Jonnybucko
New member
PH= 8.2; Ammonia= 0.25; Nitrite= 0; Nitrate= 20. First time I've tested the water after I've added fish. I have a 55 gallon FOWLR tank.
Help!!!!
- Thread starter Jonnybucko
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Jonnybucko
New member
Tank has been running for about 7 days. I tested the water before I added fish and the levels were perfect. I currently have 2 parrotfish (male/female), 2 bangghi cardinals, 1 sailfin tang, 1 scooter blennie, and six hermit crabs as my clean up crew.
Jonnybucko
New member
Brand new tank. I have about 20 lbs of Fiji live rock. (Plan to get more very soon!) Just realizing how expensive all of this stuff is...... I added all of the livestock during the past 4 days. I went to two very reputable fish stores in my area and they assured me that it was no problem to add the livestock that I have. The nitrite and ph are right on the money. Im just wondering if the slightly elevated ammonia and nitrate levels are ok? My livestock seems to be really thriving. No signs of major distress.
jenjen
New member
Just a guess, but it doesn't sound like the tank was cycled, and the ammonia is a result of the system not being able to process the waste from such a high bio-load.
Personally I would do daily water changes and monitor the ammonia very closely. You will likely want to have some ammonia guard on hand incase it gets out of control. If you can take the fish back to the LFS until your tank has cycled it would be a good idea.
Slow down, do lots of reading, and ask some questions before you add anything else to the tank.
Personally I would do daily water changes and monitor the ammonia very closely. You will likely want to have some ammonia guard on hand incase it gets out of control. If you can take the fish back to the LFS until your tank has cycled it would be a good idea.
Slow down, do lots of reading, and ask some questions before you add anything else to the tank.
nychris351
Member
The Local fish stores strike again!
Jonnybucko
New member
Before I added any fish, my levels were perfect? Isn't this what you wait for?
BigMike75
New member
That's what I was thinking too. Most online info with tell you that the minimum tank size for a Sailfin tang is 125 gallons, and parrot fish was 100 gallons. Not to harp on you I would take some fish back and start smaller.
I agree do lots of reading before you do much. Don't always trust your LFS...........
Jonnybucko
New member
All the other levels are perfect. Isn't it to be expected that the ammonia level goes up a little in the early stages?
Yes this is what you wait for..... However all of your levels should drastically rise then fall all by itself to 0..... This process usually takes 4-6 weeks... Some shorter some longer but this is average.... Like JenJen said... You don't have enough biological filtration to handle such a large bio load... Even in a well established tank you usually don't add that many fish at once.... Or even in the same week!!! Just try to take them back... Let the tank cycle... Then slowly add fish... After they have been quarantined of course.... Also like JenJen said do some serious reading.... Learn whatever you can .... Look around here on the new to hobby FAQ and stickys.....
Jonnybucko
New member
If I go buy more Live Rock, that has been cultured, will this help?
jenjen
New member
I would encourage you to:
1. return the fish
2. buy more rock
3. wait 4-6 weeks, watch for the cycle (rise then fall of ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate)
4. SLOWLY add one fish at a time, leave a week or two between new additions
You want to end up with about 1-1.5lbs of rock per gallon, so in your case 50-75lbs. The rock, even if it's cured will need to cycle before it's ready to handle a bio-load.
If you keep the fish, you MUST do water changes to keep ammonia in check - ammonia kills fish. Ammonia guard will help you neutralize the effects of ammonia, in the event that you cannot keep it in check with water changes.
Jonnybucko
New member
Does the ammonia guard work right away? Is it safe for the fish? Is that the best thing to do at this point?
I see some good advice. Hang in there and good luck. Soon enough, you will be out of this mess with much more experience and ready to jump in on this thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783397
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783397
jenjen
New member
It neutralizes the effect of ammonia, so your fish may not die. It does not increase the bacteria population. Yes it will work right away, but the best thing to do is return the fish. Once you have done this, you can safely introduce more rock, wait out a cycle, then re-introduce the fish slowly.
Should you decide to keep the fish you have, do frequent large water changes and also use ammonia guard when the ammonia gets too high. It's possible your fish won't die. You should cycle additional rock outside the tank, and not add ANY more livestock until you get what you have stabalized.
w16227
Premium Member
55 gal? As other have said - the fish are not appropriate for that size tank. As they grow - they will either get sick and die from the stress of an undesized tank - or kill each other from overcrowding in the tank.
The best thing to do is take the fish back to the irresponsible fish stores that said it was OK to add SIX fish to an uncycled tank. If they refuse to take them back - find someone local that can take them off of your hands. You may still choose to buy from these stores - but do your own research as they are OBVIOUSLY NOT GIVING YOU THE RIGHT INFORMATION.
Your only hope for them to survive in your tank will be constant daily water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrate levels down. Even after the tank cycles (which will take a long time as the water changes will slow this) - you will have water quality issues with that many large fish in a 55gal (especially as they grow).
Some LFS give good advice - but most do not take the time to look at all of the variables that can be in out tanks. They may miss some detail (or ignore it)- like the fact that the tank has only been set up for seven days. Even IF the tank is already established enough to not have a cycle (THIS IS EXTREMELY RARE)- you will not be able to tell in 7 days. You would need to be testing constantly (daily) for at least 2 weeks AFTER adding something that would break down in the system (like a raw shrimp)
If the LFS is telling you that you now need some chemical to help with ammonia ----- well----- why do you think you need to but more chemicals from them? --- they are not always concerned with the long term care as long as they can keep selling you things to limp a setup along.
At the top of the newcomer forum is a sticky link of a lot of great articles. READ THESE - especially the ones that cover the cycle.
Best piece of advice you will get here --
NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS QUICKLY IN A SALTWATER TANK
- so, if things seems to be going toooo fast (like adding six fish at once) well, it probably is.
ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS- even if you do not like the answers. This site as a ton of great members, many of which have maintained successful tanks for years. If you have a choice between listening to a LFS --- and the advice here, take here 1000%.
To help with answers - is is always useful to post (or add to your sig) your tank specifics. Tank size, water test results (and HOW you tested for them), filtration methods, lights, ect. The more information, the better.
A scooter is a dragonet: it eats live crustaceans that grow naturally in a mature, at least half-year old tank, and may require a fuge (planted tank) for additional support. A 55 is not big enough for any tang or parrotfish. Stick to true gobies, true blennies, fairy or flasher wrasses, maybe a onespot rabbit. Your bangai's are ok, but premature by about 3 weeks. Your fish store is not to be trusted. You should have 'fed' this tank until it developed quite a lot of ammonia, and gone on feeding it until the ammonia went away (processed by live rock) and you should have 55 to 75 lbs of holey live rock, or 55-75 lbs of live-dry rock combo---which takes up to 8 weeks to cycle.
Don't panic. What you did is totally irresponsible to the animals, but is perfectly reasonable in a sense of lab experiment - you overloaded the system with ammonia producers at a rate much faster that in can generate ammonia consumers. Basically, over-revved your cycle. Now you could watch and see if the ammonia consumption catches up or the fish dies, releasing more ammonia in a system, speeding up the decay and destruction. This is what people did many years ago when they did not understand nitrogen cycle. Many gave up after killing everything in three weeks, and the ones who went insane and stubbornly kept adding fish to a dead soup, were surprised how amazingly everything sprang to life after weeks of wipeout and destruction. This is a miracle of life, and we have tiny bacteria to thank for it.
The only difference, they did not know any better back then.
The only difference, they did not know any better back then.
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