I have just set up a 45 gallon bowfront for my parents. I added 50 lbs. of figi live rock, along with 3 turbo snails, 1 blue damsel, and a tomato clown and finally a pearl butterfly. I wanted to cycle the tank fish less however my father is a very impatient man so I purchased biospiral and after 24 hours the levels of ph nitrate, nitrites, salinity etc. are all good amnioa is also 0. However the pearlscale is hovering in the toip corner where the flucval305 is flowing into the tank and is gaasping for air, even going to the surface and breathing. I have a powerhead that has an aeratior on it. Any advise? I mean if the chem levels are ok what hould I do possible stressed out fish? Anyway thank you in advance for any and all timely advice. chross12
gasping 4 air
- Thread starter chross12
- Start date
PufferGuy
Reefing newb
you know what the salinity is? too high of salinity can cause that...
also, if the tank isnt cycled, your fish will more than likely not make it, the ammonia/nitrate level will eventually rise during the tank cycle and kill eveything in there... just a heads up
also, if the tank isnt cycled, your fish will more than likely not make it, the ammonia/nitrate level will eventually rise during the tank cycle and kill eveything in there... just a heads up
I thought the bio stuff was going to work? Should I take the protien skimmer filter that covers th in tank pump and put it over the powerhead/aerator ? My tank has been u for about a year, or just keep checking level and water change alot? Or take the fish and hold them in my established tank untill the cycle is ovr?
mcmusashi5
Octopus Wizard
nothing to do but wait and watch. ya gotta sump if not keep ever thing low flow but keep the tank full of air ya know
Alexander
Reef enthusiast
if you have an established tank its probably better off in that. sorry to say for your inpatient dads sake. the deal is tests can be very misleading during cycles. even though ammonia may read at zero does not mean that its not there. the liverock may be taking in and absorbing higher ammonia levels as fast as it can produce it and canceling it out and not showing anyting. either way that means you can be still yielding poor quality with it being masked up. I would not add a fish for 1 month minimum.... longer than that is better.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Take the aerator off the powerhead. Is it shooting air bubbles into the tank? If so, that's bad. You do not want air bubbles circulating in your tank.
Next, I'm sorry to say that your fish likely won't make it, especially the butterfly, which is a very hard fish to keep alive, even in a mature, established tank.
Saltwater is not like freshwater. You can't set the tank up and throw a bunch of fish in the next day and expect everything to go okay. Saltwater is a totally different beast, and the impatient get rewarded with dead animals and lost money. If your father is that impatient, then perhaps this hobby isn't for him.
The rule of thumb in saltwater is to wait for your tank to cycle completely before adding your first fish. No additive or biological formula can guarantee that your cycle is done. Cycling usually takes at least a month. After that, add no more than one fish every 3 weeks or so. It takes that long for the bacterial load to catch up with the increased waste production in the tank.
If I were you, I'd catch and take all three fish back to the store, and try to save their lives. At the least, get the butterfly out of there, which would have a hard time surviving anyways. Then, WAIT. Wait at least 3 weeks before adding any more animals.
Next, I'm sorry to say that your fish likely won't make it, especially the butterfly, which is a very hard fish to keep alive, even in a mature, established tank.
Saltwater is not like freshwater. You can't set the tank up and throw a bunch of fish in the next day and expect everything to go okay. Saltwater is a totally different beast, and the impatient get rewarded with dead animals and lost money. If your father is that impatient, then perhaps this hobby isn't for him.
The rule of thumb in saltwater is to wait for your tank to cycle completely before adding your first fish. No additive or biological formula can guarantee that your cycle is done. Cycling usually takes at least a month. After that, add no more than one fish every 3 weeks or so. It takes that long for the bacterial load to catch up with the increased waste production in the tank.
If I were you, I'd catch and take all three fish back to the store, and try to save their lives. At the least, get the butterfly out of there, which would have a hard time surviving anyways. Then, WAIT. Wait at least 3 weeks before adding any more animals.
Smitty
Reef pro
...also, check your temp, I see that you are in FL...the warmer the water is, the less oxygen it will have...+1 to what everyone else has stated too...Good Luck!
First off thanks for the advise, I have taken the butterfly and a small blue damsel and put them in my established 75 gallon tank. They are not looking good. Will they contiminate my tank? I removed the aerator from the powerhead as the bubbles were all over the 45 gallon tank. I may be a bleeding heart but I hate to watch anyanimal suffer:( Now my yellow tang is being agressive toward the butterfly. AAAAGHHHHH!!!
Melosu58
Reef enthusiast
Those things that speed up the cycle do not work that fast. IMO the fish were suffering from ammonia poisoning. Air bubbles BTW do not aerate the tank. In SW surface aggitation is the way you do that. Just get a PH and slightly point it toward the surface. Higher temps and higher salinities often cause less oxygen in the tank. See if your LFS will watch your fish so they dont beat each other up. Hope all goes well.
dcantucson
Reef pro
I hope things work out for your fish. It's sad to watch animals die.
yote
In Memoriam
+1 All the above
Smitty
Reef pro
Just don't get discouraged, this happens to everyone...
mcmusashi5
Octopus Wizard
agreed
butterfly has died:death:, damsel is hanging in there. I rechecked the parameters and the temp was 84 :shock:. I have 2 36" t-5 and they were flush against the glass top. I took the glass off turned the ph so it breaks the surface and spaced the fixtures on the supplied clamps so they are now 4 inches above the open taqnk surface. I have a heater that is set to 79. ph has risen from 8.0 to 8.2.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You should keep the glass tops off. They don't do any good. They trap heat and prevent gas exchange at the surface of the water. In any case, 84 isn't too bad in and of itself, but I suspect it got high pretty quickly, which is bad.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Sorry to hear about your Butterfly, chross12.
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
The other question is: How powerful is that powerhead that you have in there? If it's not putting out AT LEAST 10x your volum per hour (i.e. 450gph) it's not providing sufficient flow, and many on here will tell you that 10x isn't even enough. A weak power head, especially one that blows bubbles and isn't pointed at the surface, isn't providing sufficient oxygen for the tank
If I keep the glass top off, how about commerical places that i WILL BE SETTING UP TANKS AT? wHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST FOR COVERING THEM, SO POSSIBLE CONTAIMANTES WILL NOT ACCIDENTLY FLOAT INTO THE WATER. LIKE IF A JANITORAL SERVICES SPRAYS STUFF TO CLEAN THE FLOOR AROUND THE UNIT? OOOPS SO SORRY ABOUT ALL THE CAPS
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
A well vented canopy would be helpful in that case, then again, that's the problem with tanks being near sprayed chemicals...aerosol gets everywhere, even if you have a glass cover, those chemicals will find a way in there, you would almost just have to cover the tank with a tarp or something when janitorial services are working to really prevent chemicals from gettin in the water. Using some type of charcoal filter media can help lessen the affects of those chemicals though.
