little_fish
Moderator
Im the ridich did kill a few things and change the water chemisty a bit, but anything that says its reef safe wont kill the bacteria
My 55 & 125
- Thread starter ezlight
- Start date
Ah, the LFS also said it was invertebrates safe, but after looking on-line, websites say it isn't. Hope we didn't kill the crabs. Haven't seen any. :grumble:
little_fish
Moderator
well, if that is what it says i would be testing your water daily to make sure it didnt kill off the bacteria causing your tank to cycle
little_fish
Moderator
ya, you should have zero ammonia. I would start doing water changes.
Well, broke the 55 down. I have the yellow tail in a 10gal qt (he's small), and the other 4 are in a 55 qt. The domino & sailfin ended up with ich on them, on top of the trigger. (We put the fresh water fish in a bucket with the contents of the 10 gal for now, and took over the 10 for a QT.)
I'm starting this 55 over, and we literally just put the 180 on the stand. Going to try to get the 180 going this weekend to start cycling. Bought a 25w UV sterilizer for the 180 last night, so once that is cycled, and ready to go, I hope we wont have any ich problems again after this. Provided we use the QT effectively.
I think we'll do the 180 fowlr, the 55 a small reef tank, and the 125 will be in storage until after the move.
I REALLY hope to have this ich thing beat. I know the trigger might have pulled out after being in the 180, but when the other two showed signs, I had to do something before I lost them all. Although I think treating the whole tank with ridich may have caused the other two to get it. Novice mistake that I hope my fish don't pay the price for.
I'm starting this 55 over, and we literally just put the 180 on the stand. Going to try to get the 180 going this weekend to start cycling. Bought a 25w UV sterilizer for the 180 last night, so once that is cycled, and ready to go, I hope we wont have any ich problems again after this. Provided we use the QT effectively.
I think we'll do the 180 fowlr, the 55 a small reef tank, and the 125 will be in storage until after the move.
I REALLY hope to have this ich thing beat. I know the trigger might have pulled out after being in the 180, but when the other two showed signs, I had to do something before I lost them all. Although I think treating the whole tank with ridich may have caused the other two to get it. Novice mistake that I hope my fish don't pay the price for.
:frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat::frustrat:
Lil fish, I need some serious advice/direction. I just killed my domino and sailfin. :death: :death: Barely saved the yellow tang, she was on her side, on the tank bottom barely moving. I scooped her up, and threw her into the old 55. (Thankfully we didn't completely tear it down last night because it was late) She immediately started swimming. BUT, I still have the trigger & yellow tail. (yellow tail is in another tank, and doing fine.) yellow tang & trigger alone in the 55.
I used this quick cure stuff by Aquarium products. (damn walmart crap), treated the 10 gal according to the instructions last night. Yellow tail alive and fine this morning. So we treated my second 55 (QT from now on) this morning. All fish were fine, fed em plankton this morning, then treated em. About 2 hours later, we go look, yellow tang is on it's side on the bottom, immediately run for the net, wife spots the sailfin, and she was already gone (This really upsets me), then the domino, he was gone. Trigger is fine, no sign of any issues with him, except he was hiding. I had a container, and put the domino & sailfin in it, and threw water from the old 55 in just to see if there was a chance.
I'm now getting water ready to put in the old 55 to top it off, so I can get the water moving around.
What should my next move be? Leave the dang things alone until I have the 180 ready? The UV sterilizer should kill any ich concerns, right? Should I put the yellow tail damsel in with the other 2 again? I didn't put all the rock in the old 55, just enough for them to have places. They have more swimming room now.
little_fish
Moderator
Im having a really hard time understanding the situation, but let me do my best to help you out.
Can you please describe the QT tank better? How long were they in there for, and what exactly did you treat with? Is the QT the 10 gal?
I think that stress of moving the fish to a new tank is what put them over the edge with the ich. Especially if they were moved into a 10 gal tank. That is waaaay to many fish that tank, especially with a trigger in there. The stress of moving, plus being stuffed into a tiny tank, plus im sure being harrassed by the trigger is very overwhelming to them.
And i agree, just leave everything alone until the 180 is set up. But i also think the UV is overkill. With those fish in the correct sized tank, and you stock it correctly, your fish are going to me much less stressed and ich free. I personally think the UV light kills more good things than bad things and should only be used in very few select circumstance.
Can you please describe the QT tank better? How long were they in there for, and what exactly did you treat with? Is the QT the 10 gal?
I think that stress of moving the fish to a new tank is what put them over the edge with the ich. Especially if they were moved into a 10 gal tank. That is waaaay to many fish that tank, especially with a trigger in there. The stress of moving, plus being stuffed into a tiny tank, plus im sure being harrassed by the trigger is very overwhelming to them.
And i agree, just leave everything alone until the 180 is set up. But i also think the UV is overkill. With those fish in the correct sized tank, and you stock it correctly, your fish are going to me much less stressed and ich free. I personally think the UV light kills more good things than bad things and should only be used in very few select circumstance.
I had setup 2 QT tanks. 1 10 gallon for the yellow tail damsel, and a 55 for the sailfin, trigger, yellow tang, and domino damsel. My reasoning for 2 tanks was so the yellow tail wasn't harassed. he hid 90% of the time in the 55.
We setup a second 55 QT tank, a couple fake corals for them to have something to hide in/lower stress, but other than that, bare bottom tank. We set it up last night, tested the parameters, and it was very close to what my other 55 was. PH was 8.0 instead of 8.2, calcium was 500 instead of 480, phosphate was 0.25 instead of 2 (which was better) and nitrate was 10ppm instead of 80. (all we have tests for is nitrite, nitrate, amonia, hiPH, KH (How can I get this down, it's high?), copper, calcium, salinity, and phosphate.
Can you explain on the UV thing?
I now have the trigger & yellow tang back in the original 55, water level is up, & pumps running. (leaving lights off for now, want them to relax)
little_fish
Moderator
Did you aclimate them to the new tank or just move them over? Even though you parameters are so close, that small difference can be felt by fish. If they were totally healthy, then i might have made them feel a little off, but with ich that too might have been too much for them to handle.
Also, how long was that water in the 55 mixed up for? New saltwater is very caustic and damging to gill. If the water was newly mixed up (less than 24 hour-ish) then that too could have added to their stress.
And UV lights kills all the microfauna in the water, which includes ich. But it also kills pods, good bacteria and planontic stuff found in your water, which are important for your tank to have, especially if you have corals. I think that killing those things is worse than having a tank will less ich. Plus, it doesnt guarantee a tank free of ich, just a lower number of them, because it can only kill the stuff that flows under the light, and there will always be a few that dont make it there.
Also, you calcium is crazy high. Is it that way from the salt brand you are using? And fixing the calcium level will help fix the alk level. Another thing that concerns me is that you are nitrates in newly made saltwater, which means your test kit has gone bad, or the water you are making up saltwater with has nitrates in. Either way, that issue should be resolved. And you should figure out where those phosphates are coming from as well in newly made up water. Are you using tap water?
Good luck! I hope we can get this figured out and keep everyone healthy!
Also, how long was that water in the 55 mixed up for? New saltwater is very caustic and damging to gill. If the water was newly mixed up (less than 24 hour-ish) then that too could have added to their stress.
And UV lights kills all the microfauna in the water, which includes ich. But it also kills pods, good bacteria and planontic stuff found in your water, which are important for your tank to have, especially if you have corals. I think that killing those things is worse than having a tank will less ich. Plus, it doesnt guarantee a tank free of ich, just a lower number of them, because it can only kill the stuff that flows under the light, and there will always be a few that dont make it there.
Also, you calcium is crazy high. Is it that way from the salt brand you are using? And fixing the calcium level will help fix the alk level. Another thing that concerns me is that you are nitrates in newly made saltwater, which means your test kit has gone bad, or the water you are making up saltwater with has nitrates in. Either way, that issue should be resolved. And you should figure out where those phosphates are coming from as well in newly made up water. Are you using tap water?
Good luck! I hope we can get this figured out and keep everyone healthy!
Man, I just screwed up all the way around. Poor fish. :frustrat: That sucks. I didn't realize that about the salt mix for 24hrs. We never waited back in the day. :grumble: I just assumed I was doing it right. And I transfered right straight to the tank. SO I need to mix the water with a powerhead 24 hrs ahead of time.
Calcium in the old 55 has averaged in the 460-480. The salt we're using is instant ocean. And yes we're using tap water. I know, we should get RO setup, but just haven't yet.(May have just bought one, but have to wait for shipping) Phosphates & KH have been a pain since we started. Both numbers are high.
I hope we can get it straightened out too. get my head straight, and the fish will be fine.
little_fish
Moderator
Ya, saltwater needs to mixed for at least 24 for waterchanges, and i personally would wait even longer if its a whole new tank setup.
And i suspect you are getting the high alk, phostphates and nitrates from you tap water. When you switch over, those should clear up.
And now we play the waiting game.
And i suspect you are getting the high alk, phostphates and nitrates from you tap water. When you switch over, those should clear up.
And now we play the waiting game.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Sorry to hear you are having troubles! I hope they get sorted out. We have all made mistakes and learned the hard way in this hobby... It's okay!
Just a lil update.
Worked on the plumbing for the 180. I now have the overflows & returns ready with barb fittings for the hose I picked up. (1"ID for the 2 overflows, 3 - 3/4" ID for the returns.) 2 - 1" for the sump.
My next step is getting the sump ready. I picked up a wet/dry sump for the tank. (Have actually had it for a while) Going to place the wet/dry in a 55 gal tank, raised up some. (Probably raised up 5" from the bottom of the tank) Will have my euro reef skimmer (with pump) in the sump, 2 return pumps in the bottom section of the tank, and a 3rd, slower pump for my UV light to the 3rd return. (But wont be running the light during cycle time)
I have 2 EHEIM 1262 900 GPH coming for my pumps. Looking for a good 250GPH or so pump for my UV. I figure a 250gph, with a 6" head should be about 150GPH or so actual push, which is where I need to be for the UV to be right.
ON the UV subject, I've looked around, and this is my plan. I figure once the tank is setup, and cycled, I'll have the UV light turn on MWF nights for 16 hours. This should be enough to have a good balance between getting rid of what we don't want, and allowing for what we do want.
That's the plan as it sits. I'm VERY open to suggestions, corrections, advice, and thoughts.
I want to set this up once, and not have to correct anything in the future. The plan for this tank is FOWLR, but now my wife has asked about corals & anemones. So it MAY have some of that in the future, but I believe I can't have corals with my trigger. So if that's the way it is, I'm not getting rid of the trigger. Even though a clown and anemone in the future of it would be cool.
Worked on the plumbing for the 180. I now have the overflows & returns ready with barb fittings for the hose I picked up. (1"ID for the 2 overflows, 3 - 3/4" ID for the returns.) 2 - 1" for the sump.
My next step is getting the sump ready. I picked up a wet/dry sump for the tank. (Have actually had it for a while) Going to place the wet/dry in a 55 gal tank, raised up some. (Probably raised up 5" from the bottom of the tank) Will have my euro reef skimmer (with pump) in the sump, 2 return pumps in the bottom section of the tank, and a 3rd, slower pump for my UV light to the 3rd return. (But wont be running the light during cycle time)
I have 2 EHEIM 1262 900 GPH coming for my pumps. Looking for a good 250GPH or so pump for my UV. I figure a 250gph, with a 6" head should be about 150GPH or so actual push, which is where I need to be for the UV to be right.
ON the UV subject, I've looked around, and this is my plan. I figure once the tank is setup, and cycled, I'll have the UV light turn on MWF nights for 16 hours. This should be enough to have a good balance between getting rid of what we don't want, and allowing for what we do want.
That's the plan as it sits. I'm VERY open to suggestions, corrections, advice, and thoughts.
I want to set this up once, and not have to correct anything in the future. The plan for this tank is FOWLR, but now my wife has asked about corals & anemones. So it MAY have some of that in the future, but I believe I can't have corals with my trigger. So if that's the way it is, I'm not getting rid of the trigger. Even though a clown and anemone in the future of it would be cool.
little_fish
Moderator
You can keep corals with a trigger, you just will want to glue them down because they are know to pick them up and rearrange things as they please. They will eat shrimps, crabs, snails etc though
But you are going to need good lights for the corals, so i would look into a metal halide setup for that size tank.
We dont recommend nems for anyone that has a tank less than a year old, they are some of the hardest animals to keep in this hobby. They require extremely high lighting conditions (aim for around 6 watts/gal), pristine water conditions, and most importantly - stability. Tanks younger than that often dont have the stability and water quality they need to survive. And if they die, they nuke the tank because of the toxins they release.
But, just to make sure, those fitting that you got arent made of copper or brass are they? Copper (and brass which is made of copper and tin) is toxic to all invertebrates, and will prevent you from ever keeping corals, shrimp, crabs, nems, snails etc . . . And once copper is in your tank, its never coming out. You have to throw away the rocks and sand to get rid of it.
But you are going to need good lights for the corals, so i would look into a metal halide setup for that size tank.
We dont recommend nems for anyone that has a tank less than a year old, they are some of the hardest animals to keep in this hobby. They require extremely high lighting conditions (aim for around 6 watts/gal), pristine water conditions, and most importantly - stability. Tanks younger than that often dont have the stability and water quality they need to survive. And if they die, they nuke the tank because of the toxins they release.
But, just to make sure, those fitting that you got arent made of copper or brass are they? Copper (and brass which is made of copper and tin) is toxic to all invertebrates, and will prevent you from ever keeping corals, shrimp, crabs, nems, snails etc . . . And once copper is in your tank, its never coming out. You have to throw away the rocks and sand to get rid of it.
Is the lighting requirements for anemones the same as coral? I have no issue waiting for anemones, I'm just saying eventually I do want at least one. My original plan was FOWLR for this one, and turn my 55 or possibly 125 into a reef. I have t5's on the 55, is that enough for coral/anemone? Might make sense to just do the 55 as reef instead since I already have that one equipped.
BUT, I'll be in the planning stage for hood/lighting after I'm done with plumbing, and get water flowing through this thing. Don't need light for cycling, so thats going to be my last step in this multi step project. Although I found a 72" light with antic bulbs, and 3 MH lights for $350 (needs a bulb) Seems liek a good enough price.
I used PVC & nylon for my fittings.
little_fish
Moderator
If you have enough light for a nem, then you will have enough light for any corals you want.
And to tell you if you have enough light over the 55 or the MH fixture you are looking at we would need to see it the wattage on them.
And to tell you if you have enough light over the 55 or the MH fixture you are looking at we would need to see it the wattage on them.
little_fish
Moderator
for the 180, that is a great light for keeping corals and nems with. It would also work great for clams.
