newbi here

subvillian

subvillian

Member
I just got my first tank today. They guy at the store said all i need to do is add this bacteria mix to the tank and i can have living fish today.Well... 2 starfished died and looks like the snails are about to kick the bucket too. I guess i need alittle more info to get this thing off right but it was worth a shot today so any advice to how to get started will be helpful. lets see i got a 20 galon tank with black sand ( that i cleaned with tap water first). i got 2 live rocks one 2 pounds the other 7( not sure what kind just figi). I made 2 and a half cups of sea salt to 5 gallon bucket pored on sand and live rock. Once water was in treated it for clorine. got a heater set at 79 degrees. 2 new bulbs one is 50/50 and the other is 10,000k what ever that means. The filter is in place and appears to be working fine. If anyones got any ideas what my next steps should be do tell.. thx
 
thegrog

thegrog

Active Member
wow
For starters, welcome to the board!

Now the bad news. You got a lot of reading and learning to do. The sad thing is that many lfs (local fish store) employees dont know squat about tanks and there are many who are just in it to sell stuff, for better or worse. One example is a worker who sold a person 40 freshwater fish for a 10-gallon tank. After one day they all died, and then he sold her 80 (for the price of 40 saying it was partially her fault for not "treating" her water)!!!!! Needless to say none of them lasted the night. She finally got wise and found a different, more reputable store.
Anyway, you tank is up and running so I would leave it running for now. It has to cycle. There is no magic solution that you can add to make salt water tanks instantly ready for fish....let alone starfish (they are very sensitive to water parameter changes).
In the mean time, I would highly suggest purchasing a book entitled "The conscientious marine aquarist" by Bob Fenner. He is a great author and the book is very easy to read and contains LOTS of good info....from cycling to lighting to livestock selection. I know him (sort of) and he is also a really great guy!!
Good luck and sorry for not answering all your questions, but there is a little much to go over in a short posting.
 
subvillian

subvillian

Member
thx guys i just found out my neighboor knew alot about this stuff and he said he had a good book. I will check that out and see if it gives me any answers. i the mean time i'm gonna run out and get some tester kits. See if i can get this thing balance first. I probly just need some easy fish to take care of. Got get a clown fish for my sisters kids so they can screem out NEMO!! I was great with Fresh water as a kid but this new saltwater thing a bit tuffer but more rewarding. thx again.
 
subvillian

subvillian

Member
well i hate to tell you this but my 2 star fish started moving an hour ago. they remain still again.but i will post in the morning to tell you the progress. they seem to be ok for the moment. I am not sure why they have decided to move all of a sudden. i have had the light on all day so we will see. but shutting the room down now with no light so they might wind up again. let yall know in the morning later
 
subvillian

subvillian

Member
well here it is .the green spinny starfish is losing all its limbs at the moment. it had moved across the tank when i woke, and now this. the chocolate star fish has not moved but an inch and has been flexing its limbs slowly but constantly in up and under all day. i checked the nitite and nitate they are both at 0 but the ph is really hi. and that is all the news on my 24 hour tank now
 
kdfrosty

kdfrosty

Active Member
Sad to say, but I would leave the starfish in your tank to start the cycle. Most LFS will not take saltwater critters back...if they do, then try that. When, and if, the starfish die (it sounds like they're on their way) in your tank it will start your cycle. This will cause ammonia to spike, which will convert to nitrites, then to nitrates. This process often takes 6 weeks, but a good test kit will be your guide. Don't add ANY fish/critters until you see Nitrates spike and you do a water change afterwards
1)Invest in a GOOD test kit & refractometer
2)Test water every other day until Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates spike.
2)Start topping off the water level with reverse osmosis water...NOT TAP.
Over time your pH will stabilize with water changes using reverse osmosis water. Might take the full cycle though. Patience and research are the key to this hobby, believe me.
You mentioned other tests, but not ammonia? Do you have a test for this?
Please post water parameters here as tested...
pH?
Ammonia?
Nitrites?
Nitrates?
SG/Salinity?
 
flux

flux

Member
I don’t know if you were planning on a reef tank, but chocolate chip stars will cause damage to coral. I almost got tricked into one by a sales person at my LFS.
 
dreamreef

dreamreef

Member
I've heard about this miracle, instant, wam bam I got a saltwater tank now mix, and was skeptical, so I cycled my tank using the damsel fish, and now have an incredibly great looking tank. I've had mine up and running for a year and a half, and still learn something new everyday. It is very exciting , and like most will probably tell you, patience is key. I'm planning on converting from a fish only to a reef, and so far have invested about a month of research. I'm sure yours will turn out great. Good luck, and keep asking ??'s..... these guys are nuts about this hobby!!!!
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by SubVillian
well here it is .the green spinny starfish is losing all its limbs at the moment. it had moved across the tank when i woke, and now this. the chocolate star fish has not moved but an inch and has been flexing its limbs slowly but constantly in up and under all day. i checked the nitite and nitate they are both at 0 but the ph is really hi. and that is all the news on my 24 hour tank now

A horrible, horrible choice for a new tank. I would not spend another DIME at that LFS. Seastars are very delicate and going into freshly made seawater like that is very very harsh on them. They are suffering from osmotic shock...and may very well not survive it.
 
subvillian

subvillian

Member
got my test kit today and salt tester..By the way Salt was way off the charts.. ok lets see
pH was at 8.2
Ammonia between 0.25 and 0.50
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 15
and thats all i know so far.. i got 2 little blue fish one with yellow tail. new store owner told me they where good starter fish.. well will keep yall updated
 
thegrog

thegrog

Active Member
Originally Posted by SubVillian
got my test kit today and salt tester..By the way Salt was way off the charts.. ok lets see
pH was at 8.2
Ammonia between 0.25 and 0.50
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 15
and thats all i know so far.. i got 2 little blue fish one with yellow tail. new store owner told me they where good starter fish.. well will keep yall updated
OK, the fish you got are damsels and they are very hardy and great starter fish.
Right now, do water changes. 10% NOW and another 10% in 2 days. Use RO/DI water. Your tank is starting it's cycle and the ammonia and nitrite are near toxic levels. Your starfish most likely won't make it, but the damsels may.
Good luck and keep us updated.
 
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