Help?!? new tank- 22days old....

[jrzymuscle21]

thanks again- i will go and look at buying a refractometer and a 15% water change is coming right up for my tank.....

 

[jrzymuscle21]

An update (31 days later from starting tank):

Salinity: 1.021
Nitrate: 2.5
Nitrite: .9-1.0
Ammonia: 0.15
PH: 7.9

comments or suggestions?
The striped damsels died... and one more blue/ yellow tailed damsel died.

The shrimps got larger- the other blue damsel is healthy as heck lookin and the tomato clown is the 'tony soprano' of the tank..

 

[4251cpd]

Your #'s are still somewhat bad. I think a 25% WC just to get rid of some of the nitrogenous waste. Otherwise you're gonna lose more livestock. Good luck, Mike.

 

[Skimmy]

a great, simple to use protein skimmer for you would be an aqua c remora hang on protein skimmer, unless you decide to buy a sump, then there are better skimmers for a similar price.

are you useing any carbon to help filter out the organtics?

also the thing about your situation is that you are prolonging the cycle by doing water changes before the cycle is done, but you sort of have to because you stocked too many creatures into your system before it was ready, and now they have been dying because of the ammonia/nitrite levels...a common catch 22 scenario that is easy to avoid by following one simple rule, when you start up an aquarium, you only add 1 or 2 fish, and then NOTHING ELSE FOR 35 DAYS!!!!! even if your ammonia levels are at zero after 2 weeks, 35 days is how long it takes for your system to colonize enough bacteria to efficently break down the wastes of the fish you introduce. there is no short cut to this process despite what some water conditioners, bacteria products, or lfs may claim.
patience is your best friend in this hobby

also, i would start buffering your top off water with p.h./k.h. buffer so you can increase and maintain your p.h. at 8.2.

 

[jrzymuscle21]

the lfs told me adding chems to raise ph is not good... he said to add dead/dried coral if i have too- what type ph buffer should i purchase?

PS- I appreciate everyone's contribution, if it wasn't for all this forum has to offer- i would definitely be alot more lost!.. THANKS!

 

[4251cpd]

the lfs told me adding chems to raise ph is not good... he said to add dead/dried coral if i have too- what type ph buffer should i purchase?

PS- I appreciate everyone's contribution, if it wasn't for all this forum has to offer- i would definitely be alot more lost!.. THANKS!

Have you tested your Ca yet? If you have organisms that need Ca then get a test see what your level is then we attack from there. Meaning if you have no corals than arm&hammer baking disolved in FW you use in make up for evap. CAUTION, you do not want to bump it up all at once. Hit Boomers thread on reef chemistry for more details. He can really get into better w/ya, plus I remember a specific thread w/low pH. Mike.

 

[Skimmy]

the lfs told me adding chems to raise ph is not good... he said to add dead/dried coral if i have too- what type ph buffer should i purchase?

what he is reffering to is the fact that ammonia is more toxic at higher p.h. levels, and to be careful not to raise it very quickly. seachem's reef buffer, or warner marine p.h./k.h. buffer are both good products.
i try to avoid kent products like the plauge.

 

[jrzymuscle21]

http://tropiquarium.petrg.com/cgi-bin/trop/IOP08113.html

How about this for a protein skimmer? will that be sufficient you think? Or too much or not good enough? Thanks

 

[Skimmy]

dont waste your money on that crap, just about worthless imo,
the remora is about $60 more and worth every penny

 

[aquaman3680]

You really dont want a seaclone another cheaper alterantive to the remora is an octopus go to www.octopusskimmer.com Theyre well built skimmers, also if you can find it the Salifert Products are very good high quality. They have a pH buffer that works great.
Matt

 

[jrzymuscle21]

ok- so this weekend, I'm doing another water change of 10% again.. (every weekend) buying a protein skimmer (probably one of the octupus needlewheel ones)... also buying a compact 96watt ( http://tropiquarium.petrg.com/cgi-bin/trop/CRL53201.html ) . . .

I was wondering.... do I add live rock now? or is it too late since it might kill off the fish i have now with another cycle?? or should I just let the dried reef and dead rock become live on its own? I can't add anenome or coral until I have live rock cycled and a compact i heard from the lfs....

Advice please- thanks...

salinity is a little up- 1.023 - ph is up to 8.1 and nitrate is under 20, nitrite and ammonia is 0 (through water changes)..

 

[NaH2O]

Wait until your tank has been stable for awhile before you introduce a coral, and I'd wait almost a year before introducing an anemone. You really want a stable and mature tank before an anemone is introduced. Not only are you waiting for your tank to stabliize, but you are also waiting for you to figure out your system. Things like topping off, how much you're feeding, water changes, supplementation, climate changes and how they effect your tank, etc.

You could possibly add a small piece of CURED live rock to help get some of the teeny critters going, but the rock you have now is definately colonized with bacteria considering your nitrite and ammonia has dropped down to zero.

If you plan on adding snails, then you will be able to do that, since you have zero ammonia and nitrites.

Hope this helps!

 

[jrzymuscle21]

So yea- just an update- I got Coralife super skimmer about a week ago... still having a hard time making it work smoothly... its like some days it won't collect anything and other days it just wants to overflow into the cup.
My ammonia is low <.25 and my nitrates are fluctuating from between 20 to like 50 and my nitrites won't come down! its at like 3 to 5... ph is 8.0 and temp at 79 degrees.
I have been doing a 5% water change every 3 days for like the 3 weeks now but nothing I do is bringing down the nitrites...
Filter cartridge in emporer filter has been changed every 2 and half weeks- biowheel i haven't touched. Feeding happens every 3 days with enough for them to eat in like 5 minutes...

My tank inhabitants are as such:
1 4" tomato clown
1 1" blue damsel
10 snails
3 hermit crabs
2" blood shrimp
2" cleaner shrimp
1 condi anenome... (ya i know i shouldn't have got one- but it looked so pretty and was $10)

Any suggestions on helping me control this nitrite issue? and also this skimmer... how can I get it to work properly... everyday I remove some yellowish fluid which I assume means its working somewhat...

 

[ronj]

water changes, water changes!!!! they are your best bet...what test kit are you using??? those nitrites should be dropping any time now... if you have nitrates showing up already that high, your nitrites should be almost gone..keep doing the water changes ...maybe cut back some on the feedings..try only what they can eat in 30 sec- 1 min... that should be fine... also, keep an eye on that condy...i don't think it will live...it could be deteriorating w/ out you knowing..this could be bad for your water... how is the condy looking????

 

[jrzymuscle21]

the condi will fully open during the middle of the day and by evening it kinda shrivels up and at night it like disappears and then the next morning when i start doing the light turn up, it starts over and starts to bloom again... I've been getting fed up with this high nitrite / nitrate thing and two days ago I took all the live rock out, 'vacuumed' the bottom of the tank with a siphon and then did a 35% water change... rearraned all the rocks in my tank and then haven't test the water yet today but will later..

hoping the water condition improved... but regardless... what else is there i can do? i'm desperate enough to want to go buy chemicals or anything- lol

 

[ronj]

when did you add live rock???was it cured??? with your nitrates that high, i'm guessing it wasn't ... if not, it will cause some problems..the dieoff from the rock could be causing your tank to start another cycle ....whatever you do, don't add chemicals just keep up with the water changes...it will level off soon....also, is the condi getting any smaller??? if it is, would remove it alltogether...the lighting you have is not sufficient enough to keep it anyway....it will most likely slowly die...maybe you could trade it to the lfs for credit...

 

[jrzymuscle21]

I did purchase compacts for my tank- has 10000K and 6500K bulbs(and cooling fan)... I think its like 2x40watts and then I also have another one thats 18000K at like 20 watts... tall tank so its hard to get lighting set up on top.

do you think the live rock is recycling my tank? I purchased the live rock like 2 weekends ago...it was cured- got like 5lbs of it.

 

[ronj]

5lbs shouldn't affect it much if it was fully cured...how do you know it was cured?...alot of lfs will through some rock in a tank for a week or two and sell it as cured rock...even if it is cycling because of the rock, it will level out soon..you might have just prolonged the cycle a few weeks if it wasn't cured fully... you already have the bacteria in your tank ..it just needs some time to multiply and catch up ...the condy needs some powerful lights..most likely, halides.. especially with a deep tank...just keep an eye on it..if it starts to shrivel up alot, it is dying...don't put any of those"anemone gourmet feeders" in there...they will just pollute the water

 

[jrzymuscle21]

ok- well- i'll be testing my water tonite to see where its at... any more suggestions appreciated- Thanks RonJ

 

[ronj]

just keep testing the water and doing changes....i just had this problem w/ a qt tank.. i needed it immediately and i didn't let it cycle.. i did the water changes also... it sucks, but it will level out very soon...just don't add anything else to the tank yet.............just a thought...there is an additive called Bio Spira that supposedly cycles a tank overnight.. i have never used it and it is expensive ($50?), but you could look into it... some people say they are no good and not to use them, but i have heard good results from this... you have to follow the directions Exactly how they say with this stuff...