Newbies Need Help Too!!!

wpayton34

wpayton34

Member
Im a newbie and i just bought a 75 gallon tank w/ an emperor 500 and a 300 watt heater. I just put in my 5 damsles and I also aquried 50 lb of live rock for free but i think i need to bring it back to life. Its been sitting in a tupperware box w/ water and newspaper. If its dead is it possibe to do that?? Also need to know if the filtration is ok and what other stuff do u thinki need to start off w/. (testing equipment) I dont know whats good and whats not. How do i know if my tank as cycled?? Thanks! :scared:

 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Please take the fish back to the store. You can cycle the tank with the rock. Have you bought a liquid master test kit yet?
 
kroch3rd

kroch3rd

Member
i'm pretty sure you have a emporer 400 lol not 500. and i have 2 emporer 400's on my tank, one will most likely not be enough. and you should buy a skimmer if you don't already have one
 
eaglewonj

eaglewonj

Member
Originally Posted by wpayton34
nope not yett Whats a good one to get to start off w/??

He is saying all you need to cycle with is the rock. If damsels are in your long term tank plan then you can put them back in when the cycle is done, otherwise, you don't need them. Some are aggressive and have been described to attack other fish. So if you don't actually want them, take them back, let the rock work its magic and then stock a fish or two at a time waiting for stable conditions after each.
 
jayeden

jayeden

Member
im lost...you did not test the specific gravity of the tank or anything? did you just add water and salt and a few fish??? im not tryin to be harsh or antying..just askin questions...i pretty much did the same thing when i started haha...
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wpayton34
nope not yett Whats a good one to get to start off w/??
You can get an Aquarium Pharmceuticals master kit for aroud $20 but you will also need an alkalinity test kit. You should also get a refractometer for measuring salinity. This site sells a nice one for $39.99
 
beatlesfan

beatlesfan

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
Please take the fish back to the store.
Please take the fish back to the store.
 
jayeden

jayeden

Member
with the way your tank is set up rite now....with waht you have /dont have...i dont think the fish will survive for very long...:(
 
wpayton34

wpayton34

Member
Originally Posted by jayeden
im lost...you did not test the specific gravity of the tank or anything? did you just add water and salt and a few fish??? im not tryin to be harsh or antying..just askin questions...i pretty much did the same thing when i started haha...
no no i have a hydrometer. i was kinda dense so i had to keep takin out water and addin fresh water
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Please take the fish back and just go slow. Get your equipment in order and cycle your tank with the rock before doing anything else.
 
jayeden

jayeden

Member
i made all the same mistakes payton, i added water, salt, rock and fish all within a day...the problem is...the fish died...and during tank cyclying which take 5-8 weeks, you get all this brown and green junk gorwing which develops all the backteria needed in your tank neccessary for fish to survive.
as fast as all this green and brown junk grows, it takes care of itself and goes away, BUT, this cycling has to be done before adding fish..
im still learning too but just saying what i know for sure so far...:)
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wpayton34
i though i did good for my first tank :-( well gotta learn somewhere
Yes. Have you looked around on this site to see what others have experienced? You have not done anything wrong that can't be corrected so far. It is very important in saltwater fishkeeping to be patient and go slowly. It will take several weeks for your tank to cycle and be ready for fish. That time can be used to read up on saltwater systems.
 
wpayton34

wpayton34

Member
ya the guy at the store said to add the fish to help cycle it. they were cheap fish but i really dont want them to die tho ill feel like an ass.
 
gmidd

gmidd

Member
Originally Posted by wpayton34
i though i did good for my first tank :-( well gotta learn somewhere
Saltwater fish are very delicate. Do your research, take it slow and have patience. As for equiptment, check out the Archives & FAQ there is a great thread Begginers Equiptment..
As for some of the Vets on this forum, keep in mind people will make make mistakes. So rather then being short with others for the sake of saving little Nemo, please take the time to explain why, for this thread, adding Damsels this earlier in the cycle is not good.
 
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