Is everything going wrong?!?!?!

[sly]

You need a powehead (about $30) and a light. I just use a regular grow light from lowes... either fluorescent or incandescent. Also get some carbon and a filter sock. That will be about $10-20.
I got a 10 gallon from a local store for about $10. It was just a 10 gallon tank, nothing else. I had to buy everything else seperately. Chances are you can find one for almost nothing at a yard sale. It seems like everybody has a 10 gallon tank with pumps and a light to give away.

 

[autofreak44]

Originally Posted by Sly
You need a powehead (about $30) and a light. I just use a regular grow light from lowes... either fluorescent or incandescent. Also get some carbon and a filter sock. That will be about $10-20.
I got a 10 gallon from a local store for about $10. It was just a 10 gallon tank, nothing else. I had to buy everything else seperately. Chances are you can find one for almost nothing at a yard sale. It seems like everybody has a 10 gallon tank with pumps and a light to give away.
alright i will definately save a few bucks and get that (i dont have a job im only 14)lol anyway thanks for the advice. if i cant find a cheap one ill just build one or something. also in the qt can i just put the carbon and filter sock around the intake of the powerhead so the powerhead turns into a filter? if not, please tell me what the best way to filter the qt would be. also if anyone has picturess of a simple qt, they would greatly help me plan my own.
also can everyone give me their opinion on water: should i buy it premixed from the lfs or should i make my own, and if i make my own, whats the best way to do it.

also for those of you who were wondering, i changed my choice of lfs from the guy who told me to get the tang for the nano, to a guy whos going to help me get back on my feet "by the book"..... so thanks for all the advice, and keep it comming

 

[sly]

If you buy water from the LFS, it will be cheaper today but in the long run it will cost more than if you make your own.
You need a good water filter to make your own. If you can't afford a reverse osmosis unit right now (about $150-$200) then you could buy "The Tap Water Filter" from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Most fish stores sell them. If you can't find one then look online.
Here's how I make my water. I have a clean 30 gallon trashcan that I mix it in. I fill up the trashcan with filtered reverse osmosis/deionised water (RO/DI). I drop in an air stone attached to an air pump and a powerhead. to mix the water. I also drop in a heater that I keep as a spare. I have the heater set to warm the water up to the same temperature as my tank's water. I slowly mix in salt after the water has aerated by the air pump for several hours. I mix it in until it is the same level as my tank (1.025). I let it mix overnight with the pump running to keep the water stirred and the air stone to keep the water aerated. I check it one more time in the morning to see if the temp and the SG are both the same as in my tank and then I do a water change.
I siphon the water out of the tank into a second trashcan until the level in the second trash can is the same as the level in the clean trashcan with the fresh water in it. Then I hook up the siphon hose to the powerhead in the clean trashcan and pump the clean water back into the tank.
Water is essentially free... salt is about $40/bucket. Powerhead is about $30 (maxijet 1200), air pump was free since I got it at a yard sale but they don't cost much (around $10 or so). You need a refractometer to measure the salt and you need a thermometer. A heater costs about $10 also. I got it free with the 10 gallon tank.
Whatever you do, don't skimp on saltwater fish keeping. If you try too hard to save money and buy cheap stuff that breaks, you will have to buy it all over again and end up costing more than if you had waited to buy good stuff the first time.
I don't have any pictures of my 10 gallon tank... but all it has in it is some aquarium gravel, a 10 pound piece of live rock, a maxijet 1200 powerhead and a piece of chaetomorpha algae. I cut a plexiglass sheet for the lid and I put a cheap grow light over it. It also sets next to a window so it gets some natural light for the chaetomorpha to grow. And I also have a small heater in there.
IMO, you should wait until you get your tank established before you add any more fish. You could add some live rock NOW and skip on the quarantine tank for awhile. Just add some live rock to your tank and get your filter system established and then worry about a quarantine tank later.
Do you have a test kit? You need to keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrates. Do water changes as needed to keep the levels down. Practice good maintenance techniques by cleaning your tank, doing water changes as needed and using good water. Get a clean up crew ASAP if you don't have one. You NEED snails to keep the algae under control.
Do NOT get any more fish until you give your tank time to mature and stabilize. There are several things you could add to your tank later on to help including a skimmer (if you don't already have one), ozone and ultra violet light. But add some more live rock and a cleanup crew first.
Usually you put carbon in a high flow area of the tank. Placing it under a powerhead would be ok. Placing it in the sump would be better (if you have one).

 

[autofreak44]

correct me if im wrong: i want to get about 5lbs more live rock, maxijet 1200, carbon, and a snail or 2 for my tank, and wait for the qt until my tank matures. also i need to get an amonia test kit.... is that right

 

[autofreak44]

another question: is it normal that almost all the algae in my tank is brown? the tank walls and the live rock have only brown algae, hardly anything else. if this is a problem how do i fix it

 

[maxsmart]

Originally Posted by autofreak44
another question: is it normal that almost all the algae in my tank is brown? the tank walls and the live rock have only brown algae, hardly anything else. if this is a problem how do i fix it
Those are probably diatoms. It is normal for a young tank to go through a diatom phase. It lasts several weeks. It is a good sign. Inverts help clean that up.

 

[autofreak44]

Originally Posted by MaxSmart
Those are probably diatoms. It is normal for a young tank to go through a diatom phase. It lasts several weeks. It is a good sign. Inverts help clean that up.
when can i expect to see good algae in my tank?

 

[maxsmart]

Originally Posted by autofreak44
when can i expect to see good algae in my tank?
Diatoms are a type of algae, and they are good. Green algaes should start in a couple weeks, right after the diatom bloom clears up. Look for little buds of macro algaes forming on the live rocks, and tiny hair algae shoots starting to grow in the sand. If you see bubble algae forming (hard green rubber balls) remove them before they take off - they are a pain in the butt. (If you break them, they release spores and you get more of them - but if you get them out in one piece, they bounce!) Start planning for how you want to handle the green algae, when you start seeing it you might want to get some blue-leg hermits or something to nibble at it so it doesn't grow to plague proportions.

 

[campbellson22]

Auto,
First thing is don't get discouraged. This Hobby takes time and money. As far as only being 14 find things that you can do to earn money. Ask parents if there is anything chores to earn money. I read a book called THE NEW MARINE AQUARIUM by Michael Paletta. I agree that the other book mentioned early is a great book it is more expensive and very large. Paletta is smaller and if ordered off SWF.Com only cost around $20 after shipping, also might try local book store. The beautiful fish is what attracts everyone to this hobby but education is priceless. Much better to spend $20 or even $50 on a book then buy and lose several fish that will quickly out cost the book. Again keep high hopes this is a very rewarding hobby and we all still have a lot of learning to do!!
Good Luck

 

[mikeyfishy]

Please post ammonia levels as well, so we can see where you are in your cycle. The fact that your nitrites are not zero indicates an incomplete cycle or a too-heavy bioload. Also, it is unlikely that your hermit "jumped" the damsel. The damsel probably died and the hermit was just doing its clean up duty. I have a dozen or so hermits in my tank and I've never seen one "catch" a fish... the fish have to be dead (or almost dead). I guess it's possible for a hermit to catch an inactive fish at night, but not very likely.
Mike