Help me with cycling please

[javi]

i am setting up a 85 gallon. this is my first aquarium. i started the process more than 6 weeks ago. i am going strictly by the book. on week 6 i tested for ph, nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, salinity, temp, etc and the test results were all fine. that is when i decided to put some damsels in. i bought 5 damsels and a starfish last weekend and they seemed fine. but they quickly started to die, the starfish died right away and now i only have one damsel left. there are many bubbles on the tank walls so i adjusted the pump. my tank includes some dead coral, live sand, and there is already algae growth. i have a skimmer, w/d, three power heads and what i believed was the perfect setup. is there anything you can help me with in cycling my tank? am i missing something? i appreciate the help and advice

 

[kris]

Sounds to me like the perfect set-up. The starfish was a major mistake though. Probably too many fish at once, if they all die wait awhile and start with two. And don't forget the live rock. You should finish cycling in a hurry then.

 

[harris]

I think Kris hit it. You probably put them all in too quickly and the ammonia rose-due to the waste. One damsel survived because the water was able to support it near the end and he/she was probably the hardiest. give it some time and watch your levels closely wait another week and add another fish.

 

[damsel]

before you buy another fish, take a sample of your tank water in for testing. if they aren't happy to do it, find another fish store. i cycled with live rock and damsels and then took the damsels out (they aren't very compatible) before adding my other fish, etc.
best of luck, don't give up, damsel

 

[jt]

Yep. Definitely too many fish at once. Try one or two at a time, every week or two. It sounds like you were extremely patient and "by the book" on setting it up and cycling, but adding all that at the start was definitely not patient. Very tempting though!
Try some reverse osmosis (r.o.) water. You can probably buy it from the petstore. Buying your own system is steep.

 

[krazzydart]

well sounds good at first...what type of filtration system do you have...???what color is the alge if it is brown that means that your tank is about cycled... take a sample of your water ot be checked or buy a kit and do it yourself.[