adding fish??? HELP!!!

[newby14]

Ok so I purchased a salt water tank set up from a lady who had it for about 4 yrs...I got the entire set up 75g...306 fluvals(2)...approximately 120-130 lbs of live rock...alot of live sand etc....I set it up with new water but kept the filters as is for bacteria purposes. But I havent added any salt to the tank yet. ...my question is can I put salt in the tank earlier in the day and wait for the salinity to balance out and then add fish in the same day since its already an established tank

 

[geridoc]

It was a cycled tank, but it isn't anymore. Almost certainly you have lost most or all of the beneficial bacteria from the rock and sand due to immersion in pure water. I would recycle the tank and then begin to add fish slowly. BTW, always allow 24 hours after adding salt to water before putting it into contact with fish - the pH has to balance out with the carbon dioxide in the air, and some of the trace elements need additional time to dissolve.

 

[silverado61]

Not to mention, is it tap water or R/O water?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by newby14 http:///t/397074/adding-fish-help#post_3538130
Ok so I purchased a salt water tank set up from a lady who had it for about 4 yrs...I got the entire set up 75g...306 fluvals(2)...approximately 120-130 lbs of live rock...alot of live sand etc....I set it up with new water but kept the filters as is for bacteria purposes. But I havent added any salt to the tank yet. ...my question is can I put salt in the tank earlier in the day and wait for the salinity to balance out and then add fish in the same day since its already an established tank


Hi,

Welcome to the site.

I hope to explain things a little better for you since you are so new at all of this. First...120 to 130 pounds of rock is way too much for a 75g tank...the poor fish need some swim room.

The tank was established just as GeriDoc said. Once you added non-salt water, you killed all living things (tiny critters) in the rock, and sand...the good bacteria colonies that WAS built up on the sand and rock has also been destroyed and is no longer there. So all the things that made it a seasoned tank is no more. You live rock is now dead.

That isn't the end of the world, but it means a long haul to re-establish the system. First the big question Silverado asked...did you use tap water or RO (reverse osmosis) water?

If you used tap water, you would do yourself a HUGE favor and dump that water, and go to a grocery store that has a refill station (Walmart sells RO water for 37 cents a gallon). Use those 5g jugs and fill your tank with RO water. The jugs come in real handy later on so it isn't a waste of money....You can purchase a few and make some extra trips to the store to refill them...it's very much worth the effort.

Water quality is the very life of your SW tank, so getting the best quality possible to start with, will take you a long way. It's not something to skimp on. having your own RO/DI unit is a great investment in your tank.

Mix your salt...1/2 cup per gallon...you want the refractometer to read 30 to 35.... or ... the hydrometer to read between 1.020 to 1.026 (you will have to leave it churn a bit to mix real good for about an hour, then test the SG) use the power heads to churn the salt and water in a large plastic garbage can (new, mark it FISH ONLY) This will later serve as your water changing container, so it also is a needed piece of equipment. At this point you can mix your salt right in the tank (only this one time), but it's hard to measure that way and I think it's best if you use the can.

Your very next purchase after getting the water in the tank is a basic marine test kit and...a good beginners saltwater aquarium book. I suggest you purchase "The conscientious aquarist by Robert Fenner... or ... "Saltwater aquariums for dummies" Both are excellent books to help you get familiar with keeping a SW tank. It will explain the lingo and equipment...what it does and help you to know what questions to ask.

To kick start your first cycle, dump a chunk of raw shrimp into the tank ... or... ghost feed an invisible fish with flake food for a few weeks... or ... in the laundry isle at the grocery store get some pure ammonia, nothing added like fragrance and dump some right into the tank maybe 1/4 of a cup per 50g. PLEASE. PLEASE do not start the cycle with a live fish, it's cruel.

Come to this site to ask your questions...do not go to the local fish store for advice, only go into the LFS already knowing what you want or need ...we don't want to sell you anything, we just want you to succeed. Do not ask them about fish compatibility, equipment, or water additives...don't ask their advice for anything on any subject. Some people know their stuff, and others will sell you crap you don't need....and you are too new at it all to know the difference. What their tank looks like in the store is no indicator, you don't know if the person YOU are talking to is responsible for that set up, or some other worker...

 

[newby14]

Thanks for the response, I must say im a little sad but . ..I used regular tap with water conditioner.....and I have a couple big pieces of live rock which takes up most of the weight. ...is there any way to jump start the process anf how long do u recommend I wait before adding fish.. and if the live rock is dead how long does it take to become live again

 

[newby14]

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by newby14 http:///t/397074/adding-fish-help#post_3538149
Thanks for the response, I must say im a little sad but . ..I used regular tap with water conditioner.....and I have a couple big pieces of live rock which takes up most of the weight. ...is there any way to jump start the process anf how long do u recommend I wait before adding fish.. and if the live rock is dead how long does it take to become live again


Hi,

Halfway up the tank is good for the rock..it isn't as much as you made it sound.

You want to dump the tap water, the conditioner only removes chlorine, and I'm afraid there are many things added to tap water besides. Fluoride and bacteria inhibitors for example. We want the bacteria to grow, it's the very life of the fish tank.

The reason live rock is called live, is because of the tiny critters that live in it. You can replenish the rock in a few ways...the easiest is to get more live rock and let it seed the now dead rock. You can also purchase live rock critters, micro-stars, copepods, amphipods, isopods and bristle worms....it cost lots of money to do it that way. If you have a friend that has a SW tank, you can also reseed the sand by getting a little of theirs.

A really good and very easy way to get the tank on track...is get some macroalgae...you want the stuff with a hold fast (not just float around kind), glue it via crazy glue GEL to the rock, and it will add all kinds of critters and keep the water quality pristine, it removes ammonia, phosphates, nitrites and nitrates...it uses all the bad stuff to absorb and grow, when you remove the overgrowth (pruning the plant) called harvesting, you are removing that stuff out of your system.

To jump start the cycle you need ammonia to be introduced to the system...via all the ways I noted for you already in my last post to you. The quickest is pure ammonia, or chunk of raw shrimp. get the ammonia to rise to at least 1 and then wait for it to go back down to 0. The ONLY way to be successful in this hobby is to be VERY, VERY patient. Nothing happens fast, and getting in a hurry will cost you money and heartache.

Right now you need to concern yourself with set up, water quality, and learning about how to use your test kits to make the determination on when to add that first fish. You will only be able to add one fish at any one time...and now is also the time to set up a quarantine tank...it not only will keep the other fish in the display healthy, it will help you regulate how fast you add any new arrivals. Adding too many to fast is the #1 reason new tanks fail.

A QT is easy...10 to 20g tank, no sand...just an air line and pump, a piece of PVC pipe or decoration, and a HOB little filter. Attach the air line to the PVC pipe or decoration via a rubberband to hold it to the bottom of the tank. The air line will move the surface water and the pipe or decoration will give the fish a place to hide and feel safe. You can also, and I highly recommend you do...put macroalgae in that tank as well. The smaller the tank the harder it is to keep stable, macroalgae is natures miracle IMO. Oh...and if you do use macros...you won't have to worry about the tap water, just use the conditioner and you will be all set, the macros will remove the nasty's out of the water for you.

For macros...check out Golf Coast Ecosystems, they even have an on-line book on macros you can read.

One note: if you are going for a reef (tank with corals)...you won't want so much macroalgae in the display, you would need a refugium, and get the macros that float around and not use a hold fast.. macros are still your best thing since white bread for the QT.

 

[newby14]

Ok so ive been doing a little research between last night and this morning and what if I add some mollies and gradually add salt since I havent added any salt. That way the tank can cycle?!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by newby14 http:///t/397074/adding-fish-help#post_3538162
Ok so ive been doing a little research between last night and this morning and what if I add some mollies and gradually add salt since I havent added any salt. That way the tank can cycle?!

Hi...What part of PLEASE don't use a live fish did you not understand?

I gave you 3 different ways to kick start your cycle without being cruel to a live fish....and you come up with taking a live fish and doing it that way. Sorry to sound snooty but but _____...see the smile...I'm being nice...

First off, whatever fish you add, dictates what goes in next. If you want mollies, you may as well stay with freshwater and save yourself some money.. Mix your salt up, even right in the tank if you want.... and toss in a chunk of raw shrimp or pour in a little pure ammonia...let it cycle.

Why go through all the trouble to gradually up the SG by adding salt to acclimate mollies to saltwater??????? If you want mollies, get yourself some mollies...they are an awesome little fish...for freshwater tanks.

 

[silverado61]

If you use a chunk of raw shrimp, which is what I recommend because it's easier for a newbie like us to control than liquid ammonia, put it in a piece of ladies nylon stocking and tie it closed. Then drop it in the tank. As the shrimp decays it will start to disintegrate and the nylon will make it simple to remove when your ammonia reaches 1ppm. That's all I have to add to Flowers awesome advice.

Speaking as a newbie (me

) when you ask for advice many here will offer it and many will have a different way of doing it. Not that it's wrong, they know what they're talking about, they just have different ways to do different things. All this different good advice in the long run will just confuse you, as it did me when I first started, and you'll start freaking out and end up using a piece from each advice which will end up with a bad combination. Choose someone's advice that you feel you can trust and understand and stick with that person. Don't hopscotch around from person to person. If you don't understand the advice, ask them to "dummy it down for us newbies".

As Flower explained earlier, Cycles don't punch a time clock. It will run it's course at it's own pace. Patience, patience and then more patience. That's the true key to this hobby. Take it from me (again, a newbie like you) don't try to rush the cycle. Nothing good will come out of it.