common problems in a 5.5

msu spartan · #1 12/19/2007, 09:32 PM

just wonderin what they are

and what is your 5.5 stocked with?

Kengaroo131 · #2 12/19/2007, 09:38 PM

i dont know why but my 5.5 gets crazy lots of algae every month i dont know why cause its fully cycled and my water readings are good its just the way my tank it haha its stocked with one black reef damsel with and emerald crab pepermint shrimp and 3 certh snails they keep it pretty tidy but for some reason algae just seems to explode every now and then.

msu spartan · #3 12/19/2007, 10:05 PM

is it hard for you to keep the salinity balanced?

Kengaroo131 · #4 12/19/2007, 10:34 PM

no not at all thats the easyest part. what i do is i fill my tank right to the bottom of the black/oak/ect.. trim on the top of the tank and just do top offs to keep it equal.

Agu · #5 12/19/2007, 11:06 PM

Shrimp/goby pair , LPS corals (4), zero. zilch problems. Change about a gallon about every ten days and drip kalk daily. Also feed once a day..........

Did I mention there's no filtration other than live rock.

Have some bubble algae but not enough to get upset about it.

msu spartan · #6 12/19/2007, 11:17 PM

no filtratrion, but ur tank is still pretty clean?

how hard is it to take care of this tank for u?
on the scale of 1-10
1 being easiest

msu spartan · #7 12/19/2007, 11:35 PM

what about a neon goby pair, or would that be too much

or could i get one small fish, and a coral banded shrimp?

Agu · #8 12/20/2007, 12:06 AM

On a 1-10 with 1 being the easiest it's a 2. I have to do daily kalk drips and regular waterchanges. Other than that it's easy,

Neon goby pair wouldn't be too much bioload. Wouldn't trust a coral banded with a small fish in a 5.5 , but the coral banded itself would be an attractive centerpiece.

BiggySmalls · #9 12/20/2007, 08:59 AM

ok , thats cool how u got coral on the back of ur tank

yea thats what imthnking
either the neons or a CBS

do CBS move alot or just sit in 1 place?

msu spartan · #10 12/20/2007, 01:59 PM

yea, i like those idears

neon goby pair or a cbs ,

do coral banded shrimp move alot or are they boring?

msu spartan · #11 12/20/2007, 07:39 PM

^

msu spartan · #12 12/21/2007, 02:40 PM

neon goby pair or a cbs , what would you do?

do coral banded shrimp move alot or are they boring?

bumpppp

NanoReefWanabe · #13 12/21/2007, 03:18 PM

my CBS is all over my tank...especially when there is food out..

biggest problems with a 5.5 i could see are
A> SG daily top off will be necessary
B> even a moderate bioload is going to give you algae trouble
C> no room for corals...
D> if parameters or something goes wrong it will likely be a total loss..since there is no volume for a buffer..
E> dosing a tank smaller then 20gallons involves math...as most commercial dosing products are based on 20 gallons (at least the ones i have used anyway) sure it is only divide by four...hopefully you can find something small enough to measure that though...

msu spartan · #14 12/21/2007, 03:28 PM

how much salt u thnk i should add each toppoff?
it desnt evap much but , a it does a little

i dont want alot of corals, if any, i would get something lk gsp's
but that is in time

rholguin · #15 12/21/2007, 04:39 PM

when you top off it needs to be with ro/di water not saltwater. The water is what evopotrates not the salt.

mokujin22 · #16 12/21/2007, 04:58 PM

Not sure how much experience you have in saltwater, but I may start with something bigger if you're a relative beginner.

Extremely small/pico tanks, while attractive cost-wise, tend to be more difficult to maintain than one would think. Temperature and chemical fluctuations are quick and can be extremely harmful to your livestock (and your nerves).

Right now, you can spend a bit more money to get a larger tank, skimmer and more liverock.. this may be a couple hundred bucks (20 gallon high would be a good start), but would be worth it in the long run in my opinion.

Take it or leave it.

Good Luck!

Appaloosa1224 · #17 12/21/2007, 05:54 PM

my biggest problem is running out of room and temperature. I like corals to much, so my tank is packed. THe temperature can be really hard to check. But once youg et it figured out its fine. I top off every couple days, so thats not that bad.

msu spartan · #18 12/21/2007, 06:11 PM

i just got an electric thermometer for the temp. so i got the temp down

im lookin to green star polyps or cool corals

msu spartan · #19 12/22/2007, 12:06 PM

thanks, its been cyclin for 3 weeks, and im goin to my lfs to have my params checked soon

Agu · #20 12/22/2007, 08:21 PM

I top off daily with a kalk drip.