Hermit Crab Paradise

[Pacman]

I decided a few months ago to set up a 30 gallon reef with a sump, good skimmer, etc. (in other words, do it the right way!) But I had a successful 5 gallon nano in the past, and since I had the parts laying around, I thought "I'll set that one up first," just to get my feet wet ;).

Into it went the crushed coral, 28w power compact (new bulb), and modified seaclone skimmer. Not the best setup I know, but it worked in the past.

Well, things have not been going so well this time around. It started off good enough though, with some live rock and some base rock. Everything tested out OK, so I added a little blue damsel, and a polyp rock. Everything was still OK for about 3 weeks. A little algae here and there, but nothing too major.

Then the damsel died, a harbinger of things to come.

Since then, the algae has not relented. I've done several water changes to little effect, used carbon, and kept checking water quality. (I also added some Wall Mart water, which gave me a Diatom bloom - fortunately, the diatoms are gone now after 3 water changes).

So that brings me to the Hermit Crab Paradise I've got now, and is basically what I've been running for the last 6 weeks. The thing is, I don't want a hermit crab paradise. It's made me afraid to venture up to something bigger - bigger investment, bigger chance for a large failure. The polyps look awful, they're always shriveled up (They looked fine until this algae outbreak 6 weeks ago). I have 3 different colors of slime algae: Red, Green, and Black. Very colorful, but not the look I'm going for. Tank parameters as of today are:
Temp: 78-80
Salinity: 1.024
pH: 8.2
kH(dkH): 8.6
Ca: 450
Nitrates: 0
Phosphates: .015ppm
And these parameters have been pretty stable (except for phosphates - I just got that test kit, so I don't know if it's been stable or not).

Anyway, I'm at a loss as to what to do now. It hasn't been a good experience with this small tank; it hasn't crashed, but it's not in good condition either. Anyway, maybe I'm just complaining - but if any of you pros out there has any idea what I'm doing wrong, let me know.

Matt

[GaryP]

Your problems all come to the phosphate. If you have a detectable phosphate level its probably to much. Try this: Take one of your used carbon/filter cartridges and slice the plastic side open with a razor blade so that it creates a flap that will close up afterwards. Empty the spent carbon and replace it with a phosphate absorber like Phosguard. Change out the phosphate absorber every week or so. Let me know if that works.

Does some of the hair algae have a lot of oxygen bubbles trapped in it?

Gary

[Pacman]

Yes, there are bubbles trapped in some scattered places both on the hair algae and off. If you look at the grape caulerpa in picture #2, you can really see it. What kind of algae is that?

[GaryP]

It could be Dinoflagellates. Check my recent thread on them.

Gary

[Instar]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, there is no short cut to setting up a reef or cycling it all the way out.
And some more bad news, sorry here:
Is this a picture of the tank you are talking about? After looking at the relative size of everything in this, its a picture of a 20 gallon with a tube in there that looks like a prism skimmer pickup.
Algae cycles are normal for months after you set up a new tank. Critters help get rid of it and micro blue leg hermits don't hurt anything. What is that large anemone looking thing in the corner? You don't have the correct lights with an off-the-shelf like that to do anything but fight algae, sorry to be the bearer of this news. Without the correct lights and correct bulbs those polyps will not open up. I have a 20 exactly like that with baby clowns in it. Is this tank drilled? Where is the sump and how large is it? A very nice nano can be made of a 20, but it takes custom cabinetry and lights at the least unless you want only non-light to extremely low light requiring animals and lots of limitations. Macro algae contained in the sump if there is one, would be a great boost for your setup.

[Pacman]

It's a 5.5 gallon. I just have a weird sort of setup for the protein skimmer - the pump is in the back of an HOB filter that really just circulates water (kindof a micro-sump at water level). This setup also "slightly" increases the contact time with bubbles as the tubing is a fair amount longer. I just hate the look of pumps actually in the tank.

This is an older picture; I don't have the additional airline hookup and the skimmate is darker now.

I don't understand how these lights would be bad for polyps though. At least in the past, they and mushrooms responded well to these lights, opening up fully and looking healthy.

[Crab Rangoon]

and I'd say that anemone-looking thing ( I thought it looked like a coral ) is part of his background ;) just a guess

[MikeDeL]

I have some reddish/brownish/maroonish stuff with bubbles in it to along the front edge of the glass. I've 2 new snails this week and one of my older ones, but my hermits eat it. There isnt alot but Im following what GaryP is doing in his Dinoflagellates thread.

[Pacman]

Yes, my ugly background...dang I need to get rid of that. If it is Dino's, they're not the only ones. I do have access to a nice oil immersion microscope, so maybe I'll look at it tomorrow.

[Someone]

hmm, my hermit crabs don't do much, they pretty much just sit there. figures, when I need them all they do is sit there. ohwell I guess i got a lazy batch of hermit crabs.

[GaryP]

Mike,

If its reddish its probably cyano. Hermits will eat it. If its down in the sand at the front of the tank, just leave it, its not hurting anything. Its just living off the light coming down through the glass and detritus in the sand.