Giving Up - Its not all it's cracked up to be

[sw65galma]

Originally posted by team2jnd
OK listen my advice to you because i had this EXACT same problem not a month ago is this. Get a wet dry filter AND more live rock. Between your sump and your return pipes install a U.V. sterilizer. Also purchase a skimmer because skimmers are mandatory in all tanks in my personal opinion. The UV will eliminate all bacteria and algae in the water and the skimmer will remove the dead waste. I use an in sump skimmer by oceanic and it removed a full cup a week of gunk. This total system will cost u about 600 dollars but it is well worth it because you will no longer have to worry about your tank. ALSO if you think a canister filter is sufficient you are very much wrong. Cannister filters add nitrates to your water due to the infilter media. That is my opinion and it is accurate considering i lost 4 fish from both swf.com and the local fish store. and oh if the salinty in the water from swf.com is higher or anything you simply have to drip acclimate them so the shock is not too much. It takes time but is well worth it.
I'm sure he apprecaite the advice but I think if you read the thread, he's already got a skimmer.

 

[oreo12]

Man not everyone has that kind of cash to throw at ther tank. Man I can't belive my fish can live in my low dollar set up. I must be doing somthing wrong none of my fish seem to be dead yet and I only have $330.65 total seting over ther in my used 54 gal corner set tank stand light fillter and skimmer with 0 nitrates o am 0 nitrites 8.4 ph and pc 1.023. Man I quess I had better get one of them sump things that is what a 10 gal tank ubder mine that the water rubs into I can hide my skimmer in wouldnt want that on the back of the tank wouldnt work right there. throw in some rock wont work right in the tank. gots to get me one of the uv things fish can't live without one of them things. LOL!!!
(OK listen my advice to you because i had this EXACT same problem not a month ago is this. Get a wet dry filter AND more live rock. Between your sump and your return pipes install a U.V. sterilizer. Also purchase a skimmer because skimmers are mandatory in all tanks in my personal opinion. The UV will eliminate all bacteria and algae in the water and the skimmer will remove the dead waste. I use an in sump skimmer by oceanic and it removed a full cup a week of gunk. This total system will cost u about 600 dollars but it is well worth it because you will no longer have to worry about your tank. ALSO if you think a canister filter is sufficient you are very much wrong. Cannister filters add nitrates to your water due to the infilter media. That is my opinion and it is accurate considering i lost 4 fish from both swf.com and the local fish store. and oh if the salinty in the water from swf.com is higher or anything you simply have to drip acclimate them so the shock is not too much. It takes time but is well worth it.)

 

[team2jnd]

How should i know how much money he has for his tank? I just gave him that advice because my tank had that same problem and now it is perfect. And the reason i told him to get a skimmer is because i did not have time to read every reply so i did not know he had one.

 

[pyro]

The .25 NH3 reading is most likely the test kit.
I have never had below a .25 NH3 reading on mine.
What brand test kit is it?
I haven't read all the posts in detail, but it seems like this post is going towards the better. I hope you change your mind DJ, I always hate to see somebody leave the hobby because of a disapointing start. Looks like your heading back onto the right track :yes: .
Good Luck!

 

[neoreef]

Ya know what this guy needs more than anything? He needs a mentor.
He needs somebody to assess his water, his circulation, his source water, his fish situation, and everything else. He needs somebody to help him adjust his skimmer. He needs someone to show him how to do a 15 minute water change without spilling a drop. He needs help with testing his levels and advice interpreting the results.
He also needs a community to go in together on a regular, perhaps monthly, fish order so he doesn't feel compelled to put 5 fish in his tank all at once.
DJ, have you looked into any local saltwater clubs in your area? If you find one, join it. I have received a wealth of reliably good advice (largely because none of these kind folks profit from my purchases), free frags, inexpensive but good used equipement, inexpensive live rock, and just good ol' conversation from the folks in my local club. Worth every penny and minute of time.

 

[1968oldsma]

At any rate DJ how is the tank coming? Any new developments.

 

[djballistc]

Well I have to say the tank is doing better. I have not added any new fish since I started this post. The Cleaner Clam, Hermit Crab, Coral Banded Shrimp and Pink Damsel are all still alive and doing well. The algae bloom problem is gone. However my problem still is with the skimmer. I can't get it adjusted just right. It is either taking too much in or nothing at all and because of this I can't get my ammonia to 0 nor nitrates.

 

[unleashed]

im sorry to hear about all of your misfortunes with your tank.seeing that the fish you have lost have all been from online delivery does make sense though not to say anything bad about the suppliers here but the stress these fish go though before they reach your home is enough to mecome self explanitory.also when you purchase from a LFS you have the option of seeing what health the fish are in.I purchase all of my at LFS for that very reason and I am able to take special care in getting them home safely and placing them to their new homes.you obviously do also. as far as the algae blooms go have you tried a clean up crew such as snails hermits sand sifters ect.as far as water flow goes try placeing a power head at both ends facing the front of the tank this will help eliminate the blowing away your fish to one side of the tank to another but still creating a good water movement.changing your filters monthy helps but dont replace all parts at one time thus keeping essencial bacterias such as sponges carbons ans bios if used.I also use phosphate removers and amonia filter pads in all of my tank with carbons they do seem to help.I will say that I can definatly understand the costlyness issue of this hobby.a have to agre ther but for aFOWLR tank that can be run with minimal cost and effectiveness unlike the reef much more detail to the science.now one thing I did notice differently that you use is undergravel filter systemsthis might be part of you problem( i could be wrong but just a hunch.I have uswed undergravel filters for my fresh water tanks in the past.they such the waste under the gravel in your case sand.but it does not do a good job of removing it.thus keeping the waste sitting at the bottom of your tank withou ability to be removed unless you remove the entire system.id say ditch the undergravel filter and put the substrate directly on the bottom of the tank.do a complete break down and start fresh but keep most of your water.this is JMO

 

[djballistc]

Unleashed - I am not sure which post you read but I don't have an undergravel filter. I do have live sand though and I do have the algae bloom problem taken care of. Thanks for the info.

 

[unleashed]

sorry bout that mix up another blonde moment here lol glad to hear things are under control for you either way

 

[jlem]

Originally Posted by Mombostic
Just be ready for everyone to say it sucks, but I have a Seaclone skimmer that cost $74.99.
I run a Saclone 150 on my 125 gallon reef and really like it. There are much better skimmers on the market but with limited space between the tank and the wall the Seaclone has worked great.
Dj. Keep in mind that all of us on this board have nothing to gain whether you fail or succeed in this hobby. All that we have is the experiences and the knowledge of what has and what has not worked for our systems and are trying to honestly give you good advice which means lots of different advice because of all of the variables that a healthy system has. Your LFS has to make money off of you and everyone else. I have a 125 GAL reef that has 4 powerheads and a Seaclone 150. I do regular 15 GAL water changes every other week with pruified water from the Glacier water machines that are in front of stores. You take somebody else with my same setup and he will have a totally different approach to filtration with the same result, A healthy looking tank. The Key to this hobby is patience. Start with a very light bioload, a decent skimmer and let the system go for 6 or so months ( my buddy has a airsstone powered skimmer and that thing kicks butt ) . Don't pack your system full of rock and Even if you only have 2 or 3 small fish it's okay because your tank will look clean and healthy. Feed your fish once a day what they will eat in less than a minute. You want your fish slim but not boney. Keeping the fish slightly hungry will keep them looking for food and keep the tank cleaner.

 

[druid1547]

DJBallistc, I want to thank you and everyone that posted on this subject because I also spent a lot of money and lost a lot. I did the same things you did. Now I am working slowly building a sump with skimmer and looking for a overflow box. I have my tank going and have only two damsels, clean up crew , live rocks, some dead corals I purchased. But for now I want to add the sump and get it going to later on I can add some more stuff like mushrooms before adding anymore fish.
I want to thank the group again. I have been

educated a little bit more
Mike

 

[jlem]

DJ. Slow down on the skimmer. You want to open the flow just enough to where you have a solid stream of water across the spout. It will look like there is hardly any flow but that's okay. Give the skimmer a week at least at that setting and don't do anything to it. Even if it produces a little bit you are still helping your tank. After a week mark that spot and open the skimmer a tiny bit more and see how it does then. I have a Prizm on my frag tank and had the same issue untill I just set the flow really low and realized that with a cheap skimmer you get cheap performance but it will skim and something is better than nothing.
As far as live rock. I personnaly like an open look with lots of swimming room and a decent amount of rock but not to much as to crowd the tank. With a light bioload you do not need much rock to accomplish proper bio;ogical filtration. You can make your own rock for under a quarter a pound and after time it looks as good as the $6.00 a pound stuff.
Here is what I mean with the open look

 

[djballistc]

Thank you everyone also for the posts I am learning a lot. I will try that on the skimmer tonight. I thought you were supposed to adjust the valve so you have some slight bubbles going up into the collection tank. If I barely open it the bubbles don't ever reach that high. I will do what you suggest anyway, you would know better than me. I have also been meaning to post some pictures of the tank since things are better so everyone can see the live rock and how my tank is setup. It is odd but ever since I got the extra power head and skimmer my green algae on my live and fake rock is going crazy. I never had so much of it before. Pics to come soon, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[tthemadd1]

I must say that when I saw over a hundred replies to a question I had to read. This is the most insane amount of info for a few simple issues. Really your problem is you need to spend money on a SWT PERIOD. If you dont have the money save up because on a 55 gal, if you just want fish, your looking at $1000.00 just to start. If you get into corals, man you can spend thousands. Dont start if you arent willing to put alot of research and/or cash money into the tank.

themaddhatter

 

[djballistc]

I haven't updated this thread in quite some time but I wanted to let some time pass before updating so here goes:
I have been running the protein skimmer and it seems to help but my tank levels are still high well...one of them is. Since using the skimmer my ammonia levels seems to stay around 0 but my Nitrates seem to stay at 80-120 and I have no idea what to do. I have not lost any more fish since my last posting about losing fish but I haven't added anymore fish either. What could be keeping my Nitrates so high still?

 

[mumbulog]

as I recommended, put on a refugium with macro algae in it and your nitrates will be to 0 in a matter of 2-3 weeks. It's a cheap investment and your tank will thrive. The chaetomorpha devours those nasty nutrients.

 

[djballistc]

I don't know what a refugium is or macro algae. I will look it up.

 

[mike90]

have you been doing your water changes? this will help reduce the nitrates. do about a 20% change or more in your case. and you cant rely on your filtered water in your home. its worth it to go out and buy the RO water. hell, i have a 90 gallon and I made two trips to the local fish store (45 gal each trip). it's worth it in the long run.

 

[djballistc]

My local fish store doesn't have RO water for sale. Where else would I get it? Besides buying Bottled water or something like that for a 20% water change would be crazy expensive and doesn't seem like the best choice to me. Even knowing very little about this it just doesn't make good sense to go out and buy bottled or RO water for a 75 gallon tank every week.