My Progress - Please Comment

[9supratt4]

So I wanted to post on my progress with my first ever SW tank and get some feedback from everyone.
After having FW tanks for years I decided I wanted to try my hand at SW. I searched around and I found and purchased a used 55 Gallon tank on June 24, 2007. The tank had nothing in it, but an 18" Snowflake Eel and about 50-60 pounds of LR. It also came with crushed coral substrate, basic flourescent lights and 2 filters that were in complete disrepair! The entire tank what a complete mess. Here are some pictures for you:

 

[9supratt4]

So after I got it home I went to the LFS and picked up a new Hang On Back Power Filter, a penguin 1200 (I think) powerhead, new heater, and a SeaClone 100 Skimmer. I scrubbed the glass, vaccumed the crushed coral, and found some crazy stuff in the CC. A few things I found are: a rusty bolt, electrical wire casing, a washer, and some other crazy stuff!

After I installed the new equipment and it was cleaned out I filled it back up and it looked a million times better.

Shortly after this I purchased two oscellaris clowns and a purple psuedo. They have done great! About a month later I purchased a B&W Heniochus and that was dead in about 48 hours. A month after that, sometime in August, I purchased 2 Bangaii Cardinals and they both died within 72 hours. Why they all died I have no idea. All my water parameters were great. I think they were just bad fish.
I recently switched out the CC bottom for Live Sand. I added the CaribSea Live Sand and the tank already looks alot better!! I also just added a Sailfin Tang 4 days ago (I know, I know, the tank is too small for him, but he is happy right now and when he gets larger he will be moved).

My tank is now running great and looks great!!

After some die off in the transport of the LR it is now looking alot better and starting to grow some coraline algae.
I am looking to add a sump and refugium, Current-USA Sunpod 2x250W light, and a bigger skimmer (not sure which one yet

). Please give me feedback on what you think.

And any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Remember this is my first attempt ever for a SW tank!

 

[waterlogged]

Just curious what you meant when you said already looks better after switching cc to live sand.

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by Waterlogged
Just curious what you meant when you said already looks better after switching cc to live sand.

I don't know

I think it looks cleaner and brighter. And less garbage gets stuck in it.

 

[teresaq]

a black or blue background would look good. cover up that equipment. For a 55, the aqua remora pro works really well.
Looks good so far.
Teresa

 

[mie]

It looks better because cc looks bad. just my opinion, Not to mention cc is a breeding ground for nitrates, And i second the suggestion on getting a background but i would recomend BLACK, blue looks to cartoony like *****, Also why would you buy a fish that you know is to small for your tank just to return it later this is just retarded, It puts undue stress on the fish and research, research, research before buying anything. btw good luck

 

[987654321]

What happened to the eel. He was beautiful.

 

[sfoister]

Maybe it's just my own desires coming through and not so much a suggestion but I would have kept the eel and added a dwarf lion to the tank and made it a semi aggro tank.
It looks like you're on the right track. I would evaluate why your fish kept dying though. Because "bad fish" isn't really a good answer. How do you acclimate? When you say your params are good, what are they? Temperature and fluctuations? Are you matching the temp of your water change water with that in your tank?
Those are a few things that can cause a fish to die suddenly. There are signs beforehand that you will pick up and notice as you gain experience.

 

[hammerhed7]

coming from freshwater myself, I think some of the most important differences are acclimation, and water changes, with fresh water you can be less careful with these with no real problems, not so in salt tanks

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by TeresaQ
a black or blue background would look good. cover up that equipment. For a 55, the aqua remora pro works really well.
Looks good so far.
Teresa
I have been thinking about adding a completely black background and I will probably do that this weekend. And thanks for the suggestion on the skimmer!!

Originally Posted by mie
Also why would you buy a fish that you know is to small for your tank just to return it later this is just retarded, It puts undue stress on the fish and research, research, research before buying anything. btw good luck
Well as you can see I bought the fish really small and I have done plenty of research. I am hoping to have a 300-500 gallon tank soon so I would transfer it to there. But if not I will find it a good home.
Originally Posted by 987654321
What happened to the eel. He was beautiful.
I tried to find it a new home and I even posted it here on SWF.com, but no one wanted it. So I traded it at a LFS for the purple psuedo.
Originally Posted by sfoister
It looks like you're on the right track. I would evaluate why your fish kept dying though. Because "bad fish" isn't really a good answer. How do you acclimate? When you say your params are good, what are they? Temperature and fluctuations? Are you matching the temp of your water change water with that in your tank?
Those are a few things that can cause a fish to die suddenly. There are signs beforehand that you will pick up and notice as you gain experience.
The way I acclimate is by floating the bag for 30-45 minutes and making sure the water in the tank is the same as the water in the tank. I then drip acclimate for 90-120 minutes. My water parameters right before I added the tang were as follows:
Nitrite - <0.3
Ammonia - 0
PH - 8.1
KH - 13
Nitrate - 20
Phosphate - 1
Calcium - 15
I think that is really good water!! Temperature is always at 79 with no fluctuations ever. So I really don't know why I lost those fish.....been trying to figure it out for months!!

Thanks for all the feedback!!!

 

[spanko]

you talked about finding different strange things in the substrate originally. A pc. of wire insulation was one of them. Did it have any wire left in it?

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by spanko
you talked about finding different strange things in the substrate originally. A pc. of wire insulation was one of them. Did it have any wire left in it?
Nope....just the plastic covering from the wire. Found a couple of pieces!! It was like someone was stripping wire for electrical work and throwing the strppingings into the tank!!

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by 9supratt4
I have been thinking about adding a completely black background and I will probably do that this weekend. And thanks for the suggestion on the skimmer!!

Well as you can see I bought the fish really small and I have done plenty of research. I am hoping to have a 300-500 gallon tank soon so I would transfer it to there. But if not I will find it a good home.
I tried to find it a new home and I even posted it here on SWF.com, but no one wanted it. So I traded it at a LFS for the purple psuedo.
The way I acclimate is by floating the bag for 30-45 minutes and making sure the water in the tank is the same as the water in the tank. I then drip acclimate for 90-120 minutes. My water parameters right before I added the tang were as follows:
Nitrite - <0.3
Ammonia - 0
PH - 8.1
KH - 13
Nitrate - 20
Phosphate - 1
Calcium - 15
I think that is really good water!! Temperature is always at 79 with no fluctuations ever. So I really don't know why I lost those fish.....been trying to figure it out for months!!

Thanks for all the feedback!!!

Your water is acceptable. I wouldn't bother to sit the bag in the water for temp acclimation. What you're basically doing is acclimating them to the temp of your tank, then as you drip for 90-120 minutes (which is a very long time in my opinion) the water gets a LOT cooler and could cause thermal shock. I'm a firm believer in my acclimation methods. I could be shot by some people on here, but I have had NO problems since I started this method.
Simply put, I only temp acclimate (bag in the tank) for 30-40 minutes then I release. This goes for corals and fish. Now, there are exceptions to the rule. Some corals are very sensitive and require a drip aclimation, some fish are the same way. I was killing stuff when I first started, then I stopped dripping everything and TADA no more death. However I cannot repeat this enough, some things require a slow drip (blue linkia comes to mind) but be sure that during this time your water does NOT drop below that of the water in your tank. Get a small heater to use during acclimation. Maybe the same heater you use to heat your water before water changes.

 

[sfoister]

Something else I wanted to mention, I know you're not keeping corals but if your calcium really is at 15 you won't be getting any coralline algae growth, which is what covers the rocks with purple, orange, pink, green.. it can really add a lot to the tank. So even though it's not necessary for a fish only tank, think about maintaining a calcium of around 380-450 so you can get some colors on your rocks.

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by sfoister
Your water is acceptable. I wouldn't bother to sit the bag in the water for temp acclimation. What you're basically doing is acclimating them to the temp of your tank, then as you drip for 90-120 minutes (which is a very long time in my opinion) the water gets a LOT cooler and could cause thermal shock. I'm a firm believer in my acclimation methods. I could be shot by some people on here, but I have had NO problems since I started this method.
However I cannot repeat this enough, some things require a slow drip (blue linkia comes to mind) but be sure that during this time your water does NOT drop below that of the water in your tank. Get a small heater to use during acclimation. Maybe the same heater you use to heat your water before water changes.

Something else I wanted to mention, I know you're not keeping corals but if your calcium really is at 15 you won't be getting any coralline algae growth, which is what covers the rocks with purple, orange, pink, green.. it can really add a lot to the tank. So even though it's not necessary for a fish only tank, think about maintaining a calcium of around 380-450 so you can get some colors on your rocks.
I do actually use a heater in the bucket that I am using to drip acclimate so that I do not have that problem. But thanks for the warning!!

Regarding the calcium levels.....I have been trying to raise the calcium levels to 380-450. I have been using PurpleUp, but for some reason, I can add the PurpleUp once a day and the calcium never reaches over 15. I can'[t figure out why!!

I even tested the calcium levels before adding and it tested 13 and then 2-3 hours after adding it only registered 15. After 3-4 days of adding it has never gone above 15. Any suggestions on why would be appreciated!! It wouldn't have anything to do with my phosphate level would it? Oh yeah, there is some coraline growing on one of the rocks, just not very much nor very fast.

 

[sfoister]

Is that 15ppm? Or 15 drops on whatever test you're using? I don't want to insult your intelligence but my best friend made that same mistake when he started his tank and he ended up with a calcium level of 600+ because it was only at "20".
I don't have any experience with purpleup but from what I do understand it is not a caclium supplement? Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I thought it only seeded coralline growth, but a proper calcium level was required?
For a beginning hobbyist I recommend using a product by Tropic Marin called Bio-Calcium that has not only calcium but other trace elements also. Something a little cheaper, but is strictly a concentrated calcium supplement is a product by SeaChem simply called "Calcium supplement" or something along those lines. I use both of them weekly.

 

[petjunkie]

I would skip the purple up and start adding straight calcium, purple up is full of thing you should be testing for such as iodine, this can be deadly in high levels and purple up also usually throws your alk way out of whack. Other than that, you look to be on the right track, the tang not only will outgrown the tank but also needs live rock with some algea to graze on, usually it's recommended to let your tank mature for six months to a year to make the tank stable and capable of supporting grazing fish. Also do you have a qt tank? Tangs are usually carriers of ich but any fish/rock coming into the tank can bring it in and cause disease in your tank.

 

[9supratt4]

I'm using the API test kit and that is 15 drops which is equal to 300ppm. And regarding PurpleUp, here is an write-up about it from another site:
CaribSea Purple Up
Directions: Shake well before use. Add 1 capful (5 ml) per 50 gallons no more than once daily. Place in the sump, near a powerhead outlet, or any high flow area of the system for rapid dispersal. Purple Up will cause some temporary cloudiness. Check calcium levels regularly. Adjust dosage of Purple Up to maintain calcium levels between 380 ppm and 420 ppm (380 mg/L to 420 mg/L). Do not exceed 420 ppm on a regular basis or significant precipitation will occur. (IMPORTANT! Wait at least 1 hour after using Purple Up to test calcium levels or erroneously high calcium levels may be indicated).
Factors for Best Coralline Algae Growth:
Purple Up does not contain coralline algae. Some coralline algae must already be living on rocks or aquarium glass.
High dissolved phosphate levels inhibit the growth of coralline algae (and corals) and favors the growth of nuisance algaes. Check phosphate levels and use Phos-Buster or other products to lower phosphate levels if necessary.
Carbonate hardness levels should be maintained at natural seawater levels or higher.
High nitrogenous waste levels encourage nuisance algae growth, keep nitrogenous waste levels in check.
Keep pH in the range of normal seawater (8.2).
Light spectrum in the range of 5500°K or higher favors the growth of coralline algae.
Grazing animals such as snails, tangs, and reef friendly hermit crabs encourage coralline algae by consuming competing fast growing nuisance algaes.
Coralline algaes have a life cycle that determines the speed of formation of new colonies. Different species of coralline algaes may grow at different rates. It is not unusual to take several months for pink and purple coralline algaes to reach rapid growth rates.

 

[sfoister]

Originally Posted by 9supratt4
I'm using the API test kit and that is 15 drops which is equal to 300ppm. And regarding PurpleUp, here is an write-up about it from another site:
CaribSea Purple Up
Directions: Shake well before use. Add 1 capful (5 ml) per 50 gallons no more than once daily. Place in the sump, near a powerhead outlet, or any high flow area of the system for rapid dispersal. Purple Up will cause some temporary cloudiness. Check calcium levels regularly. Adjust dosage of Purple Up to maintain calcium levels between 380 ppm and 420 ppm (380 mg/L to 420 mg/L). Do not exceed 420 ppm on a regular basis or significant precipitation will occur. (IMPORTANT! Wait at least 1 hour after using Purple Up to test calcium levels or erroneously high calcium levels may be indicated).
Factors for Best Coralline Algae Growth:
Purple Up does not contain coralline algae. Some coralline algae must already be living on rocks or aquarium glass.
High dissolved phosphate levels inhibit the growth of coralline algae (and corals) and favors the growth of nuisance algaes. Check phosphate levels and use Phos-Buster or other products to lower phosphate levels if necessary.
Carbonate hardness levels should be maintained at natural seawater levels or higher.
High nitrogenous waste levels encourage nuisance algae growth, keep nitrogenous waste levels in check.
Keep pH in the range of normal seawater (8.2).
Light spectrum in the range of 5500°K or higher favors the growth of coralline algae.
Grazing animals such as snails, tangs, and reef friendly hermit crabs encourage coralline algae by consuming competing fast growing nuisance algaes.
Coralline algaes have a life cycle that determines the speed of formation of new colonies. Different species of coralline algaes may grow at different rates. It is not unusual to take several months for pink and purple coralline algaes to reach rapid growth rates.
Use it until it runs out, if you have no luck between now and then check out the products I named. I have never used PurpleUp.

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
I would skip the purple up and start adding straight calcium, purple up is full of thing you should be testing for such as iodine, this can be deadly in high levels and purple up also usually throws your alk way out of whack. Other than that, you look to be on the right track, the tang not only will outgrown the tank but also needs live rock with some algea to graze on, usually it's recommended to let your tank mature for six months to a year to make the tank stable and capable of supporting grazing fish. Also do you have a qt tank? Tangs are usually carriers of ich but any fish/rock coming into the tank can bring it in and cause disease in your tank.
Thanks for the suggestions!! Before I purchased the tank it was up and running for about 2 years. The LR does have algea growth and I have seen the tang eating off the rock. I also supplement it with algae sheets.
I do not currently have a QT and I know I should. I just haven't had the chance to set it up.