Running a fish tank without arms or legs

[dexter]

my best guess is that there is salt creep that has built up in the airline.
i bet if the skimmer were removed and cleaned in warm water it would be fine,
pay special attention to the air line though for salt clogging it. especially right at the pump where the hose attaches.
let me know if that doesnnt work, and we'll seewhat else we can do.

Okay… so I pulled out the skimmer and we cleaned it up pretty good with just a toothbrush and water. I didn't know what to use for cleaning it so we just used water. I'm going to put it back in later and see what happens.

 

[Skimmy]

toothbrush and warm water is perfect..
hopefully you'll see some positive results soon.

 

[dexter]

So I picked up a sponge. And I am going to raise the skimmer up and see what happens. We cleaned it up really good. So hopefully this will work.

 

[dexter]

I put the sponge underneath the skimmer and had no changes. Bummer. Any other ideas?

 

[dexter]

Sometimes this disability can get in the way and make it tough for me to work on the tank. all these girls that I have don't like putting their hands into the tank so each one complains and says it it's your turn. It's kind of funny but what can you do.

Last night we had a 5 gallon water tank and check all levels. Right now my levels are at.

Nitrates are: 0
GH and KH is: 10 drops
PH Is: 8.4
Nitrite is: 0
Amonia: 0.25
Salinity is: .024

I do not have magnesium or calcium test kits. Definitely something I need to get.

 

[kpiotrowski]

Please don't take this as an attack!

I am reluctant to chime in here dexter cuz it seems you don't follow anyones good advice and go ahead and do what you want hoping it will work. but here it goes. your tank had been up for like a month now right? month...two months either doesn't matter that you should NOT have any ammonia at this stage and should have seen a nitrite spike and should have some nitrates. the fact that you have no nitrates and have ammonia means your tank is still in the VERY beigining process of the cycle and the only living thing you should have is a hardy fish or two if that. ZERO coral! doesn't matter they have no impact on water quality, what matters is they can't live! I could move to mars and I'm pretty sure I would have very little impact on the planet as a whole....but I can't live in that environment.

my best guess why your skimmer doesn't work is the water is too new. not enough organics in it. this explains the fine bubbles that are rising too high.

don't bother with the calcium and magnesium testing. put the money into water changes!!! your tank should not have any corals (sps) that require you test calc etc cuz thats a whole diffent set-up with lots more equuiiptment... lights for one and with higher wattage lights comes a chiller. see where this goes? thousands of dollars. with the right choice of corals you can a beautiful tank with what you have and no neeed to test those things as long as you are doing your water changes.

what are you using to cylcle your tank? I am perplexed by the results of your test for as long as you have had running...not that its been long!!!

also, succesful Reefers take the time to learn...and learn...and learn! For as long as you have been "interested" in this hobby, you don't seem to want to learn about it. You may as well give up now my friend cuz that's not gonna work! you have to develop almost an intuition...a connection with your system. like a long term relationship with someome where you can finish thier sentenses, know what they are thinking and what they need just by looking at them. you are especially challanged that you can not physically interact with your tank AND that calls for more knowledge, not less.

just saying it like it is!

wish you all the best!

 

[Peppie]

Please don't take this as an attack!

I am reluctant to chime in here dexter cuz it seems you don't follow anyones good advice and go ahead and do what you want hoping it will work. but here it goes. your tank had been up for like a month now right? month...two months either doesn't matter that you should NOT have any ammonia at this stage and should have seen a nitrite spike and should have some nitrates. the fact that you have no nitrates and have ammonia means your tank is still in the VERY beigining process of the cycle and the only living thing you should have is a hardy fish or two if that. ZERO coral! doesn't matter they have no impact on water quality, what matters is they can't live! I could move to mars and I'm pretty sure I would have very little impact on the planet as a whole....but I can't live in that environment.

my best guess why your skimmer doesn't work is the water is too new. not enough organics in it. this explains the fine bubbles that are rising too high.

don't bother with the calcium and magnesium testing. put the money into water changes!!! your tank should not have any corals (sps) that require you test calc etc cuz thats a whole diffent set-up with lots more equuiiptment... lights for one and with higher wattage lights comes a chiller. see where this goes? thousands of dollars. with the right choice of corals you can a beautiful tank with what you have and no neeed to test those things as long as you are doing your water changes.

what are you using to cylcle your tank? I am perplexed by the results of your test for as long as you have had running...not that its been long!!!

also, succesful Reefers take the time to learn...and learn...and learn! For as long as you have been "interested" in this hobby, you don't seem to want to learn about it. You may as well give up now my friend cuz that's not gonna work! you have to develop almost an intuition...a connection with your system. like a long term relationship with someome where you can finish thier sentenses, know what they are thinking and what they need just by looking at them. you are especially challanged that you can not physically interact with your tank AND that calls for more knowledge, not less.

just saying it like it is!

wish you all the best!

Couldnt have put it better!

 

[dexter]

Please don't take this as an attack!

I am reluctant to chime in here dexter cuz it seems you don't follow anyones good advice and go ahead and do what you want hoping it will work. but here it goes. your tank had been up for like a month now right? month...two months either doesn't matter that you should NOT have any ammonia at this stage and should have seen a nitrite spike and should have some nitrates. the fact that you have no nitrates and have ammonia means your tank is still in the VERY beigining process of the cycle and the only living thing you should have is a hardy fish or two if that. ZERO coral! doesn't matter they have no impact on water quality, what matters is they can't live! I could move to mars and I'm pretty sure I would have very little impact on the planet as a whole....but I can't live in that environment.

my best guess why your skimmer doesn't work is the water is too new. not enough organics in it. this explains the fine bubbles that are rising too high.

don't bother with the calcium and magnesium testing. put the money into water changes!!! your tank should not have any corals (sps) that require you test calc etc cuz thats a whole diffent set-up with lots more equuiiptment... lights for one and with higher wattage lights comes a chiller. see where this goes? thousands of dollars. with the right choice of corals you can a beautiful tank with what you have and no neeed to test those things as long as you are doing your water changes.

what are you using to cylcle your tank? I am perplexed by the results of your test for as long as you have had running...not that its been long!!!

also, succesful Reefers take the time to learn...and learn...and learn! For as long as you have been "interested" in this hobby, you don't seem to want to learn about it. You may as well give up now my friend cuz that's not gonna work! you have to develop almost an intuition...a connection with your system. like a long term relationship with someome where you can finish thier sentenses, know what they are thinking and what they need just by looking at them. you are especially challanged that you can not physically interact with your tank AND that calls for more knowledge, not less.

just saying it like it is!

wish you all the best!

Thank you so much for the advice. I appreciate it. there were definitely some attacks but that's all right. It seems like everybody chimes in to give advice but when somebody says " you may as well give up now my friend cuz that is not going to work!" is definitely not a friend. and economy felt like an attack. But hey... that's what forums are for. Right?

I'm definitely not going to give up. Because that's what losers do. It may take longer for me because of my disability. But hey… I'm used to it. Everything else takes longer. LOL

Thanks for telling me to do more water changes. some of the things you said definitely felt like an attack.

Cheers,

I'm going to bed. I will upload pictures later on. I did a new rock scape. It looks pretty good I think.

 

[kpiotrowski]

In hindsight I wish I would have said what I did in am PM. sorry, wasn't thinking!

 

[jrgilles]

seemed reasonable enough to me. A great point about the need for research and to be able to know your tank like a girlfriend and be able to complete its sentences.

Really, I found it a bit inspiring. Advice for any new reefer to take to heart, especially the ones charging in who clearly haven't done the necessary research. We are reef keepers, not livestock butchers. It is a hobby that requires a TON of reading before you can do ANYTHING, and the research never stops. A good sense of observation is needed every step of the way. It is a hobby that is measured on a yardstick of years, not weeks and months. Seems too many people need to be reminded of that fact.

 

[jrgilles]

I actually read your post to my wife while we were out to dinner. I thought it was well put, but that is just me

 

[dexter]

seemed reasonable enough to me. A great point about the need for research and to be able to know your tank like a girlfriend and be able to complete its sentences.

Really, I found it a bit inspiring. Advice for any new reefer to take to heart, especially the ones charging in who clearly haven't done the necessary research. We are reef keepers, not livestock butchers. It is a hobby that requires a TON of reading before you can do ANYTHING, and the research never stops. A good sense of observation is needed every step of the way. It is a hobby that is measured on a yardstick of years, not weeks and months. Seems too many people need to be reminded of that fact.

Definitely, I've been doing it for about four years now. The only tough thing is my tank was down for about a year and a half until now that I've got it up running again. I'm very excited to have it and also excited about the opportunities I will be able to do this time around. I learned a whole lot the first time that I established my reef tank. hopefully it will be even more beautiful than the first time.

 

[Skimmy]

I put the sponge underneath the skimmer and had no changes. Bummer. Any other ideas?

i think you might be misunderstanding a little,
when i said raise your skimmer cup some,
i mean the actual collection cup on the top of the skimmer,
there should be a rubber gasket on the outside of the collection cup,
if you adjust the rubber gasket to the top of the cup, then it sits deeper in the skimmer, and hence more water and clear skimmate.
if you adjust the rubber gasket to the bottom of the cup the the collection cup will sit up out of the skimmer body more, causing it to take longer for foam to get into the collection cup. so raise the skimmer cup, not the entire skimmer with a sponge.
hope that helps.

 

[Skimmy]

Its the bac pak skimmer with the slant skimmy and I said to raise it up a bit cuz the o ring is at the bottom of the cup I believe. Like with some eggcrate or something.

....and just saw this post....
ok.. well, how much did you raise the skimmer body up with the sponge??

 

[1guydude]

DEXTER my man, i hate to be the tang police but that blue fish u got their is gonna get to big for that tank! Just sayin, ur tank looks good though i love the scene u got going. Listen to some of these pps theyre trying to help u with some things so ur hobby will be easier on u and ur wallet! Dont forget a cuc man...thats prob wat u should have gotten 1st. like 5 small snails and 3hermits or something...

 

[dexter]

" tang police"

I remember you. LOL

Yeah… I had that fish for about a year. He grew a little bit. Definitely a cool eye catcher. Everybody loves Dori. But the little girls that gave it to me would've been heartbroken if I told them I have to take it out and give it back to the store. There's a website with a lot of fishtank people that are telling me that I can't keep because it grows too big.

But yes… a cleanup crew is definitely needed. That's The best thing to bring in first.

 

[Skimmy]

honestly i think the little girl would be more heartbroken if she realized that tangs swim 20 miles a day in the wild,
and now it has to sadly subsist in a tiny system comparatively....
I understand you wishing to respect the spirit of her gift giving and commend it, but ultimately that doesnt change the truth that the fish is just simply completely innapropriate for that size system. i think there are ways you could exchange the fish and possibly include the youngster in the choice of the new fish from a list of ACCEPTABLE fish so she wouldnt feel sad about the whole affair.

allrighty, enough razzing bout ur tang...

seriously your skimmer is starting to stump me, if the cup actually is moved all the way up, and the skimmer is on a sponge platform to raise it up a cpouple inches, and it's still flooding the cup with clear liquid, it sounds to me like the venturi isnt sucking in enough air for some reason...
and i know you just cleaned the sucker...hmmm
well, there may still be an obstruction in the airline that might have been missed, or maybe the small valve on the end of the airline is mis-adjusted or faulty...
try taking it off to see if theres a change in performance.

 

[1guydude]

+1 make sure the tube with the valve on the end is connected to the pump on the other end, otherwise ur pump will be sucking in just water with no air!
HTHs

 

[dexter]

Okay… so the skimmer is working. Not sure if it's going exactly correct but it is producing bubbles and definitely gunk. lol

Here r my levels:

Kh: 9 drops
Nitrate: 0 ppm
Amonia: Maybe .10 (it very very yellow but has a small tint of green)
Nitrates: 0
Ph: 8.2

I added my first live live stock. Two margarita snails. Almost broke the bank to get them but now I have life in my cube. Pics coming later.

Thank you Red Sea aquarium for your help getting my tank cycled.

 

[dexter]