I'm an idiot...

OgreMkV

OgreMkV

Father of Earth's Next Emperor
Apr 26, 2007
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Port Arthur, TX
ogremkv.wordpress.com
and I don't know what the #&^) I'm doing. All my cool mobile inverts are now dead. Except for the three mantis shrimp. I'm not sure how much longer the gongorian will last. The tank is covered in bristle worms, bristle stars, gorilla crabs and parasitic isopods.

I'm really depressed and the tank isn't helping. I've some stuff coming that hopefully well help me out. No chemicals... talking traps, heavy duty gloves, tongs, etc.

Heck, at this point, I can't tell a live thing from a dead thing. I thought sure my sea urchin was dead as he was at the water line. I pushed him off so I could do a water change and he started right back up the glass.

Something's dead in the tank and I can't find it. I'm barely keeping the ammonia under 1ppm and I'm having to go buy extra saltwater to make water changes.

sigh...
 
Keep in mind that SW is much harder then FW and everyone knows how hard FW was to start and have look good from the start. The advantage you have is tons of forums to research. Once the tank is doing well you'll have a greater appreciation for what you've accomplished.

Is it possible the mantis shrimp are doing the killing? I've read they even eat corals. Maybe once they are gone the tank will do much better.
 
Hang in there man!
The most important thing in this hobby is patience..
It's a new tank, with uncured LR.. I know tampa bay is amazing rock, but it is from the ocean...not an established tank, so you have to expect some changes in it..things will die... but what you will be left with, is alot more than most start with..
the tank will mature, and become more stable...with TIME!
Your cycle is not complete, and you have life in it...this means everything will be very touchy..
Richard has a method that is a bit different that most of us use to cycle an aquarium, and it is more risky (life wise) but on the up side...you have life in your tank, as most of us dont get to that point for a couple months...
Just keep up the water changes, and hope for the best...dont fret the small things..the were freebies anyway ( i know that doesnt sound nice, when were talking about living things, but no one can keep from having some die off!)... anything that dies, will decay and give off ammonia...just do some water changes and move on!
I wouldnt rush out and buy everything known to man to try to stop what is occuring naturally...just buy (if you dont have one) an inexpensive RO unit, and keep alot of water for changes on hand, and do them frequently to salvage as much as possible.
If you see something starting to rot...take it out...other than that...just let nature take its course, and try to keep the ammonia below 1 ppm... if you cant keep it below 1..expect a bit more die off...but rest assured..the tank will cycle regardless..
Im new to this too, and i have had my LR in for around a week...all i did was monitor the levels, and stand back and watch... some things died..some are now taking off nicely... If you let this hobby become a burden, it wil only defeat the purpose, and running around trying to controll every perameter in your tank right from the start will burn you out, and make you insane..lol
Relax, Enjoy, and Do water changes when they need done!
Goodluck!
 
Sorry to read about your troubles man... :(

Hang in there, hopefully it will turn the corner for you.
 
Luckily for you, you wont need a skimmer for a month or better...
i have $600.00 in mine, and have had my tank up for 2 weeks and still dont have mine hooked up...(and it came in cracked as well..so i feel your pain)
 
wow sorry man...I dont envy you one bit...
sounds like you are going to have your work cut out for a bit. But hey think of it all as a learning curve. We all know that fishkeeping isnt always the easiest thing.

You'll get there in the end
 
Do EVERYONE a favor ... document in here


  1. what you have had happen
  2. What you have tried
  3. what has worked
  4. what has failed
I hate it for you - wish it was better

but at least comment on what you have and are learning

apparently; there are things that you have done which could be planned better or adjusted to work easier

Good Luck!
 
Did you just start?? Is this from uncured LR??
 
It's uncured live rock... straight from the Gulf of Mexico. It looks awesome.

A few things...

1) even if you have a small tank, get the biggest (most gallons per day) RO unit you can afford.

2) even if you have a small tank, get the big bucket of salt

3) I should have examined the rock more closely for unwanted things.
 
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