This is my 180 gallon tank that I bought a month or so ago. The tank came with water/sand around 75lbs live rock, sump that has a protein skimmer in first chamber fuge in second and the pump in the last. I have added 2 tomato clowns, 2 regular clows, 1 fox face, 10 big snails, 10 small snails,20 hermit crabs, 1 sand sifter star, 1 choclate chip star, 1 sand sifter star, 1 brittle star, 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 sally crabs(maybe) 1 big star fish that is green, 1 decorator crab, 1 anenome, and another 120lbs of live rock, 2 1400 gph power heads. I had a Niger Triger in there but he croaked and some thing ate most of him before I dug him out. My goal is to have a reef tank and the next big purchase is lighting. I am having a canopy made now so lighting will be the next step.
180 gallon so far
- Thread starter youtoo54
- Start date
ErinCahir
Sausage Wrangler
If you want a reef tank you're going to need to get rid of the chocolate chip star, they are not reef safe.
Is the big green star fish also a brittle star?
Is the big green star fish also a brittle star?
little_fish
Reef pro
OMG! SLOW DOWN!
And if you dont have good lighting you need to return the nem ASAP before he dies and nukes the whole tank. They require more lighting than any other coral, plus pristine water conditions that i assure you a tank you just got and filled with fish that fast is not going to have. And it looks extremely unhealthy that white, they should be at least kinda brown. A bleached nem is a sick nem.
The chocolate chip and the sally lightfoot crabs are not reef safe. The star will eat your corals and other inverts, and the crab will go after your fish.
Also that green brittle star will go after your fish when its gets big enough.
Did you let the tank recycle after you moved it? Often moving a tank will cause a cycle and you added a lot of fish really fast. You should only add one fish every 3 weeks. And once you move a tank, you start at the beginning, it is no longer a mature tank.
You are also going to need more powerheads than that.
Please slow down! You are heading fast towards disaster.
And if you dont have good lighting you need to return the nem ASAP before he dies and nukes the whole tank. They require more lighting than any other coral, plus pristine water conditions that i assure you a tank you just got and filled with fish that fast is not going to have. And it looks extremely unhealthy that white, they should be at least kinda brown. A bleached nem is a sick nem.
The chocolate chip and the sally lightfoot crabs are not reef safe. The star will eat your corals and other inverts, and the crab will go after your fish.
Also that green brittle star will go after your fish when its gets big enough.
Did you let the tank recycle after you moved it? Often moving a tank will cause a cycle and you added a lot of fish really fast. You should only add one fish every 3 weeks. And once you move a tank, you start at the beginning, it is no longer a mature tank.
You are also going to need more powerheads than that.
Please slow down! You are heading fast towards disaster.
buddy08
SPS Addict
If the tank is 1 month old, you are way overstocked my friend. That is most likely the culprit in killing your trigger. Also, you may have trouble with your anemone as well. Was the tank set up and running when you bought it?
Smitty
Reef pro
I agree with everyone else...but the tank does look nice.
PRC
Stop Quoting Me!
+1 Everybody...Reefing is a marathon not a sprint. I'll try to give you as much insight as possible.
Your tank is new so it has "new bacteria" in it. the bacteria is in the water. It's part of the natural lifecycle of things. But when you have a fish tank and the bacteria is new, it doesn't have the ability to eat all of the bad stuff. (picture dropping a T Bone steak in front of a newborn)..It would love to eat it, but it just can't.
But as your tank gets older, the bacteria increases and can handle a bigger "bio-load" (that's the nice word for fish poop). When you have alot of bacteria in the tank, you get a stable system.
That being said, there are living things (like your anenome) that cannot handle large swings in the water quality, (due to new bacteria not being able to keep up)..and for that reason they die (possibly the Trigger) (definitely your anenome)
Anenomes shouldn't really be kept until the tank is a very stable system, some people (and I'm one of them) think this should be at least a year. The reason? An Anenome is filled with toxins, when it dies it releases those toxins, which have the potential to "crash" or kill everything in the tank.
On to the Clownfish- As a general rule, you should only have 1 pair of clownfish in a tank. They generally will kill each other over time, and you just happen to have tomato clowns, which are just about the meanest SOB's on the planet. That being said, you tank may be big enough, but we'll see.
So, as the others said..Slow down, let nature take it's course so to speak. Believe me, I also have a 180g tank. You're not going to fill that thing up overnight.
Your tank is new so it has "new bacteria" in it. the bacteria is in the water. It's part of the natural lifecycle of things. But when you have a fish tank and the bacteria is new, it doesn't have the ability to eat all of the bad stuff. (picture dropping a T Bone steak in front of a newborn)..It would love to eat it, but it just can't.
But as your tank gets older, the bacteria increases and can handle a bigger "bio-load" (that's the nice word for fish poop). When you have alot of bacteria in the tank, you get a stable system.
That being said, there are living things (like your anenome) that cannot handle large swings in the water quality, (due to new bacteria not being able to keep up)..and for that reason they die (possibly the Trigger) (definitely your anenome)
Anenomes shouldn't really be kept until the tank is a very stable system, some people (and I'm one of them) think this should be at least a year. The reason? An Anenome is filled with toxins, when it dies it releases those toxins, which have the potential to "crash" or kill everything in the tank.
On to the Clownfish- As a general rule, you should only have 1 pair of clownfish in a tank. They generally will kill each other over time, and you just happen to have tomato clowns, which are just about the meanest SOB's on the planet. That being said, you tank may be big enough, but we'll see.
So, as the others said..Slow down, let nature take it's course so to speak. Believe me, I also have a 180g tank. You're not going to fill that thing up overnight.
The tank has been running for over 2 years at the guys house I bought it from. I moved it sand, rocks, water, and everything. I had to only add about 20 gallons of water after we set it back up. As far as the anemone it came that white. He doesn't look any differently now than when he was at the LFS. I know that some of the stuff in there isn't reef safe but It will be awhile before I get the canopy and lighting so there basically just hanging out till then. I actually have 2 other 55 gallon tanks that some of the will end up in.
little_fish
Reef pro
Did you read what i posted? When you move a tank you are back to square one, you have to restock slowly.
And there is no guarantee that the nem was healthy when you bough it, lfs are famous for selling sick animals or things that will not do well in your system. Furthermore, if you dont have the lights for a reef than you dont have the lights to keep a nem. They require MORE light than corals. and its not going to wait until you get the right lighting. Return it before you kill it.
And there is no guarantee that the nem was healthy when you bough it, lfs are famous for selling sick animals or things that will not do well in your system. Furthermore, if you dont have the lights for a reef than you dont have the lights to keep a nem. They require MORE light than corals. and its not going to wait until you get the right lighting. Return it before you kill it.
buddy08
SPS Addict
that anemone is a disaster waiting to happen. Its best to return it or else you could lose everything you have in the tank and based on your stock list, im sure you spent a pretty penny.
My LFS had a dying anemone in one of their tanks and the guy told me when i pointed it out, "its a new anemone, it will purk up" as im sitting there comparing it too the anemone next to it that was bleach white, this one was white/ yellow and looked like a pancake with deflated tentacles. It may seem like we're bashing you but we're in all honesty not trying to. Just trying to save you from a mistake most others here have already made. This hobby is mostly trial and error.....Might as well take some constructive advise from those who have already experienced the errors.
My LFS had a dying anemone in one of their tanks and the guy told me when i pointed it out, "its a new anemone, it will purk up" as im sitting there comparing it too the anemone next to it that was bleach white, this one was white/ yellow and looked like a pancake with deflated tentacles. It may seem like we're bashing you but we're in all honesty not trying to. Just trying to save you from a mistake most others here have already made. This hobby is mostly trial and error.....Might as well take some constructive advise from those who have already experienced the errors.
Sharkie
The Damsel Defender
+1 to everyone!
I had a 20 gallon that was setup for 2 years... then I decided to upgrade to a bigger tank and give the 20 to my sister... my mom and sister have always wanted an anemone and I had told them we had to wait a year before we got one... when I moved the tank EVEN though I just moved it from another ROOM i told her to wait another year just so we knew it would be okay. Nems are the death and destruction to most tanks out there... They require the highest lighting over all corals so you NEED to get that guy outta there... he's already bleached which is a sign that he is very near close death.... Most LFS (local fish stores) will sell you anything for a buck. They will tell you it's fine and show you that all of their nems look like that.... when in fact that means they are all sick.
Do you even know what kind of anemone it is? Its true that there are whiter anemones out there but that is defiantely NOT one of them.
I would suggest finding a new LFS if they are selling you CC stars and sally's as "reef" safe... even that brittle star once big enough will eat your fish-and they get HUGE.
Two types of clowns I won't condone since I've done it sucessfully and have a pair of saddlebacks and a maroon living peacfully in my tank together-in fact, they all share their same anemone. Just watch out for their behavoir because some can and will get aggressive.
A sign of a good LFS is one that will talk you OUT of things. Just because it's pretty doesn't mean you need to have it. I have a GREAT LFS like that where i live (even tho its 2 hrs away :p) that will talk me out of things just because i "think they are awesome'.
Might I suggest taking back all of the fish for either store credit OR see if the LFS will hold them for you until your tank is ready. Moving a tank of that size plus adding all that new rock will set off a cycle.
WHat are your params checking out at? this is the best way to tell what killed the trigger.
I had a 20 gallon that was setup for 2 years... then I decided to upgrade to a bigger tank and give the 20 to my sister... my mom and sister have always wanted an anemone and I had told them we had to wait a year before we got one... when I moved the tank EVEN though I just moved it from another ROOM i told her to wait another year just so we knew it would be okay. Nems are the death and destruction to most tanks out there... They require the highest lighting over all corals so you NEED to get that guy outta there... he's already bleached which is a sign that he is very near close death.... Most LFS (local fish stores) will sell you anything for a buck. They will tell you it's fine and show you that all of their nems look like that.... when in fact that means they are all sick.
Do you even know what kind of anemone it is? Its true that there are whiter anemones out there but that is defiantely NOT one of them.
I would suggest finding a new LFS if they are selling you CC stars and sally's as "reef" safe... even that brittle star once big enough will eat your fish-and they get HUGE.
Two types of clowns I won't condone since I've done it sucessfully and have a pair of saddlebacks and a maroon living peacfully in my tank together-in fact, they all share their same anemone. Just watch out for their behavoir because some can and will get aggressive.
A sign of a good LFS is one that will talk you OUT of things. Just because it's pretty doesn't mean you need to have it. I have a GREAT LFS like that where i live (even tho its 2 hrs away :p) that will talk me out of things just because i "think they are awesome'.
Might I suggest taking back all of the fish for either store credit OR see if the LFS will hold them for you until your tank is ready. Moving a tank of that size plus adding all that new rock will set off a cycle.
WHat are your params checking out at? this is the best way to tell what killed the trigger.
I have had my water checked every few days since I set the tank up (going on 6 weeks now) and other than my nitrates being high a few weeks ago (pre putting fish in there) he said everything looked good. I will take some water to him tomorrow and see if he will write down what me levels are so I can post them. I took the anemone back and got credit for future purchases. As far as the stuff I have not being "reef safe" i realize some of this stuff isn't, but know that it won't be any time soon that my tank is to that point. At that time I have 2 other 55 gallon tanks that were new start ups we are waiting to cycle then we will move some stuff around.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You should buy your own test kits. They aren't very expensive, and if something goes wrong with your tank and the store is closed, how will you know what's going on?
