question

[bbeavers]

I just started up my tank. 55 gal. I used the salt recommended by my LFS(not instant ocean, but I already threw the bag away and have forgotten the name), filled the tank 3/4 full with tap, let the salt dissolve then added 40lb live sand, and filled the tank the rest of the way and added 3 capfuls of "Prime". This was on Tuesday. It is now Friday, and now there are white buildup's on different places around the walls of the tank, obscuring the view. I have two Damsels in the tank(Striped and Domino) which I added the next day, and they seem to be doing fine.
I'm concerned about the buildup on the walls. What is this? I just ordered some rock from saltwaterfish.com and am wondering if I have a problem that will affect it's effectiveness/liveliness.
Any help you guys may be able to give would be appreciated.

 

[rgaskins]

Hi, I'm no expert but I just setup my tank weeks ago and the same thing happened to me...I think it is just something from the salt...I just took a clean sponge and it wiped right off...Maybe some of the experts can shed some light on this...

 

[1journeyman]

Welcome to the boards!
First off, you won't find many folks here recomending using tap water for your marine tank.
Second, you will definitely not find many fans here of cycling your tanks with damsels. I know that's what your pet store told you to do... you'll learn that doesn't always make it right.
Read, read, read my new community mate. Get a couple of good books. (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, Reef Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibilty and many more...)
Tap water contains a lot of trace elements and minerals. Over time these things build up in your tank and can kill your pets or lead to algae blooms.
You shouldn't cycle with fish for two reasons: 1. It can kill the fish. New water doesn't have the neccesary bacteria to properly deal with the ammonia your fish are excreting and your decaying food is producing (forget the "cycle in a bottle" crap...)
Now I know damsels are cheap fish. Having said that, they are still living pets and your responsibility. Pet stores all too often treat them as "expendable". That doesn't mean you should. 2. Damsels are often territorial and aggressive. That doesn't mean much now, but after you've added a 100 Lbs. of live rock or so and try to catch one you'll understand why you should never put a fish in your tank that you'll want to remove later.
Now, to the salt question. Are you talking about white buildup on the outside of the tank?

 

[bbeavers]

OK. I'll hang my head for a bit now for listening to the guy at the pet store after reading for the last few days.
Actually, my buildup is on the "inside" of the tank. I scraped some off with a brush today, and it seems to have come back in those areas again. In some places it was extremely difficult to remove as well.
Thanks for your help.

 

[1journeyman]

Don't hang your head... Many of us (certainly myself included) have made many, many mistakes based on bad advice.
I'm not sure what the white buildup is on the inside of your tank. Doesn't sound harmful though. It probably is just a stage your new tank is going through.
Enjoy your tank, and enjoy the community! Ask as many questions as you can think of. It's almost certain that someone here has the answers. There are some very experienced people here. After all the mistakes I made in the past, this community is the only thing that convinced me to try a sw tank again.

 

[blemmy_guy]

the build up was from the salt, you should have pre mixed it in a bucket before adding it to your tank, and i found this out the hard way too. always premix your salt in a seperate container, and mix it real well! that will take care of that problem in the future. good luck and welcome to the boards! todd

and hey here journeyman, were neihbors!! where do you go diving at, ive been diving since i was a kid?? todd