i feel like i started on the wrong foot

richfish

richfish

Member
ok my tank just doesnt seem to be coming good
livestock:
2clowns
emporor angel
purple tang
alvepora
red pimple mushrooms
snails
hermit crabs
spaghetti worms (just found i had them)
serpent star
sand sifting star
equipment:
sealife system protien skimmer
wet/dry-sump
rio 2100 return pump
uv steralizer
260 watts pc lighting
hang on overflow box
heater
my sand is always turning brown on top and i have brown algea that grows on my glass and has covered the inside of my overflow
my ammonia and nitrates are a little from zero and i dont know why
 
archon

archon

Member
if this is a 55 g... get rid of the purple tang and the angel... the tank is way too small for the emperor, and the tang will outgrow the tank. how long has it been setup?
as far as the algae on the glass... im pretty sure everyone gets that. get an algae scraper such as a mag float.
im a newbie too =) and thats all i have to offer
edit: wow i should read what i say before i post =) fixed errors
also the brown stuff on sand is diatoms. if u used tap water for refills or water changes that can cause it. i am not an expert at this, so i cannot tell u how to fix this
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
What is the water source for your aquarium?
What are the current sizes/lengths of those fish?
What is your feeding content/schedule?
What "color"/type/Kelvin rating are those lights?
Do you have bioballs in that wet/dry?
Could you post all the water parameters you have test kits/instruments for?
 
richfish

richfish

Member
well since i dont have an R/O yet,tap water
emporor-3-4 inches;;;;;purple tang2-2 1/2 inches
feeding is every other day(myssis shrimp)i cut a cube in half and then i cut the half in half
thier called"dual satellite lighting"......theres 2 atinic(blue) and 2 daylights
yes i have bio balls in wet dry
red sea ultimate test kit
parameters are:
amm:.10
nitrate:btween 5.0 to 10
nitrite:0
alk:fine
PH:8.3-8.5
 
B

big911dog

Guest
a tank that old should have already cycled, so that leads me to believe your bio filter cannot handle your bio load. you will either have to increase the bio filter or decrease the bio load until everything is under control. I would suggest decreasing the bio load because ammo and trites are poisonous anyway, so the fish are probably not doing well anyway.
the other thing that is strange is with an ammo reading you should be seeing a nitrite reading. in cycled tanks either is abnormal and only nitrates should show. since ur getting an ammo reading with no nitrites, I would look for something dead in ur tank.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
i have a 75g, and i have a lot more fish than you do. the only difference is that all of mine are small fishes and none are messy eaters.
my snails, hermits, blennies, goby, sand star do a good job on the unwanted stuff on the sand and rocks. i still have to scrape the acrylic walls. despite all the sand cleaners i still see pods running around.
my sand bed might not be all that alive but i much prefer the clean look.:joy:
 
richfish

richfish

Member
WELL BIGDOG I CHECKED FOR SOMETHING DEAD IN MY TANK AND I DEFFINATELY FOUND IT .......I HAD THIS LIKE WHITE GOBY WITH A NEON STREAK ON HIS MOUTH.....NEVER SAW HIM SINCE I CHANGED MY ROCK AROUND(HAD ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE CHANGING ROCK)........I NOTICED SOMETHING IN MY LIVE ROCK AND TODAY I WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS BECUASE THATS WHERE THE GOBY USED TO STAY......WELL ANYWAY I TAKE THE PIECE OF LIVE ROCK UP AND LIKE ALL FIS GUTS THAT WERE LIKE BROWN COME OUT.......SO MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THERE BEING SOMETHING DEAD IN MY TANK.....I CLEAN ALL OF IT OUT AND ALL THE FISH SEEM TO BE DOING BETTER NOW......THIS STUFF SMELT BAD......GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK
THANX FOR THE HELP:) :) :) :) :)
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
Ammonia is only at .1? Get rid of any of the dead stuff you can find and wait it out. Your biofiltier should bring that ammonia back to 0. If it doesn't go back to 0 in a couple weeks, we'll have to examine the source again.
The source of the diatoms is probably something in the tap water. You need to either get an RO/DI water purifier, or add a refugium to suck up the extra nutrients. If neither of these is an option, try adding Xenia and Macroalgaes to your display tank.
Is your skimmer producing plenty of goo?
What is your water change schedule?
Nitrates of 10 are safe, but your corals would appriciate them being even lower.
You also likely have some phosphates in your water. You could try one of those products like phosban that absorb the extra phosphates in the water, and see if that clears up your diatoms.
 
smarls

smarls

Member
Rich,
Honestly, your tank is not coming together because you are doing things too quickly and without researching and thinking them through. The good news is that you can fix this, the bad news is that if you don't i don't think your tank will ever work, and you livestoick is going to be in trouble.
I have gone through some of your threads, and you state things like "my water smells bad", or that "I can't leave the lights on for more than a few hours because of the algae blooms", "How do I do a water change"...but then you run out and by an alvapora (which people specifically suggested that you didn't buy because they are a difficult coral to keep!).
I would STRONGLY suggest you slow down, and follow the advice given. Do not buy anything else for a few months, no fish, no coral. Personally with all the problems you are having, I would immediately return both the Angel and the Tang, and also the alvapora.
Get your water quality to a point where you can leave the lights on for 10 or so hours a day (otherwise your coral is going to be in trouble). Get to the point where you are doing regular water changes, and the items you already have are flourishing fro a few months,a nd not just days. Get to a point where your water parameters are inline for a few months at a time (not days or weeks) without a spike in anything. ONLY then should you think about adding other items, and those items should be well researched and thought out before you buy them.
Sorry if this sounds a little critical, but I have read and answered many of your threads, and I basically see you doing exactly the opposite of what I and more importantly, what others experienced people suggest....then you ask why it is not working?????
Please, slow down. Read a book, it will help you more than you can believe. If you are serious about keeping living animals for years to come, then surely you can spare a week of your time to read a book before you buy more animals? In your other threads people have suggested titles to read, so again, please buy one, and read it.
Stewart
 
richfish

richfish

Member
I DO A 25% WATER CHANGE EVERY MONTH AND YES MY SKIMMER IS MAKING PLENTY OF SKUM......ALSO IS THERE ANY OTHER OPTIONS BESIDES USING RO/DI OR A REFUGIUM????
ALSO I WAS WONDERING IF I SHOULD GET A BIGGER CLEAN UP CREW BECUASE I ONLY HAVE A FEW SNAILS AND HERMITS
 
richfish

richfish

Member
ONCE I SELL MY ANGEL AND TANG I WAS WONDERING WHAT SMALLER FISH YOU GUYS WOULD RECCOMEND FOR MY 55(GOBY,HAWKFISH,ECT.)SOMETHING WITH PERSONALITY,OR EVEN SOMETHING THAT WILL LIKE EAT ALGEA,CLEAN SAND/ECT.
IF I GOT A FIREFISH LATER ON SHOULD I GET 2?ARE THEY EASY TO TAKE CARE OF?WILL THEY HURT OTHER GOBY'S?
OH YEA ONE LAST THING COULD I PUT SHRIMP IN MY TANK?EMERALD CRAB?FIGHTING CONCH?
 
smarls

smarls

Member
Rich,
Please see my above post - specifically - "DO NOT ADD ANYTHING FOR A FEW MONTHS."
You do a water change of 25% every month? Then why did you just ask about how to do a water change in a post about a week ago? (that I replied to)
It is ok if you have made some mistakes, everyone has...but slow down and start learning about those mistakes so you do not do them again. I am honestly just trying to help you avoid the silly mistakes that I and others have made...please slow down.
Stewart
 
trevorlyn

trevorlyn

New Member
I HAD SIMILER PROBLEMS FOR A WHILE. MY LOCAL STORE RECOMMENDED THE FOLLOWING:
POLYFILTER $9.00
POLYGUARD USED WITH ACTIVATED CARBON
ALSO WHEN I UPGRADED MY LIGHTING IT HELPED ALOT, YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO GET A FISH CALLED A DRAGON SIFTER ONCE YOU LOWER YOUR BIO-LOAD A LITTLE. THE DRAGON SIFTER SIFTS THREW THE SAND AND EATS LEFT OVER FOOD AND WASTE THAT CAN LEAD TO EXCESS ALGAE
 
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