New set-up: need all advice

renayallen

renayallen

Member
I'm very new to this and need all advice. I have a 55 gal tank. My LPS is just as confused as me. I have spent tons of money for no enjoyment to me. I bought the tank from the store letting them know that i wanted a SW tank. I bought a protein skimmer, 20 lbs of crushed coral for the bed, 20 lbs of salt mix, hydrometer, and the dip sticks to read the ph. I went through the 4 wk cycle period as suggested by the LPS. I even waited an extra wk before buying some livestock. Well i have spent around 300 dollars on fish that keeps on dying. I keep beating myself up wondering what am I doing wrong
Could someone give me list of everything I would need to have a beautiful tank that would be up more than a month or so.... :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: PLEASE
THANKS
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
Welcome to the board and the hobby... first off did your tank actually cycle? Did you test for amonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes as well as pH (since this was the only test you mentioned)? Do you have any live rock or any other means of natural filtration? alot of people will say "why the crushed coral, you should have went with sand?"...you will be fine with CC, just takes more work...what live stock have you put into the tank?
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
Need to know a few things:
We need readings for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, alk and Ca, Salinity, water temp.
Those dip tests are horribly inaccurate, if your LFS doesn't have good test kids look at buying them online, I HIGHLY recommend Salifert test kits, or Fast Test/Sea Test kits also work well.
 
hot883

hot883

Active Member
Welcome and sorry for the frustration you must be feeling. As Birdy said we need to know alittle more about the water in your tank. Also can you tell us the fish you have been loosing, what do you have now etc. How did you aclimate them (introduce them) into the tank? I'm sure you will hear some answers that you will not like, but we can help. Barry
 
renayallen

renayallen

Member
using Quick Dip (5 test) it's made by Jungle Lab. I am reading for the following
According to Bottle
Nitrate: 20 ppm Okay
Nitrite: 0 ppm Safe
Alkalinity: 300 ppm Ideal
ph level: 8.4 ppm Ideal
Water Temp: 78-80
I also have 10-15 lbs of LR in with this. During my great blunders i have bought around 10 damsels, 1 flaming scallop, 1 coral beauty, and 1 lionfish. There is one Damsel left after this trip of 1 month. I didn't have these at one time, this is over a coarse of 6 months.
I have alot of questions to ask. What is meant by powerheads,do i need one? How can i change from CC to LS without hurting the LR? ( If not already dead) I am so far in the dark, but I am ready for the criticism, as long as it will help me. I will be willing to start all over if needed to do so.
Thanks for the help so far all :joy: :joy: :joy: :joy:
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
A powerhead is a pump that is essential for a tank...powerheads circulate and keep the water moving so there isnt any "dead spots" in your tank... here is a link to one sold on this site...
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
as far as changing out the CC, you can move your LR into a bucket (as long as you have a powerhead for circulation and a heater) while you scoop out the CC...
 
renayallen

renayallen

Member
Ok i almost have the powerhead meaning, just need clarification. With the protein skimmer it has an inlet tube and an outlet to return the water. That is circulation but not enough right.
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
you dont need 3 powerheads, thats just what I use...you need at least 2 for good circulation of water, along with your skimmer...
how quickly did you add live stock into your tank after you purchased and set it up?
 
renayallen

renayallen

Member
I want to start a little reconstruction tomorrow. Adding the LS, powerheads that you would recommend, and maybe the required amount of LR.
 
puffer32

puffer32

Active Member
I suggest getting rid of the CC and getting the powerheads. Then test water with a good test kit. When all is 0 again, start adding fish slowly. Keep us posted!
 
pasafire

pasafire

Member
Originally Posted by renayallen
I have a 55 gal. what type of powerheads would you recommend and how many

You want at least 10x the water movement of your tank size... So in your case you want at least 550gph movement by powerheads I would go up to 1000gph I have about 1500gph movement in my 125g so I would say get you 2 powerheads one for each end with at least 250gph output each.... up to 500gph each and put one on each end of your tank.
 
renayallen

renayallen

Member
Originally Posted by puffer32
Maxi jet is a good powerhead.

Okay everyone i just returned home with a couple of things hoping this will help me with a little of your assistance.
Maxi-Jet 1200 295 gph
30 lbs of Carib Sea Aragonite Reef Sand. The person at the LFS said since i have CC already i could leave it in and just and the sand with no problems. He said that i could use the CC for the LR for a solid foundation for the LR.
Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit. Done with the dipping strips.
Now with these new additions I will need to remove some of the water approx 50%. Using the sand, layer it around the CC. I flirting with disaster i know. Because i will need to move CC around. Would i need to remove the LR from the tank as well.
I will not start on this until receive a reply
 
puffer32

puffer32

Active Member
Yikes, hate to say it, but the CC will still trap waste, which is why the sand works better. I suppose if you put enough sand on top of the CC it would help the detris stay above the CC, but if it were me, I would take out the CC altogether, :scared: do what you want, but thats mho
. Now, the test strips, I don't know for sure about the brand you got, but most strips are very inaccurate (wow I am giving you lots of great news huh? Sorry
) Test with a strip then take a sample to your LFS and see if they jive. You did good with the ph though, they are what I use. Do you have 2? One should be more aimed at the surface and your water should ripple at the top, the other should be lower in the tank, lengthwise. Good luck!
Oh yeah, don't listen to the LFS, they just want to seel you stuff, and are usually school kids who don't know enough to give good advice, come to these boards before you do anything.
 
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