View Full Version : common problems in a 5.5
msu spartan
12/19/2007, 08:32 PM
just wonderin what they are
and what is your 5.5 stocked with?
Kengaroo131
12/19/2007, 08:38 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
12/19/2007, 09:05 PM
is it hard for you to keep the salinity balanced?
Kengaroo131
12/19/2007, 09:34 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.
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
12/19/2007, 10:17 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
12/19/2007, 10:35 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?
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,
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2DSCN2832.jpg
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
12/20/2007, 07:59 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
12/20/2007, 12:59 PM
yea, i like those idears
neon goby pair or a cbs ,
do coral banded shrimp move alot or are they boring?
msu spartan
12/20/2007, 06:39 PM
^
msu spartan
12/21/2007, 01:40 PM
neon goby pair or a cbs , what would you do?
do coral banded shrimp move alot or are they boring?
bumpppp
NanoReefWanabe
12/21/2007, 02:18 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
12/21/2007, 02:28 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
12/21/2007, 03:39 PM
when you top off it needs to be with ro/di water not saltwater. The water is what evopotrates not the salt.
mokujin22
12/21/2007, 03:58 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
12/21/2007, 04:54 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
12/21/2007, 05:11 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
12/22/2007, 11:06 AM
thanks, its been cyclin for 3 weeks, and im goin to my lfs to have my params checked soon
I top off daily with a kalk drip.
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