I THOUGHT it was cycled?????

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blackaero1

Guest
Good morning all and happy day after Thanksgiving. I am having some concerns about my tank and hope someone here can steer me in the right direction. My tank has been set up for a few months now with a sand substrate, some rocks, and a decorative piece of fake coral. I have 2 damsels and 2 clown fish in the tank currently and they are surviving well. About a month ago I checked all the levels and had 0 ammonia and nitrite, about 20 nitrate if I remember right. Afterward I got a serious amount of algae in the tank and went and purchased some snails to curb this new issue. First I tried margarrita snails as well as an emerald crab, they died within a day, then I went and got a few large turbo snails, they also died within a day. The last water change was done about a week ago and when I tested the tank levels this morning I had a SG of 1.021-1.022, PH 8.0, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0. This is in a 75 gallon tank and I only change about 5 gallons a time each week. So how could I go from having a nitrate level to not having one and is this the reason I cannot keep snails alive? I would like to purchase a tang as well, but don't want to spend the money on him to watch him perish.
Thanks, Will
 
psusocr1

psusocr1

Active Member
shouldnt have a tang in a 75 gallon IMO too small, how long did you wait before adding the damsels etc.? its wierd because usually snails and crabs wont just "up and die" in a tank. i think its pretty hard to kill them so there must be a problem somewhere?
i would bump the salinity to around .25 or .26 , make sure your hydrometer is correct as well they are notorious for bieng off, also are you using tap water? you should test the water for trace elements if so like phosphates
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I had the tank set up for a little over a month before adding damsels, added them as the cycling process never seemed to take effect, after they were added it cycled rather quickly. I added the clowns this past week and they are doing fine. Yes I am using tap water but adding aquasafe to "make it safe for saltwater tanks" as the guy at the lfs said that would be fine. I would have to find a way to test the trace elements as I am extremely new to this in the sw spectrum. I have a fw tank that has been going strong for a few years now although I understand the sw tank is a little more picky.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I haven't added any meds to this tank, just a PH buffer and the aquasafe mentioned previously to the tap water.
 
volitan_fa

volitan_fa

Member
If you're just using your tap water and you have an older house, you could still be getting trace copper through your pipes. Just a thought.
 
chipmaker

chipmaker

Active Member
He should not be getting trace copper from old plumbing unless he is usuing extremely high temp hot water and his ph is very very low, like in the 5's or so, which I doubt. I found that most anytime reg water is used and simply adding dechlor, things can go south easier than if ro or rodi water is used. You can be getting a large residual of all kinds of minerals or compounds with household water, any of which could be a problem. Be pretty darn expensive and time consuming to check for allthe possiblities, so its much easier to run an rodi unit and be pretty well assured the water is free of virtualy all undesireable items.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I think this is a major place I went wrong. After reading up on acclimatng I may be doing it wrong. I did the same as my fw fish which is let the bag sit for a while in the tank (about 1-2 hours) then place the fish in the tank. After reading up I see that I need to add some water from the tank for the sw fish/snails.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I do have an older house (mid 60's construction) and I do know that there are copper pipes. I would loe an rodi unit, however, they cost a little more than I would like to spend at the moment unless I have to. Unless, of course someone on here knows of a reliable rodi unit that can be used effectively for a 75 gallon setup and doesn't require the sale of one of my children.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by blackaero1
I think this is a major place I went wrong. After reading up on acclimatng I may be doing it wrong. I did the same as my fw fish which is let the bag sit for a while in the tank (about 1-2 hours) then place the fish in the tank. After reading up I see that I need to add some water from the tank for the sw fish/snails.
If you were just placing the bag in the water for an hour or two then putting the snails in the tank then there lies your problem. Your fish/ inverts should be drip acclimated for at least 3 hrs. If you are concerned about whether or not you have copper in your water then just pick up a copper test kit to be certain.
 
mandarin w

mandarin w

Member
You can find a RO unit on the aution sites for just about $100.
Well worth the price when you consider the price you will be spending on your tank. Aqua safe is mainly intended for fresh water tanks not saltwater. All that does is detoxifies the chlorine. It doesn't do anything to the other things that are added to the city water. That could also be why you had such a bad alge bloom.
 
1911_guy

1911_guy

Member
I'm glad you read up on acclimation procedures, that's what it sounded like to me.
As far as RO/DI units, it's not necessary to buy one that puts out a gazillion gallons per day, just go for quality and what works with your budget. I still haven't bought one, I'm in denial. I have been buying RO water from a local water purification shop for months now. It was temporary at first until I could afford a unit, then....I upgraded my overflow box instead. Then.......I bought some stuff to make a fuge in my sump. Then......basically now I have 38 gallons worth of containers to fill up at the store.

I'll get one someday. I heard AWI makes some good quality RO/DI units. I'll probably go with one of their 5 stage units.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I've seen some of the rodi units on sites like ---- but have a hard time believing they re just as reliable as the expensive ones. The other issue I have is what happens when I need replacement parts/filters for it, if I can't find what I need, it wasn't much of a deal in the begining.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
Yes I did read up on it after it was mentioned on here. Probably something I should have done BEFORE adding the fish/snails. I'll add some salt thi morning to raise the SG then later today maybe give it another try at the snails. Are there any other algae eaters taht are easyt to take care of like fish. I know tangs eat algae but someone mentioned a 75 gallon tank might be too small for a tang.
 
chipmaker

chipmaker

Active Member
Originally Posted by blackaero1
I've seen some of the rodi units on sites like ---- but have a hard time believing they re just as reliable as the expensive ones. The other issue I have is what happens when I need replacement parts/filters for it, if I can't find what I need, it wasn't much of a deal in the begining.

Evidently your of the club it has to cost a lot to be any good. Which is as far from the truth with an rodi unit sa yu can get. There is nothing that is rocket sicience with them, and the majority of them all have interchangeable parts no matter who makes it. If ya wanna spend a bunch of bucks and get no more value go for it, or you can buy an equal value item and save a few hundred and get a rodi for approx $110-120 including shipping if you listen and go to that auction site. You will find spec for spec the only diferences to be the name or decals that are slapped onthem and the money they charge.
Filters are common and totally interchangeable. I can pickup what filters the ones I have at Lowes or Home Depot for a couple of bucks or at the LFS and spend a small fortune....or order them online for a decent price as well, Its a no brainer where I buy my filters at when it is time to replace them or where I bought my units and saved $$$.
 
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blackaero1

Guest
Actually, I don't think you have to spend a fortune for something to be suitable. I was just afraid of getting something that has specific parts taht cannot be purchased sepeately or cost over half of the price for the unit. I have seen other things in teh past (not filters) that fit into this category. If I pay 60-70 percent of the original cost for a consumable part that needs replacing every month, the great deal I appeared to get doesn't look that way in a matter of a month or two. If you have a sugesstion on a style of filter that would work and doesn't break the bank, I'm all ears.
 
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