HELP!!!

R

ReneeC

AC Members
Mar 19, 2007
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New Mexico
Hey guys I started a new salt water tank a little over a week ago and I'm having some problems. Let me first give u my set up then ask my questions.

Its a 55 gallon tank, I have 40 lbs. crushed coral and 20 lbs. live sand. I also have about 7 or 8 lbs. live rock. I have a prizm protein skimmer that is good for up to 100 gal. and the filter that came with the tank. MY temp is at a steady 78. I have the special lighting.

I think i did all the set up right but for some reason my tank has gotten cloudy 3 times this last week. And i have lost several fish already. All but 1 actually. After i did all the set up and the tank cleared out I went and got a couple of fish. They died the next day. So i went and had my water tesed and everything was good. SO i got a couple more. All but 1 died. I tested my water again and the nitrates were up just a little. The pet shop said it was nothing serious and to go ahead and get a couple more so I did and all teh new one died. I only have 1 fish in there now(a blue damsel). And i am at a complete loss. I don't know how or why it keeps getting cloudy and how to fix it. Should i do a water change or should i be cleaning the tank already? How do i get all my levels down? ANy help would be great!!!:help:

Thanks,
Renee
 
You say you started it last week. Is that started setting up the tank, adding, water, sand etc or last week was allowing for cycling to finish and you started adding fish. How long did you let it cycle?
 
I set up at and let it run for a day. The store that i bought most of my stuff from said that with the live sand I would be able to buy a couple of fish as soon as the water wasn't cloudy anymore. Which is usually only a day they told me. Should i have let it cycle longer?

Renee
 
Hi there, and welcome to the world of saltwater...

Ok, after reviewing your post, its best if i make a few observation...

1) you "ideally" need 1 - 1.5lbs of Live rock per gallon of water..
2) Crushed coral as a substrate is not a very good option as it traps food, holds onto detrius and generates nitrates....not good..
3) Prizm skimmer..this is from personal experience here, not up to the job i am aftraid. They are a very poor product..sorry to have to tell you that one.
4) Your tank needs to go through the nitrogen cycle before you can start to stock it with fish. That is probably one of the main reasons why the fish have died. That can be put down to ammonia poisoning.
5) Take back the existing fish and get a refund or get the store to give you some store credit...and never go back there again as they obviously no nothing about setting up a marine tank and just want to make money out of you which is really unfair on you.
6) do 75% water change which will hopefully get the water cloudyness down and wash out the filter media in some fresh saltwater and not tank water..

here is a few links to start with which will give you a little understanding with marine systems..

Saltwater Cycle

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84572

Crushed Coral

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84113

Cycling Methods and procedures

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91273


Have a good read through them articles. They are all written by members on here. Very informative and explain the marine systems very well...

You do need to start off right in the beginning, else you will be fighting a no-win situation and it could end up costing you a lot of wasted money..The last thing i want to see is someone spend lots of money trying to get in the hobby, and then give up because it has not worked due to miss-information...

We are all here to help you in anyway we can, each step of the way. There is a wealth of information between all of us here.

I know this post might not come across as what you may of wanted to hear, but, its best to lay the cards on the table so you know wher you stand and what needs to be done to get your marine system up and running properly so you can then start to enjoy the benefits of having a beauty of a tank to watch and something to be proud to show your friends and they can then be amazed by it...

So, have a read, and post back ANY questions at all..The only stupid and dumb questions are the ones that people DONT ask....

Niko
 
Yeah i have all my own test kits because i went to a few differnet places to get the water tested and they all came up with something different. ONe place said That my water was perfect and one placew said that all the stuff was to high.
 
if you have a read through what i posted above, especially the links, it will give you an indication that really, you should not be getting perfect water as the nitrogen cycle will be trying to start...

Niko
 
anytime Renee...like i said, we are here to help in any way we can...you may not like the answer to the question, but we dont want you to spend money if you dont need too and hopefully, stop anything from going wrong..

Niko
 
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