advice, for a 15G.

[vt_snowman87]

need some advice, currently have a 15G tank with coral sand, rockworks, and 2 cleaner shrimp.. has an external filter which it goes through floss, carbon, coral pieces.. a small fan for maintaining the temp at 27-28 degree celsius.

it's 2 weeks old now, waiting for the water to become more stable as all fishes that i tried to add in seemed to be gasping for air and lies down.. don't dare to add anymore fish..

what other equipment is necessary? is protein skimmer necessary? (for such a small tank) is live rocks necessary?

looking at a fish-only tank, not considering reefs..

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/vt_snowman87/Image009.jpg

[Reefscape]

a protien skimmer is not neccesary for a tank such as yours...weekely water changes is your tool there..

what is the filter model? just asking to ensure it id adequate for the tank size..

Live rock is not neccesary if its just a fish only, however, it is always going to give you benifit having it in the tank as it will provide that extra bit of filtration, provide areas for fish to hide and sleep and give the fish some territory..

Hope that helps

Niko

[vt_snowman87]

my filter is just a powerhead to suck the water up onto an external box hand-built to contain those things.. den it is allowed to flow back into the tank, a top down concept..

den what's the reason for my fishes dying? i was guessing excessive ammonia since its new.. haven't tested my water for anything other than pH.. kits are too costly.. will test it as soon as i can..

[Reefscape]

ammonia posioning is a very common cause of fish dying when introduced in to an aquarium that is either cycling or not been cycled..I know we all cant afford to buy somethings, but, you really do need to be test for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate...pH aside, them other three test kits will tell you how the tank is running, what stage you are at with your cycle...

[vt_snowman87]

icic.. that's very good advice atnixon, thanks, i'll try to get it up asap..

how long do i need to let it cycle? as a rough guide? till algaes start showing? algaes reduce the amt of ammonia inside the tank isn't it?

[Reefscape]

the cycle in the marine tank varies in length..it is all dependant on the ammount of ammonia available in the system, the cureness of the live rock if you have it in there...sometimes it can take a week, others up to 6 weeks.....

Algae will not feed off ammonia, ammonis will feed of nitrates and phosphates..

Niko

[vt_snowman87]

if there's excess ammonia, what counter measures can i take?

[Reefscape]

this agian, depend in the cycle..If the cycle has started, there is noting to worry about. As the ammonia content rises and gets to a peak, nitrite bacteria will then start to grow and colonise and this will, in turn, convert the ammonia in nitrites. This conversion will bring the ammonia back down to zero. Incidently, as the nitrites convert the ammonia and the nitrites rise up to a peak, nitrates will then start to be produced. This agian, has a similar effect as before..The nitrates will convert the nitrates which will bring the nitrites down to zero as the nitrate content rises to a peak... ( at this point now, your ammonia and nitrites will be zero )...Nitrates will then start to fall down to a low level, about 5 - 10 ppm and when the tank gets to this point, the tank is effectivly cycled and should be monitored for a week to ensure all levels remain this way.....

If the cycle "has" already completed and you are experiencing high levels of ammonia, there are a few additives that can be purchased if the levels cannot be brought down via water changes...

Niko

[vt_snowman87]

point noted, thanks so much niko! much appreciated! =)

[missc4]

Water changes will slow down the cycle.I would leave the tank alone and get a test kit.When the tank cycles the ammonia will go to 0 on it's own.
A good test kit is a must,,it can tell you when the cycle is complete and warn you of problems before they get to the level of killing fish,if you test regularly

[Reefscape]

point noted, thanks so much niko! much appreciated! =)

Anytime mate, just shout up with any questions or anything you dont understand...What Missc4 has said is also a very valid point to note..Kudos...

Niko

[missc4]

Thanks Niko..It feels good to be able to give some advice,it shows me that I have learnt something..lol.And still learning.I research every day just so that I don't mess up and if I do then I know what to do to fix the problem