First Time Set Up

[tradam]

Hi there.. long time reader first time poster from Down under in Australia.. I have recently set up my tank and am having problems straight up... I just added live rocks and I think I added too much at once... now my whole house stinks and the water is very murky.. Is there anything i could do to rectify this problem?? Or do I have to tough it out and listen to my wife complain about the smell???

any advice would be greater appreciated, as this is my first set up and any advice is good advice for me...

ps.. this smell is worse then rotten eggs

thanks

 

[wrightme43]

Sure thats easy. Massive water change. Like 100% would help alot, and then lots and lots of carbon, a skimmer.

 

[csoonng]

Think that there's something die inside one or more of your life rock. Better to wash your rock with some salt water before you do a water change.

 

[Skimmy]

get a firm plastic scrub brush and scrub the hell out of the rock, geting any algae, sponges, etc off the rock.
tons of carbon, and big skimmer, just like wrightme43 said

 

[loohunter]

by the way congrats on the new set up and welcome to rf

 

[tradam]

thanks guys... will do that right away

 

[jsmkmavity]

no such thing as pre-cured if it came in a dry box. organisms in and on the rock will die and stink if the rock doesnt remain under water during typical shipment. this is normal and we all heve to deal with it, most cure it in a separate tank outside the living areas.

 

[ldrhawke]

Hi there.. long time reader first time poster from Down under in Australia.. I have recently set up my tank and am having problems straight up... I just added live rocks and I think I added too much at once... now my whole house stinks and the water is very murky.. Is there anything i could do to rectify this problem?? Or do I have to tough it out and listen to my wife complain about the smell???

any advice would be greater appreciated, as this is my first set up and any advice is good advice for me...

ps.. this smell is worse then rotten eggs

thanks

Tradam,

Tell us more about your set up and what support equipment you have.

You need a good skimmer running 24/7 and then stand back an allow you system to go through it's nitrogen cycle for about a month. The water will clear up in a few days and the stink will go away.

I recommend buying your wife some flowers and giving her a hug. Tell her your sorry and everything will be better in a few days. .

 

[wrightme43]

Good point. Flowers and hugs help alot. One important note, when scrubbing live rock I have to use latex or neoprene diving gloves. If I dont little things stab into my hands, and then they swell up, like ballons and wont close, and then hurt for three or four days.

 

[NaH2O]

Tradam,

Tell us more about your set up and what support equipment you have.

You need a good skimmer running 24/7 and then stand back an allow you system to go through it's nitrogen cycle for about a month. The water will clear up in a few days and the stink will go away.

I recommend buying your wife some flowers and giving her a hug. Tell her your sorry and everything will be better in a few days. .

Ditto. Are you testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? It will be important to follow these parameters so you know when the nitrogen cycle is coming to its completion (bacterial populations large enough to handle the load in the system).

 

[tradam]

just letting you know the water is crystal clear... got the skimmer running overtime... At current I am only having problems with the Ammonia which I am working and should be fixed soon...

Thanks for the advice.

System I am running is very basic at the moment... mini reef system.. large hang on skimmer and pumps for circulation etc... As I go along I will be expanding... but I thought this is a start where I can learn reefing, then I want to upgrade to a larger customised tank..