Newbie 24 gallon all-in-one reefer.

elmpops

New Member
It depends on you a bit. Are you just using it for the tank or for drinking water too? I use mine for both, have the RO plumbed into my fridge ice maker, bypassing the DI portion unless I’m using it for the tank then I run it through the DI resin too. I bought mine from BRS. RO buddy is OK for small volumes but filters are pricy, it is available probably here at SWF..
Looking at all of the posts, I noticed that you mention about ammonia at 25 ppm. Of all of the chemicals most toxic is ammonia. To get rid of it along with nitrite and nitrate, look into buying Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It is bacteria and they advertise that adding, it will remove all NH3, NO3 and NO3 and fish can be added immediately.
You can buy on Amazon and also read all about the product
Hope you have success.
 

3xplorer19

Member
You will have issues with having more than one species of clown. General rule is no more than a pair of one species. Never two different species. I’d recomend the oscelaris the other two will eventually kill it.
I’ll try and see what I can do to swap out the 2 spotcinctus clown fishes and just get another ocellaris clownfish. 1 snail died so now I have 3 left.
 

3xplorer19

Member
Looking at all of the posts, I noticed that you mention about ammonia at 25 ppm. Of all of the chemicals most toxic is ammonia. To get rid of it along with nitrite and nitrate, look into buying Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It is bacteria and they advertise that adding, it will remove all NH3, NO3 and NO3 and fish can be added immediately.
You can buy on Amazon and also read all about the product
Hope you have success.
What's up Elmpops? Hope all is well. Actually I just did another water changed yesterday instead of waiting on the 3rd day I now swapped to the 2nd day and measured this morning and it helped lower my ammonia and nitrate. My nitrite has always been 0ppm for me. Again I am using API saltwater kit. I googled Instant Ocean Bio-Spira and I guess that's only good for new tanks that is starting to cycle, no? My tank is 7 weeks old now. Initially, how I started is, on the first week, I purchased live rock and live sand (live meaning it has bacteria in it) also purchase the reverse osmosis water and nutri seawater from the local petstore (kissena aquarium inc queens, ny) and let it cycled for 2 weeks. Then I have added 5 damsels, fire fish, neon dottyback and 2 spotcinctus clownfishes, waited a week after and I added mushroom corals and zoanthid corals. 5th week I have added 4 hermits and couple more corals, mandarin and yellow tang. 6th week returned mandarin, yellow tang & all damsels swapped it for 1 banggai cardinal, 1 ocellaris & algae blenny plus 4 snails. During this week I received a copapods from Marine Depot free. However it was too late and I have returned the mandarin. Since Marine Depot doesn't accept the return of the copapods, they had advised me to use it. (I got refunded). Unfortunately the blenny died on the last week with 1 snail and 1 hermit. So now I am left with what was mentioned. And will leave everything as is until October 12th or 13th to which there will be an aquarium exposition in NJ. I haven't been to one since I am 7 weeks new to the hobby. I am hoping that the corals will be cheaper there. Or there will be some freebies. Have you guys been to one? Is it cheaper or doubled? (corals only) Below parameters was taken Sunday at 7AM. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of yesterday 3pm cause it was lower and also because I just changed the water.
 

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elmpops

New Member
Nice to hear from you!
I am fairly new to salt, but have had fresh water for years. Since retiring, needed a more intense hobby, so gave fresh water to grandson and set up salt. Before doings, I went to Books Million and book book and studied and did a lot of google searches. The key point was ammonia is very toxic and then nitrites. Nitrates re not so bad and can supply food for your algae growth. This why I mentioned about the use of the bio product. Even it talks about “new tank” you can add a portion of the bottle and within no time the bacteria will convert to nitrite and then on to nitrates and then denitrification of the nitrates. When I first started my tank months ago, I never had ammonia but had nitrites and did water changes to no avail. I found Seachem Bio and added about 1/3 of bottle and since then I have not had any positive tests of any of the three. As to changing water, I do not see it is needed if the system is balanced. I have read where some aquarists never change water, those with very large systems, ie 300 ga. To change, you are needing to exchange 50 to 60 ga. If you ever watch Tanked on TV where they install very large aquariums, they are sealed and water I not changed. I have eaten at a restaurant in Atlanta where they have about 1000 gal round tank in middle, floor to ceiling and there is no way they change out any water.
As to shows, I have not attended any, we have a local ***** that keeps a good variety of fish and then purchase from Saltwater.com and ***********(owed by *****).
With setup, I have a Marineland 350 hang on with bio-wheels and a big canister 407 by Fluval that turns over the complete tank just in no time. It is good to have good “ clean-up crew, like I have nearly 30 of the turbo snails and the same amount of blue and red leg crabs. In addition, I have 2 sand sifting starfish that feed on uneaten food, fish “poop”, and diatoms” brown stuff on live rocks and sand.
Hope I have given you some pointers so you do not have more fish to die and particularly the reef since they are so expensive.(I decided not to go with invertebrates(reefs).
 

3xplorer19

Member
Thanks Elmpops for the 411. I appreciate you! Definitely i'll do more RIFing on my part (googling too). It's so nice of you to handoff your freshwater to your grandson. I'm sure he will love it.My ammonia is getting better thus lessen the feeding of tiny tiny thawed mysis. I saw a guy on youtube on how to feed properly. before i was just throwing in 1/4 of the frozen mysis in the tank. Now I actually thaw it out remove the dirty water and just take the mysis and little by little feed them. That was my issue to why my ammonia was elevating. Nitrites was always been nice to me 0 PPM and Nitrates as you said isn't that bad so it stays on 5.0 ppm almost to 0.0 ppm. pH is pretty good since i do purchase Nutri Seawater (before) online at Amazon which i found it was $8 more than my local pet store $12 so I reverted back to my local petstore @ Kissena Aquarium. I just need a small hand truck to wheel it over to my apartment. Gotta support the local business right? Plus their RO water is only $5 for 5 gallons. I'm jealous that you have a big big tank. Unfortunately space is limited to where I live so i'm alright with 24g. And hope i can learn how to stabilize it. I also don't have paid cable so watch anything on TV. I still got the rabbit ear antenna that picks up local channels. I can not afford to pay $200 for funny cable shows. haha too much. i'd rather invest on my tank hahaha. I'll just stay active online. ask questions ..youtube etc etc to learn..btw i went to new york reef aquatic and brought a sample of my seawater and so far it's up to par...just my salinity just a tad high... 1.027 but they said wasn't bad ... $2 for them to test it all..i like it. so i might have them test was water once a week when i have time. can you share some pictures of you current tank. id love to see them ....as for fishes dying ... all are good at the moment.... i still got my 3 clowns 1 banggai 1 fire 1 neon dollyback...7 snails and 3 hermit...i upped my corals from 6 to 9 though...i just gotta take photos of them and maybe you can help me name them? anyways yeah share pic when you get a moment
 
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3xplorer19

Member
i gotcha...well i took a photo and brought it to my local pet store and advise to rid of it. anyways i'm getting the hang of my tank now...i'm just letting time take its place... so far 6 fishes 8 frags ...in addition i purchased an in-tank basket to make a refugium with a live rock and a chaeto plant ... hoping that it helps with my phosphate and nitrate reduction...you guys want to share photo of your reef tanks?
 

3xplorer19

Member
good morning y'all. yesterday when i came home from work i saw my fire fish wrapped around my jebao sw2 propeller pump wave maker. so sad. so now i'm left with 3 clowns, 1 banggai, 1 dottyback, 4 hermits, 6 snails, 1 frogspawn, 2 acans, 1 ducan, 2 mushrooms, 1 leather toadstool, pink goniopora, 1 cyphastrea and 2 zoanthids. in addition i spoke to new york reef aquatic in queens, ny and said it's ok to get 2 anemones of the same type. therefore yes i got 2 so cool. anyways my parameters are getting better now my reef tank will be 2 months on the 5th...i might consider donating my 10 gallon freshwater and maybe upgrade my 24g reef with a separate sump..currently my 24g is through aquatop custom built...any tips advise would help y'all ... am i going banananuts?
 

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lmforbis

Well-Known Member
You might keep your 10 gallon as a quarantine tank. It just takes one infected fish to destroy all of them.

If you have enough light anemones don’t mine each other. If your light isn’t intense enough they won’t make it. Fortunately the two you got look healthy, often they are pretty bleached when they are in the store.
 

3xplorer19

Member
You could be right Imforbis in regards to keeping the 10 gallon. And, big thanks for the compliment of the anemones. i'm still RIFing to learn more about what I got. Lighting I use, is a Hipargero LED 30W 3w cree chip with 20 adjustments. We are loving it. I'm hoping to get more corals down the road. Thanks again for all. Any tips and advise will also help.
 

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3xplorer19

Member
imforbis...how are you... With my 3 clowns 1 banggai 1 dottyback I now added pistol shrimp with midas blenny ... That should be alright for me 24g right or may I add a yellow watchmen goby?
 

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3xplorer19

Member
Thanks Imforbis. That should end my collection to my fishes. Actually I wanted to rid my 2 spotcintus clown fish and just leave 1 ocellaris and pair him up them I'm straight with the clowns...however my wife wanted to keep the spots so I let them be ...to be honest I'm getting more addicted with the corals more than any... One day I'll eventually get one bigger tank with a pair of original clown fishes anemones and corals. Since I'm only 2 months old I'll wait after a year to educate myself more...what you think....
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t keep both species of clown. It will get ugly. Even in a huge tank you can only have one species of clown.
Watch them closely. When thing go bad it tends to be like flipping a switch, one minute all is hunky dory the next it is a fight to the death.
 

3xplorer19

Member
Trust me bro... I’d love to rid the spotcinctus clowns and just keep the ocellaris however wife loved the spots....anyways I’m not worried about them spots beating ocellaris cause he is bigger than them. Actually I see him beating them instead. So hopefully I win. hahahaha...
 

3xplorer19

Member
Success! Now I got 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 banggai cardinal, 1 neon dottyback and 1 midas blenny. I was able to trade in my 2 spotcinctus clowns FREE! Gotta love it.
 
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