Saltwater Help/Opinions

[greech]

If you haven't tested your tank again you probably should. The smell may be due to the type of rock you are using or because the solid rock isn't going to be able to keep up with 1 fish and feeding. Are you running carbon in the filter and do you use and filter floss/pad in the filter?

Can you take a close up pic of the rock you are using?

 

[lMorphine]

I added more porous LR and nothing, and im using a filter pad and yes Im running carbon - its a Bio, Chemical and Mechanical filter.

 

[authmal]

I'll be the first to say that I'm not very knowledgeable about saltwater, much more comfortable with my knowledge in fresh. Something sounds off, and the suggestion to check your HOB? A good one. You may have identifiable chunks of dead critter in there, because it really sounds like you have something dead, somewhere. So, check it. The worst that happens is that you spend 10 minutes looking at the thing, and find nothing wrong. The best thing you can do to help resolve your issue? Post pictures. Otherwise, the pros'll just keep flailing around in the dark, because verbal descriptions are rarely as good as a picture.

 

[lMorphine]

Here are some pics - actually alot of them. I took a bunch because I need this solved lol.
Sorry for the size/amount/quality

 

[vera222]

I honestly can't tell anything from those pics, except for the salt creep, which I already gave you my opinion on that. What exactly does it smell like? Can you describe it at all? Rotten eggs? Also, I'm not too familiar with chocolate chip starfish, but i'm pretty certain all starfish need well established tanks with lots of live rock in order to survive. Or at least well established tanks, and preferably bigger than 10 gallons. It's just not fair to stuff them in a brand new 'clean' tiny tank, and expect them to be okay. Chances are, it's not going to survive. You really have to research these animals before purchasing them, and not listen to a sales person. They obviously don't care, and know if the animal dies, you will just be back to buy more...

 

[lMorphine]

It smells like fish, dirty nasty dead fish. And He's in an established tank. I put him in 2 weeks after I added the damsel, 3 ghost shrimp (now 2), and 3 zebra crabs, and he's been alive probably for 2-3 weeks now, and I have 10lbs of LR in the tank.

 

[vera222]

No, by established tank I mean mature tank - a tank which has been up and running for a minimum of 6 months, if not a year. Balanced, with lots of life and natural food for the inhabitants. Your tank is brand new. If it smells like dirty, dead fish, you have something rotting somewhere in there. I don't know what else would cause such a foul smell, unless something in there is stressed and possibly secreting something smelly?? I'm just trying to figure out what could smell so bad.

 

[lMorphine]

Honestly I have accounted for everything put in that tank except one ghost shrimp that died that I skimmed out over a week ago. I mean the rock doesnt smell, nothings dead, the filter is fine, unless its the salt that accumulates on the outside of the tank and on the floor? Could that cause an unbearable smell?

 

[greech]

That's a lot of salt creep for sure. Can you slow the filter down or lower it so the output is closer to the water line? When I started my tank with a AC filter I had a little slat creep around the filter but nothing like that.

I looks like you have a mix of texas holy rock and at least one piece of more porous rock (1st pic). I would work on getting some more rock in there or replacing the holy rock with more rock like you have in the 1st pic. Here is a good reference to get an idea of what kind of rock to look out for (live or dry)...

http://www.marcorocks.com/

Are you running carbon in the HOB?

 

[lMorphine]

I have more in the other side of the tank. Im running carbon in the filter yes. Also that salt creep isnt by the filter, thats just on the one side of the tank. On the filter, I need a knife to scrape off the dried salt, and the output is already on the lowest.

Its an AC 50 with Biomax - So it has activated carbon, filter pad, and biomax.