how to keep saltwarter clean
- Thread starter sergio
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posiden
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean#post_3300708
the water that i put in my tank i dont mix it myself i get it from the fish store that i go too they have it allready done there .... do u test for salinity when u mix your own water
I'll tell you. The reason is cause the different salt brands will mix at different rates. I have used a few different brands and they all mix at different weights. I measure my salt with a weight scale. I use grams when weighing my salt out. My current brand of salt uses less salt then they claim per gallon. If I change salt brands I have to make sure I keep track and watch the SG in the first batch so I know how much too add. I then check each batch to make sure it is right on before I do the water change. I also use a refractometer.
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean#post_3300708
the water that i put in my tank i dont mix it myself i get it from the fish store that i go too they have it allready done there .... do u test for salinity when u mix your own water
I'll tell you. The reason is cause the different salt brands will mix at different rates. I have used a few different brands and they all mix at different weights. I measure my salt with a weight scale. I use grams when weighing my salt out. My current brand of salt uses less salt then they claim per gallon. If I change salt brands I have to make sure I keep track and watch the SG in the first batch so I know how much too add. I then check each batch to make sure it is right on before I do the water change. I also use a refractometer.
posiden
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300713
no that i havent ask i never though about that one....what level should it always be around
I like to run my reef at 1.025-1.026. IME most fish stores like a lower SG to keep parasites at bay. At least mine do. They keep the fish in the "other" tanks, and the coral in a couple different tanks. Its a good question to ask. Its also good to know what SG their fish have been kept at.
So, what do you use for top off water?
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300713
no that i havent ask i never though about that one....what level should it always be around
I like to run my reef at 1.025-1.026. IME most fish stores like a lower SG to keep parasites at bay. At least mine do. They keep the fish in the "other" tanks, and the coral in a couple different tanks. Its a good question to ask. Its also good to know what SG their fish have been kept at.
So, what do you use for top off water?
posiden
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300716
ohh ok so i just need to get a refractometer and make sure its always good....could this be why my anemone is dying beside that i put it in a tank that was way to young
Very possible.
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300716
ohh ok so i just need to get a refractometer and make sure its always good....could this be why my anemone is dying beside that i put it in a tank that was way to young
Very possible.
posiden
Active Member
Possible. You could have stressed it. How long did you have the fire fish before it got ich?
I also have to ask what you used to treat the ich?
If you had just got the fire fish and it got ich, then it had it before you got it. The move stressed it and allowed the ich to get a foot hold on the fish.
sergio
Member
i maybe had it for about 2 weeks before it got it ... so is this something thats pretty bad ... ohh man idk it said ich in the bottle its just that im not home right now so i couldnt tell you why does it matter alot what kind of medicen i use ... can my other fish also get ich because one has it ... yeah the person at the fish store told me that they get it because of the weather and that it is really common on saltwater fish and that its nothing big to worry about is he right or no
posiden
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300730
i maybe had it for about 2 weeks before it got it ... so is this something thats pretty bad ... ohh man idk it said ich in the bottle its just that im not home right now so i couldnt tell you why does it matter alot what kind of medicen i use ... can my other fish also get ich because one has it ... yeah the person at the fish store told me that they get it because of the weather and that it is really common on saltwater fish and that its nothing big to worry about is he right or no
So, you had the fish for 2 weeks and then it contracted ich? Have any other fish had ich?
Yes and no. Ich is very common. However, if you used a proper QT process you wouldn't have it in your DT right now. Lets not worry about that right now ok.
Yes, it matters as to what you used to treat the ich. Some have copper in them and some have malichite green in them. Both of wich is very bad for a reef. I once used the wrong stuff when I was learning this hobby. I used a product that had the malichite green in it. I found out real quick that it isn't supposed to be used in a reef.LOL.
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300730
i maybe had it for about 2 weeks before it got it ... so is this something thats pretty bad ... ohh man idk it said ich in the bottle its just that im not home right now so i couldnt tell you why does it matter alot what kind of medicen i use ... can my other fish also get ich because one has it ... yeah the person at the fish store told me that they get it because of the weather and that it is really common on saltwater fish and that its nothing big to worry about is he right or no
So, you had the fish for 2 weeks and then it contracted ich? Have any other fish had ich?
Yes and no. Ich is very common. However, if you used a proper QT process you wouldn't have it in your DT right now. Lets not worry about that right now ok.
Yes, it matters as to what you used to treat the ich. Some have copper in them and some have malichite green in them. Both of wich is very bad for a reef. I once used the wrong stuff when I was learning this hobby. I used a product that had the malichite green in it. I found out real quick that it isn't supposed to be used in a reef.LOL.
girlina4x4
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean#post_3300684
... i have 2 gold stripe maroon clown fish 4 hermit crabs 1 fire fish 1 mandarin dragonet and 1 anemone all in a 10 gallon tank
I'm surprised nobody else is alarmed about the mandarin. They need HUGE tanks with HUGE amounts of pods to live a healthy life. I would take that one back to the store or give to friend with an established tank.
In a 10 gallon, I would only have the crabs and the fire fish.
Sounds like your LFS (Local Fish Store) is giving you very bad advice. Ich is not caused by the weather, its caused by poor water quality and stress. I don't want to pick on you, but it sounds like you jumped in the whole saltwater thing without researching anything. It's ok though, you are learning now.
Don't thake anything your LFS says seriously. Do research before you buy anything. Learn how to test the salinity and properly test the rest of your parameters, before moving on to the much bigger project of setting up a 60 gallon. Your local fish store is out for your $$, and they don't care if your fish live or die.
Originally Posted by SergIO http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean#post_3300684
... i have 2 gold stripe maroon clown fish 4 hermit crabs 1 fire fish 1 mandarin dragonet and 1 anemone all in a 10 gallon tank
I'm surprised nobody else is alarmed about the mandarin. They need HUGE tanks with HUGE amounts of pods to live a healthy life. I would take that one back to the store or give to friend with an established tank.
In a 10 gallon, I would only have the crabs and the fire fish.
Sounds like your LFS (Local Fish Store) is giving you very bad advice. Ich is not caused by the weather, its caused by poor water quality and stress. I don't want to pick on you, but it sounds like you jumped in the whole saltwater thing without researching anything. It's ok though, you are learning now.
Don't thake anything your LFS says seriously. Do research before you buy anything. Learn how to test the salinity and properly test the rest of your parameters, before moving on to the much bigger project of setting up a 60 gallon. Your local fish store is out for your $$, and they don't care if your fish live or die.
posiden
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Girlina4x4 http:///forum/thread/379665/how-to-keep-saltwarter-clean/20#post_3300833
I'm surprised nobody else is alarmed about the mandarin. They need HUGE tanks with HUGE amounts of pods to live a healthy life. I would take that one back to the store or give to friend with an established tank.
This is why my response is what it is in post #5. I just wanted someone else to affirm that issue.
The one good thing about the mandarin is, its pretty much guaranteed not to get the ich.
ninerfan4life
Member
Its good to make it a habit to check it at least once a week just so youe on top of the game and test the water before you put it in your tank... but you first need to figure out what the salt level is in your tank because if you do a water change and say your tank is .030 and the water your putting in there in .019 ....thats is kinda a big change for your lil buddys lol
plastercracker
Member
first the refractometer is a real nice tool. personally i don't own one. but what i did was test a dozen of the ones you dip in the water and where the arrow sits, then that's your salinity. wrong i couldn't get 2 of them to be the same salinity level. so i tested a dozen of the glass hydrometers that float in the water and they all read the same, very accurate. i scoop a pitcher of water out of tank and drop in the hydrometer to check my levels because if you just put it in your tank it will just fly around like a bobber from the powerheads. second go to wallmart and get 2 gallons of distilled water < i use di water but it cost me 600.00 for the set up and a 100.00 every 1000 gallons>. take the distilled water and dump it in your 5 gallon bucket, add a little instant ocean at a time stirring till it clears up and stir again. check your salinity until it gets around 1019-1021 and temp at 79. now take your empty gallon jugs and remove two gallons from your tank. now gently without stirring up the sand pour the fresh mix into your tank. do this twice a month. and between water changes if you have to add top off water do not add salt, salt does not evaporate . three do not over feed your tank. i feed my fish sea veggies only, my meat eaters get fed once a week or two. most fish in captivity are vegetarians. i would add a emperor 400 hang on filter to properly filter that tank. but don't just remove your old just yet, add the new filter along with your old one and let them both run for about a month and then you can can remove your old one, the reason is you want to build up some biological bacteria in your new filter first. and don't play with anemones till you have a tank for them it takes a little designing to keep them getting in power heads. every body wants one and ever body learns a smelly lesson. saltwater is easier than fresh so just calm down and don't make it complicated. and dont get suckered into buying some miracle drugs to fix something that's going wrong in your tank, there are none and you will end up discouraged and be another person that USED to have saltwater. i have been doing this since 1979 there are not to many people can say that.good luck and the main thing is patience.