New to saltwater, several questions.

i_luv_dory

Member
HiI'm new to the saltwater world. It was actually my mother's idea to start in saltwater. She has always wanted one. However, she is just as "in the dark" as I am. i have a pond and have never had any problems. I will admit that I was not ready for the complexity of saltwater but I really am trying my best. If you can help us, we would greatly appreciate it.
We have a 29 gallon tank that has been set up for a 2-3 months. We also came upon a 60 gallon Oceanic and it has been up and running for a little over one month. Both have live rock and live sand. My mom plans on having corals evuantually for both tanks. The 29 has a blue spotted watchman goby(Eddie) and a new tank raised percula clown (henry), plus one remaining snail. It used to have a cleaner shrimp(louie) but it molted and apparently became lunch for the Eddie. We got the clown to replace the cleaner shrimp.
Our skimmer, cora life super skimmer, was shooting a bunch of micro bubbles into the tank....pretty much where the clown likes to hang out. I noticed last nite that there were little bubbles sticking to the clown. Could it be microbubbles or does he have ick?
I will do my best to get a decent picture and post it tonite. We do not have a quarantine tank (yes, i knoooow), however we are going to go and get a tank w/ a kit and use it as our qt tank.
What are the options for treating ick?
Can I treat the 29 gallon tank with the live rock/sand it in? I suppose if needed, we could move the rock and sand to the 60 gallon, i think.
We use tap water, treated with Prime. I think Ro/di filter will be the next purchase. Now, until we get the filter, can you recommend (i need a specific name) for a water conditioner that also removes copper?
We had 5 snails, 4 of them have died. I was told that this could be due to copper in the tap water. Also, what test can we get that to test for copper?
I have looked at the local pet stores and havent seen one.
Also, each tank has a 3inch live sand bed. Is that enough?
different amounts were added at different times. It depended on how well ***** was stocked. Some was also bought on ----. We anyway, it seems that if I move a rock or anything, I get a sand storm.....is there another type of sand we could get to lay over the existing that wont fly around as easily?
Does just regular playground sand or sand from garden stores work?
Also, a few weeks ago, in the 29 gallon, I used a powder ph setter (8.2) which raised my alkalinity to 20. I did a few water changes and got it down to 11. Are water changes the way to go when wanting to lower alkalinity or is there a better way?

Sorry I have so many questions. I have tried reading about it all but it just goes over my head. I need something almost "elementary".

but hey, we were all beginners at one time, right?
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2671752
Hi
What are the options for treating ick?
hypo salinity, copper, or some of those other ridiculous products like rid ich. I reccomend HYPOsalinity in a QT (quarantine tank). IMO you should never treat a DT (display tank) with anything
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2671752
Now, until we get the filter, can you recommend (i need a specific name) for a water conditioner that also removes copper?
there is NO chemical that can remove heavy metals despite what any lable will say chemical reactions can bind, or chelate the metals but they cannot remove them. your best bet would be, amquell plus by kordon, or seachem prime. unfortunatly these products only chelate or bind heavy metals, they cannot remove them. (I know I just repeated myself but its important that you understand this, no matter what the label says), you can run "chemipure" on your tank to absorb heavy metals to reduce the risk untill you buy an Ro unit.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory

http:///forum/post/2671752
Also, each tank has a 3inch live sand bed. Is that enough?
3 inches is the depth that is actually hardest to maintain, the range of depth you want is 1 inch or less, OR, 5 inches or more, so its either a shallow sand bed or a deep sand bed, at 3 inches its not possible for the sand bed to be fully aerobic or have solidly established anoxic areas. at that depth as flow changes through out the tank through additions changes in placement movement of powerheads the flow in the sand bed will change moving anoxic sones from one area to another in the sand bed constantly causing the bacteria in your sand bed to die off and reestablish to the new condition, making it hard for your tank to stay stable.
pay the money for real aragonite sand cheap playsands have LOW quality control and may contain contaminants that could harm your tank.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory

http:///forum/post/2671752
Are water changes the way to go when wanting to lower alkalinity or is there a better way??
water changes are the best way to handle almost ANY water quality problems, when you get more advanced and understand the balances your tank needs to maintain, then you could consider dosing, For you as a begginner, avoid dosing ANYTHING, waterchanges with a high quality salt, performed properly will fix a lot of problems, and usually prevent more from occurring such as ODing like has happened to you already.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2671752
Sorry I have so many questions. I have tried reading about it all but it just goes over my head. I need something almost "elementary".

but hey, we were all beginners at one time, right?
thats right we all were begginners. keep asking questions.
 

i_luv_dory

Member
thank you so much for replying!
what is "chemipure"?
Also, what does a freshwater dip do? my mom asked someone at a petstore about the ick and they suggested a dip. just wondering.
 

invertcrazy

Member
Fastest or redsea has a test kit copper. If your shrimp and snails are dying you might have copper in your tap water. Almost all tap water has a trace of copper in it and invertebrates and copper is a no no.
As reefkprZ said it is not wise to treat your dt(display tank) so having 2 new tanks up and running it would be a good time to start a qt.
Read as much as you can,research, ask questions and enjoy the hobby.
Some of the answers are opinions but most are from experience so someone will be able to answer your questions. Welcome to the boards.
 

ajroc31

Member
Befoe you start stressing the fish out, make sure its not air bubbles. Ich will look as if it is attached to something beneath the skin. YOu should be able to tell, they look as if they are growing from underneath the skin. Bubbles should be clear, and ich will be nice and white, cant really mistake the two.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2672132
thank you so much for replying!
what is "chemipure"?
Also, what does a freshwater dip do? my mom asked someone at a petstore about the ick and they suggested a dip. just wondering.
chemipure is a name brand product that absorbs heavy metals.
Freshwater dips are hard on your fish and wont cure ich. forget what the person at the pet store said. ich, is a parasite that burrows under the slime coat of your fish, when you dip the fish all your doing is stressing the fish the parasite lays mostly protected by the slime coat unharmed. the reason I didnt mention a freshwater dip when offering optons for treating ich is it wont cure ich and it wont clear ich from your tank.
 

i_luv_dory

Member
Thanks for the info about the fresh water dip. I wasn't too sure about it and thought I should ask. I'm going to look for the chemipure.
If we get a tank w/a kit, will what comes in the kit be good enough for qt?
What can I go to get my quarantine tank to cycle quicker?
Do I add a couple cups of sand, some tank water and new saltwater to the tank?
How long should it take to cycle (average time)?
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2673603
Thanks for the info about the fresh water dip. I wasn't too sure about it and thought I should ask. I'm going to look for the chemipure.
Your welcome
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2673603
If we get a tank w/a kit, will what comes in the kit be good enough for qt?
It should suffice, but elimninate the air pump and air stone, add a powerhead pointing upwards or accross the top of the water for gas exchange.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory
http:///forum/post/2673603
What can I go to get my quarantine tank to cycle quicker?
Sleep more. just kidding, using an established media from a running tank helps (old filter pad from one of the tanks that have been running a while) or a piece of cured LIve rock remember if tyou treat with any chemicals with that piece of live rock DO NOT RETURN IT TO YOUR DT. very important.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory

http:///forum/post/2673603
Do I add a couple cups of sand, some tank water and new saltwater to the tank?
dont add old tank water its mostly pollution and not much else, use all new water and some established media as mentioned above, you could use some sand but again if you treat with it in the tank dont ever return it to a DT.
Originally Posted by i_luv_dory

http:///forum/post/2673603
How long should it take to cycle (average time)?
anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
 
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