Water Changes and lots of other questions

[bdhulme]

Ok... so I have done a lot of reading here lately and I am beginning to think that I need RO water. I saw that someone said their grocery store sold it... can I get it at most grocery stores... ie: my local Food Lion or SuperFresh?
When I do the water changes, should I mix in the salt before adding to it to my tank?
Also- my Nitrate levels have been climbing and are close to 40 now. I am thinking it might be why my yellow angel died. I recently got a cleaning crew and am hoping that will help matters.
Also- My LFS said to use rock in the bottom of the tank. Should I be using sand instead?
Also- the tank is a 55 gallon- How much live rock do I need?
As of right now, those are all my questions. Please help! :help:

 

[dbreton2189]

Definitely mix up your water with salt before you do the water change. give it time to all melt.

 

[patandlace]

You need to mix your saltwater before adding it and it should sit for atleast a day. I would recommend sand at the bottom. It will probably help your nitrates because the food and waste won't get stuck in the CC. Your nitrate level is a little high but I doubt it is what killed your fish. How often are you doing water changes? If you do them more frequently it will help lower your trates. Walmart sells RO water also, I've heard people say the quality isn't always the best though. As far as live rock 1-2 lbs per gallon is a good amount. Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[bdhulme]

Thanks so much for the quick response. One more question:
It sounds like I should set up a QT? how do I do that? Does it use the same pump as everything else? Where do you keep it? I know that last question sounds strange, but my house isn't that big and I can't see myself having a small tank off to the side of my big one with nothing in it.

 

[zman1]

Originally Posted by BDHulme
Ok... so I have done a lot of reading here lately and I am beginning to think that I need RO water. I saw that someone said their grocery store sold it... can I get it at most grocery stores... ie: my local Food Lion or SuperFresh?
When I do the water changes, should I mix in the salt before adding to it to my tank? Premix - never add salt directly to the tank.
Also- my Nitrate levels have been climbing and are close to 40 now. I am thinking it might be why my yellow angel died I wouldn't say that, it's high but not fish killer high. I recently got a cleaning crew and am hoping that will help matters. Check your change water before changing .. Your supply water, if not using RO could be adding to the NO3 lvls. Reduce your feeding and get a skimmer if you don't have one. A skimmer can help remove protiens before they enter the cycle and turn into NO3
Also- My LFS said to use rock in the bottom of the tank. Should I be using sand instead? That's an open debate .. I use sand (argonite)
Also- the tank is a 55 gallon- How much live rock do I need? 1.5 - 2 Lbs per gal. This long term will help naturally plus DSB to build anaerobic bacteria, which consumes NO3. You are still going to need to do water changes and control what you put in the water -
As of right now, those are all my questions. Please help! :help:
HTH

 

[yeffre kix]

Yes you should pre-mix your saltwater at least 24 hrs in advance in a tub with a powerhead and a heater to get the SG and temp the same as your tank.
Live rock is great for a natural look while providing surface area for filtration. 50 to 100 lbs should be good depending on how much rock you want vs swimming room for your fish. Water flow is also important. You'll want at least 500 gph circulating through the tank. You can get that with a couple of decent sized powerheads hidden in the rocks or from a larger pump from a sump if you have one.
I personally like the look of a natural sand bed but to get denitrification value from the sand it will need to be at least 4 inches deep. you can just have the nice looks with an inch or so and depend on other filtration for water quality.
Nitates at 40 are too high. They should be no higher than 20 for a fish only system. Even lower for more sensitive corals and inverts. Regular water changes are a must. (10 gallons every other week is good) Be careful not to overfeed. Just a little pinch will do, you don't want any food left to rot in the tank. More food eaten also means more fish waste.
If you don't have a protien skimmer, get one. It's the best peice of equipment you can have for water quality.