Talk me back from the ledge. Help with my tank!

Just remember that it's not worth a permanent fix to a temporary problem.

 

Personally, I would not recommend a nudibranch for aiptasia. The vast majority of sea slugs have a very defined diet and will die when the aiptasia have been eradicated. They are also toxic and will most likely poison your tank when they die. My advice is to remove 1 or 2 rocks at a time, place them in a QT/HT, and perform osmotic shock treatment. If the salinity is lowered slowly over a period of a few days then raised back to normal slowly after treatment, your bacteria will survive and the rocks will not need to be recured. The aiptasia, however, will perish from the lowered salinity.

 

How low do you need to allow the salinity to get?

 

Thanks for the tip, I need to do this for my tank.

 

1.010 - 1.013.

Hyposalinity Treatments - Treating Parasitic Diseases with Hyposalinity

 

I love these suggestions. I do run carbon and GFO, but they don't seem to be helping.

I think I might do what you said and replace all the rock with cured live rock. At least 75% of it. It will be insanely expensive, but I really think it will be best for me. And then have a professional company come and clean the tank a few times.

I feel like if I can get it back to a good state, I can keep it up. But trying to clean it all up myself is feeling very, very overwhelming. Since I've been trying different tactics and nothing has helped.

 

ok I just emailed my amazing LFS that does aquarium maintenance. I asked if they would work on mine and how much it would cost. Fingers crossed this happens!!

 

But she has to be careful because salinity that low will cause damage to her corals.

 

If you're going to get rid of the aiptasia need some berghia. I had that huge problem in my 90 that I only spread with all other treatments. The 6 Berghia I added have now multiplied and the there is a noticeable dent in the nem population. The nudi's have made it into the sump even and I find at least 3 new egg coils everyday.
They are not toxic when they die but they will starve after the aip's are eradicated.

Changing the rock probably is a good idea because it does sound like it's the cause of your woes with the algae. This is a battle ongoing for as long as I've known you and it should have been won by now. In my mind there can't be any other reason.

Good luck. AND DON'T QUIT

 

I really don't want to quit. I want to get my love for my tank back!! But now when I look at it I just feel defeated and frustrated, and that's no fun.

Yes, I really think it's the base rock! You know all my woes and everything I've tried. From the second I stuck the base rock in it has been covered in GHA and various algae...but my live rock stayed algae free.