Grrrrrr

Nicolas2323 · 12/01/2013, 10:05 PM

I have had a thing with chiclids for a while now. I love fish. They bring calm to my chaotic world. A friend had a marine tank they were just going to trash due to a divorce and I tried to save the fish. I took on the challenge and failed miserably. Everything was going fine and yesterday all six fish just up and died. It's just a thirty gallon tank and I have a 50g and a 30g aqua clear filter and a power head. That's it! I bought a water circulation unit, the propeller type unit, after reading about all that stuff pin this forum. I was running bubbles like in my fresh tank. Within hours of installing it everything was dead. I had my water tested today and everything was fine but I had high alkalinity levels. I want to get this right before I get more fish. What's wrong, how do i fix it, and what else should I do to make sure my tank is a good place t live for my fish.

Nicolas2323 · 12/01/2013, 10:06 PM

You are all gonna be shocked by the story. I got this tank from an irresponsible girl that had thrown Bobbie pins (from her hair) in the water. It was in bad shape and when she delivered the tank the stand actually fell (in transit) and broke both the tank and the stand. I did what I could, saved as much water as I could. I bought the filters cause all she had was a skimmer with no pump. I know there is about 10 live rock and I bought twenty pounds of live sand. I really know very little about the details. That's my problem. Things were fine after all that for about a month then I replaced the power head for the other unit because the power head seem to cause micro bubble. I took out the bubble stones for the same reason. Problem is I fell in love with the hobby and I want to do int right. Actually it was the scooter blenny that did me in. I should have done more research and I got my water tested at petsmart, just those colored stripes so I don't have any good numbers on water quality. They just said my alkalinity was off the charts. Everything else was great

kouma · 12/02/2013, 08:26 AM

What is the salinity of the water and how are you measuring it?

Merman1983 · 12/02/2013, 08:36 AM

Do not use air bubbles in your tank, that will only cause a mess, loss of salt, grow algae, and cause major headaches.
Also, get a cheap hydrometer if you don't already have one, and get your specific gravity right. Anywhere between 1.020-1.025 will keep fish alive, and keep it steady, somewhere in between 1.022-1.023.
And remember, water evaporates, but salt does not, so do a daily salt check and add a small amount of fresh water each day.
Also, an open top is way better than using a hood.

12/01/2013, 10:05 PM	#1
Nicolas2323 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 7	Grrrrrr I have had a thing with chiclids for a while now. I love fish. They bring calm to my chaotic world. A friend had a marine tank they were just going to trash due to a divorce and I tried to save the fish. I took on the challenge and failed miserably. Everything was going fine and yesterday all six fish just up and died. It's just a thirty gallon tank and I have a 50g and a 30g aqua clear filter and a power head. That's it! I bought a water circulation unit, the propeller type unit, after reading about all that stuff pin this forum. I was running bubbles like in my fresh tank. Within hours of installing it everything was dead. I had my water tested today and everything was fine but I had high alkalinity levels. I want to get this right before I get more fish. What's wrong, how do i fix it, and what else should I do to make sure my tank is a good place t live for my fish.

12/02/2013, 08:26 AM	#3
kouma Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 276	What is the salinity of the water and how are you measuring it? __________________ Miracles Starphire 315 gallon, Pacific Sun Pandora S and Kore 5th, 4x Tunze 6105s, Gyre 150FX, Reef Octopus Diablo DCS-250, Emperor Aquatics 50 Watt Smart HO UV, Vertex Cerebra Controller

12/02/2013, 08:36 AM	#4
Merman1983 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Tampa, Florida, USA Posts: 72	Do not use air bubbles in your tank, that will only cause a mess, loss of salt, grow algae, and cause major headaches. Also, get a cheap hydrometer if you don't already have one, and get your specific gravity right. Anywhere between 1.020-1.025 will keep fish alive, and keep it steady, somewhere in between 1.022-1.023. And remember, water evaporates, but salt does not, so do a daily salt check and add a small amount of fresh water each day. Also, an open top is way better than using a hood. __________________ In the year 1983 a merman I should turn to be. ~ Jimi Hendrix Current Tank Info: 225 gallon in wall mixed reef, 60 gallon, 30 gallon, 20 gallon.

12/01/2013, 10:06 PM	#2
Nicolas2323 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 7	You are all gonna be shocked by the story. I got this tank from an irresponsible girl that had thrown Bobbie pins (from her hair) in the water. It was in bad shape and when she delivered the tank the stand actually fell (in transit) and broke both the tank and the stand. I did what I could, saved as much water as I could. I bought the filters cause all she had was a skimmer with no pump. I know there is about 10 live rock and I bought twenty pounds of live sand. I really know very little about the details. That's my problem. Things were fine after all that for about a month then I replaced the power head for the other unit because the power head seem to cause micro bubble. I took out the bubble stones for the same reason. Problem is I fell in love with the hobby and I want to do int right. Actually it was the scooter blenny that did me in. I should have done more research and I got my water tested at petsmart, just those colored stripes so I don't have any good numbers on water quality. They just said my alkalinity was off the charts. Everything else was great