chichimom79's 10 Gallon Contest Tank

[chichimom79]

Parameters are (just did a water change about a half hour ago):
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 ppm
pH 7.9
phosphate <.25 ppm
dKH 8
calcium 440
SG 1.026
Temp 78

Equipment:
Hydor Koralia 240 (x2)
Tetra 2-15 Gallon submersible auto-adjust heater
AquaClear 30 (using sponge only with occasional carbon- also have chaeto in here)

Inhabitants:
Fish:
Yellow Bar Maroon Clownfish pair

Inverts:
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Astraea Snails (x2)
Nerite Snails (x2)
Scarlet Hermit Crab
Lots of hitch hiker brittle stars

Corals:
Frogspawn
Torch
Neon Trumpet
Candy Cane
Radioactive Dragon Eye Zoas
Xenia
Acans (x5 assorted-don't know the names)
Fuzzy Mushroom (looking unhappy)
Encrusting Hydnophora

May the best nano win!! Good luck everyone! :Cheers:

 

[R3verb]

Looks awesome! Contest starts soon so you will get full points for your first week!

 

[chichimom79]

I forgot Nassarius Snails(x3) and a suction cup thermometer :P

 

[FishyReef]

I forgot Nassarius Snails(x3) and a suction cup thermometer :P

Fail! Guess you don't get those points after all lol ;-)

 

[chichimom79]

Fail! Guess you don't get those points after all lol ;-)

Hey, out of sight out of mind! LOL

 

[chichimom79]

Parameters
pH 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
temp 78
SG 1.025

Added two blue-leg hermits and an astraea snail.

The tank seems to be doing great other than a hairy mushroom that has been declining in health for several weeks for unknown reasons. I have put it in very low light and low flow to see if I can get it to recover. Also had a hitch hiker sponge start to disintegrate. Don't know what that's all about.

 

[chichimom79]

Update
The tank has had it's first nitrate spike. I am unsure of the cause, but I lost an emerald crab I put in on Friday, and my cleaner shrimp was dead this morning. Everything else is fine and I am doing daily water changes to get back to the 0-5ppm range I try to keep. Sigh...
Parameters are
pH 7.9 (struggling with this. I know it's acceptable, but I want 8.2 damnit!)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 15
temp 78
SG 1.025

 

[fastrd400]

Looks great, but honestly, the trates really don't seem that high at 15.

 

[chichimom79]

That's after the water change I did though. I know it's not super dangerous, but I still don't know why I lost those inverts.

 

[fastrd400]

Might you have an old piece of equipment that may be leaking current into your tank?

 

[fastrd400]

Or even a new one?

 

[chichimom79]

I don't think so. All of my equipment is new since March. Would I feel it if I stuck my hand in or would it depend on how much voltage was leaking out?

 

[Bifferwine]

You wouldn't necessarily feel it. You should get a voltmeter and test for it.

Identifying, Locating and Curing Stray Voltage in a Saltwater Aquarium

 

[fastrd400]

Yeah, the perameters aren't bad enough to kill inverts like that. Stray voltage though, inverts are usually the first to die.

 

[chichimom79]

Ok, I will borrow a voltage meter and check that out. Thanks!

 

[fastrd400]

Well, that in itself is a bit of good news at least. So back to guessing. I guess the trates could have done them in, but like mentioned before, they really were not through the roof high. I wonder if you might have some sort of predator in there that you are not aware of? Are you finding the bodies in the mornings.

 

[chichimom79]

Update
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates ~3
pH 8.0
temp 78
SG 1.025

 

[chichimom79]

Update

SG 1.025
Temp 78
pH 8.0
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates ~4

 

[lilmatty5dimes]

nice looking good

 

[chichimom79]

Update with video :)

Parameters:

SG 1.025
temp 78
pH 8.0
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate ~5

Chichimom79's 10 gallon update 7-3-12 - YouTube