why do I always think I'm doing something wrong?

[jet fixer]

I started a 50G tank in May my first SW set up, I have a fluval 303 with one tray of carbon and two of biomax; a seaclone 100 skimmer and a marineland maxi jet power head. I started with 40lbs LS plus 20lbs of some substrate with a bunch of shells in it. Ran it for two months before adding live stock. I recently changed 1/2 of the carbon and 1/2 of one tray of the bio max now I'm getting .25 ppm amonia, the nitrates have alwas been high yet the nitrites have allways been at 0 and still are. About a month ago I added a mangrove tree to help with the nitrate now it looks like it's about to die. When I changed the stuff in the filter I rinsed out the foam was that bad? Plus I think I may have way to high of a bio load. My LFS said that inverts don't matter that much I'm thinking that may be a little bit wrong. I'm going to give you a run down of what I have in the tank now, just in case you want a list instead of having to remember what I tried to write befour. one so far so someone may be able to give me some insight.
two months running on LS all is good
add 2 damsels, 1 pixy hawk, 1 percula clown=
two damsels die replace with,
coral beauty,royal gamma, chalk bass, electric blue hermet crab
royal gamma dies
replace with emerald crab, 2 cerith snails,3 turbo snails
all is good add six line wrasse, bar goby, Queen couch, sand sifting star
start getting brown algae add mex snail 2 red hermit crabs,
coral beauty get some kind of fungus goes into QT dies two weeks later
still have brown algae add 3 scarlet hermet crabs 2 blue leg hermet crabs, 2 nasuraus snails
lost a few hermet crabs add a pigmy angel and a lyretail anthias, sally light foot crab, more scarlet hermet crabs and some turbo snails.
change 20% water one half tray carbon and one half tray bio load; rinse foam now my amonia is - .25. So today I add 26lbs live rock after I took out the lace rock that was in the tank ;and the six line wrasse disapears.
So After this long back ground babble here are my questions
did I do right by adding the live rock, will it drop my nitrate level?
Am I over stocked?
what I have if I made as much sence as I thought I did:
1 pixy hawkfish
1 percula clown
1 bar goby
1 cherub angel
1 chalk bass
1 lyretail anthias
1 six line wrase(missing)
1 sally lightfoot crab
1 emerald crab
1 electric blue hermit crab
2 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
5 scarlet hermit crabs
6 asst snails
1 sand sifting starfish
added 26lbs live rock
I was thinking of getting rid of the bar goby and lyretail anthias adding a few more snails and replacing the wrasse if he is actually gone plus some more live rock as I can afford it. Am I on the right track? what am I overlooking? why do I feel that I'm doing something wrong? If I hear gooogle again as in my last post I'll have to be not nice and say bad things. Can I curse on this site ? Its only my second post so I still don't know all the rules.
Thanks in advance, Drew

 

[puffer32]

Not sure why you want to know if cursing is allowed,, is it neccesary for you to be able to? Don't get that :notsure: Anyway, don't know about your filter, but you do need more LR, and you are alittle overstocked with fish, inverts are ok.

 

[fishmamma]

Hi, I think that you with out a doubt added way too many fish way too fast and your system can not handle it. I would think about trading a couple of those fish in (as you had mentioned) and then leaving things be for a month or so. Also, some of those may not have been compatable with each other - this can increase their stress levels and lead to disease and death. Sorry you are feeling down about everyhting, it is hard to keep losing livestock. So maybe kepp your favorite fish, trade the others in for a credit or more inverts or live rock etc. and leave things be for a while if not long term depending on total number of fish and bioload. Good luck to you, I hope things start going fabulously for you!
(also I think taking out the anthia would be a good idea, some of them can be hard to keep though that species may not be one of them. Maybe I missed it- but do you have a protein skimmer? If not that would help keep your tank running smoothly)

 

[beth]

Seriously overstocked and setup is not the best either.
As for why you have ammonia, you removed the meat and potatoes of your filter all at once, thus removing your biofilter [carbon and biomax switch].
I would start thining out that livestock and try to set up your tank using natural filters more.