thomygirl
11/14/2006, 09:41 PM
Okay, here's the deal. I switched my 55 gal from undergravel filtration system which was doing fine to deep sand bed with no flow through, just live sand base. Bio load is one lawnmower blenny, one flame scallop, one coral banded shrimp, two clownfish, one blue hippo tang and one six line wrasse plus a handful of snails and hermits for clean-up. I bought a flame angel that was absolutely beautiful for about 80.$ She did very well for one week and then died suddenly- didn't act sick at all. I use RO DI water for top off and water changes of about 4-8 gal every week or so. Parameters are Temp 75, pH 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates are between 20-30. There are two power heads and a carbon flow through over the back filter plus a protein skimmer. I switched to the sand about two months ago and the diatoms are terrible. Now I have not only brown diatoms but some orange stuff that is starting to grow that looks exactly like the diatoms. Also fast growing green fuzzy algae that only seems to like the life rock. Coraline algae that came in on live rock is doing great and some zooanthids that hitch-hiked in also not bothered by the diatoms and algae. Fishes and others don't seem bothered other than the angel that died. I'm the one that's bothered. It seems like the tank just doesn't want to cycle properly. Oh yeah, salinity is 1.025. I test using a refractometer for salinity, a pH pen for pH and liquid test kit for others. I'm considering switching back to undergravel with crushed coral. Any advice? Thanks