Strange things in my tank

[1fishkeeper]

How much fish can I put in exactly? I've been told I can put about 5 or 6 depending the species and size

The fish we had planned to put in were:

Ocellaris Clownfish (Buying one somewhat soon)I would hold off for awhile to let your tank catch up
Benggai Cardinalfish (Our current one died, gonna buy another some other time)[COLOR="Red"]Same as above[COLOR="red"]
Firefish (Already added)
Any type of Sand Sifting Goby (Our Sleeper banded Goby died of starvation, might get another one)I would wait about 6 plus months or even more before getting a sand sifter you need to wait for micro fauna to build up in your sand for it to eat
Royal Gramma (We might get one, we saw a couple at a cheap price in a store)FYI they can be mean little buggers

As for Inverts, we already have 2 snailsadd a few more snails as part of your clean up crew, a sand sifting starfishit will starve to death in a tank your size it can take awhile but it will please do not get one, couple hermit crabs,great for your clean up crew get some and sadly our cleaner shrimp died. As soon as we find out what killed him, we'll try to fix whatever happened in the tank and possibly add another

EDIT: On Saturday, we plan to remove the Lawnmower Blenny, as it's just too much of an aggressive eater, and is the reason the Cardinalfish died. I really don't think this is the reason why your cardinalfish died they eat two different things. Lawnmower Blenny eat algae. I think your cardinalfish died because your tank is not quite cycled along with your other fish that died

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by Shawn O

I can't imagine there would be enough nutrition in your sand for a sand sifting starfish yet.

There should be, I'm seeing some Detritus on the sand and mostly on the glass. If the tank is completely clean, we just put some shrimp in the sand

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by 1fishkeeper

How much fish can I put in exactly? I've been told I can put about 5 or 6 depending the species and size

The fish we had planned to put in were:

Ocellaris Clownfish (Buying one somewhat soon)I would hold off for awhile to let your tank catch up
Benggai Cardinalfish (Our current one died, gonna buy another some other time)[COLOR="Red"]Same as above[COLOR="red"]
Firefish (Already added)
Any type of Sand Sifting Goby (Our Sleeper banded Goby died of starvation, might get another one)I would wait about 6 plus months or even more before getting a sand sifter you need to wait for micro fauna to build up in your sand for it to eat
Royal Gramma (We might get one, we saw a couple at a cheap price in a store)FYI they can be mean little buggers

As for Inverts, we already have 2 snailsadd a few more snails as part of your clean up crew, a sand sifting starfishit will starve to death in a tank your size it can take awhile but it will please do not get one, couple hermit crabs,great for your clean up crew get some and sadly our cleaner shrimp died. As soon as we find out what killed him, we'll try to fix whatever happened in the tank and possibly add another

EDIT: On Saturday, we plan to remove the Lawnmower Blenny, as it's just too much of an aggressive eater, and is the reason the Cardinalfish died. I really don't think this is the reason why your cardinalfish died they eat two different things. Lawnmower Blenny eat algae. I think your cardinalfish died because your tank is not quite cycled along with your other fish that died

We already had the Starfish (As well as the hermits and the Snails and they're pretty big already), but if it's bad I guess I should remove it, it seems he's still healthy. As for the blenny, trust me, my blenny for some very strange reason is hogging up the shrimp, I've been meaning to take a video but last time it didn't really show up very good

Just took the video and it looks great, now how do I add a video on without needing to upload on Youtube?

[Azraz]

Derek,
You are going WAY too fast. This hobby is a game of patience. Tanks take up to a year to mature. The cycle then needs to adjust to every addition to the tank.

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by Azraz

Derek,
You are going WAY too fast. This hobby is a game of patience. Tanks take up to a year to mature. The cycle then needs to adjust to every addition to the tank.

I've learned that now, thank you

Just went to an LFS and been given some advice as well as my parameters,

The Salinity is at 24 (Been told it's good and should maintain at 22-24), The Alkalinity is at 7 (Been told it has to be around 8-12 for the corals), the Calcium is at 400 (Been told it has to be around 420-450 for corals) Ammonia is at 0, as for the rest, he didn't tell me.

Apparently the reason the cleaner shrimp and the chromis died was due the blenny that I caught from the beach having bad bacteria.

[DerekG4]

It's not allowing me to post the video (Keeps saying "Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing." Even though it says i'm allowed to post attachments)

Seems there is also a plague in our tank, one of the Snails has just died (Was fine just yesterday)

[Pigpen17]

Originally Posted by DerekG4

It's not allowing me to post the video (Keeps saying "Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing." Even though it says i'm allowed to post attachments)

Seems there is also a plague in our tank, one of the Snails has just died (Was fine just yesterday)

I use photobucket.com. It's free and you can post pictures and video.

[Spyderturbo007]

You really need to take a step back from the tank and stop haphazardly adding animals. All I'm seeing in this thread is animals being killed needlessly because of negligence. I'm not trying to be rude, so please don't take that comment personally.

You need to slow down and address the issues you currently have before adding any more livestock.

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by Spyderturbo007

You really need to take a step back from the tank and stop haphazardly adding animals. All I'm seeing in this thread is animals being killed needlessly because of negligence. I'm not trying to be rude, so please don't take that comment personally.

You need to slow down and address the issues you currently have before adding any more livestock.

I am, it's just that those fish have been added before I even made the topic, as of now I'm not really adding anything.

Don't worry I take nothing here as offensive.

[DerekG4]

Bah, screw it, I just posted the video on instagram since it was much quicker: http://instagram.com/p/rLPG3nyQHQ/

As you can see, my Lawnmower blenny is completely carnivorous.

[Spiffy]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Brine shrimp have very little nutritional value. Try feeding some PE Mysis shrimp instead.

I remember you telling me the same thing a while back, and I started alternating brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and flakes. I have seen an improvement in the liveliness of my fish. And an increase in my nutrient levels. But I know what to do about that.

[DerekG4]

So, is there something wrong or is it just rare that a blenny is eating shrimp?

[Nina51]

Originally Posted by DerekG4

Ammonia is at 0, as for the rest, he didn't tell me.

this guy isn't doing you any favors. you need to know your nitrite and nitrate readings to be able to tell if your tank has completed its cycle, which i'm pretty sure it hasn't.

get your own test kits and start testing yourself. stay away from API as they aren't all that accurate and accuracy is a must in this hobby! as with pretty much everything, you get what you pay for. the API tests are cheap, a good set of tests will be on the pricey side but you really do need them. you are better off spending the $$ on good tests and forget about adding any livestock until this tank is ready.

[chicagoreefer20]

Wait - did you say you throw in a chunk or two of fish you caught to feed your fish? That could add a lot of waste to your tank, not to mention pollutants and parasites and who knows what. Salt water fish? Fresh water fish?

[Twisted_Blenny]

FYI pretty sure that's not a Blenny.....

[johnike]

FYI or pretty sure?

[Twisted_Blenny]

Originally Posted by johnike

FYI or pretty sure?

Pretty sure....take a look and u tell me I've never seen a lawn mower blenny like that?

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by chicagoreefer20

Wait - did you say you throw in a chunk or two of fish you caught to feed your fish? That could add a lot of waste to your tank, not to mention pollutants and parasites and who knows what. Salt water fish? Fresh water fish?

Salt water, although we don't just throw it in there, we clean out the fish, chop a tiny chunk, make sure no blood or anything is on, and just throw it in there and hermit crabs devour it in minutes, almost nothing is left.

Originally Posted by Twisted_Blenny

FYI pretty sure that's not a Blenny.....

Nope, I'm 100% sure that is a blenny. He sits on rocks observing the tank like a blenny, has the normal sloped, bony looking face like a blenny, but doesn't eat algae like a blenny. Reason I'm posting this is because it's rather strange and I don't know what's wrong with it. He never vomits once he eats it, no matter the amount of shrimp you put, he'll eat every single one he sees. I'll take a good quality up-close picture if you still don't believe me that that is in fact a blenny.

(The attachments not allowing me to post photos is getting rather annoying now, it just keeps saying "Upload of file failed.")

[Mcgeezer]

Your livestock is not dying because of "bacteria"

It's dying because you are going WAY too fast and your not allowing your tank to cycle/mature properly.

If you do not have patience with saltwater, then you might as well stop now. You need to test your own water...do not ever take advice from a LFS. They only want to sell you more stuff. If your fish die...that means more $$$ for them.

You are adding too much too quickly and your biological filter can't keep up.

I would seriously consider moving all of your livestock out of the tank and letting it properly cycle.

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by Mcgeezer

Your livestock is not dying because of "bacteria"

It's dying because you are going WAY too fast and your not allowing your tank to cycle/mature properly.

If you do not have patience with saltwater, then you might as well stop now. You need to test your own water...do not ever take advice from a LFS. They only want to sell you more stuff. If your fish die...that means more $$$ for them.

You are adding too much too quickly and your biological filter can't keep up.

I would seriously consider moving all of your livestock out of the tank and letting it properly cycle.

Problem is I only have 1 fish tank and just about any tank here is rather expensive

But if that is the case, how come my firefish and blenny are just fine? Plus the corals, starfish, hermits, and snails. (Not to mention a chromis, which from what I read is one the hardiest fishes ever, has also died, as well as the cleaner shrimp, yet not a firefish which is hardy but not as much as the chromis) no offense but, I just can't seem to think that could be the case, but yes I do realize I have done things faster than most. Besides, it's already been 40 days, for sure it has to be acclimated by now.

EDIT: We used our neighbors test kit, Nitrite and Nitrate are at 0, only thing that's too low is alkalinity (7) and calcium (400)

[Mcgeezer]

I'm not trying to be a you know what...just being brutally honest. Consider this a lesson learned and understand if your not willing to move the livestock, they will likely die and your tank will have more issues for a significant time.

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by Mcgeezer

I'm not trying to be a you know what...just being brutally honest. Consider this a lesson learned and understand if your not willing to move the livestock, they will likely die and your tank will have more issues for a significant time.

Yes, I understand it's just that where am I gonna move them? I have buckets but I'm pretty sure that won't be good for 2 weeks

[ReefPony]

Originally Posted by DerekG4

Problem is I only have 1 fish tank and just about any tank here is rather expensive

But if that is the case, how come my firefish and blenny are just fine? Plus the corals, starfish, hermits, and snails. (Not to mention a chromis, which from what I read is one the hardiest fishes ever, has also died, as well as the cleaner shrimp, yet not a firefish which is hardy but not as much as the chromis) no offense but, I just can't seem to think that could be the case, but yes I do realize I have done things faster than most. Besides, it's already been 40 days, for sure it has to be acclimated by now.

EDIT: We used our neighbors test kit, Nitrite and Nitrate are at 0, only thing that's too low is alkalinity (7) and calcium (400)

40 days is basically nothing when it comes to the kind of patience people are talking about here.

I started my 36 gallon tank in April and didn't add my 3rd fish until last week - over 100 days since I set up the tank... and I guarantee that there are some who would probably tell me that I'm going a little fast.

Remember the adage "Nothing good happens fast in a reef aquarium."

[DerekG4]

Originally Posted by ReefPony

40 days is basically nothing when it comes to the kind of patience people are talking about here.

I started my 36 gallon tank in April and didn't add my 3rd fish until last week - over 100 days since I set up the tank... and I guarantee that there are some who would probably tell me that I'm going a little fast.

Remember the adage "Nothing good happens fast in a reef aquarium."

The guy we bought our dry rocks from had a tank already acclimated (According to him) in just 2 weeks and a half, in a 210g, and he had in there, an azure damsel, harlequin tusk, banded coral shrimp, many little hermit crabs (About 30) Coral rock beauty, Ocellaris clownfish, and a Scopas tang, all healthy (Other than a shrimp had a missing leg) didn't believe him at first but then again I see no point in why he'd lie about it, he explained to my dad something about a trick with a shrimp (Shrimps meant for us to eat) acclimating it faster.

I don't know if this really worked for us (My dad did it when he add the damsels and just rocks) the day when we tested it, the ammonia was red (he told my dad, but I was paying attention to the number) after that, we went home, placed the shrimp next to the filter, hanging it by a tied to a fishing line, by the filter, (Good thing about it is the damsels were happy eating it) then a week later we checked it and the ammonia was at 1. Then a week later is when we started getting the fish. (We removed the shrimp 4 days before getting the fish, the first 2 were the goby and cardinal) So really maybe this trick worked or not, I don't know. My dad just wanted to get the water acclimated as fast as possible

[buddhafish]

+1 to almost everyone saying you are going way too fast. Not giving the system enough time to mature and cycle. For my first 75g, I went over 3-4 months before adding a simple starter fish. Then waited a few months before even considering to add another.