need help!!

[chris0799]

i am soooo aggrivated. ive got my tank last christmas and cycled it. but ever since about 2 months ago i cant keep anything alive. im having trouble keeping the water right i guess. i need help plzz.

 

[jackri]

Whats the setup, tank size, filtration etc?
What are you trying to keep?
What are your water parameters?
What do you feed your fish?
What kind of water do you use?
LOTS and LOTS of potential issues here

 

[chris0799]

i have a 29g biocube.
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-0
amonnia-0
ph-about 8.0
im using tap water from the sink.
im feeding flakes and mysis shrimp
i just dont kno what to do??????

 

[chris0799]

im trying to keep corals (lps and sps) and small reef fish.

 

[jackri]

You have a really young tank for keeping corals and tap water..... umm .... will not work for keeping corals at all
Check out this thread
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/351021/this-is-why-you-need-ro-di-for-your-reef
Phosphates/heavy metals could easily be killing everything in your tank even if you are treating the water.

 

[chris0799]

no. i dont have any corals yet. im saying thats what im wanting to keep. i have had snails, crabs, and a baby blue tang(about 1 1/2in.) die. and i have like red covering all my rocks. idk if thats normal but.....

 

[jackri]

The outbreak is from poor water quality -- probably phosphates from your tap water. The blue tang is going to outgrow that tank in a hurry as well -- and if certain other people see that in the thread the finger wagging will start (just a warning as the tank is really too small for one for any long term success).
Tap water is a great way to grow bad algae unfortunately

 

[chris0799]

so what should i do? im only 15 so i cant offord that RO/DI filter. should i just buy my own water? will that make maintaining water quality easy. does the water come how its suppose to be.
im about to post some pic of my tank.

 

[jackri]

Unfortunately in saltwater the more you spend in set up costs means less in maint. costs down the road usually.
The plus side, your young, learning and doing... not enough young people are these days IMO
Look forward to the pics --- the algae bloom can be pretty normal in a new tank set up (which can go away) but still a water quality issue

 

[fishrule]

Do you have a Walmart in your town? If so, you can get 5 gallon refillable jugs and fill them up at a ro/di machine. Most Walmart's should have the filling stations. It usually only costs $2.90/5 gallons, which should last you a while for water changes in your 29g biocube. You should also use this water for topoffs.

 

[chris0799]

 

[chris0799]

would it be better to buy sea water from my lfs tho bc it about the same price

 

[coastie81]

the red stuff is cyno-bacteria. It can either be from over feeding, bad water quality or lack of flow. You also look like you are starting to get hair algae whick is from using tap water.

 

[chris0799]

is the red stuff bad tho?

 

[coastie81]

yeah. I would try to get rid of it naturally, by water changes with RO/DI water increase flow and cut back on feeding. It can get worse and it will be all over everything in a short amount of time. Some people use what is called red slime remover. But I am against adding anything to my tank that I cannot test for, plus I have alot of corals so I don't add anything. I had a cyno problem and I cut back on feeding and increased my flow and it all cleared up in about a week. Just my .02

 

[john57]

I would start off with getting another powerhead. I use a koralia 1 but any good head will work. 200 to 300 flow will do. And I think you could get by for awhile with just the mysis shrimp if they are frozen. Thaw the amount you want to use in a little tank water and then strain through a fine mesh net. There is alot of material in the frozen that will foul the tank so this removes it. I've never used dry flakes but others on here say that those can goof up your tank chemistry also.
After all my rambling, I would strongly suggest the topics listed at the top in the new hobbyists section. They pretty well cover it all.