In dire need of an Expert!

[mikefights13]

Just set up my first saltwater tank. Tank size is 125gl, I have about 250lbs of live rock inside of it besides the sand, I have a ProClear 40gl sump thats rated for 170gl tank. It has a protein skimmer built in and I'm running a 9w UV sterilizer with it. I'm running twin 36" Odyssea dual bulb and halide fixutres. I waited 2 months before putting any fish into the tank. I put in a sweet lips and a few clowns after about 3 weeks they all died within a few hours of each other, they had like streaming almost spiderweb looking stuff coming off of them. I completely started over complete tank water change and let it sit for almost 3 months, I tried introducing an angel and it only lasted a few days and died. Is it possible some kind of disease is in the live rock? If so how do I treat it? There's green algae like stuff growing on the rocks is that normal? I'm not going to put in coral or do a reef system, would I be better off selling off the rock and just use fake pieces for decoration?

 

[red tiger]

I am sorry for your loss. I am gonna ask a few questions to see if we can narrow it down.
1. How did you cycle your tank?
2. What do you use to measure your salinity / S. gravity?
3. How did you acclimate your fish?
4. Are you dosing anything in your water?
5. How often do you test your water? What were they?
6. Do you have powerheads inside your tank?
7. Did you test your water after they died?

 

[mikefights13]

Thanks any help will be awesome, If I can't get this right soon I'll be getting outta the hobby,
I bought the live rock from a guy off of craigslist, he told me to put it in my tank and let the sump run for a month and everything would be fine, was this the correct way to cycle?
I have a Instant ocean hydrometer from marinelands, sg was 1.024 when fish died and 1.022 now
I tested the water both before the fish died and after, and took a sample of water in and no nitrates, ph was 7.8, no nitrites, nothing to suggest I had a spike in something both tests came back fine, I usually test the water weekly, the angel just died yesterday and I havent tested it yet
I usually let the fish float for atleast 20min, then open the bag let a little tank water in and tape the bag over the side for another 10, slowly letting more and more tank water into the bag, after about 50 minutes I'll release them, Is this ok?
I'm not dosing anything into the water, should I be? Is there a test outside the master saltwater test kit that I need to be checking? Any help will be awesome, I'm really stumped on this

 

[red tiger]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFights13 http:///t/393152/in-dire-need-of-an-expert#post_3495301
Thanks any help will be awesome, If I can't get this right soon I'll be getting outta the hobby,
I bought the live rock from a guy off of craigslist, he told me to put it in my tank and let the sump run for a month and everything would be fine, was this the correct way to cycle? I don't think that does anything without some type of waste being created. Unless you ghost fed the tank to at least have nitrates at the end of the month?
I have a Instant ocean hydrometer from marinelands, sg was 1.024 when fish died and 1.022 now Hydrometers are the worst! Very inaccurate, a Refractometer will be needed to know exactly your specific gravity and salinity.
I tested the water both before the fish died and after, and took a sample of water in and no nitrates, ph was 7.8, no nitrites, nothing to suggest I had a spike in something both tests came back fine, I usually test the water weekly, the angel just died yesterday and I havent tested it yet Did they test ammonia? pH seems a bit low, what was your dKH level.
I usually let the fish float for at least 20min, then open the bag let a little tank water in and tape the bag over the side for another 10, slowly letting more and more tank water into the bag, after about 50 minutes I'll release them, Is this ok? Try drip acclimating them, and once your water salinity is the same as your tank and after a good 45-60 min they should be fine.
I'm not dosing anything into the water, should I be? Is there a test outside the master saltwater test kit that I need to be checking? Any help will be awesome, I'm really stumped on this No, I asked to see if something you added could of lead to the deaths.
Someone will chime in and help out soon,
But from what i can gather, I have noticed when your carbonate hardness drops fish tend to get sick and not do well. A refractometer would be best, since the plastic hydrometer are useless, it could be your salinity is either very high or low.

 

[snakeblitz33]

What is your water source? Do you use RO/DI water? It sounds like you are using tap - and not properly dechlorinating it. That can cause many problems that you are describing.

 

[mikefights13]

The ammonia has been fine throughout all of the tests, I didn't ghost feed, could that be my promblem? Not enough bacteria yet? I do have brown algae growing on the glass and the guy I got the rock from had a reef, there's still some small coral growing, a few very small mushrooms, I thought since they didn't die, the tank was ok, I will throw my hydrometer away and pick up one of those today, any brand you recommend? Where do I go from here? If the salinity is ok, should I ghost feed and cycle it until I'm getting some kinda numbers somewhere?

 

[mikefights13]

I used r/o water mixed with the 5gallon plastic containers of sea water when I first set it up but have used tap when I did a water change, how do I dechlorinate the water before hand? Or should I just use r/o water constantly? What do I do about the water in the tank now to dechlorinate it?

 

[snakeblitz33]

That's probably your problem... not ghost feeding, feeding too much and then using tap water that wasn't dechlorinated.
Use a dechlorinator like "prime". Follow the directions on the bottle and go ahead and put some in the tank. Stop using tap water for anything that has to do with a saltwater aquarium. Only use RO/DI water. It's best if you purchase your own unit. I bought one from AirWaterIce for about $200, and I not only use it for my fish tank, but also for my home needs (coffee, washing, drinking water) Saves me a lot of money in the long run.
Anyways, use some of that dechlorinator first, and then mix up some new salt water for a water change. Do about a water change a week with RO + salt mixed up to a salinity of 1.024. These water changes will help get rid of some of the problems you are having with your water chemistry. Then, if you haven't already, use an appropriate amount of GAC (Granular activated carbon) in your filtration system to help alleviate any toxins, chemicals, or anything present in the water that needs to be removed. I highly recommend this step.
I also suggest that you start reading and researching saltwater aquariums. You have done a great job so far of coming to these boards for help and seeking the advice of others - now it's also time to start reading a couple of good books on the subject.
Pictures of the tank also help us spot problems that you may otherwise not notice.
If you are using a liquid master test kit by API, those are known to give very inaccurate results - so, once you dechlorinate your water and do those water changes, I suggest investing in a decent quality test kit, like those made by Red Sea or Seachem.
There's no need to get out of the hobby - you just need to take the time to take some steps to educate yourself on what is good to do and what isn't going to work.
Welcome to the forums and I hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[mikefights13]

Alright I'll start from there, thanks again for the help, any suggestions on the books? I somewhat figured, it was a combination of me jumping the gun and being taken advantage of by a store owner, I've followed his directions and all it's landed me was flushing money down the Toliet. I've been very frustrated, I've had freshwater rays for years, switched over to salt and can't keep hardy fish alive for more then a few days, I'll post pictures of my setup when I get home, thanks again for the advice and the welcome

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFights13 http:///t/393152/in-dire-need-of-an-expert#post_3495373
Alright I'll start from there, thanks again for the help, any suggestions on the books? I somewhat figured, it was a combination of me jumping the gun and being taken advantage of by a store owner, I've followed his directions and all it's landed me was flushing money down the Toliet. I've been very frustrated, I've had freshwater rays for years, switched over to salt and can't keep hardy fish alive for more then a few days, I'll post pictures of my setup when I get home, thanks again for the advice and the welcome
The conscientious marine aquarist by Bob Fenner is a good start for most beginners. Even though it is old, it still contains a lot of useable information in simple terms.
You can also check out this thread... https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/388776/guides-for-new-hobbyists for additional information on how to start and maintain a saltwater aquarium. Most people actually come to these boards for help - not for showing off. So, you found yourself in the right place. You will get a lot of information from a lot of different people - take everything with a grain of salt... No one knows everything in this hobby - even me.

 

[mikefights13]

 

[mikefights13]

Hey Snake heres pictures from my tank, After reading your guildlines (which were super helpful) and starting in on a few books, I have a better understanding on what I was doing wrong. I'm still a little confused though, I'm pretty sure my tank hasn't cycled completely, but as you can see I have the green hair algae and some small amounts of the brown left. I have stopped gotten a Refractormeter and Prime, I did a water change using r/o water and mixing in some prime, should I leave the my lighting off to kill off the hair algae? When will I know when my cycling has finished? Thanks again for all the help!