newbie questions

1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
Hello,
I will state up front that I'm new to all of this and I'm doing as much reading as possible. I bought my son a 12 gal. Eclipse marine tank kit (biowheel and mechanical filtration, 13w 5500K Daylight bulb) for Christmas. It has been great spending time with him and learning about all of this with him.
The tank has been doing very well but recently some things have been happening and I'm not sure what to make of it.
BTW- each trip to the local fish store we take a water sample to have it tested. Its always tested fine with no issues. Salinity is 1.026
What we have in the tank
3 Domino Damsels (originaly bought to cycle the tank and we've not yet returned for credit)
1 Clown
1 Flasher Wrasse
1 BTA
1 Kenya Tree
1 Green star polyp
3 snails
3 hermit crabs
recently I've noticed this snot looking brown jelly things in my substrate that after a few days stretch out then get so thin they break away. I've also noticed this purple algae material that's like a carpet. First it was on my live rocks now its in spotted locations on the substrate. Good or bad?
My BTA is also not looking that great. when I first brought it home over a month ago he was full nice long arms, green tips... this past week its looking very brown, arms are pulled in (not inflated at all) doing a lot of stretching out of its hole that is attached to.
My guy at the fish store thinks that it is about to split. True? or is something else going on?
 
nano-newb1983

nano-newb1983

Active Member
to start off i would get rid of the Damsels ASAP... 5 fish in a 12gallon is way to much.. The snot looking stuff is prolly from to many fish
BTA is prolly dieing due to lack of light
 
<scuba steve>

<scuba steve>

Member
You have 13 watts on a 12 gallon that's not enough for basically all soft corals and anemones. Your tank is way over stocked you gave us probably the least important info about the tank (salinity) and left out nitrates, nitrite and ammonia. Your anemone is not spiting its dieing. The tank you bought was made for fresh water fish or a small quarantine for marine the filtration is primitive and your lighting is only for fish only. If an anemone dies it will take out the whole tank of that size so give it back to your LFS along with the damsels (good luck catching those guys are crazy hard to catch). Keep the Clown and Flasher Wrasse, but what kind of clown is it? The slim your seeing is due to high nitrates (that along with lighting is killing your anemone). I am sorry if I was harsh, but I have kept many BTAs and saved a few too and I just love them and want to preserve them in the wild. Taking them from the wild then killing them from low lights and nitrates just kills me.
Btw to add a little qualifying info about my self I have unbleached anemones in nano reefs and have kept saltwater animals for 5 years. My largest tank is a in wall 180 gallon marine shark tank.
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
we just did a water test this past weekend and according to the charts included with the testing kit the nitrates, nitrite and ammonia all were within normal ranges.
The Damsels will be leaving this weekend....
I'll post a pic tonight when I get home.
 
<scuba steve>

<scuba steve>

Member
Originally Posted by 1buckeye_fan
http:///forum/post/2967618
we just did a water test this past weekend and according to the charts included with the testing kit the nitrates, nitrite and ammonia all were within normal ranges.
The Damsels will be leaving this weekend....
I'll post a pic tonight when I get home.
What is normal range? Please give numbers.
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
my chemical test kit doesn't give numbers. you fill six vials of water for each test, each test has a card that tells you how many drops of each chemical to put in the vial, it then says to shake for x sec and tells you how long to wait before comparing it to a color chart.
nothing that I've tested has shown any of the test being bad and I've tested so many times that I'm just about out of chemicals.
 
hugo121175

hugo121175

New Member
Originally Posted by 1buckeye_fan
http:///forum/post/2967641
my chemical test kit doesn't give numbers. you fill six vials of water for each test, each test has a card that tells you how many drops of each chemical to put in the vial, it then says to shake for x sec and tells you how long to wait before comparing it to a color chart.
nothing that I've tested has shown any of the test being bad and I've tested so many times that I'm just about out of chemicals.
Go out and by API Saltwater Master, and Reef Master testing kits. They are by far the best that I have used. You really need to know how much of what is in your tank. This way you will know how much to raise or low what you do not need.
I just got started with salt myself, but have been doing freshwater cichlids for years.
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
I know my fish store guy private guy (not a chain store) who owns his own shop been doing this for years, he has these testers and when I go in I always take some water for him to test. I don't ask for numbers but he always says that my water is perfect when he does his tests.
He to was concerned with the number of fish and thought that I might need more light for my anenome but said if I put the live rock it was attached to up high in the tank close to the light that it might be fine. He said if it moved then it would be a sign that it was not happy with its location. That's not happened.
With these enclosed systems how would you all recommend that I upgrade my lighting?I know my fish store guy private guy (not a chain store) who owns his own shop been doing this for years, he has these testers and when I go in I always take some water for him to test. I don't ask for numbers but he always says that my water is perfect when he does his tests.
He to was concerned with the number of fish and thought that I might need more light for my anemone but said if I put the live rock it was attached to up high in the tank close to the light that it might be fine. He said if it moved then it would be a sign that it was not happy with its location. That's not happened.
With these enclosed systems how would you all recommend that I upgrade my lighting?
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
Originally Posted by <scuba steve>
http:///forum/post/2967596
You have 13 watts on a 12 gallon that's not enough for basically all soft corals and anemones. Your tank is way over stocked you gave us probably the least important info about the tank (salinity) and left out nitrates, nitrite and ammonia. Your anemone is not spiting its dieing. The tank you bought was made for fresh water fish or a small quarantine for marine the filtration is primitive and your lighting is only for fish only. If an anemone dies it will take out the whole tank of that size so give it back to your LFS along with the damsels (good luck catching those guys are crazy hard to catch). Keep the Clown and Flasher Wrasse, but what kind of clown is it? The slim your seeing is due to high nitrates (that along with lighting is killing your anemone). I am sorry if I was harsh, but I have kept many BTAs and saved a few too and I just love them and want to preserve them in the wild. Taking them from the wild then killing them from low lights and nitrates just kills me.
Btw to add a little qualifying info about my self I have unbleached anemones in nano reefs and have kept saltwater animals for 5 years. My largest tank is a in wall 180 gallon marine shark tank.
I was wrong... my current lights are 50/50 24w
 
nano-newb1983

nano-newb1983

Active Member
i would get take the anemone back to the LFS. With those lights you can keep soft corals,zoas, and shrooms
So your lights are fine...just stay away from, clams, anemones and SPS
Looking forward to the pics... never saw that kit before
 
<scuba steve>

<scuba steve>

Member
The redish colerd stuff on the sand bed is red slime its not algae but bactira. It will sometimes be in a tank when first in the nitrate cycle or when there are good conditions for it ie: high heat, lighting, annd most of all nitrate. It will take over the tank if your nor careful
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
interesting.. its not slimy at all like the name would indicate. nitrate levels are zero. can it be cleaned naturally?
other bad news... looks like we've got a case of the ich

i just noticed what looks like white powder on the fish... can it be k?treated with everyone in the tank? or is my tank ruined?
 
1buckeye_fan

1buckeye_fan

New Member
correction on the light. it is actually 13w i just pulled the bulb to check.
so with that I've ordered a 32w retrofit kit for this hood as mentioned previously. that should take care of my lighting requirements for everybody, yes?
 
<scuba steve>

<scuba steve>

Member
:D yup that will make your anemone nice and happy! Oh and for the time being start feeding small pieces of silver sides daily until you can get the lighting and just to be sure continue feeding it less often for a few months. You cannot treat ick in you reef, but I have never delt with ick or really any fish sicknesses I have only lost 2 fish in 5 years and it was from my intake pump in the over flow, so I will let someone that has answer that.
 
<scuba steve>

<scuba steve>

Member
this is a photo that I normally keep locked away lol. The anemone I thought was pretty turned out to be bleached, I had a horrible case of red slime and had about 1/3 the LR that I do now.
 
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