New And In Trouble

[Ironman]

hello, Sorry to hear about your losses. Unfortunatly what happened to you happens to 75% of new hobbiest. Its is a very good way to learn. First thing to do is buy a book on the basics of a saltwater or reef aquarium. then you should buy a master test kit or at least purchase a Ph, ammonia, nitrate. you also need to get a hydrometer. this will tell you what the salt content is in the water so you dont have another problem like this. If and when you buy more corals start with soft corals. they are usually less expensive and more forgiving. things like leathers, zooanthids, zenia. Once you get used to the proper care and maintenance you can pull things out to make room for more difficult corals to keep. the corals they put in the tank for you are pretty corals but they are all LPS corals which are not forgiving and really need a well established tank. If they are maintaining the tank for you regularly it is possible to keep nicer stuff starting out but when things like this happen they should be at your door the minute something isnt right, thats what your paying them for. If they know what they are doing they should be able to see the problem and fix it before to much is lost.
Anyway, most important buy a book! read it cover to cover. there are so many things we just cant tell you on a forrum, and its easier to apply what youve read. keep us informed and were here for you!

[james]

Again , Thanks all for your input and advise , will advise progress.

Thanks ,
James and Dita

[jhnrb]

If you added saltwater for makeup, your salinity went too high as you now know. Without test kits you have no way of knowing what is going on in your system. You can rely on the person who installed it for you initially and as you gain experiance you will be able to take over the maintenance portion of the system. It is a very nice system and looked very good. We all make mistakes and that is how we learn sometimes. Do not get discouraged. Be patient, deal with the problem, and enjoy your system. Keep us posted on how you are progressing. If the filtration is adequate and you do not overfeed once a month should be ok for maintenance, however, if your bio load is to much for the system, then more frequent maintenance is needed. The only way to determine this is by testing the water parameters. So for now follow the advice of the service person, ask questions, and compare notes with others, such as here. Good luck and keep us posted. let us know if we can be of any further help. // oh and by the way if you need to cool your system you can float ice cubes in a freezer bag/zip lock/ use distilled water or RO water incase there is a leak. Makeup water is just that to add fresh RO or distilled water to the system slowly to compensate for evaporation. Fresh saltwater is for water changes when you take water out you replace it with fresh salt water. Always top off the system to the desired level with fresh water as noted for makeup and let mix well before doing a water change, that way your salinity will stay in an acceptable range. Hope this helps.

[JellyMan]

Ok one question well make that two actually, where did you get your wife and where can I get one of those. Being new in it I would recomend the book Saltwater aquariums for dummies very good beginners book (have one myself that I still look over and Ive been doin it for three years) there are so many things that could have caused your crash Im sorry for your losses, if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask.

[james]

Hi Jelly Man.
Where did I get my wife and where did I get the aquarium?
Yeah, she’s pretty Cool, my wife’s from Java, we live in Jakarta Indonesia. ( she’ll get a kick when she reads your comment) The aquariums are on display at Ace Hardware and larger Upmarket Department stores here , they come in various shapes and sizes. There is no manufacturers name that I can easily see.The company my wife bought the aquarium from is called C-Fish , have googled it to no avail. Beeferwine informed us that it’s a Nano Cube type tank ? Got a lot to learn !!

As delivered and set up the aquarium was (still is) a thing of beauty and wonder . The tank itself is very well made with curved glass corners and lighting and filtration systems built in to the moulded plastic hood . Almost noiseless operation.

Am going to Australia next week and will hit the Aquarium suppliers for your book and a good hydrometer . Apart from Test Kit , Hydrometer and a reference book is there anything else I should get?.

Havn't had anything die since last week. The one we call “ Pencil Fish “ is pretty shabby at the moment .Have added as much fresh water as we can but the salt levels might still be high. The lady from the Supplier is coming to our home this week to check out the aquarium. We have asked her to supply a Test Kit .

My wife has also asked to have the Damsel and the Balon removed as they are bullying the other fish . As previously mentioned nothing new will go in till we get things sorted.

Again , thanks to all.

Regards,
James and Dita.

[JellyMan]

Yeah I dont blame you for the removals there good about bullying, Im glad you have had no more die off what are you currently left with?

P.S. hang onto the wife any woman that will do that for a man is a keeper in my book I have a hard enough time to get my wife to hardly buy me a fish let alone a fully stocked beautiful aquarium.

[yote]

James,you might want to look at refractometer over the hydrometer. I just bought one myself after the swing arm fell out of my hydrometer . more accurate and easier to use IMO.

[james]

Thanks Guy’s,
Refractometer? Better Google that one too !!
Really need that Test Kit etc .Have since learnt there are many unscrupulous operators in Indonesia where Reef fish and corals are abundant. I need to get up to speed ASAP.

We have someone who will look after the aquarium while we’re gone . Now that's a friend!

James and Dita.

[Bifferwine]

If you have the time while you are in Australia, just spend some time in a fish store for a while (until they kick you out!). Check out the products on their shelves and read what they're for, check out their tank set-ups, ask questions of the employees... You'll learn a lot just from listening to them talk to other customers. Have a good trip, let us know what you pick up.

[JellyMan]

Hi James, good that you found a tank sitter I know that there is alot to process in this perticular hobby, your not going to get there overnite as biff suggested, local fish stores talk to people there, watch programs on channels such as animal planet, discovery, etc, and read read read aquire all the info you can and in no time youll be up to speed hope this helps.