Brown Sand

[jmangione]

Until yesterday all was running perfectly fine all water conditions right where they should be. A friend of mine came over and suggested putting some(20 drops

?? ) Red Sea Buff Success in and i did even though i had no idea when the appropiate times to use it. I wasn't sure if it was a great idea or not considering (as far as i know) everything was good, but he seemed like it and has been at this awhile longer than myself. I came home today and found brown all over my sand. Also, one of my fish did not seem to want to eat (usually comes right up to my hands but barely chased after the food at all).
I don't know if it was what we put in the tank or something else.
Ive only had my tank for 4 weeks now so I am new at this and really have no idea if thats even bad or if its suppose to happen and i just get clean it up. Also, I have no cleaning crew at the time, is this a must get asap?
Thanks

 

[kilhullen]

The people here will probably want your paramaters asap.
I know cleaning crews are what I have been suggested to get first even before the fish, so I would think that is a must have asap.
I have been reading some posts and people are talking about brown diatoms and brown algea. Do you know which this is, or is it something else?

 

[jmangione]

Another thing,Two or 3 days ago i found what i think is a small anemone in my tank. Kind of came out of nowhere. I have a 20 gallon tank, about 12lbs of live rock, and another 2 or 3 lbs of random "coral rubble." pretty sure it traveled in on the coral but was wondering how it will do with only a 15w light on it.

 

[1journeyman]

Jman, I read your other two posts...
You've got to take a deep breath, learn about your tank, and quit doing things on impulse. If you don't your tank will be death row to anything you put in it.
NEVER add anything that you aren't testing for. Do you have any idea what the chemicals were you put in your tank? Where they reef safe? Did you read the directions?
You've got to realize that you are trying to replicate the most diverse, complicated, consistent ecosystem in the world. Slow down, ask questions before you add something, and read read read.
Have you removed the Tang yet?

 

[jmangione]

Ya I figured those would be asked for, unfortunetly I wont be able to get them until tomorrow. Sorry

I'm not sure if its brown algae or diatoms. Its mainly blotches on my live sand. My family swears the clown fish skin doesnt look a little distorted brown, but it kind of does to me.

 

[kilhullen]

I am a little confused, and this my inexperience talking and not understanding the symantics. Did you fully cycle your tank 4 weeks ago, or are you still in the process of cycling your tank?

 

[jmangione]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
NEVER add anything that you aren't testing for. Do you have any idea what the chemicals were you put in your tank? Where they reef safe? Did you read the directions?
Have you removed the Tang yet?
***please don't post links to other sites*** is where it was from. It was the Success Buff that was put in, directions say 25 drops for 20 gallons, id assume its reef safe.
The tang is still in there, hes doing what seems to be perfectly fine but i know you suggested trading him in at my lfs. Should i do this and get some kind of cleaning crew and what do you suggest? Snails, hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp?

 

[jennythebugg]

how many fish do you have in this tank ? its only 4 weeks old ? would this be 4 weeks with or without the cycle time ?

 

[kilhullen]

Originally Posted by jmangione
Read Sea Ph/Alk MiniLab is where it was from. It was the Success Buff that was put in, directions say 25 drops for 20 gallons, id assume its reef safe.
The tang is still in there, hes doing what seems to be perfectly fine but i know you suggested trading him in at my lfs. Should i do this and get some kind of cleaning crew and what do you suggest? Snails, hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp?
I don't know what that is you added, but I have learned from discussions with my LFS, these boards, and others, not to assume anything is reef safe.
Just my two cents worth.

 

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by Kilhullen
I am a little confused, and this my inexperience talking and not understanding the symantics. Did you fully cycle your tank 4 weeks ago, or are you still in the process of cycling your tank?
That is kind of what I was wondering. I pretty new to this also, well about 5 months now, but I have been reading for 2 years while keeping freshwater before I took the plunge. I must admit, you go into these fish stores and see all these "add this to get this" stuff and its real easy to mess up. I now have it in my mind that the only reason the LFS has these is to make money and I don't need it. My tank is doing great with only water changes and water samples.
I would for sure do a water change ASAP. And check parameters. AND get rid of the Tang! 20 gallons is not enough for that fish.

 

[jmangione]

Originally Posted by Kilhullen
I am a little confused, and this my inexperience talking and not understanding the symantics. Did you fully cycle your tank 4 weeks ago, or are you still in the process of cycling your tank?

yah..... people are going to see how stupid i am but... I dont know? I had no water testing kit. My friend had started out before me and i saw how he did it and figured i should do it the complete opposite of him ( he had fish within the 2nd day of having the tank). I got my 12lbs of live rock and 2 lbs of "rubble" and just let it sit for 3-4 weeks thinking this would get the tank going. I didnt even know of testing the cycle until half way through the 3rd week where i found myself reading i needed ot put fish in inorder to get it going. One of my live rocks has so much life on it, 100$ for 4.6 lbs of rock. The rock and live sand just sat in there for 3 weeks while everyone mad fun of my "pet rocks" but I figured letting the rocks hang out would be the best bet.
So, in short, I dont know if its ever cycled. When i started testing the water everything was almost exactly in perfect condition.
I know i need to do more reading and nothing else is being touched with the tank for a long time now besides testing everything

 

[ric maniac]

how big is your tank? and dont add any chemicals that you arent sure are 100% reef safe (i try not to even add chemicals if i dotn have to) if the tang is in less than a 125g tank then get it out IMO tangs need 6ft of swimming room minimum. the brown is proabably diatoms, they are common in new tanks. and a clean up crew should have been the first animals you put in there so get some margarita snails and some nassarius snails and hermits

 

[jmangione]

dont know if i already mentioned it but i did a 50% water change as soon as i saw the brown stuff

 

[ric maniac]

Originally Posted by jmangione
dont know if i already mentioned it but i did a 50% water change as soon as i saw the brown stuff
that was a good thing to do, but it wont really help the diatoms. the best thing you can do is get a cleanup crew

 

[kilhullen]

I would think with live rock for 4 weeks that your tank has at least gotten into the cycle. But you might not be out of it yet.
I tend to be curious what your ammonia load is, if the bacteria has not had a chance to reproduce enough you could really be hurting all the fish (even though clowns are pretty hearty, ammonia burns their gills which is why a fish being used to cycle a tank will gasp and race about very uncomfortably).
They are right - a yellow tang needs a big tank, like 75-100 gallons (probably more). They get to be rather large so a 20 is like putting a person in a jail cell.
I have been in your boat, trying to get my QT up and running, and it is tempting to get impatient, but you really have to be patient to be successful. There are alternatives to cycling the tank if for some reason the lr has not done that.
When you do the tests, what I understand you are looking for is ammonia 0 nitrites 0 and some nitrates (which are only removable with a waterchange as far as I know). If that is what your tests read like, then you are ok to add a cleaning crew, then when it gets back to 0,0, and some managable number, then you can add 1 fish, and so on.
The way I understand it also, everytime something is added there is a smaller ammonia spike, then a nitrite spike, then a nitrate increase. Never add anything until the ammonia and trites are 0 because that means the bacteria are handling the bioload.
(Just FYI - make sure you verify the correct trites and trates. I get those confused often. I know what I am looking for in my test, but when I talk about it, I get it all discombobulated in my mind - so verify that I have that in the right order).
Make sure you are taking into account the adult size of the fish to your tank. Many people judge their number and size of fish by 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. With the amount of lr you have that means you can have LESS than 20 inches of fish if this is what you practice. (some are even as far as 1 inch of fish per 3 gallons of water to account for some that create a higher bioload. This means you can have fewer than 7 inches of fish). Some base it purely on bioload, but that is hit or miss because you have to get beyond it before you know you reached it. (at least to my understanding)
Good Luck!