Well its been 2 months and I wake up to this red slime

[garydm]

well I set my new tank up throw in some live rock(I know I need more).....and let it cycle for a month then introduced a clown fish......light is on about 12 hours a day and I leave for a day throw in some food before going to sleep not paying atention to the tank and the next day wake up at noon and this is what I found

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e184/godspeed_89/misc/Picture001.jpg

 

[garydm]

 

[garydm]

 

[garydm]

Oh and theres green alge

 

[yote]

Your having water quality issues.
The first I can see that needs to happen,is that anemone needs go back to the LFS.A 2 month old tanks not stable enough to support an anemone.Plus your lights arent going to support the anemone,there not bright enough.
Now for the water quality and the cyano.
Siphon out all the cyano and do a decent sized water change.Then cut the lights completely off for 3 or 4 days,say 20 to 25%.Then the day you turn the lights back on do another 20 to 25% water change.It'll also help to get some water flow going in there.
What are parameters reading?
Namely ammonia,nitrite,and nitrates.

 

[garydm]

What light will support the anemone??? Im sorry I feel odd as I just got into this hobby and was at the mercy of the guy at the fish store.....Im getting a test kit tomorrow so I dont have to remember or stand in line to check my water at the fish store(plus at this point dont trust him)
I feel he(fish store employee) was just there to push items instead of giving me good advice to keep my tank healthy(thats why I googled a forum)

 

[garydm]

Thanks for the advice...plus I have been readingthe past 2 days on this forum and found out I already screwed up in using tap water and buying another emp.400 pump insted of a skimmer

 

[d2mini]

My advice is to start over.

You're only a month in so really its not as bas as it sounds. You'll be much better starting off right than continuing where you are now. First, get that nem out asap and in my opinion, that clown shouldn't be in there yet either. Bring them both back to the LFS. Then drain the water (siphoning out that algae as you go) and mix up some fresh saltwater made with RO water. I would also add more live rock if you can afford it. Keep that powerhead going for water movement in the tank. Eventually you can get a protein skimmer but you don't really need it while cycling. Some people don't use them at all. So now let your tank cycle. Maybe throw in a table shrimp or something to get some bacteria in there and speed things along. Get that test kit and keep testing the water as it cycles. Only after the cycle is complete should you start to add some clean up crew and a hardy fish. Take it SLOW. You have to have patience in this hobby if you want to be successful. One fish every few weeks.

I'd also look into getting an overflow and a sump. Not only is more water going to help you keep the tank more stable, but it will give you a place for a protein skimmer and heater (instead of in your display tank).

For lights, look at high output T5 fixtures. Cheaper than metal halide and with enough bulbs you can keep pretty much anything. You won't get the shimmer that MH produces, but you also won't get the heat and electric bills, either.

Good luck, and definitely keep reading the forums and asking questions. We're here to help! We've all been where you are right now. Look for a new LFS too. ;)

 

[PufferGuy]

+1 all the above

you need to really keep an eye on water quality to keep that purple slime (cyano) out of there... at the very least you'll need 4 test kits: ammonia, nitrite nitrate and pH.

like stated above you'll need to let the tank mature a bit before you can start throwing in livestock.

also, anemones are one of the hardest animals too keep alive and require prestine water conditions and powerfull lighting, neither of which you can provide at this moment

take it slow and ask questions, people here are friendly and will give you good advice, oh and on that note, 99.9% of fish shops are going to try to get you to buy as much as you'll take, they dont really care if it lives or dies when you get it home... so ask here before you trust what they tell you

 

[dcantucson]

+2 to all above.
yote thank god for that one good eye you got. I missed the anemone altogether looking at the cyano. :mrgreen:

 

[KidJ57]

You are definitely in good hands here; I'm with D2 especially...return the fish, return the anemone, dump the water, get rid of the algae, and start over. I don't know what the money situation is like, but if the LFS give you your money back or at least a credit, use it to buy some more rock; don't worry about the skimmer just yet. My tank isn't much different from yours in size and I started with tap water, 11 pounds of rock, 20 pounds of bagged "live" sand, 3 damsels (2 died), a canister filter, and a air stone....which roughly translates to: "mistake, mistake, mistake...". But you know what, my tank has yet to crash, that original damsel that survived is one of my healthiest fish (an asshole, but healthy), I'm still using the cannister filter (has a UV filter too, works well enough), and I've just been upgrading everything else as I go along all without any "major" crashes...shoot, I'm still planning on adding more rock. We all make mistakes, we all learn as we go, the only trick is to make it work within your budget.

 

[Bifferwine]

The best type of filtration you can have is 1 to 2 lbs of live rock per gallon of your tank size and a protein skimmer. Using tap water is a mistake that can be difficult to overcome, but is not a death sentence. So if you want to start over with good water you can, but if you think that's too much of a hassle, you can definitely make things work with what you've started already.

First, get rid of the animals. Like others have said, an anemone is probably about the worst animal you can put in a new tank. They rarely survive in tanks that have been set up for less than a year old, and your lights are not strong enough to keep one alive. And they are toxic, so when they die (I say WHEN, not IF), they have the potential to wipe out everything else in your tank with them.

Next, I would add more live rock. Like I said, 1 to 2 lbs per gallon. You will want to trade in your Emperor filters for a protein skimmer. The best hang-on-back brands are Aqua C Remora and Octopus. Filters like Emperors are fine for freshwater, but are just not suitable for saltwater.

In the meantime, start doing water changes and top offs with RODI water. You can buy RODI water from any grocery store or Walmart, or you can get a unit of your own that installs under your sink. A basic, good unit will run you around $100. Check out P U R E W A T E R C L U B.

 

[project5k]

yep yep, all of the above, i actually did kinda the same thing, i started my tank with tap water( i didnt kow any better) so i did several massive water changes over the first couple weeks, and i was also given some of this powder stuff thats supposed to kill the red slime, it seemed to work ok, i went through a couple cycles of that red crap, at one point it got so bad, strings of it were floating around in the tank, and actually a couple times i fould it hanging off my fish, but eventually i was able to change the water enough, (i was changing 20 gallons every other day for about 2 weeks, till i was able to flush out most of that tap water...

if you can, i'd really suggest draining what you have and starting the cycle over again, trust me, i've been there, and i did the "stick with it" plan, and it was a MAJOR PITA...

now 5 months later, and i'm just now really getting to where i should have been 3 months ago.

 

[garydm]

well Update is ........clown fish died and the anemone was given back to the store with no credit or money but its not screwing up my tank so Im good with it.....Ill start over so look for some threads buy me soon as Im going to grab more rock and not evan ask anyone at the fish store advice......Thanks I feel alittle more prepared for this tima around

 

[dcantucson]

Sorry to hear about your Clownfish. Sometimes starting over can be the best thing.

 

[KidJ57]

that sucks with the lfs not giving you anything for your return after THEY screwed up your tank...I would have made a scene or asked for the owner or something, but then again, I'm a bit of an ass :mrgreen:

 

[yote]

Hate to hear about the clown.
But you made the right choice,even if the LFS didnt give you anything for the anemone.
Just take your time and it'll come together nicely.

 

[dcantucson]

I'm a bit of an ass :mrgreen:

Maybe you should change your avatar then..... to a bare butt. :mrgreen: :bounce:

 

[KidJ57]

I would, but I figured the crab was a bit more subtle :mrgreen:

 

[project5k]

I'm a bit of an ass :mrgreen:

yes, we know...

heheh i'm just kidding, you put it out there, i just went with it.. hehehehe


no but seriously

Gary, i think your making the best move, and really, in the long run, i think starting over will end up saving you money, cause this way your only loosing one tank's worth of salt mix, not tankfull after tankfull like i did... not to mention the lives of all the critters....