Strange things in my tank - Page 3

DerekG4 · 08/03/2014, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Ok, even if I was going to temporarily remove everything, where am I gonna put it? I don't have a spare tank.

Let me ask a question, how exactly am I going too fast? There's nothing bad in the tank, no Nitrite, no Nitrate, no ammonia, everything other alkalinity and calcium is just fine. And the hardiest fish died rather than one that's less hardier.(Points me to think that the wild bacteria from the blenny is what's acting up) Regarding that, does anyone know why the blenny is carnivorous?

I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude or just in denial but, It's just that I tend to always discuss something (I don't know if that made sense :/).

santanzchild · 08/03/2014, 01:54 PM

If you dont have the room or the money for a spare tank then take them back to the store where they have a chance of living.

DerekG4 · 08/03/2014, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by santanzchild

If you dont have the room or the money for a spare tank then take them back to the store where they have a chance of living.

But here's the thing, they're living just fine. I see NO signs at all of the 2 fishes dying unlike the others that have died so far which have had rather obvious symptoms. Even the corals seem to be thriving, a little extra polyp has grown on one of the zoas. Besides, the LFSs here in Miami are horrible, there's always 1-10 dead fish in a little cube, so LFSs aren't exactly a temporary cozy house, only like 1 in 4 fish in the stores here live and make it to a reefer's house safely.

Azraz · 08/05/2014, 01:31 PM

Maybe you LFS are getting their fish from a non reputable place and the fish are doomed from the start. And like all have said and I will say it again, SLOW DOWN.
It takes over a year to properly mature a reef tank. I know that some of the fish have made it, maybe they are really lucky.

Big_Boss_77 · 08/06/2014, 03:55 AM

It's like a train wreck... I don't wanna stare but I can't look away... I really hope this works out in the end for every one involved but I gotta go with the moving way to fast crowd

Shawn O · 08/06/2014, 10:56 AM

I think you are missing the point. The other posters are pointing out your tank is not SEASONED. A SEASONED tank is one that has tons of different bacteria, micro fauna, plant matter (algae), etc. Your tank looks sterile, the rocks look bare.

If, in fact, it is an herbivore (your blenny), it may be eating the meat you're adding just because it's starving in such a sterile tank (just an uneducated guess). Where in Fla do you live? Near the shore? Perhaps you could go to the beach and hunt for some micro life to add to the tank, such as isopods, copopods, etc. Maybe even some algae for the herbivores?

I understand you not believing that your tank is ready since you have already done things to make the water quality SAFE. It is just that it is too sterile. At the very least, go to the beach and bring home a 5gal bucket of sea water, run it through a filter of some sort (maybe a paint filter) and then slowly add it to your system. To keep a system for ocean animals you need to make the water like the ocean, not just salt content and low ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate. It needs the bacteria and microscopic life that is in the ocean.

Good luck with your tank and please keep us posted on your results.

Pigpen17 · 08/06/2014, 11:12 AM

It seems like you are dead set on going forward, so my advice, as humble as it may be, is don't add any more fish or corals and let the tank develop. Test your water everyday. You don't need the whole kit if you can't do it. Get an ammonia alarm http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...216&cadevice=c your LFS should carry them, and get some test strips. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...216&cadevice=c again, your LFS should carry them. They are not very accurate, but the combination can tell you if something is wrong. The only kit I recommend getting is ALK. Get that stuff going, monitor your tank for a few months, and then add one new fish and monitor again.

When you can afford the whole spectrum of test kits, get them, or buy one at a time.

Personally, I let my tank run with just a clean up crew for 3+ months, and I actually wish I had gone longer, but you seem like you are knee deep in it right now.

As the above poster said, good luck. Wish you well. You may and up with an empty tank anyway. Just don't keep adding fish.

08/06/2014, 03:55 AM	#55
Big_Boss_77 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Missouri USA Posts: 345	It's like a train wreck... I don't wanna stare but I can't look away... I really hope this works out in the end for every one involved but I gotta go with the moving way to fast crowd __________________ Work smarter, NOT harder. Current Tank Info: 55 gallon with a 5 gallon fuge and 10 gallon sump

08/06/2014, 11:12 AM	#57
Pigpen17 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tacoma, Wa. Posts: 1,006	It seems like you are dead set on going forward, so my advice, as humble as it may be, is don't add any more fish or corals and let the tank develop. Test your water everyday. You don't need the whole kit if you can't do it. Get an ammonia alarm http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...216&cadevice=c your LFS should carry them, and get some test strips. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...216&cadevice=c again, your LFS should carry them. They are not very accurate, but the combination can tell you if something is wrong. The only kit I recommend getting is ALK. Get that stuff going, monitor your tank for a few months, and then add one new fish and monitor again. When you can afford the whole spectrum of test kits, get them, or buy one at a time. Personally, I let my tank run with just a clean up crew for 3+ months, and I actually wish I had gone longer, but you seem like you are knee deep in it right now. As the above poster said, good luck. Wish you well. You may and up with an empty tank anyway. Just don't keep adding fish. __________________ Never trust a man with a castle in his tank. 56g Column \|Aquamaxx HOB-1 Skimmer \|Reef Breeders Photon 24 LED \|850gph Koralia (X2) \| Maxspect Gyre XF130

08/03/2014, 01:54 PM	#52
santanzchild Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 131	If you dont have the room or the money for a spare tank then take them back to the store where they have a chance of living.

08/05/2014, 01:31 PM	#54
Azraz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 94	Maybe you LFS are getting their fish from a non reputable place and the fish are doomed from the start. And like all have said and I will say it again, SLOW DOWN. It takes over a year to properly mature a reef tank. I know that some of the fish have made it, maybe they are really lucky.

08/06/2014, 10:56 AM	#56
Shawn O Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts Posts: 1,474	I think you are missing the point. The other posters are pointing out your tank is not SEASONED. A SEASONED tank is one that has tons of different bacteria, micro fauna, plant matter (algae), etc. Your tank looks sterile, the rocks look bare. If, in fact, it is an herbivore (your blenny), it may be eating the meat you're adding just because it's starving in such a sterile tank (just an uneducated guess). Where in Fla do you live? Near the shore? Perhaps you could go to the beach and hunt for some micro life to add to the tank, such as isopods, copopods, etc. Maybe even some algae for the herbivores? I understand you not believing that your tank is ready since you have already done things to make the water quality SAFE. It is just that it is too sterile. At the very least, go to the beach and bring home a 5gal bucket of sea water, run it through a filter of some sort (maybe a paint filter) and then slowly add it to your system. To keep a system for ocean animals you need to make the water like the ocean, not just salt content and low ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate. It needs the bacteria and microscopic life that is in the ocean. Good luck with your tank and please keep us posted on your results.