My water looks white?

[Bifferwine]

Undergravel filters are a fine system for freshwater tanks, but a huge no-no for saltwater. That technology for saltwater became obsolete around 20 years ago. The guy at your LFS must be ooooooooold!!!!

I'd remove the undergravel filter as soon as possible. Like others have said, it can cause major problems down the road and your water quality will always have problems. Luckily you caught it early.

 

[Rcchanlder]

man, that is going to be a pain to take out. how should i do that without harming te fish?

 

[BigH55]

you'll be fine, just take everything out, pull the filter and take it up to the LFS and smack the guy in the face with it.

 

[yote]

you'll be fine, just take everything out, pull the filter and take it up to the LFS and smack the guy in the face with it.

Agreed:Cheers:

 

[mng777777]

speaking as a nube myself i would not know what info to tell you. but the more i read here the more i learn and i want to thank all for that.

+1 Dont feel bad for not knowing all of the info to put in your initial post. you did the right thing by asking the question. Thats what we are here for!

i started the tank with tap water and let it run for a while. i used RO water for water changes. i only have one clown fish and 7 lbs of live rock in a 30 gal tank. I didn't put anything in the tank to make it white. I think bacteria may have been the best answer

It sounds like you could also benefit from adding some more LR. Since you are pulling out the UGF you could take this opportunity to buy some dry base rock to go under you LR when you re-do your aquascaping. Also it sounds like you added your first fish too soon. You are going to need to continue doing frequent water changes and stay on top of your levels to ensure that he survives this minor set-back you are experiencing. Youre "white" water is definately the result of a bacteria bloom. Keep your lights off as much as possible and wait it out and you will be ok. It is probably due heavily to the fact that you started with tap water. NEVER use tap again. Make sure you are only using RODI from a reliable source.

 

[WarmSoda]

you'll be fine, just take everything out, pull the filter and take it up to the LFS and smack the guy in the face with it.

Lol, too good.

 

[Rcchanlder]

i just hate that he talked me into it. Unfortunately in college theres not alot of room for financial errors

 

[Rcchanlder]

Well the UGF is outta there

 

[mng777777]

you really should try to get your money back...depending on how long it's been. Oh, and don't buy anything more from him!

 

[Rcchanlder]

i still have the box and everything that came with it. minus about 4 inches of clear tubing that i have to trim to fit the tank. idk if i can get my money back but i will sure try. Maybe i can use the money to upgrade. Any suggestions?

 

[mng777777]

yes get more LR and a skimmer. As I mentioned before, you can use dry base rock to save money and after being in your tank with the other LR it will become LR too. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 lbs per gallon. As for the skimmer, get the best one you can afford. This is not the place to save money. Look on ebay, craigslist, and other websites for good deals and check your LFS for a used unit. If you are patient you will find one that fits your tank and your budget without buying the seaclone like I did...

 

[Rcchanlder]

There is a seaclone 100 on craigslist for $60. if its still for sale

 

[Bifferwine]

Don't buy the Sea Clone! It's probably the worst skimmer out there. Waste of money. You're better off just doing extra water changes.

 

[mng777777]

+1 biff! that's what I was trying to say in my last post. If $50 or $60 is all you can afford right now then just save it and do more water changes and keep looking for a good used deal. The "it's gotta be better than nothing" rule doesn't apply here!

 

[WarmSoda]

Well the UGF is outta there

Glad to here everything went alright.

If there's one rule about Skimmers it's: "Never skimp out"
You really get what you pay for. Also, try to get one that's rated for a tank larger then yours. They're two reasons for that. One: manufactures assume as standard to low bio-load, setting there 'recommended tank size' a little higher then what it'll be actually used for and two: the inevitable upgrade. you will get a bigger tank at some point. Why waste money later?

Everybody on this site is wonderful, and will have your back on just about anything fish related and have ONLY your best interest in mind. LFS owners on the other hand have a different agenda...(not that there are not good ones out there)

 

[Rcchanlder]

Yeah, im going to try to see if i cant get my money back or store credit or something tomorrow. i figured if the store really has the interest of the customer in mind then they will work with me.

 

[Rcchanlder]

well i tried to return the UGF but they wouldn't take it back. Craigslist here i come.

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

what did you tell your LFS? did you tell them they bullshitted you? i would make them take it back for lying to you!

 

[mng777777]

well i tried to return the UGF but they wouldn't take it back. Craigslist here i come.

lame! Sorry to hear it. If it makes you feel any better I think we can all attest to the LFS taking advantage of us by selling us something that we didn't need as we started out in the hobby. It's unfortunate, but at least you learned how this guy operates before you dropped all your cash on him.

 

[Rcchanlder]

yeah, i wont be going back there. The guy that i sold it to me wasn't there. but the lady that told me they couldn't take it back said i should have never bought it for a saltwater tank :frustrat:
lesson learned.