please help

[swamper]

ok im haveing some serioulsy trouble and need some advice first off i have in my tank 1 false clown 3 blue damsials 1 coral banded shrimp and some golden poloys some green grass stuff not sure of its name 2 zinids and 2 neon green mustrooms i have trouble with my damsials both are turning white and one has popeye or so it looks like to me and the other one has a swelled stomach the 3 one is doing fine and the clown seems to be doing fine i then tested my water sence last month and now it is
nitrate level 10 to 20
nitrite level 0.25
high range ph 8.0 to 8.2
ammonia 0.25
which after i found this tonite i added some eight.four by aquavitro which clams to raises carbonate alkalinity to bring up the ph how do i get the nitrite and nitrate levels down i have been working on the ammonia levels o yea also i took out about 30 nassians snails or however you spell that not my best subject or putting periods any where sorry about that im kinda new to the hobbie too i have had the tank up for about 4 months now

 

[-tara33-]

do a water change every day for a couple of days, how old is the tank, is it fully cycled
just read that its up for four months so ignor that

 

[rotarymagic]

this has to be a joke...

 

[-tara33-]

also what is your equipment, skimmer filtration and tank size, are you using ro water to mix your salt?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Swamper
http:///forum/post/2855289
ok im haveing some serioulsy trouble and need some advice first off i have in my tank 1 false clown 3 blue damsials 1 coral banded shrimp and some golden poloys some green grass stuff not sure of its name 2 zinids and 2 neon green mustrooms i have trouble with my damsials both are turning white and one has popeye or so it looks like to me and the other one has a swelled stomach the 3 one is doing fine and the clown seems to be doing fine i then tested my water sence last month and now it is
nitrate level 10 to 20
nitrite level 0.25
high range ph 8.0 to 8.2
ammonia 0.25
which after i found this tonite i added some eight.four by aquavitro which clams to raises carbonate alkalinity to bring up the ph how do i get the nitrite and nitrate levels down i have been working on the ammonia levels o yea also i took out about 30 nassians snails or however you spell that not my best subject or putting periods any where sorry about that im kinda new to the hobbie too i have had the tank up for about 4 months now
Why do you have ammonia and nitrite? How old was this system when you first added fish?

 

[swamper]

its a 30 gallon tank it was all the way cycled but i have done a few water changes since i first put it up that want make it recycle?
also i have marineland biowheel filter a red sea prizem entergizer and to level 2 powerhead the ones that look like eggs hydro kyloriai think is the name of them and a water heater thats about it i will try to take some pics but my cameria sucks

 

[swamper]

i also forgot to tell yal i let the tank cycle for about 2 weeks before i added the damisels i added 4 at the time and lost one a couple of weeks after i think because all the other fish where pickin on it

 

[mantisman51]

I would think you are just transitioning from the ammonia to nitrite portion of the cycle. My 55g took 4 full weeks to cycle. As has been mentioned, do a bunch of water changes. I wouldn't do a water change every couple days, though. For a 30 gal tank, it wouldn't take much effort or money to do 6 gallons, twice a day. Your tank is cycling still and the only way to reduce the decimation of the fishes internal organs is to dillute the chemicals as much as possible. Also, DO NOT USE TREATED TAP WATER!!!! Go to the grocery store, if necessary, and buy the filtered water there. -here it's 19 cents a gallon. Get a Rubbermaid bin and use a gallon pitcher. Again, assuming you have no filtration. You add chlorine/chloramine/lead/etc to the ammonia and nitrite, and you're asking alot of the fish. It's almost losing battle at this point, so anything you can do to mitigate the damage will help.

 

[swamper]

i have been doing water changes i live in the country so i dont have city water i have a deep well is that water bad for them or is it ok there is no chemicals in it as far as i know

 

[mantisman51]

I, too, have well water. But, in my part of the country there is a ton of dissolved heavy metals in the water, most notably a high copper content. I had constant fish and invert loss until I got a RO/DI water filter. I have a countertop model that is supposed to guarantee 1500 gallons of metal and chemical free water. I paid $99 + $10 shipping. I haven't lost a fish, coral or crab since I started using it.

 

[swamper]

thank i buy one and see if i have ne better results

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Swamper
http:///forum/post/2855436
its a 30 gallon tank it was all the way cycled but i have done a few water changes since i first put it up that want make it recycle?
also i have marineland biowheel filter a red sea prizem entergizer and to level 2 powerhead the ones that look like eggs hydro kyloriai think is the name of them and a water heater thats about it i will try to take some pics but my cameria sucks
First, you need to know what equipment you have. Look up what you have, know the GPH. Doing a water change will not cause the tank to cycle again. When you do a water change, be sure that the saltwater has mixed for at least 24-48hrs with a power head. You MUST pre-mix water or it won't have the proper gas exchange. Adding water that isn't mixed enough can cause anything from salt burn on the fish to oxygen depletion and drop of PH. It is very important to pre mix. Also, don't do several water changes in a day. Do one every day only if your PH, SG, and temp match EXACTLY to the water that you are changing.
Originally Posted by Swamper
http:///forum/post/2855483
i also forgot to tell yal i let the tank cycle for about 2 weeks before i added the damisels i added 4 at the time and lost one a couple of weeks after i think because all the other fish where pickin on it
You added four after a two week cycle? That is a huge bioload on a weak biological filtration. Do you plan on keeping these damsels in the 30? If not then get rid of them now. You have way too many fish in such a new system. Your tank hasn't even come close to finishing the cycle. One fish would have been a strain on a two week old tank.