helpp !!! im just starting and no very little looking for a good teacher!!

emilyboyce195

emilyboyce195

Member
i have got a tank that my boyfriend brought me for a early crimbo pressie since i adore the marine fish n was always admireing them when we went to get are tropical fish now i have one im scared im going to screw it up ! i have had the tank 1.5 months and some live rocks a 180liter tank and had a water test done for me at the fish shop and they said im ready for my cleaning crew i brought 3 red leged hermits 3 turbo snails and 1 cleaner shrimp i did as the man said on how to aclimatize them i left them all in there bags for 30 mins then added 1/2 a cup of water every 10 mins for 2 hours the hermits and snails are doing fine but my cleaner shrimp died after 30 mins :( did i do something wrong and i also have a lil hair algi the shop said this is normal can anyone help me out and talk me throught thing step by step n show me the ropes on where to go from now or if im doing things right so far thanksss
 
S

saxman

Guest
OK...so you have about a 47 gal setup that has been up and running awhile.
I hate to ask this question, but I'm asking since you're new at this...did you actively cycle the tank (add a source of ammonia/nitrogenous material)?
How much LR do you have and/or what type of filtration are you using?
Are you dosing the tank with any additives?
What was your water source (tap, well, RO/DI, etc)?
Basically, give us a run-down on how your system is set up.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Every new tank needs to come with a new book on the subject.
In other words, your boyfriend owes you the book that your setup is missing. I suggest The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. This book will not answer everything. It will give you a basis and common ground for what questions to ask and believe it or not, it will give you the background needed to understand the answers you will receive.
Meanwhile, there is a list of starting threads in the New Hobbiest Forum that are very good.
On the immediate subject of your dead Cleaner Shrimp, first, make sure the dead thing you see isn't just a Shrimp molt. They molt at the first sign of stress.
Next, assuming you have a dead shrimp, is to compare the salinity and PH of the water in the bag against the water in your tank. I recomment 1 full hour of drip accimation for Shrimp for every ppt of salinity difference between the water the shrimp is in vs the water the shrimp is going to.
 
emilyboyce195

emilyboyce195

Member
ok he quite usless to lol and he says there no book ! and no i have added nothing i have just left it alone . he got barrels of water from the store so what ever that would be lol ! i feel so dumb sorry .... but im soo interested i realy want to learn .
i have a juwel protein skimmer 3.0 and a juwel filter system bioflow ???
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
never heard of juwel!?!?!
There is indeed books out their about setting up and maintaining SW aquariums.... make sure its at least up to date! LOL....
i bought my 1st book and after about the 3rd-4th book....i reliezed how out of date some info is!
Lots of info and mixed opinions in this hobby! Get a book and read it read it read it....dont be afraid to ask questions too!
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
what is your salinity compared to the stores? shrimp dont take a change in salinity very well.usually want to acclimate a shrimp for a couple hours.
i like the rock how it is stacked.are there any powerheads in the tank?saltwater unlike freshwater needs alot of water movement.
like asked above.did you cycle the tank when you set it up? with the rock it might have done it on its own but have you been testing the water for ammonia and nitrites?
go to the top of the new hobbiest section and read 101 for beginners .that will get you started in learning.dont always trust you local fish store.most of us here dont
 
emilyboyce195

emilyboyce195

Member
i have no powerheads atm but i have no fish or coral yet ? so dose this matter? i also havnt got any test kits yet i have just been useing the store to test them since its so close but my salt level it at 1.025 ?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
salt is good. yes you need a power head. for one it helps fight algae two it add oxygen to the water. look at a korlia #3 head they are good and dont cost much.
eventually you will need a test kit and refractor to test the salinity.do not buy a hydrometer ,they are not accurate.
still didnt answer on the cycling question? did the store test your water and if so did they just say its ok or did they give the readings? you need to leard how to test and what the results mean.like i said this is not like freshwater fish
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
I would add macro algaes to balance out and stabilize the system. Which is also done to some extent with the hair algae you have and even any algae on the live rocks as well.
Best tank ever.
my .02
 
emilyboyce195

emilyboyce195

Member
erm by cycling so u mean did i add things or did i leave it ? becos i just left it to do it own stuff to . and no they just say waters ok i have a salt test one just nun others .ok how many power heads do i need ?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
if you are running a skimmer and another filter there is some water movement already.i would add one #3 korilia powerhead on the opposite side wall from the rock.
i will try to keep it short here.when you set up a new tank it has to be cycled.meaning something basicly has to decay .then the tank will have ammonia from the decay.ammonia does not stick around long 3-5 days.it is converted to nitrites then to nitrates.you need to see this.if you add fish or anything live and they start pooping it causes an ammonia spike which is toxic to the livivng things in the tank.when the cycle is complete the will be growing bacteria that lives off of the organics(fish poop) hope you can follow that?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
not really just need to make sure the tank cycled .i would get a test kit and test everyday for a while for two reasons one to check the water and two to get used to testing.
 
S

saxman

Guest
The thing to do regarding your "state of cycle" is to challenge the tank with an ammonia source. In this case, give the tank a "normal" feeding (just as if you had a fish in it) and see how long it takes the tank to process it to nitrates (NO3). For this, you'll need an ammonia test kit and a nitrate test kit.
Test your NO3 and NH3 (ammonia) to get a baseline.
Add the food.
Test for NH3 after an hour, you should see a spike. Repeat every couple of hours until your NH3 is 0 (assuming you have 0 to begin with).
Once your NH3 goes down, check to see if you have an increase in NO3. You may or may not see an increase depending on what your initial reading was.
If the tank processes the NH3 within a few hours, your tank is cycled. However, remember a CYCLED tank is not a MATURE tank, and will still be a bit unstable for a few months.
My last comment is your rock stacking. It's fine to have all the LR at one end if you want space, but you should never stack rock against the side of the tank. It can break glass and scratch acrylic tanks. Bring it our just a bit and stack it in a more stable manner so you aren't relying on the side of the tank. Stacking LR isn't hard...think of it as a puzzle. Each piece will fit someplace in a stable manner (you'll need to turn the pieces over and around until they don't wobble). Besides possibly breaking/scratching your tank, unstable rockwork can also topple and kill fish or coral.
HTH
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
problem is if the tank did not cycle she has critters in there.???i have alot of rock in my tank i have not scratched it with the rock leaning on the glass.well i dont think.as long as its stable and dont move i dont see a problem.just my opinion
 
S

saxman

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389430/helpp-im-just-starting-and-no-very-little-looking-for-a-good-teacher#post_3441908
problem is if the tank did not cycle she has critters in there.???i have alot of rock in my tank i have not scratched it with the rock leaning on the glass.well i dont think.as long as its stable and dont move i dont see a problem.just my opinion
I used to think that too, but as I improved in rock stacking and thought about it, I realized that it's better to get some flow behind the rockwork and it's also beneficial to be able to see/get behind the LR if needed.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
oh no doubt.i have a spot on the front glass where the rock is 1 inch away.i cant fit the magnet cleaner or the razor very good its a pain.but its part of a nice cave i built and dont want to move it.seeing her tank is a 47 gallon.i would think a good powerhead from the other side would get in there .i have a 250 with 300+ lbs of rock and who knows 50 corals i know there are dead spots .they dont seem to be a problem with the cuc.
 
S

saxman

Guest
Oh, I have LR that touches the tank in a spot or two in some of our setups (for max open substrate), but the OP's rockwork looks like it's all leaning against the glass with very little "base" to it. Since the tank is new, now's the time to change it. She may also find the "missing" shrimp if it molted.
 
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