I am getting discouraged with this hobby.

booya

booya

Member
I have had my tank up for a couple of months now and it looks like crap. Every thing in it is covered with algae and plankton (I think). I was stupid when I filled it for the first time and used tap water (because I worked at a pet shop for 2 months and that is what they used). I added a clean up crew but they are not cleaning up. One reason my be that all of my blue leg herms. Have wiped out my scarlet and most of my small snails.
The live rock that I order off the internet sucks. It has only produced one living thing out of it (besides pods), and that was think that it is an aptasia. I heard that they were bad. In other threads it said that you should use kalkwasser mix to get rid of them. How do you mix this mixture up?
Sorry of the complaining. I just needed to complain a little.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make my tank better I would appreciate it. I know this is a broad question, but I am sick of my tank looking like crap and I don’t know how to fix it. I’ll try to get a pic of my tank so you all can see how bad it is.
THANKS EVERYONE and any help is great.
 
dad

dad

Active Member
Welcome to OUR world, lol
Test kits are the most important thing you need at this point. A new tank goes through many changes.
Also read read read. Knowledge of what is going on is very important.
Get the pic up and let us see, ;)
 
vibe

vibe

Member
my friend just went through he same thng and his tank has been up fro a year now. tap water is high in phospahtes. i suugest a phosphate remover and some giant turbo snails they do an awsome job.
 
booya

booya

Member
I have two test kits that test (NH3, NO3, NO2, pH)
What can be used to remove phosphate?
I'll see if I can get a pic soon.
I have giant turbos. (5)
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Booya
Of what kip mentioned the most effective will be establishing plant life you desire. I would set up a refug and add all the plant life you can get your hands on. and keep adding until the nitrAtes and phosphates go down.
 
booya

booya

Member
Stupid question but what is a refuigum and how do you add it?
My NO3 are 0 and I don't know what my PO4 are because i don't have that test kit.
My LFS does not have kalk paste so is there any thing else I can use.
Thanks Jake
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Simply sounds like a new system rushed along...and that can be easily fixed. First you need to slow down and allow your system to cycle and become stable. Obviously you have a agae problem that needs to be addressed. Thats where I'd start...stablise your water chemistry and solve the algae problem. Despite the advice from the algae man I would not under any circumstances toss in "assorted plant life" at this point. I'd determine the cause of you current algae problems and eliminate the problem! To even begin to help you establish your system we'd need a lot more info than you have provided. For starters we'd need to know how long this aquarium has been set up...explain how you cycled it...provide info on filtration and lighting...what critters do you keep...what do you feed and how often...do you currently use any additives...what are current test results for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph/temp...how long do you leave your lights on...the more info you provide the easier it may be for members here to help you along. :cool:
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timsedwards

timsedwards

Active Member
Chin up most of us have been through it, I would concentrate on getting a RO/DI unit or buying RO/DI water at least. That will make a WORLD of difference.
All the best,
Tim.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by booya
Stupid question but what is a refuigum and how do you add it?
..

there are no stupid questions.
A refugium is a protected area usually a seperate container in the system. I serves to protect whatever is in the refugium from the main display and the main display from the refugium. with a seperate container, it also allows the display and refugium to have different environments such as lighting.
The idea of adding plant life is to simply starve the ugly algaes of nutrients. Algae are plants and by having desirable plants the undesirables are controlled. a side benefit is the system requires less maintenance.
 
booya

booya

Member
NM reef thank for the replay.
I didn’t think that I rushed my system along but I might have. I cycled my tank for about a month half of that was with a piece of shrimp. I never saw a true ammonia spike but for the first half of the cycle I think that I had a bad test kit. Now I use a salifert for NO3, NO2, NH3, and pH.
My tank has been up for about two months. I have 4 65w PC (2 blue 2 White). I have a Red Sea PRIZM Skimmer that is rated for a 60g tank. I have 2 power head that are rated for 400 gph and a power filter that is rated for a 60g tank, but I am not running carbon in it right now. I was going to add that to it tonight. I have a clean up crew that started at
•20 Scarlet Reef Hermits most are gone because the blues killed them. 5-7 left
•20 Blue leg Hermits I think there multiplying
•20 Turbo/Astrea Snails most are gone blue leg again 5-10 left
•4 Emerald
•1 Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
•1 perc clown fish has been in for 4 days.
•1 fighting conch
•5 Mexican turbo snails
I feed formula one 1/8-1/4 a cube twice a day. I have been doing this for 4 days. Before no food. No additives.
Test results are;
Ammonia = 0 nitrite = 0 nitrate = so low it does not show ph 8.0 Trying to increase it suggestions my help. It was lower like 7.8 in morning time. Temp 80 degrees I have shorted my lighting to 7 or 8 hours a day. I left them off today until I got info on how to fix this and get ride of that aptasia that is if I should get ride of it.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by booya
beaslbob
Do you have pic of refugium
thanks Jake
can do better than that. did a thread in the equipemnt and diy titled My dyi refug. I bumped up the thread so it would be easier to get too. Several other threads talk about refugiums also.
I have upgraded the refugium so now it ispowered with a mag 5 pump butr otherwise it is the same.
there are several pics and design/operation ideas discussed. You should get a good idea of what a refugium is anyway.
 
nerdy

nerdy

Member
I myself went through trial and error for the longest time!
In my experiences with failure at this hobby I have learned that buying the proper equipment and not opting for the "less expensive" brand, also research and reading up on future purchases is a big plus. Don't give up...the rewards of a beautiful tank far outweigh the hard times!!!
 
booya

booya

Member
Thanks for the bump of the refugium beaslbob. I think that my father inlaw has some thing like that on one of his freash water tanks. I'll have to ask him next time i see him.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by booya
LOOK I'm a TANG now and I still don't know anything.
Just thought that I would share that.

I got 1200 posts and people tell me I don't know anything :D
One of the truely amazing things about this hobby is all the various ways people use to accomplish the same thing. Lotsa personal preferences here.
 
booya

booya

Member
We have 2 the same owner for both, and the more I know about SWF the less i trust them. Pocatello the city that I live in is about 50 thousand people, the closest good fish store would probably be Salt Lake City. UT I am going to Denver at the end of the month, if you think that it can wait that long i get it then.
You would not beleive some of the thing my LFS had done.
 
karajay

karajay

Active Member

Originally posted by booya
Do other places besides LSF sell this stuff?
I think they have it in the Dry Goods section on this site.
 
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