Frustrated

[nigerbang]

ohh ok..I was thinking that may be what it was...what kinda lights and filter...SW is more expensive as far as equipment wise...Alot of the filters that you can buy for SW dont work very good for SW and end up producing Nitrates really bad..Who is testing your water..You or LFS..?and what did they say the results were and if you..What are you testing with..

 

[treenastar]

Originally Posted by NigerBang
ohh ok..I was thinking that may be what it was...what kinda lights and filter...SW is more expensive as far as equipment wise...Alot of the filters that you can buy for SW dont work very good for SW and end up producing Nitrates really bad..Who is testing your water..You or LFS..?and what did they say the results were and if you..What are you testing with..
We bought a test kit for nitrite and nitrate an ph and ammonia and we tested it and I don't know what kind of filter but we just put some fluval in the filter to take out the nitrites and the light is a spcial one I am downstairs right now but I can run up and check but the pet guy sold me a different one than the one that comes with the tank.

 

[treenastar]

I gotta run , so I'll talk to all later thanks for the help so far. I will be back later, got kids to pick up from school. thanks.

 

[ice4ice]

Wow !! I am totally dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Don't get me wrong, I'm not insulting you at all Treenastar. I understand you feel bad about this and your local fish store (lfs) was dishonest with you by giving out false information.
Best bet is start over by researching everything you need to know in marine fishkeeping. You can always start over with just a pair of clownfish in a 20G tank with some live rocks. You won't need an anemone for them at all. They survive well without them. Do it not only for yourself but also for your daughter. We're all here to help you out in any way we can.
Here's some suggestions to help you start over :
Equipment to buy :
Protein Skimmer
Powerheads (for water circulation)
Heater
Power Compact lighting fixture
A simple sump with an overflow box

 

[my way]

Originally Posted by Treenastar
First of all I did ask the pet shop owner and he is the one that sold me the tank and I did not come on here to get nasty messages from people, yes they did tell me that I could keep all of those things in my tank and don't you think that I didn't feel completely terrible when we lost them all because I do realize where they come from and that it's a sin to put them into a tiny tank and take thier proper environment away from them...however I was obviously mislead by the pt shop owners and I felt terrible when I lost those helpless star fish, so if you can't respond to me in nicer fashion please don't respond at all.
I'm going to be as nice as possible here. The person answering you stated facts and in no way was rude to you, so please treat people here with the same respect. If you come in here as a new poster with an attitude like this, chances are you won't get much help. It IS your responsablity to research everything you put in your tank. Blue Linkia's are extremely hard to keep in captivity even for seasoned aquarists. I don't remember you mentioning how you acclimated your Starfish. You also were asked the parameters of the water in your tank and you said,
Originally Posted by Treenastar
All of our levels are proper now but since they have been good I still lost a blue starfish, all of his guts came out and then he died.
This gives us absolutely no information. What specifically are your test readings? What temp is the tank? How did you acclimate your inhabitants?
You just say your light is a "Special one" That tells us nothing again. Once again we need to know this information in order to tell you what you need to do to get your tank running properly.

 

[f14peter]

First of all, welcome to the board and my sympathies for your problems.
Please don't take offense to what people are saying here, they're merely stating facts and their experiences in an effort to help you.
Also note that fish stores in general have a somewhat poor reputation on this board. Sure, there are plenty of good ones, but probably every member of this board has some LFS horror story as the stores are in a business to sell things, and sometimes they and/or their employees aren't as experienced as necessary. I've read of advice/information/products dispensed from fish stores that even with my limited knowledge, I know just aren't right . . . people being sold fish for tanks that in no way are seasoned enough or big enough . . . snake-oil treatments . . . improper equipment for the goals of the hobbiest . . . quick-result products that do more harm than good . . . that sort of thing.
As some of the responses have mentioned, very specific information must be provided . . . not just "It's good" but exact numbers, species, equipment, etc. There are so many factors that have to be right on for a tank to work, and it helps tremendously if every variable is known.
Lastly, please remember that one, this hobby entails replicating in a closed environment a very specialized habitat that requires careful attention . . . two, the tank-keeper is a custodian and caretaker of some very fragile and unusual specimens that shouldn't be frivilously bought and/or discarded.