and also have the benefits of the scrubber's algae growth. They're pretty pricey for what they are, but I feel they're a good piece of hardware.

You can use a 5 gallon bucket for a refugium.

Adding new fish: use a breeder / acclimation box for a week so all the fishies can get use to everyone before free swimming. Refugium: consider an algae scrubber instead, self contained and not messy. Or try a hang-on refugium perhaps.

Honestly adding a small blue even if you take the powder out it will eventually start being aggressive towards him just because of his size and he will stress out and die I've tried this 2 times in my 250g it wasn't until I got a blue that was almost his size where he was big enough to fight back they eventually got along and about the bloom adding glass top to your tank would help alot with things getting into your water that is air born plus help with evaporation.

How about some fairy wrasse or flasher wrasse ? And a group pyramid butterfly would be sweet too !

You definitely would have to remove your powder blue for a little while and add the other tangs. Because now he's definitely going to attack other tangs pb become very territorial.

You could try a dubbel carbon filter in your R.O system ... Carbon takes out a lot of chlorine ... You could air your water 24 hours before adding salt .... Some salts also advice to air the water 24 hours with salt addid... Chlorine normaly evaporates... Like iodine... Also you could send your R.O water for a test to a lab ... Same lab where they test seawater.... But when you use a dubbel carbon filter the ph of the water will be verry low ... As i tested .. That might also have a effect

I have a 180 gallon... I use 2 carbon and 2 resin ro filters.

I would connect your UV sterilizer full time since you have a powder blue tang. If you do get ich someday the UV could save your fish. Think of it as a little insurance

I have been watching your videos, do you have one of your sump set up?

A Naso Elegans would be a lovely addition to the tank instead of another powder blue. I wouldn’t take that risk

I had a mystery issue with my tank that got worse with water changes. Turned out my digital salinity tester wasn't reading right even with frequent calibrating. Broke out the hyrdometer and refractometer and let's just say my salinity was shockingly high.

Try a algea scrubber on top off your sump

Buy like 2-3 small tangs and add them at the same time

A panther grouper will be ideal for nutrients.

👍👍👍😍😍😍

When you treated your tank with Cipro, both outside and inside the tank, what was your measurements and process? How much of Cipro did you use for both?

You have a goby but nothing covering ur tank? I had an orange spot goby that lasted 3 days before it jumped out and died. Bought a new one and in the first night it hit the new lid 3 times trying to jump...

How is your Foxface doing with your corals so far? Been looking at them but was told that they are not coral safe.

What’s up with your light system? Did you gut out a light fixture and added LED’s? What!

Have u tried using 2 carbon filters and 2 Resin filters for ur RO system

use acclimation box

powder blue in this small tank.... ufff... does nutrtion p if you have problems with po4, thats what you can control, adding more fish is totally uncontroled

Chlorine in water forms hydrochloric acid, it fully disassociates in water. I don't know where you get the chem from?

Is there some reason you do not make your own distilled water?

👀✌🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😍😍😍

Insta-Test Free & Total Chlorine & Chloramine Strips (Fresh Water),ChloraGuard Carbon Block - 1 Micron

Go cryptic. Probably better at filtering and may not use up important micro elements that coral need.

For your Duncan coral, didn't you say you have a file fish? -maybe move it for a week or two and see what happens.

Make a vid of your filtration porfavor!

Why add a refugium if you have low or no nutrients? You need nutrients for it to thrive

Ammonia chips inside wet dry in sacks 2

25% Water Change!

Also your duncan coral might be closed up due to not getting the amount of light it used to get. I say this becuase you have increased your nutrient levels in your tank. This will affect your par levels . Less nutrients in the water means you need less light. More nutrients in the water means more light needed. I would say move the duncan a bit higher in the tank or to a area which has more light. And don’t change the schedule intensity

Yellow pyramids

Remove bio bricks. They tanked my nutrients so may be part of the culprit.

Is your phosphate 0.4 or 0.04 ?

MARINE PURE ROCK IM AQUARIUM

Feed dead shrimp squid every 4 days!

I think you should add more female Lyre tails now because he/she may harass that lone female to death.

Why would anyone increase nitrates and phosphate on purpose to just add a refugium. Am I the only one who thinks rationally?

Not for nothing , your other build was a lot nicer . You have too much of the same euphyllia coral , I thought you were gonna do more acros 🙁

What salt are you using? And curious about the lighting program. For as many ups and downs your torches and goni always look dialed. I keep lyretails they love the BRS dried calanus and PE frozen calanus...do 4 females to one male....and fire up the fuge bc you're gonna be feeding minimum twice a day or should to keep em growing and happy. Especiallyif you eliminate socks (consider the large 7" nylon socks) ...I feed mine about a half teaspoon calanus each feeding and they're eating the other regular small foods I feed the other fish...I wouldnt worry about the sponge its not doing as much as you believe..and run the UV 247 it wont hurt anything. For fuge just move the rubble to return chamber or sock chamber and get some dragons breath and Chaeto...I also keep a blue hippo and if she outta grow fast in that size tank she wont take no sheeit from the powder after a while....issue is almost always gonna be some risk of whitspot just keep good water and itll resolve itself....maybe you can find a hippo thats being rehomed and is already larger...mine is a bruiser though and blasts sps like they aint even there ...they like to wedge into crevices when they sleep or just feel scared...so with your tank having little rock be weary of future colonys

I loved anthias too but will never add them again to my reef, one by one they slowly sulk in a corner and don't last too long after that. I feed HEAVY, I know this is anecdotal but I have observed this in all of my friends reefs as well. @simplereefer