Got a tank dumped on me, don't know what to do!!

[akotom]

Hi All,
I kind of inherited a tank. It's a 10-15 gallon tank. It's got a sump in the back. It is at my work, a college, and we keep the sea urchins and a chocolate chip starfish, and brittle stars in it. We use them to show the students about the echinodermata phylum for a college biology class. Is there any way I can set this thing up as an echinoderm only tank? I know everything is out of wack but I have no idea where things should be HeLP!!
-Akoto

 

[wes]

I don't see why you couldn't have an echinoderm only tank. As long as the tank setup is adequate. What kind of filtration do you have for it?

 

[user 26995]

There is no reason you cant keep it an echinoderm species only tank.
Do you know if they are cold water animals or tropical?
What can you tell us about the system and the animals you have?

 

[akotom]

I don't see why you couldn't have an echinoderm only tank. As long as the tank setup is adequate. What kind of filtration do you have for it?

Here is all that I know about the tank:

It's a wards's tank, all acrylic. It is around 15 gallons, with a gravel tray, and a back compartment for filtration, which has nothing in it (In my fresh water I put bioballs in my filters).
The substrate is fine shell.
There are 15 or so small brittle stars.
2 tuxedo urchins
1 chocolate chip starfish
1 horshoecrab (In a seperate container in the tank)
3 nereis (clam) worms (a salt water annelid)- they live in the substrate
1 turbo snail
2 small tube worms (which i feed a microvert liquid)

I just really want to keep everyone alive. There is no live rock in there, and a basic light fixture.
The previous owner (who just replaces things as they die) doesn't really want the responsibility of the tank, and has gone on vacation for a week, and I told him I was going to fix things because I hate seeing the sea urchin's especially die off every 4 weeks or so. I think it's because he only fed the tank scallop, and some of the microvert. As of this morning I put a clip of some sea weed, and I'm going to check on it in a couple of hours. Hope someone has eaten it.

 

[user 26995]

I think one thing you need to do is get some live rock. at least 10lbs for in the tank. then you could also put some rock rubble in the back section for added filtration. Get rock from an established tank so you wont have a cycle.

Might even see if you can find a skimmer to fit in the back section.

Figure out what to feed everyone. Seaweed and mysis would be a good start and the microvert is good. Some coraline algae would be good too. I dont know where you are, but if you were close enough, I could get you some.

Then regular water changes. A couple gallons a week I would think would be fine. Get some test kits and test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and pH.
Keep the water conditions good for them and feed them, and they should be good.

 

[akotom]

I think one thing you need to do is get some live rock. at least 10lbs for in the tank. then you could also put some rock rubble in the back section for added filtration. Get rock from an established tank so you wont have a cycle.

Might even see if you can find a skimmer to fit in the back section.

Figure out what to feed everyone. Seaweed and mysis would be a good start and the microvert is good. Some coraline algae would be good too. I dont know where you are, but if you were close enough, I could get you some.

Then regular water changes. A couple gallons a week I would think would be fine. Get some test kits and test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and pH.
Keep the water conditions good for them and feed them, and they should be good.

Unfortunately I'm in South Florida.."Just a little" south east from you. n_n. My problem is that, I think that the tank may be too shallow for a lot of rock. I'm going to post pictures later today, when I get back to where the tank is (at my work). We have test kits, and I have tested for pH and taken a salinity reading, I am going to do the rest o them today, if I can find all the instructions for it. I'm still trying to find everything that goes with this.

What is rock bubble? Do you mean like a bubble bar?

 

[akotom]

Another thing to add is that we will be ordering some upsidedown jellyfish in the future to fill the cnidaria phylum. So I have to keep that in mind.

 

[user 26995]

Unfortunately I'm in South Florida.."Just a little" south east from you. n_n.

What is rock bubble? Do you mean like a bubble bar?

Yeah you're a little too far away.

I think I wrote rubble, not bubble. lol!

you dont need large pieces of rock, just typically for filtration reasons it is recommended to have at least 1lb of rock per gallon. It can be small(rubble) pieces. I doesnt have to be in the display area either. you can put it in the back where the mechanical filtration was probably supposed to be. Like the skimmer and other possible filter media.

 

[akotom]

Yeah you're a little too far away.

I think I wrote rubble, not bubble. lol!

you dont need large pieces of rock, just typically for filtration reasons it is recommended to have at least 1lb of rock per gallon. It can be small(rubble) pieces. I doesnt have to be in the display area either. you can put it in the back where the mechanical filtration was probably supposed to be. Like the skimmer and other possible filter media.

You did write rubble...oops! So I'm a little confused. What is the difference of getting live rock from a store, and getting a live rock from an established tank? And will the cycle be ok for my current inverts. All that I've read is about people cycling live rock before adding anything, but I've already got stuff in there.

 

[user 26995]

adding dead rock or rock that may not be cycled will cause an ammonia spike and an nitrite spike in the tank if too much is added too fast. That will kill most all inverts.
a lot of rock that comes into the LFS has been in transit for a while and will have a lot of die off in it. Its best to qt it and make sure its cycled before putting in it the tank. a piece of rock from an established tank has a ton of beneficial bacteria in it for filtration and if it is kept wet and at a good temp during transferred, there will be no die off. You have live animals in the tank, so you dont want even a small cycle. inverts are very sensitive to changes in water conditions.

for filtration reasons, the more rock, the better. It is also a place for pods and other critters to live and reproduce that your inverts will eat.

 

[1guydude]

When u add rock it will have die off causing a cycle.
Cured live rock.or live.rock from an established tank won't maybe.

+1 get rock
+1 get skimmer
They make lots of small nano hang on back skimmers now days.

Also powerheads for.water movement will help lots.

Ur water change will be easy like maybe half a 5gal bucket of new fresh sw.
Hths
-d

 

[HUNTER01975]

I would recommend going to the nano section and just looking at all the different setups that you can try to help keep animals alive.

hydor make some small little skimmers that might fit in your back area..

and I would agree with water changes and making sue there is current in the tank moving the water around.

..

 

[akotom]

Since I am having a hard time getting pictures on here through this website, follow the links to see the pics of the tank I took yesterday. I think you can thumb through the pictures in the album.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151394916837595&l=c6be3d04c4

Also does anyone have any idea why sea stars (yes sea stars, because it's the proper term) do this. With their arm up on the surface of the water? My brittle stars don't do it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151394928702595&l=ee1eb9176a

 

[akotom]

So Hey All,
Here is what I did yesterday to the tank in my ever effort to improve quality.

I did tests on everything that I had tests for.
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10ppm (no surprise there)
Ammonia:0
pH: 7.6-7.8
Specific Gravity: 1.022 (After I added some instant ocean saturated water)

Maintenance wise:
I added 1ml of Prime (which it says reduces nitrates and such)
Added the formentioned salt water
I put the light on a 12 hour timer
I added some stuff that was in the cabinet called superbuffer, it is supposed to improve hardness, and help improve the acidity situation, but I will have to do it more when I get back because you are supposed to do it every day until your pH gets to a spot where you like it.

Feeding: I added 19 drops of Microvert
I added 2 pieces of seaweed (only left it in for 4 hours because I'm not going back there for three days and didn't want to spoil the tank)
Added one scallop which I break up and will retrieve the remnants of when I get back on Tuesday.

Sorry if this is really detailed, being this is my first tank, I'm just like over recording everything so I can see what I am doing, and the reaction from it when I get back.

I am weary about upping the salinity too fast so I'm doing it a day at a time. An admin gave me the advice to be patient, so I am not trying to make any changes too fast.

Thank you all for listening, and I appreciate all feedback.

 

[pandora32]

Yes patience is a must. Id say youre on the right track. Bump up that ph and the salinity. Id do a waterchange the day you get back because of the scallop youre leaving in there for three days will have rotted some.

 

[pandora32]

Oh also theres no need to leave the lights on for 12 hours. Theres nobody there looking in the tank...lol

 

[akotom]

Yes patience is a must. Id say youre on the right track. Bump up that ph and the salinity. Id do a waterchange the day you get back because of the scallop youre leaving in there for three days will have rotted some.

i planned on it

 

[akotom]

Oh also theres no need to leave the lights on for 12 hours. Theres nobody there looking in the tank...lol

I was reading that sea urchins eat algae, so i was leaving the light on to grow some, plus thesea star eats some off of the walls too

 

[N1Husker]

Neat little tank. Welcome to RF.

 

[akotom]

So next weekend I'm going to get some live rock and quarantine it because I don't know anyone with a marine tank right now, and I can't afford to get the live rock this weekend.