Just Started.....Need help

Hi...I'm new to the saltwater world. I have a 46 gallon bowfront that we turned into a saltwater aq. It is a FOWLR. It has a Fluvel 304 for the filter. And I have an airstone. It has sand in it and 50 pounds of live rock. We cycled it with 3 green chromis. They all died. I now have 1 green chromis, 1 strawberry chromis, 1 sea urchin, 1 brown starfish, 4 snails and 4 crabs. I did have a blennie and a shrimp but they died also. They were in there about 2 weeks before they died. The tank is 6 weeks old. I've cleaned it 3 times since we set it up.

Someone told me I need a refugium with a skimmer. What is the purpose of the refugium ? They said I need more water flow. That is why my fish are dying. This is all new to me. I have a freshwater and a pond, I wanted to start small with a saltwater to see if I could do it before going bigger.

I don't want to buy anymore fish till I figure out what is wrong. Here are my test readings.
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
PH 8
KH 170
Salinity 1.022 Water temp 76---78
Thanks for any help you can give me.........

 

Wow,you added all that in that short of a time.One thing about this hobby is that it can't be rush.Thats probably one of the reasons by you had so many casualties.Stars and shrimps usually need very stable systems to survive.Even slight salinity changes can kill them.BTW,what kind of water are you using?

I think a skimmer is a must.I would at least plan on getting a decent one.Don't go cheap,its a very important equipment.I recommend an Octopus skimmer.

A refugium serves multiple purpose.Its a place for copepods to reproduce without threat from predators.Those pods serve as food for inverts/fish and beneficial in consuming detritus and even micro algae.Since deep sand beds in the display is ugly,people include it in a fuge to help in the reduction of nitrates.Macro algae in the fuge helps with nitrate reduction too.

 

Oh and welcome to the site.
I hope you stick around for awhile.

 

I am using tap with water conditioner and mixing it with Instant Ocean. I mix it in a big tote and keep it in the laundry room with a pump in it to circulate it. And it is covered. So... do I need a refugium ? Or just a skimmer.

 

You need a skimmer,IMO but you do not need a fuge.

Tapwater is bad,I would switch to RODI water either store bought or a unit attached to your sink.Tap contains way too contaminates(copper and other heavy metals,phosphate etc.),saltwater animals are way more sensitive than freshwater.

I would also remove the airstone,they only cause salt creep.In rare cases,too much of those small bubbles can attached to the gills of fish and kill them.Powerheads near the surface to ripple the water surface will provide plenty of gas exchange.

 

What is RODI ?

 

Reverse Osmosis/Deionized water.

Its water that is filtered to take out all contaminants.Most LFS sells it and many grocery stores like Walmart.You can buy an RO/DI unit for as little as $60 plus shipping from an Ebay store.I'm sure tomorrow someone will link to one.Of course,places like Dr. Fosters&Smith.com and Marinedepot.com sell them but they aren't as cheap.

 

Hi and welcome. I agree with what Freak has said, there is no way that an airstone is providing enough water movement in your tank. Get rid of it (they just don't work for saltwater anyways) and replace it with two powerheads. MaxiJets are good powerheads, and are low priced.

You should also stop using tap water. It will lead to problems.

I also agree that you have added way too many animals in way too short of a time span. With saltwater, you have to do things very slowly, it's so easy to crash your tank otherwise (which is what is happening to yours). Add one or two fish, then wait a month or so. Then add one or two more. And your tank was probably too new to support inverts such as shrimp and stars. They require a stable environment and don't last in new tanks.

You should definitely look into getting a skimmer. The filter you have now won't cut it for saltwater. A protein skimmer is the most important piece of equipment you can have on your tank. A refugium and sump aren't necessary. They are definitely nice to have, but that's not the reason why your animals are dying.

 

What size powerheads would I need for my 46 gallon ? And where in the aquarium should they be placed ? I will get the water from Wal-Mart.

 

Two will do,on the side glass facing one another so it causes a random flow.

Two maxijet 900's($15) or two Koralia model 2's($40).

 

Thank you both so much. I will go out shopping tomorrow. I'll check ebay also. Thanks again....

 

Your welcome...good luck!

Anymore questions,feel free to ask.

 

Yeah we like questions. They make us feel like we have a purpose in life.

 

welcome to the forum. we do love questions. I agree with what has been said, but also want to add the idea of getting a HOB filter to help with water clarity (Hang On the Back- of the tank). Keep your stocking to 1 inch of fish to about 4-5 gallons of tank water, so you are looking at about 10 inches of fish in your tank, which makes for some nice fish. look forward to pics

-Doc

 

I'm using a hydrometer.

 

I'm using a hydrometer.

 

those can become inaccurate or be inaccurate

a refractometer is much better

 

I have a maxi 900 in my 46 bow right now, I am still waiting for a backordered koralia 1. Plus my HOB filter. For a protein skimmer I have an aqua c remora pro, I highly recommend it and can get you a used one if you are interested. I have no sump, no fuge and my tank is doing well. As a comparasion, I am 12 weeks into this, and at this point all I have is a bunch of snails, an emerald crab, two clowns, a sea hare and an anthilia coral. No shrimp yet, though I'm hoping by x-mas, and I'll probably be adding some more coral and one fish this week. Go slow! I also used tap water to start, at about six weeks I had a diatom (brown algae) bloom all over my tank, and I am right now batting the dreaded Green Hair Algae. I wish I had used RO/DI right off the bat, but we learn! Don't get discouraged, its alot of work learning all this, but sooooo worth it every time you look in your tank!

 

Welcome to the reef. If you get some time and have a digi camera, take some pics of your tank and show us what you are working with...