Help Meeee Please

[new2us]

Sadly, another LFS that gives so many of them a bad name.
Regarding the crushed coral:
1. If you decide you like the hobby, you will undoubtedly want to try other types of marinelife such as starfish or sand-sifting gobies or certain snails, etc.- they do not appreciate crushed coral too much so the substrate alone can limit your stocking choices considerably.
2. Also, we found that the crushed coral was much harder to keep looking clean and, yes it is notorious for harboring nitrates.
3. Much easier and cheaper to change out your substrate now than after
you get your tank all stocked.
4. The LFS may try to say that the cc is better for the Ph or calcium,but after the CC has been in the tank about a year, that benefit seems to be completely out the window.
We have had both and have much better luck with the sand -besides, it looks more natural. But some like the cc alright. Like so many other things in this hobby, it pays to get lots of opinions and read all the supporting facts before making any decisions at all.
Since you are new to the hobby, let me suggest that you go ahead and browse some of the other forums as well such as disease and treatment where you will learn the necessity of a quarantine tank for adding new fish once your tank gets established and you begin stocking.An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and there are some awesomely intelligent people on these boards! This hobby is very rewarding, but it can be quite complicated, so plan to do lots of research if you want to be successful.
Good luck to you! (And stay away from that particular fish store - or at least whatever salesperson sold you a puffer for a brand new tank - I won't mention the damsels.)

 

[jessica47421]

good luck with sw keeping i jumped in as well and got into a mess now im trying to feel my way out of it too, i have learned ls is a whole lot better, no underground filter, and dont just buy fish from any where i got one from a lfs on impulse and boy was that a mistake it had ick and wiped out all my fish. so now my tank is fish free for 6 weeks and im out a whole lot of money so watch when you start buying fish. good luck

 

[dinks]

Just wondring if ich wiped out your tank, have you treated the tank before adding more fish. Would this be neccesary for her???
dinks, ps:
My fish don't have ich, but I am breaking it down (has not been up long, and plan to go reef. I am getting my QT tank ready, I could put them in there for a bit. I would hate to bring something in before adding coral.
Thanks.
Originally Posted by jessica47421
good luck with sw keeping i jumped in as well and got into a mess now im trying to feel my way out of it too, i have learned ls is a whole lot better, no underground filter, and dont just buy fish from any where i got one from a lfs on impulse and boy was that a mistake it had ick and wiped out all my fish. so now my tank is fish free for 6 weeks and im out a whole lot of money so watch when you start buying fish. good luck

 

[cmkdline]

Thank you again for all the advice my husband just did the water tests and here is the readings
pH 8.0
amonia .25
Nitrite .50
Nitrate 5.0
so how do I get the Nitrite level down to 0. thanks cmkdline

 

[ccg24]

Wait a week or two.... don't add anything just let it sit keep feeding the fish you have and moniter the levels everyday....
they will eventually drop to 0 Nitrate might say 5 or 10 but thats not really bad.... I think 25 is getting bad.... with that I'm not sure I would have to grab my test kit and see..... anyway...
first rule of SW Aquariums.... be patient.... it's like learning to play the guitar or something.... you don't become an expert or experienced over night.... you will eventually learn!!!
But still highly recomend that book "Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies".....

 

[cmkdline]

I have that book on order I got it for $5.00 off of overstock.com
but I'm worried about the Nitrite & gettting it down to 0

 

[kanicky]

Originally Posted by dinks
I just bought that book!! AMAZING BOOK!
Wish I had bought it from the get go and the pics are awesome too!
Definately a book for us newbies.
Ehhh, the "For Dummies" book is not one of the most recommended. I've read it, and read a lot of reviews on it, and it's not the most reliable book for the beginner, despite the "For Dummies" title. Check the reviews on Amazon and you'll find some very disappointed people...
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Dr. Robert Fenner is awesome, as is the book, The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium by Vincent Hargreaves.
Also, for beginners, I'd recommend The New Marine Setup: Step-By-Step Setup and Stocking Guide by Michael Paletta.

 

[cmkdline]

here's another question it pertains to lr.
curred or uncurred?
Hawian or fiji?
base rock?
---- claims to seel alot of lr but I'm sceptical

 

[marka1620]

Originally Posted by cmkdline
here's another question it pertains to lr.
curred or uncurred?
Hawian or fiji?
base rock?
---- claims to seel alot of lr but I'm sceptical

I would think, seeing you have fish aready...you should get cured (less die off) than uncured. So, the would cause less of a leathal spike to you fish. As far as hawian/fiji...that's up to you. What ever you like the best.
Not sure what you mean by.....claims to seel alot of living rock?

 

[newtankman]

First and foremost, Welcome to the forum, and to the very exiting and sometimes frustrating hobby of sf.
You will find a lot of helpful people here willing to openly share there knowledge of swf to help you get started on the right foot. Unfortunately you will also find people like sfoister

in this case, that are more interested in boosting there ego rather then providing actual help.
IMO…you will want to:
1.If you can, take the remaining fish back to the lfs. (use raw shrimp to cycle the tank)
2.Start over using a mid range live sand.
3.Use cured live rock. I would suggest fiji. I just like the way it looks.
4.Get rid of the under gravel filter.
5.There is also a lot of info in the following link. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/264597/a-list-of-extremely-helpful-threads-for-all-hobbyists
6.Perform a lot of your own research
Once again, welcome, and feel free to post any questions you may have.
It would also be great if you could keep everyone posted as you go along as well as show us some pics to go along with it.
Good luck.

 

[dinks]

I thought I posted an ooops on that book last night (the one I posted) before retireing for bed....I was starting to see double vision from meds...anyhoo...I have the FENNER book...which I think is awesome. It has some gorgeous pics!
A lot of info for beginners. I love mine. "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner. I haven't see the for dummies one yet.
Well, one thing about double viosn vision I get to see twice as many of my beautiful fish.
dinks
Originally Posted by Kanicky
Ehhh, the "For Dummies" book is not one of the most recommended. I've read it, and read a lot of reviews on it, and it's not the most reliable book for the beginner, despite the "For Dummies" title. Check the reviews on Amazon and you'll find some very disappointed people...
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Dr. Robert Fenner is awesome, as is the book, The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium by Vincent Hargreaves.
Also, for beginners, I'd recommend The New Marine Setup: Step-By-Step Setup and Stocking Guide by Michael Paletta.

 

[susie&jeran]

Hmm, I see some people don't suggest "Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies", but personaly it's the only book we've read before starting up our tank and thanks to reading it - we have a very stable and thriving saltwater tank. It explains everything in very simple terms. I'd suggest it over anything else.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by ccg24
You need to read about the cycle periods.... Damsels are ok to add to a cycling tank! ..
Damsels are only considered "ok" because they are cheap. Ammonia kills/injures them as well.
Uncured live rock is the best to cycle a tank with. Cycle small tanks with ghost feedings, cycle larger tanks with a cocktail shrimp if neccessary.
Saltwater Tank for Dummies uses some very outdated info. It's often sadly better than listening to the local fish store, but fortunately there are now better books available.

 

[cmkdline]

okay , got the amonia out and got 30lbs of lr today. i will get some pics as soon as posible. my skimmer is on the way. the store will not take back the damsels and our nitrite has started to drop. YAAAA :cheer:

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by newtankman
First and foremost, Welcome to the forum, and to the very exiting and sometimes frustrating hobby of sf.
You will find a lot of helpful people here willing to openly share there knowledge of swf to help you get started on the right foot. Unfortunately you will also find people like sfoister

in this case, that are more interested in boosting there ego rather then providing actual help.
IMO…you will want to:
1.If you can, take the remaining fish back to the lfs. (use raw shrimp to cycle the tank)
2.Start over using a mid range live sand.
3.Use cured live rock. I would suggest fiji. I just like the way it looks.
4.Get rid of the under gravel filter.
5.There is also a lot of info in the following link. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/264597/a-list-of-extremely-helpful-threads-for-all-hobbyists
6.Perform a lot of your own research
Once again, welcome, and feel free to post any questions you may have.
It would also be great if you could keep everyone posted as you go along as well as show us some pics to go along with it.
Good luck.

I did months of research before I bought anything. I knew as much as I could know before I bought a single piece of equipment. The rest needs to be learned by experience.
I don't know where you get off saying I'm attempting to boost my ego when I'm constantly asking questions on this forum. Maybe my methods are not the best, but I was serious about wanting to know what spurrs someone to just up and buy saltwater gear without knowing anything about it. Do you just walk by a store and say "hey lets do it!"?
My question can be taken seriously, or not. But I'll just ask the next person that comes on the board screaming that their 2 day old tank is crashing. I'll get my answer someday.... consider it a personal voyage into the depths of the human psyche. ***)

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by cmkdline
okay , got the amonia out and got 30lbs of lr today. i will get some pics as soon as posible. my skimmer is on the way. the store will not take back the damsels and our nitrite has started to drop. YAAAA :cheer:
Time to find a new pet store, seriously. If they sold you the fish, knowing your setup, annd now won't take the fish back I wouldn't give them another cent.

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Time to find a new pet store, seriously. If they sold you the fish, knowing your setup, annd now won't take the fish back I wouldn't give them another cent.
Fish should be something you can return if you're in a situation such as yourself. Most places won't take back inverts, but as long as the fish are not mishandled, they should take them back.
This shows they probably knew those fish were going to die, or at least expected it, and probably expect the damsels to die too.

 

[sly]

Originally Posted by cmkdline
cc vs. ls
ok you said get rid of the cc & get ls why?
I have read on hear good things on both.
Despite what others here say... cc is fine. Just do it right and you won't have the problems that so many others have had. If you use cc make sure that you keep a shallow substrate. Don't go more than an inch deep. You only want enough to cover the bottom. Get a good cleanup crew to maintain it. I have found that turbo snails work best. Get lots of live rock to complement your bio filter system. Then what you have is a crash proof, very low maintenance substrate that will both look good and help maintain your calc levels. Is cc the best? no. Is cc the worst? no. It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you use it, then do it correctly and you won't have any problems. If you don't have a sufficient clean up crew and you have it too deep, then you will have all the problems others have said here.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by Sly
Despite what others here say... cc is fine. Just do it right and you won't have the problems that so many others have had. If you use cc make sure that you keep a shallow substrate. Don't go more than an inch deep. You only want enough to cover the bottom. Get a good cleanup crew to maintain it. I have found that turbo snails work best. Get lots of live rock to complement your bio filter system. Then what you have is a crash proof, very low maintenance substrate that will both look good and help maintain your calc levels. Is cc the best? no. Is cc the worst? no. It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you use it, then do it correctly and you won't have any problems. If you don't have a sufficient clean up crew and you have it too deep, then you will have all the problems others have said here.
I agree with Sly that hobbyists can set up a good looking successful aquarium with CC.
I disagree with CC maintaining calcium levels, however. From what I've read CC does not break down unless the pH level fall into the mid to low 7 range. This is too low for SW aquariums and therefore CC is not a functional buffer for Calc. Aragonite live sand breaks down at higher pH levels and is therefore more useful for this.
CC will also limit your lifestock. There are critters that will not live on a CC environment.

 

[cmkdline]

as for my protien skimmer I got a cpr bak pak 2r+ protien skimmer. Yes I do want to do a reef & I got it on line they said this was a good one for reefs