Ok I'm new to this. I was given a 30 gallon aquarium that has been established. It came with a tige goby and a brittle/serpent starfish (don't know the difference). I brought it home saturday. Sunday I bought 3 damsels. I acclimated them very slowly for 1 1/2-2 hours. Yesterday when I went home for lunch one was dead. I tested my water and my ph level was about 7.8. My ammonia was 0 and nitrite 0. My nitrate was highest the chart showed. When I set up the aquarium I put 5 gallons of clean water that the lady gave me first then added the other 25 gal. I dont want to lose my stock so HELP please. Sunday I sat and watched my new babies for 6 hours. I didn't even watch the saints game(Louisiana resident lol). I noticed in one of my live rock about 8 or more little things sticking out. They r white and red striped with little fuzz or hairs on them. They are about 1/2-1 inch long and about the size of a hair or thread. The lady told me they r probably bristle worms and I should take em out. I looked on line and they don't look like the pics I saw. They look like starfish. Is that possible being that mine is alone. Help me make this a good experience. Thanks...
New to saltwater...help
- Thread starter Tab
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ZyberGoby
Because I'm clever
Well with live rock I have found that many things can lay dormant in it till things are just right. There are things you dont see that show them selfs one day. Or are in plain view and one day you notice it... I started a thread called "that crazy liverock" I found out some wild things both good and not so good that lurk with in it and on it. I would not worry to much on it yet. If it is not a good thing then there are ways to remove it. :D
Zissou
What about my dynamite?
You should do a large water change to bring the nitrates down and test again. If it's still high, you'll have to do another, and perhaps another. Once they're down to a normal or 'safe' level, do a 5 gallon water change every week.
And if you didn't already know, when water evaporates from your tank, you top it off with FRESH water. The salt does not evaporate, so as your water level recedes in your tank, the salt level in your tank rises. You want to keep it around 1.024 to 1.026, and keep the tank topped off with fresh water. Don't let it evaporate 5 gallons and then top it off, or the salt level in your tank may have risen high enough to kill things in your tank.
When you do your water change, you take 5 gallons of tank water out of the tank, and replace it with 5 gallons of SALT water. Since you took salt out, you have to put salt back in. Just fyi, you probably already know this.
And Damselfish are the devil. One damselfish is bad, three damselfish is hell on earth. OK, maybe they're not that bad, but they're evil and will eventually kill each other, or any new fish you put in the tank. Damsels are extremely aggressive, and as they get older and wiser they become more so, becoming territorial. Unless you want a damsel only tank, I'd consider taking them back.
And you need to hold off on the desire to just want to go to the store and buy stuff. A 30 gallon is not very large, and you can't put that many fish in one, especially 3 at one time. You have to add fish slowly, over the course of a couple weeks, to let the poop eating bacteria in your tank catchup. You can keep like three small fish max, or if you have a sump with extra water, maybe a couple more, but that's it.
And if you didn't already know, when water evaporates from your tank, you top it off with FRESH water. The salt does not evaporate, so as your water level recedes in your tank, the salt level in your tank rises. You want to keep it around 1.024 to 1.026, and keep the tank topped off with fresh water. Don't let it evaporate 5 gallons and then top it off, or the salt level in your tank may have risen high enough to kill things in your tank.
When you do your water change, you take 5 gallons of tank water out of the tank, and replace it with 5 gallons of SALT water. Since you took salt out, you have to put salt back in. Just fyi, you probably already know this.
And Damselfish are the devil. One damselfish is bad, three damselfish is hell on earth. OK, maybe they're not that bad, but they're evil and will eventually kill each other, or any new fish you put in the tank. Damsels are extremely aggressive, and as they get older and wiser they become more so, becoming territorial. Unless you want a damsel only tank, I'd consider taking them back.
And you need to hold off on the desire to just want to go to the store and buy stuff. A 30 gallon is not very large, and you can't put that many fish in one, especially 3 at one time. You have to add fish slowly, over the course of a couple weeks, to let the poop eating bacteria in your tank catchup. You can keep like three small fish max, or if you have a sump with extra water, maybe a couple more, but that's it.
Zissou
What about my dynamite?
Oh, and could you tell us a bit more about your equipment? Do you have a sump tank or protein filter, or is there a filter that hangs on the back of your tank? How many powerheads, etc?
And tell us about your lighting. Don't rush off and buy corals, and certainly don't buy an anemone. I know you didn't ask about these items, but when you're in the fish store such things WILL catch your eye. Stay away from them until we know what sort of lighting you have, and welcome to the hobby of reefing. :Cheers:
And tell us about your lighting. Don't rush off and buy corals, and certainly don't buy an anemone. I know you didn't ask about these items, but when you're in the fish store such things WILL catch your eye. Stay away from them until we know what sort of lighting you have, and welcome to the hobby of reefing. :Cheers:
I have a metal halo light or whatever it's called. I've manages to keep my water temp at 78 since Sunday night. The anemone came with the aquarium. As the filtration goes...I don't know what kind. It's built in the back of the tank submerged. It has 3 compartments with a box at the top of the first one where all the dirty water goes. Then the second compartment has bio balls but pet store said I should put small live rock inthere instead and 3 compartment blows the water back into aquarium. If that explains anything.
Smitty
Reef pro
Hello and welcome to the site.
PRC
Stop Quoting Me!
Hey Tab, welcome to the site...don't worry. We'll help you out....If you can, post pics of all of your equipment, we can identify it from their and help.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
Watch the nem....they're very sensitive, and if they die, they take everything down with them due to the toxins they release. And if your nitrates are too high (probably from the transport -- the sand gunk got stirred up), it may make your nem sick.
+1 Zissou......damsels are eeeeeveeeeel!
Welcome to the site!
+1 Zissou......damsels are eeeeeveeeeel!
Welcome to the site!
fastrd400
It wasn't me!
Exactly what I was thinking when I read the initial post. I'd pull of a large water change, like what was suggested earlier, somewhere between 10 and 15 gallons.
What you described sounds just like bristle worms as well. They are not bad for your system, they actually help as a clean up crew.
Your system sounds like some sort of Bio-Cube, maybe a Red Sea Max? In any case, when you do your water change, pull out about half of the bio-balls. Next "regular water change pull out a few more. Do that until they are gone and you can replce them with live rock rubble.
Good luck and welcome to the site.
I went home for lunch and everything is still alive but...the anemone is GONE. I didnt notice till it was almost time for me to head back from lunch so I'll look more when I get home, but I didn't see him anywhere. It's like they are conspiring. "ok today I'll die and tomorrow you'll go missing. Let's see what she does next." lol.
PRC
Stop Quoting Me!
Anenomes can and will go in the rocks if they're not happy. Like Wonton said, if it dies it can wipe out the entire tank.
