My nano reef

[daniella3d]

A 10 gallons aquarium is way too small for a banghai cardinal. Chances are he won't live very long.

If you have a lot of algae growing then your nitates and phosphates are surely not at zero. Put some GFO in there and that will help.

I would return the banghai and put some fish that are suited for a 10 gallons. A dartfish could work, and maybe one clownfish. You can't put too many fish in there because they might die from lack of oxygen especially if you have no sump and no skimmer.

[canadianbudz604]

Bangaii got sold and unless those test kits I bought are lying I tested again today and 0ppm straigt across and algea is being destroyed by turbos now all is good except the white hitchhiker maybe API reef and saltwater test kits are no good

[makana]

NO3 and PO4 can read 0 even if they are present. The algae will use them up so the levels are not detectable by the test kits. Regular water changes should help take care of it.

[canadianbudz604]

Yep been changing 2.5 gallons every Wednesday seems to be working

[daniella3d]

That's probably better. Stability is always best with a nano as the parameters can swing so easily.

Originally Posted by canadianbudz604

Yep been changing 2.5 gallons every Wednesday seems to be working

[canadianbudz604]

Cyanobacteria sucks. Cant black out the tank cause the corals will die, and ive tried to suck it up but it grows fast. Almost all of it grows in behind the rockwork where I cant get anything in there. Ive got a small HOB for flow and a koralia 1 powerhead, maybe i should buy a small koralia nano powerhead and point it down in behind the rocks? The bigger powerhead is pointing upwards and to the center of the glass.
Seems like its all a dead spot in behind the rocks. Lots of frickin work on a nano tank... Plus I put some chemi-pure elite in the hob a couple weeks ago, rinsed it off on the last water change, and it spewed brown stuff all over the frickin place sand looks like sh!t. I sucked most of it out but wow what did I get myself into?!?!!?

[Snaz]

New tanks are prone to cyano...after a year it should settle in nicely and cyano will come and go.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by canadianbudz604

Cyanobacteria sucks. Cant black out the tank cause the corals will die, and ive tried to suck it up but it grows fast. Almost all of it grows in behind the rockwork where I cant get anything in there. Ive got a small HOB for flow and a koralia 1 powerhead, maybe i should buy a small koralia nano powerhead and point it down in behind the rocks? The bigger powerhead is pointing upwards and to the center of the glass.
Seems like its all a dead spot in behind the rocks. Lots of frickin work on a nano tank... Plus I put some chemi-pure elite in the hob a couple weeks ago, rinsed it off on the last water change, and it spewed brown stuff all over the frickin place sand looks like sh!t. I sucked most of it out but wow what did I get myself into?!?!!?

It'll all take time. Don't let it phase you right now.
The common thing to hear in this hobby is;
Nothing good ever happens fast in a saltwater tank.
Try moving your rockwork forward just a bit so you can get at the Cyano behind it.
Expect to have cycles over the next many months. It's normal with new tanks, regardless of the rock, sand or water you started with. The only thing you could have done differently is fully 'cook' the rock in a blacked-out rubbermaid, but you're past that now ( no, that doesn't mean boiling it ).
Keep using phosphate removers of some kind as you are, and maybe don't re-use it. It's not that costly in the long run with a tank your size.
Just stay focused on keeping it clean without going nuts on it. You have to let it mature some.
It will calm down, and then you'll love it

+1 on a refractometer. You mentioned 1.025, then 1.023.
1.026 is a good target. The key, more than anything, is stability, not the exact parameters.