Possible Filter problems?

[bigkev]

Hello out there. Ive had my 150 gallon saltwater tank for a month now. The problem is that I only use oe Tidepool 2 Filter that goes up to 120 gallons. Do you think my tank has cycled yet? I have put some fish in the tank already and a couple of them seem to have the ICH parasite. What should I do about the filter and the ICH disease?

 

[trigger11]

Welcome to the boards.
First, you will want to slow way down with your tank. Patience is the key.
What are your water parameters? This is how you will now the tank has finished cycling
PH
Alkalinity / dKH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Ammonia and nitrites should be at zero when the cycling process has comleted.
What kind of fish did you add? If I had to guess I would say some kind of Tang? They are ich magnets. The best way to treat ich is to set up a quarantine tank and follow the suggestions used over in the disease section on these forums. For future reference, when adding new fish it is a good idea to use a QT tank. Keep the fish in there for 3 weeks and make sure they dont have any diseases.

 

[bigkev]

the ph is 8.2, dont know alkalinity, but the salinity is 2.020, ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, nitrate is less than 5. I would say about 4. The problem was that the Nitrite spiked and I was told by the fish store to bring it done with some ammonia and nitrite reducer called TLC. Do I need to invest in a newer more powerful filter?? All my fish seems to have ICH as they are turning colors and keep scratching. YIKES!! How much is a quarantine tank??

 

[trigger11]

Your PH is at a good level.
You will want to invest in a test kit for alkalinity or dKH (they are the same measurement). Knowing this will let you know how well the water conditions will be.
It does sound like your tank has finished cycling so that is a good thing.
You said the salinity was 2.020. How was this measured? With a hydrometer or a refactometer? If it was a hydrometer I highly recommend getting a refactometer. They are much much more accurate. Now, when you say salinity are you referrering to the value on the left side? Because on a hydrometer there is a salinity value on the left and the Specific Gravity is on the right. On these boards people usually refer to the salt level in terms of the specific gravity. And you would want your SG to be right near 1.025. So if you reading was for SG it is super duper high in salt.
You could have a quarantine tank with like a 20-30 gallon tank. In the tank you would just have the water, maybe a hang on filter, heater, power head or two. no live rock or sand. It is just designed to be temporary housing until you know the new fish you just bought doesnt have any diseases.
Yes, I would say you need increased filtration. Ideally with a tank the size you have you will want to have a sump, refugium, or a combination of the two. Something in the 30 gallon range. Bigger if you can. If you plan on having any corals you will also want to have several powerheads for increased water flow. How much live rock / live sand do you have? These also play a big factor in filtration. More is better.
I am not a disease expert on fish but I do know you will find a lot of information on ICH in the disease section.
Hope that helps a little bit.