My stuff is dying...
- Thread starter Jritter02
- Start date
KAMIKAZE0214
New member
It should be pretty easy to fabricate a screen for the top of your tank.
boxfishpooalot
Active member
Something is wrong. What do you use to test alkalinity and salinity? It's not the fish load that's killing fish if you have proper filtration. It's either wrong or errored testing or you added something to the tank bad. Like a cement rock, or a piece of metal with copper or zinc. Either way what did you change last? Can you get your water tested at the lfs?.
Either way start doing water changes provided you have a good measurment device. Do you use a Refractometer?
Either way start doing water changes provided you have a good measurment device. Do you use a Refractometer?
boxfishpooalot
Active member
Also what is the temperature?
I read something one time many years ago. You should have to take a test before your allowed to have a SW/Reef tank. Too many mistakes to count, all the above pretty much covered it. Sorry, but it had to be said. I made plenty of mistakes, but I've been doing this since '91 and believe me things/technology has changed a lot.
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What mistakes you talking about? Putting the tangs in a take this size? My tank is 80 degrees. Salinity is 1.026. All other parameter are 0 or very close to it. Nitrates are 5-10. For salinity all I have is the plastic gauge w the needle. No need to put me down. You said yourself that you made alot of mistakes. As crappy as it is, that's how you learn. Only mistake I feel I have made so far is getting fish and not having a big enough tank. But I never knew that they needed a tank that big cause like i said the LFS has several in one small tank. Even thier tanks they sell corals out of, they have tangs in them as well and they are only 55g.
boxfishpooalot
Active member
How much chemicals and what kind? I once put a very small piece of cement and all my fish died.
Just keep plugging along, sounds like you are on the right track with parameters. You are doing way better than I did on my first tank. Just keep reading and learning and don't get discouraged.
boxfishpooalot
Active member
I wouldn't add trace elements. Wha is your alkalinity? And temperature? What's the coral dip called?
Spyderturbo007
New member
300ppm is 16.8dKh. Either your test kit is incorrect, or you've been adding pH buffers, because I don't know of any salt mix that is even close to being that high in Alkalinity.
As others have said, you should really give away the tangs so they can have a better home. I suspect your fish are jumping because of the stress of being in such a small tank.
There is no need to dose trace elements, especially with just a few zoanthids. You also never want to dose anything that you aren't testing. For now, I would re-home the tangs and take a step back from things and collect your thoughts.
As others have said, you should really give away the tangs so they can have a better home. I suspect your fish are jumping because of the stress of being in such a small tank.
There is no need to dose trace elements, especially with just a few zoanthids. You also never want to dose anything that you aren't testing. For now, I would re-home the tangs and take a step back from things and collect your thoughts.
boxfishpooalot
Active member
Trace elements are not necessary for just zoanthids. I'm sure your fish loss was due to high alkalinity. When you do a water change you mix water and add salt that's mixed to 1.026, don't just add water only. There's an article by randy Holmes Farley about alkalinity and ph. U should read that.
I know to add salt when I do a water change. I've never once done a water change without matching the salinity to what's in the tank. Or getting as close to it as I can. What can cause alkalinity to be off I that's what it is? PH is right at 8.2-8.4 and always is. Do clowns like playing in current flow? I figured out that he jumped into the chamber with the return pump that pumps back into the tank. I know this because there was a little piece of him in the outlet that flows back into the tank. :/. I made a plastic cover that covers the top of the tank so now nothing can jump out.
maddmaxx
New member
regular water changes replenish your trace elements. you only really need to dose these if your way past packed on SPS colonies. until then. stop dosing the trace elements. theres a sayin in this hobby. " only dose what you can test for"..so keep that in mind. since you have corals. you should want your water in the main display and in your water change water to be 1.025-1.026 every time.
and something is def causing your ALK to be insanely high like that.
