New Tank Owners from Bear

[Our First Tank]

I did a water test last night with one of those 5 in one strip kits and my nitrites are not ideal. I could kick myself because I left the numbers at home in my "Aquarium notebook" and I wanted to give an update. The color on the nitrite square was the second from the right (or left...it was pink) so I know it is spiking, and I read that when Nitrites are high ammonia is present. I am stopping and getting that ACE ammonia reducer tonight after work. They sell it at Petsmart which is probably cheaper then Just Fish. Does this stuff work?

MTM, Thanks for the compliment. I got one of those "no offence, but you're a moron" type statements from the new to hobby forum, so I wrote in caps back saying that was why I was in a new to hobby forum.....DUH!! I may have been yelling, but I was there to learn And Shawn you have been a great help also.

Thank you everyone for helping us!! I will have more questions I am sure.

 

[Our First Tank]

I forgot to mention that my other half picked up another yellowtail damsel, tomato clown (with a lucky fin), and a hermit crab. Oye vey!!!!

I keep telling him to stop but he is being cute about the whole thing!!! We will however return the damsels when this cycling mess we got into is over. I promise!

 

[bloopbloop]

Good luck in catching the damsels! They are fast and darty!

I am going to "catch" mine within the next few days. The plan: Use a partition that I currently have to reduce the area of the enemy in question, remove the rock in said area, glare at the aggressor threateningly, scoop with net. $$$ (Video camera anyone?)

Btw... It is a yellow-tailed damsel, usually listed as semi-aggressive. I've had four over the past five years or so and they have all turned out to be aggressive, regardless of add order.

Anyone who calls you a moron when you are asking for help is not worth your time. Like anywhere in life, there are those who love nothing more than to bash others due to their own insecurities. I am sorry to hear that you had that negative response in a learning forum.

On the subject of ammonia: Advice was given to me when I first started in this hobby... "Don't overstock, don't overfeed, don't use 'magical fix additives, natural or man made' to ~fix~ your tank." Of course, I listened, but only heeded to some degree. We learn from our mistakes, but we have to remember that we are dealing with living things.

I know there are 'insta cycling' products and 'ammonia fix products', but I would steer clear until you've had a chance to ask here first. IMO the best way to cycle is to set up, test repeatedly, and wait. Yes, I know, we all want it NOW!

Best wishes with your tank, welcome to the forums and to the hobby!

P.S. There are good fixes to issues, but there are also "devastating" fixes. The people of DRC have been very reliable as well as patient in regard to advice I have sought.

 

[Our First Tank]

He never said moron, but made a comment which seems like he was biting his tongue.

So i'm guessing say no to the ammonia fixers? The reading was not on the"terrible" side....but potentially it could get there.

Have I mentioned how happy I was to find this site?

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7021409#post7021409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Our First Tank
The color on the nitrite square was the second from the right (or left...it was pink) so I know it is spiking, and I read that when Nitrites are high ammonia is present. I am stopping and getting that ACE ammonia reducer tonight after work. They sell it at Petsmart which is probably cheaper then Just Fish. Does this stuff work?

the whole purpose of the nitrogen cycle is to allow the ammonia to rise, when it rises it is a food source for bacteria that eats ammonia and converts it in to nitrites, so then the ammonia will start to fall and nitrites will start to rise, creating a food source for bacteria that eats nitrites and converts them into nitrates. if you use a product that removes ether ammonia or nitrites before the bacteria can grow and start to convert it you will never cycle your tank. thats why people are telling you to return the fish, because these things are toxic and can/will kill the fish. please take some of the advice that you are getting here, other wise you will be killing fish, having a real mess on your hands and selling your tank in 6 months.

 

[Our First Tank]

That totally answered every question I had about the cycling process!

So the ammonia reducer is a no go....got it. I am still getting more filter pads (which are on sale) and food pellets which I learned cause less of a mess in my tank and can be more nutritious for the fish. What kind should I get? Also, should I get another testing kit besides that 5 strip one? What is a good ammonia kit?

 

[Our First Tank]

And what do Nitrates do for the tank?

 

[mbbuna]

you should have a hydrometer to test your salt level, you will see people refer to salt level as SG= specific gravity(you want that between 1.023SG and 1.025SG)for a fish only tank you can have it as low as 1.018SG but don't make any changes fast, no more then.01 up or down per day.

you will need a PH test kit, a PH anywhere between 7.8 and 8.5 is safe but you want to try to keep it around 8.2, you also don't want to make adjustments to your ph that will raise or lower it more then.2 in one day. your PH will move around alot in one day depending on whether your lights are on or off and for alot of other reasons so its good to pic a time of day to test for it and test at this same time every day.

you will need an Ammonia test kit, you want it to read 0, you never want to see Ammonia in the tank.

you will need a Nitrite test kit, again it should read 0.

and a Nitrate test kit will be useful. for a fish only tank you can have higher nitrate levels but you really want then as low as you can get then. the lower the Nitrates the less chance of a nasty hair algae out break. after your cycle is complete(its going to take a while with all those fish in there, that's why you really should remove them,along with that they may die) you will control Nitrates with water changes

for good test kits it can get expensive. i will list some from good to not as good.

Salifert(IMO you dont need these), Seachem,Red Sea. try to stay away from the test strips. there not very accurate.

try to stay away from magic potions, there just band-aids, if you set up the tank right it will just about take care of it's self

 

[Our First Tank]

We have our salt at a steady 1.021. Our PH is at 8.2 and doesn't really change. The past tests at the store have always been there, and last night it was the same. We keep our lights on the tank for the suggested 10-12 hours a day.

I really wish I brought my aquarium notebook to work so I can give exact numbers, but I forgot it (busy morning).

 

[logans_daddy]

i agree 100% with chris and bloopbloop...there are no quick fixes exactly because of the reasons outlined by chris. however....and i might take some heat for this....there is a product called stresszyme. unlike the other products you are referring to, this doesnt attack any individual parts of a nitrogen cycle...rather it directly adds beneficial bacteria to your tank. i bought some after carelessly removing all my filter media at once when changing over from a wet/dry to a sump/fuge and spiking my nitrates. if i recall correctly, it cut my nitrates down drasticallly in a little over a day with water changes. if your not going to take back the fish....and more importantly....stop buying fish like everyone has advised then maybe this will give them a sporting chance.

btw....i have the exact same test strips(Jungle quick dips) and the second color from the right is 160ppm. even in a fish only tank those are potentially lethal levels if you dont act quickly.

shawn:bum:

 

[Our First Tank]

I know it was light light pink.....and maybe I am thinking nitrite and not nitrates. I wish I had my Book!!! And no, we are not returning the fish (gulp!)

 

[bloopbloop]

"however....and i might take some heat for this....there is a product called stresszyme"

No heat from me! I see no harm with adding bacteria with a reliable product. I try to err on the side of caution when dosing any product though.

I was just saying beware of any quick advice from sources that are (maybe this will clarify): selling a product and/or claim to know everything there is to know about any given tank (because each tank varies in what works and what doesn't). That statement is not directed at any person or store in particular.

On the topic of stores... there is good and bad with everything.

Local Stores - conveniently close, good for emergency dry goods replenishment. live stock - research livestock before buying; not only what it needs (lighting, salinity feeding, compatibility, etc.), but how you 'may' tell if a being is ill, how ill, what type(s) of illness it could be, and chances of recovery. Nothing is foolproof.

Online Ordering - subject to shipping prices/policies (ask DRC members for experiences/reccommendations). may or may not live up to guarantees. Some say to stick with the 'what you see is what you get' merchants. I've had nothing but luck with that one, so far. Convenience is a plus with online oredering, yet if you are buying livestock it is important to be ready to receive as soon as it arrives to your door.

Regional stores - There are some fabulous, reputable, and dependable stores in our region (many threads in the DRC forums have info.) The drive is not convenient, yet the time and distance are commonly worth a nice day trip on a weekend, in my experience.

Every merchant has lulls in merchandise; especially livestock, as it is subject to so many factors (disease before they got it, shipping, availability... to name a few). If you see constantly diseased livestock over a period of months, if you consistently get advice that doesn't work, or if they try to tell/sell you (You HAVE to have THIS... You MUST have THAT in the way of product) be cautious and concerned! Every creature needs some specific things as each tank does, but when they begin to make your head swim, there may be something amiss.

P.S. Keep reading the forums for later livestock sources. People sell/give away things from their own tanks.

Like MadTownMax, I highly recommend wetwebmedia.com for information. The solutions may not always work, yet they will not steer you wrong from what I've seen.

 

[greeneyedblackcat]

Hey Joie (AKA Bloopbloop) if you need help catching that damsel just LMK, I will bring my fishing pole and hook over.

 

[bloopbloop]

Dude, you and T are soo Saltwater Pond Anglers! $$

 

[Our First Tank]

Last night we picked up filter pads (pack of 3), an ammonia test kit, that stresszyme stuff, and floating pellets (all from petsmart which came to 30 bucks...which I did not think was bad).

I tested the ammonia levels before I put the stresszyme in, and it was btwn .75 and 1. So i added only 10 ML of the stresszyme in. The bottle suggested more, but since I didn't want to totally kill all cycles in there I put in less then the recommended amounts. This morning when I tested again it read .25 which is not ideal but better then last night. Nitrites before I added stesszyme was still that second pad (light pink)...and everything else was stable.

Just an update on what has been happening. I will test the water again tonight and post up findings tomorrow.

 

[bloopbloop]

Not a bad price IMO. Thank you for the update!

 

[wds21921]

OFT- the best advice given on here was about the fast cures etc.

One of the biggest failures in the hobby previously, and maybe still to date, has been the fact that many people still equate freshwater tanks and saltwater tanks similarly, somewhat.

Patience and good practice go a long way in the saltwater hobby.

Patience speaks for itelf, any changes made should be slow and carefully applied and researched beforehand, especially and including the addition of animals.

Practice means basically water changes, water chemistry, filtration, lights and the like. To be succesful with your new hobby you want to make sure you do things at least semi-consistantly. The maintanence part is critical, don't lose sight over time.

The most important factor of course, is water changes. The old addage 'junk in equals junk out' is even more applicable in this hobby than many are led to believe.
It's not uncommon to have a few hobbyists who will use regular tap water and do fine with it, to a point.
To have real quantitive success though, the quality of the water that goes into your tank is of the utmost importance. You'll understand this better as time goes on and you pick up more information.

Over the next several years you'll learn and earn the basic knowledge of bio-chemistry faster than you'd ever though possible lol. This is an inherent side benefit of the hobby.

All the "good" advice you need will be found on here through DRC club members as well as people who also post on the forum.
Taking LFS advice with a grain of salt is a good practice to keep in mind!!!

Collectively you'll find almost any and all answers in this forum which will guide you safely through the building process of creating and enjoying the hobby and at the same time, stearing you clear of questionable advice and products. The club alone can and will save you hundreds of dollars over a year or two easily.

As you've already discovered, many on here specialize or direct there skills towards specific species or skills that they're either very good at or have developed into a true talent, in there quest for success. Add to it, the fact that everyone is happy to share there knowledge and experiences which you can learn from and you've got the mix for VERY good results in the hobby.

Welcome to the saltwater hobby and as you'll see, the payoff is much more intensly rewarding than the investment.

 

[Our First Tank]

We invested in a protein skimmer this weekend (coral life 65g), but we have a microbubble problem (mbbuna I sent you a PM). All water levels are the same, and nothing died.......

And....clapton shedded his shell, and is now sporting his new home.

 

[MadTownMax]

Did you get the needlewheel version? - If so, nice work, it's supposedly a very nice skimmer for a good price.

A lot of people have problems with microbubbles with that skimmer - and there are a few modifications that are common to stop the problem.

Here's the funny thing - first, wait a few days . The inside of the skimmer will get covered with a very thin layer of bacteria (just like everything else) and this will eliminate about 90% of the bubbles.

If the bubbles are still present after that - you can try some common modifications - such as cutting the return pipe so that it is just slightly lower than your water level, and then turning it so that it is on an angle - so the returning water is open to air (you want to avoid having this submerged to avoid flooding your collection cup)

Do give it at least a week to get some slime built-up inside of it before taking it to the saw :thumbsup:

If you got it from Just Fish, you overpaid a little (I think their price was $150 and you can get it for $80-$90 online), but that is still cheaper than most skimmers

 

[Our First Tank]

Yes, we priced it all over actually, but we could not get out of DE to go pick it up anywhere else but just fish. We were under time restraint It was 142 exactly and yes we are fully aware we over paid. It is the needlewheel version.

The thing is, after playing with the different valves we had microbubbles, but we could not just isolate them to the skimmer , like we were supposed to, without them producing wayyyyy to many in the tank. So we just left it alone....as suggested. Supposedly we wait 72 hours and then turn the thing on full power.