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jyakixd
03/28/2013, 10:07 AM
Hi All! I'm Jyaki (like Jackie), new to the hobby and taking on an ambitious first project. My friend works at an LFS and has helped me out but he's not always available so I would love some insight on my setup and how to clean it up. Here's what I have:

Equipment
Fluval Edge 6-Gallon
Standard Hang on Back filter
Fluval Edge 25W Compact Heater
Hydor Koralia Nano 240gph
Aqua Illumination Nano Sol

Corals/Fish
Pulsing Xenia frag
Ricordea frag
Zoanthid frag
Skunkback Psuedochromis
Peppermint Shrimp
2x Snails (no idea what species)
2x Electric Flame Scallops

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/jyakiduck/IMG_1674.jpg

Background: Before I added any livestock or fish, this tank had been cycling without a light for 1.5-2 months. During that time I didn't perform any maintenance on the tank. I recently tested the water and here are my results:

Temp: Hovers around 75
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.023
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 80ppm

Obviously I need to do a water change otherwise everything is going to die, planning on doing that this weekend. Any recommendations on the percentage water change? If I remove the HOB filter what is the frequency and percentage of changes I shoudl do?

PESTS: The ones that I know were in the tank were aiptasia, bristleworms, and red slime. I took the live rock out and chipped off the aiptasia bits, and removed the bristleworms from the bottom of the rock, and cleaned off the red slime (it was mostly on the spout of the HOB filter). What I need to know is how to eliminate anything that I haven't yet seen, and what is generally the best method/water specifications for keeping them at bay?

Any help would be great! Thanks.