in need of help

[tastengo]

Hi, im tony.
i recently recieved a 12g nano-tank from my uncle as a gift. with it he brought live sand, rock, saltwater, heater, 4 pieces of coral, 5 snails, 4 crabs, a horseshoe crab, and a purple nudibranch.
the same day he set it up in my bedroom, told me it will be completely self-sufficent and left that night, my uncle is really wierd and travels all over america for no apparent reason so its hard to stay connected with him but he pops in-n-out of my life like this.
i tried going to 2 tropical fish stores near my house but at each of them the guy that worked there barely spoke english so i figured advice here would be easier.
so now i have a semi-stocked saltwater aquarium thats falling apart because i have no idea what im doing. recently the crabs ate one of my reef pieces(frogspawn, but there are still 2 polyps or whatever) the nudibranch comitted suicide with the filter, brown specs of algae cover the glass, and my yellow polyps are turning brown and look brittle (best description i have) also, my horseshoe crab is constantly swimming upside down at the top of the water. i also have a green closed brain coral, and a xenia (a or some.) it seems to be traveling across the tank verry slowly and it leaves a little pink spot where it was before, its moved 3 times so far.
please help me. any advice will be beneficial because i know nothing.
i know its alot of info but im completely clueless and in dire need of help. i plan on learning more over this site, iv seen some pics of your reefs and they look amazing, so im now much more interested in the hobby.
thanks for your time -Tony

 

[aquaguy24]

was the tank brand new or was it already set up before..if its brand new u have to take out all ur live stock and let the tank cycle.do u have a test kit..test the water to see were its at..and then post ur results..that would be a big help on the experts(not me)on here. the only thing u should have in ur tank while cycling is >live rock.live sand,saltwater.filter.heater.lights. but test the water and post here before u doing anything else..

 

[tastengo]

it was brand new.. came with the box. i don't have a test kit so ill go get one today ill post back with the results.

 

[tastengo]

just got back from the fish store with a test kit, they come in strips and the guy said to just dip it in the water and follow directions so heres what i got.
NITRATE (NO3) - 0-20
NITRITE (NO2) - .0-.5
ALKALINITY (KH) - 80-120
PH - 7.8

 

[alix]

the tank needs to cycle. the best thing for you to do would be to give everything that is still alive to your LFS except the live rock and sand. maybe you can keep the crabs (not the horseshoe because it will get HUGE) and snails. everything else will die. when your levels are stable (nitrate-(as low as possible), nitrite-0, ammonia-0, PH-8.2)
it will take awhile (few weeks- a couple months, i have no idea ive never cycled a SW tank, i just use materials from my DT, which i bought cycled from a friend.)
by the way i was wondering did the nudi (which would have starved anyways) nuke your tank? they release toxins when they die.

 

[biotank14]

it only takes about one week to cycle maybe two and in some cases it can take as long as a month

 

[perfectdark]

First let me say that you need to do alot of reading on your tank and understanding what the a cycle is and how it works to fully understand why you cant add all that stuff to your tank right away.
IMO you should get the LR and the sand and start up the tank. It def needs to cycle before you put all that other stuff in. If you attempt to put all of the inverts in there they very well may die. The inverts and fish cannot handle the spikes in ammonia your tank will give off during your cycle. Your coral will most def suffer as they require alot more than a stable tank although its a start. Salinity of your water is essential to everything including corals as well as PH, Alkalinity, nitrites, nitrates and Amonia, all which should be checked for on a regular basis that will tell you when your cycle is complete. Then routine checks and water changes to make sure your tank stays normal.
I am by far not an expert but, I agree with the above. Take everything alive back to your LFS, maybe they can hold it for you or at best give some credit towards something else you will need very soon. Read up on starting a new SW tank and start slow.
You can cycle your tank in 24 hours using a product called biospira, i did anyway and I added 1 fish inside of 24hrs in my tank. But it is essential for bacteria to be present in your tank to help with cycling and that is what the BioSpira is. Adding your first fish within the first 24 hrs is essential because the bacteria will feed on the fish waste. This is how i started to cycle my tank, there are other methods and ways to do it, but thats how i did it. Good luck

 

[tastengo]

Originally Posted by alix
by the way i was wondering did the nudi (which would have starved anyways) nuke your tank? they release toxins when they die.
if the toxins appear as a cloud or something then no.. was just all shriveled up at the filter. and i asked him (my uncle) about cycling the water (i shared a room with my brother and he had a 29g with some african cichlids and he cycled that) he said that it was pre-cycled.. like the store cycled it or something, so i believed him.. iv had the tank since mid-march

 

[promisetbg]

Purchase a refractometer to test specific gravity, it should be 1.025 and kept stable by water changes and topping off with fresh water daily. The water evaporates, but salt remains. Use only RO/DI {reverse osmosis de-ionized} water and a good marine salt mix. Water changes should be done weekly. Put the lights on timers, and you should have a thermometer...digitals are good. Keep it steady at 78-80* without fluctuation from day to night. Unfortunately the nudibranch & horseshoe crab should have never been put in a nano. The nudi was a sea goddess, and they die anyway, even in large systems so don't feel bad. Take the horseshoe crab to the LFS.. they get bigger than a dinner plate, and it will soon starve in your tank. Read as much as you can on the web and this forum about keeping a saltwater tank. Take your time, and choose any additional livestock carefully, researching them first. You may also want to read as much as you can about nanos in general, most of us modify them to a degree....at least the stock pump since it is inadequate. I also suggest removal of any sponges, and the ceramic rings if you are using them. Use a turkey baster before water changes to blast the rocks of detritus and leftover food. FEED SPARINGLY. For a water change, I fill a 5 gal bucket 1/2 way with RO/DI water, place a Maxi-Jet powerhead in it and airate the saltwater for at least a day beforehand. If the tank has been up since march it is cycled.

 

[tastengo]

heres my aquarium

 

[promisetbg]

It looks nice..very clean. You may consider getting the rock off the glass though. It causes undue stress on the glass, and makes cleaning it and proper flow around it an issue. Have you tested all the levels for alk, Ca, PH..? The open brain & hammer needs to be fed periodically.

 

[tastengo]

well can i move the rocks around with the coral and inverts still in? also, i have 5 mexican turbo snails, i read to use 1 every 10g of water. so do i have too many? and maybe the pic is bad but im pretty sure its frogspawn at the left (but im no expert) so i still need to feed it like the brain? i jsut tested the water, everything is good but the alkalinity.

 

[promisetbg]

Yes, tighten up the formation a little, just make sure you don't crush anyone. Torch & frog. are both euphyllia..both LPS..both need food on occasion. The snails don't look like mexis to me, can you get a closer side shot of one? If they are mexican turbos then yes..5 is too many, 1 is too many in a nano to me. In my 12 I have 3 nerites{they stay small}, 1 trochus grazer, 3-4 mexican redleg hermits, 1 nassarius snail. Each does different jobs, but then I have fish. My concern with mexican turbos in that clean tank is they will starve . There is no formula of how many snails should be per gal., that is old school. Each tank has different requirements, so clean up crews should be added accordingly. A water change may help remedy the alk, where was it at, and where was the Ca? Just so you know, that green stalk at the center top is halimeda, and unless you are particulary fond of it, I would suggest removing it. It is a macro algae that takes up alot of calcium. The other is racemosa{looks like} it is a type of caulerpa and can take over the tank. Another thing you may want to consider is changing out the stock pump. Most of us with NC's do, I changed mine out to a maxi-jet 900. The stock pump is'nt adequate for flow in these tanks. It looks like you do have the input going into the tank turned upward causing surface movement in the tank which is what you want.

 

[promisetbg]

Just an FYI, the test strip type tests are not accurate. For values like NO3, PH,and PO4..the fastest type kits from Instant Ocean are good. But for values like CA & Alk I would recommend Salifert. Avoid kits that are all inclusive or known as master test kits.

 

[tastengo]

i moved the LR around. made alot more overhang which i hear is good i guess.. ur right they're regular turbo snails or astrea i thought mexican turbo n turbo was the same thing.. they look alike to me ripped out that giant root if thats what u were talking about.. should i do the same bout the cactus one? cant afford a pump atm but ill keep it in mind, same with test kits. frogspawn n brain coral eat meaty stuff? kuz i use liquid food kent marine invert/finefilter food every 3 days. ill get a pic soon