Reducing Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate

[scsaltywater]

Originally Posted by SUV
Personaly I would cancle the entire orderand wait for you tank to cycle, the number one key to salwater aqariums is patience. How long has your tank been going?

For two weeks, with only 2 fish that died in the beginning. They were mollies. All the others seem to be doing fine....or at least I think so.

 

[suv]

I find ti hard to belive your tank is fully cycled, and I wouldnt add any thing but L/R and L/S untill it has fully cycled. It took mine 6 weeks which I thinks is about the norm for most.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by SCsaltywater
...
Is this better??? Please advise.
Thanks again.
No... see my above posts.
You're adding too much too quickly to an already unstable situation. You're also adding inverts and fish that are hard to keep (especially in a new tank).

 

[flt-chk]

Well it’s fairly clear to you that you’re a bit over in live stock. The advice given is good on reduction of critters however the selection is as important as the reduction. If you want to maintain a reef then look hard at the selection of fish that will join this environment. Reef keeping is not for the faint of heart and requires both patients and education. On the other hand the keeping of a fish aquarium is a fun project for some folks to enjoy and requires time but not to the extent of a reef.
Regardless of which ways you go you’re going to have a reduction of critters, you must now decide which road is for you. Both of these ventures will require excellent water qualities which should start with a RO or the purchase of select water from your LHS. You will need to change water right now and forever in this environment so you may find that the RO is a practical tool.
You have live rock, balls and sand so the bacteria are now in the cycle this is a good kick start. If you do not have the luck of holding back on the purchases of your live stock and find your self FORCED to place them temporarily in your tank get creative on water changes and do not feed anything. These animals are all stressed from travel and now we will add to this stress with the water quality so one more stress (lack of food) will not kill them and will certainly help reduce the concerning water issues.
Some of the selection of fish that you have mentioned is in conflict with each other and or with the reef. You can have both, but pick with care and try to read all you can on this subject free on the internet.
You are one of the fortunate folks that can buy all you liked at once and are now paying the price with a few mistakes. But those of us that are not as lucky have made our share of mistakes, most often lacking patients followed by lacking study of subject matter. You are not alone in your decision making process but better yet you’re not alone while there are forums to clear the path with you. Also it may be of some help to contact your local hobby shop and ask if there are folks with salt water aquariums in your area that you may contact and ask them to help you by holding some of your fish. Who knows they may even fall in love with a few and trade or buy critters from you? If there are too few in your neck of the woods then the next town down the road should have somebody!
Last but not least for $100 bucks or less you can pick up another 50 gal tank, set it up raw and share some of the live rock and sand that you bought with the RO water. This will reduce your load and buy you some time. Buy it used and sell it when not needed, or keep it for propagating a reef. Maybe you can have all the coral eating fish in one tank and the colorful reef in the other. There are options and the challenge before you will make a better man of you. Good luck and let us know how you have made out. :thinking:

 

[fbm]

Hmmm, still will not work.
Too much too fast.
You need to go slow with your fish addition. You are going to loose fish and possible everything by the ammonia spike you are going to cause even if you can get your ammonia down to zero before you add this stuff.
Just because your tank cycles doesn't mean it will never cycle again. Everytime you change something in your tank you will cause another cycle. Even if your tank has been up and running for 5 years you add a fish there will be a small cycle happening. You are adding a ton of bioload to a system that has not even been initally cycled. It will spike way to high and kill everything. The only way this might work is if you do massive water changes every day. Then some will say that your tank isn't big enought for those tangs. And also pristine water conditions are necassary to keep them healthy and you will not have that for months at least.
Also I do not have that much expirance I just read a lot. And I cycled my tank and when I added my first 2 reef chromis I saw and pretty big spike and I was worried about death so I had to watch real close for about a week doing some water changes in there. It was mean of me to do this to the fish by adding them before I should off.
This is an expensive hobby and you are just going to cause yourself to have an even greater expense by having these death.

 

[flt-chk]

By the way just like fresh water fish count, think inches per gallon not fish per gallon. Way too many fish inches? Yep.........Unlike money less is best.

 

[dmc888]

Thats alot of fish. There is going to be a huge spike when you add all of those.
I'm guessing its too late to cancel. if still possible cancel it. If you can sell, or atleast have a friend hold some for you that should help. You should have good levels before you add a new fish. Some of the fish won't work in a 90g.
I would setup a big sump like a 55g for more water volume. I am not sure if macro can take ammonia or nitrite if they can throw some macro in sump with a good light. And Probably get another tank for the smaller fish that you can use as a qt tank later.
You will have to do alot of water changes, take out the dead fish,inverts right away,check levels often,rinse the filter pads often,siphon sand often, and then you will have to worry about the fish fighting each other and catching ich.

 

[hot883]

I'm still going with a troll.

 

[flt-chk]

All you nice folks that may know of clubs in the area that SCsalty lives at, maybe can connect this problem with a helping hand from some of it's members. He has heard enough of what he has done wrong and realizes it.
I' m sure it hurts enough to last a life time and just as sure that he has purchased an experience. Lets point to new solutions, lets be more creative and less critical. If we have something new to bring to the table lets do so.

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by FLT-CHK
All you nice folks that may know of clubs in the area that SCsalty lives at, maybe can connect this problem with a helping hand from some of it's members. He has heard enough of what he has done wrong and realizes it.
I' m sure it hurts enough to last a life time and just as sure that he has purchased an experience. Lets point to new solutions, lets be more creative and less critical. If we have something new to bring to the table lets do so.

In my opinion he is not listening to anything. If he did he would have canceled the order not amend it.
Personally I think he came on here to start trouble. NO ONE PUTS THAT MANY FISH IN A NEW SYSTEM. he did not read or research as he said he did, it's apparent by his answers.

 

[shogun323]

Originally Posted by hot883
In my opinion he is not listening to anything. If he did he would have canceled the order not amend it.
Personally I think he came on here to start trouble. NO ONE PUTS THAT MANY FISH IN A NEW SYSTEM. he did not read or research as he said he did, it's apparent by his answers.
I agree 100%. T-R-O-L-L !!!!!

 

[mandarin w]

I agree also!!!! I've told this person way back on the 6th post, to cancel the order, Do water changes, But they just keep asking. That is why I haven't gave anymore advice. It seems they are either,
Have thier mind made up as to what they want to do. and keep asking the same questions and not listening to anyone, hopeing that someone will end up saying, Yes get all the fish you want, It will not hurt anything. Don't worry about nitrates or amonia because if you stand on your head when you put your fish in, it will be safe no matter what. and infact if you hop on one foot from the front door it will make your nitrates go down forever.
Or they are a TROLL.

Because no one, and I mean no one can be that dense. When you are told at least 10 times your tank is too new. It needs to cycle, cancel your fish order. And they still wont listen to you. Well you get the picture.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by hot883
In my opinion he is not listening to anything. If he did he would have canceled the order not amend it.
Personally I think he came on here to start trouble. NO ONE PUTS THAT MANY FISH IN A NEW SYSTEM. he did not read or research as he said he did, it's apparent by his answers.

Exactly. Very well said.

 

[scsaltywater]

Originally Posted by hot883
In my opinion he is not listening to anything. If he did he would have canceled the order not amend it.
Personally I think he came on here to start trouble. NO ONE PUTS THAT MANY FISH IN A NEW SYSTEM. he did not read or research as he said he did, it's apparent by his answers.
My second post listed the mistake I made...please read:
My tank is 90 gallons, and i used tap water with conditioner. Due to my own error, I ordered a lot of fish/reefs/corals/inverts from this site, thinking it was more or less like fresh water fish. But after reading several threads, I see my huge error. I need to get these levels down as quickly as possible before the shipment arrives.
By the way, thanks for your quick response.

 

[scsaltywater]

Originally Posted by mandarin w
I agree also!!!! I've told this person way back on the 6th post, to cancel the order, Do water changes, But they just keep asking. That is why I haven't gave anymore advice. It seems they are either,
Have thier mind made up as to what they want to do. and keep asking the same questions and not listening to anyone, hopeing that someone will end up saying, Yes get all the fish you want, It will not hurt anything. Don't worry about nitrates or amonia because if you stand on your head when you put your fish in, it will be safe no matter what. and infact if you hop on one foot from the front door it will make your nitrates go down forever.
Or they are a TROLL.

Because no one, and I mean no one can be that dense. When you are told at least 10 times your tank is too new. It needs to cycle, cancel your fish order. And they still wont listen to you. Well you get the picture.
I cancelled as much as possible that was still in the pending stage. I'm left with the following (which I posted on another thread):
Thanks for all of your assistance. I wrote an email, and changed my order to the following:
Green Chromis Fish
Leather - Toadstool Coral
Mushroom Polyp - Green Ricordea Coral
Pink Tip Haitian Anemone Coral
Royal Gramma Fish
Lyretail Anthias - Male Fish
Lyretail Anthias - Female Fish
Powder Blue Tang Fish
Naso Tang Fish
Bluehead Wrasse Fish
Hawaiian Blue Puffer Fish
Cleaner Shrimp Invert
Cleaner Clam Invert
Queen Conch - Aquacultured Invert
Fighting Conch - Aquacultured Invert
I am listening and doing what you guys say.
But once again, I want to thank you for helping me out as much as possible.
Any more advice would be welcomed, as this has been been a HUGE learning, heartbreaking experience.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by SCsaltywater
I cancelled as much as possible that was still in the pending stage. I'm left with the following:
Thanks for all of your assistance. I wrote an email, and changed my order to the following:
Green Chromis Fish
Leather - Toadstool Coral
Mushroom Polyp - Green Ricordea Coral
Pink Tip Haitian Anemone Coral
Royal Gramma Fish
Lyretail Anthias - Male Fish
Lyretail Anthias - Female Fish
Powder Blue Tang Fish
Naso Tang Fish
Bluehead Wrasse Fish
Hawaiian Blue Puffer Fish
Cleaner Shrimp Invert
Cleaner Clam Invert
Queen Conch - Aquacultured Invert
Fighting Conch - Aquacultured Invert
I am listening and doing what you guys say.
But once again, I want to thank you for helping me out as much as possible.

If part of your order was in the pending stage, it was ALL in the pending stage.

 

[scsaltywater]

Originally Posted by alyssia
If part of your order was in the pending stage, it was ALL in the pending stage.

This order (out of 4 total orders) was already in the processing stage. I wish it was in the in the pending stage. This was my first order. The other 3 were still in the pending stage. I didn't place all the orders on one order number.
Thanks again

 

[hatessushi]

I have a 90 gallon and have 5 fish in mine. I believe I am maxed and will not add anything else except replacing snails and crabs, and adding corals.
That "Cycle" product should not be relied on for cycling the tank. Although they advertise that it will cycle I use it lonly to assist the cycle. I only add it to my QT when I do a water change on it. It also helps the slime coat on the fish. It is for that and to add some bacteria to the tank but should never be used for the initial cycle.
Troll I do suspect

 

[hot883]

How can you honestly believe that ordering that many fish was do-able/feasible/smart/not going to make your tank crash? :notsure:

 

[scsaltywater]

As I mentioned before, are there any OTC products I can buy to reduce the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites????? Any help on this question will be beneficial.
Once again, I REALIZED my stupidity and ignorance. Everybody makes mistakes throughout their lives...some are just more expensive than others (ie mine with the orders of livestock). Please do not ridicule me anymore. I'm taking everything in that you guys write back, and using it the best way I can. I cancelled as much of the order as I could.
Thanks again for your time and effort in helping me out.
Kim