My hard work and money went down the drain! WHY!!!!?

dmeltonjr · 01/25/2009, 01:07 AM

Hi, I have a 55 gallon aquarium with alot of live rock, 2 bio wheel filters and a canister 1500 filter. I have 1 red volotin lion, powder blue tang 3 clowns, a niger trigger and a clown trigger. The coral i have is a bubble tip anemone, a few zoe's, a few star polyps, and PRETTY brain. I also have 2 clams and my invertabrate consist of a sea urchin, star fish, hermit crabs, snails and a emeral crab. About a month ago i purchased a mudusa sea cucumber and unfortunatly i came home from work one day and found out it died about 2 weeks ago and the next morning EVERYTHING in my tank was dead, EVERYTHING!!!!!! So i took everything out, dead coral and all and the next day i bought a bird wrasse and about 3 hours it was dead also. So the next day i did a 10 gallon water change and the day after i bought another fish and it died with in a few hours also so that very same day someone advised me to do several water changes before i put anymore fish in so i started asap. First day i did another 10 gal change and i waited 2 days and did a 20 gal change and waited another 2 days and i did my final water change and i made it a big one of 35 gallons. I let it sit for 2 days and within those 2 days i treated it with stability and aqua vitro alpha. So then i decided to buy a few clown fish and with in about 4 hours they were ALL dead!!!!!!!!! So after that I went to a local pet store and told a guy i knew about my situation and he asked what kind of fish did i have in the begining and when i got to the medusa sea cucumber be laughed and said that was the problem because it has a bad poison in it and it can wipe a tank out and he said do another big water change and test my water the next day so i did and my water tested perfect on EVERYTHING so i then got a much cheaper fish which was a damsel, i got 4 of them. I treated those 4.00 fish like they were 400.00 fish, i did aclimations and everything and in about 3 hours THEY WERE DEAD TOO!!!! All i have in my tank now is live rock and sand. Is there anyone that can help me figure out why i cant keep fish alive i my tank any longer than 4 hrs now. Ive cleaned filters, did several water changes and everything else i could think of. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Johnny C · 01/25/2009, 01:18 AM

Oh SNAP, the tang police are about to be on you like white on rice!

As for your dilemma... you gotta SLOW DOWN with the fish purchases! Remember that everything takes time in this hobby and trying to keep adding fish is only going to make your situation 10x worse. IMO, if it were me, I would put the LR in buckets and drain ALL of the water. I would add new (mind you premixed and heated) SW and then re-add the LR. Let the tank sit for about a month, doing 5-10G water changes weekly, and THEN maybe add a fish.

Hopefully a few more people will chime in... good luck!

PS- If you haven't already, now would be the time to buy some serious test-kits!

Johnny C · 01/25/2009, 01:21 AM

BTW... are you absolutely CRAZY having the lion in the same tank as the other fish you had? I'm not trying to sound mean at all, but you really need to take this as a learning experience and slow your roll in this hobby.

I surely hope everything works out for you, and btw... Welcome to RC!

BradsOcean · 01/25/2009, 01:31 AM

55gallon tank and 'lion, powderblue tang, 2 triggers' does NOT go well together...

Michael · 01/25/2009, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaliDreaminjC
IMO, if it were me, I would put the LR in buckets and drain ALL of the water. I would add new (mind you premixed and heated) SW and then re-add the LR. Let the tank sit for about a month, doing 5-10G water changes weekly, and THEN maybe add a fish.

yep and me

nikon187 · 01/25/2009, 02:16 AM

none of your original fish were compatible with each other in that tank size. Agree with everything mentioned already, you need to research and slow down. Nothing happens fast in this hobby.

Whys · 01/25/2009, 02:21 AM

Oh the slaughter...

Half of me wants to tell you to get out of this hobby. The other half fears what your next hobby might be. What ever you do, don't visit the pound!

Paintings and sculpture... seriously. It's pretty and it doesn't suffer or die.

Sorry, I don't mean to be mean, but you're clearly in over your head and throwing more fish at the problem is no solution. Take a serious chill pill, consider if this is what you really want to do, and if so, spend the next few months learning what you can about the bio-cycle and species compatibility. There are many knowledgeable people here more than willing to teach you everything you need to know. Otherwise... you're just being cruel to suit your own vanity.

Sorry, but really.

returnofsid · 01/25/2009, 02:41 AM

For the amount of fish you had, you needed at least a 180 gallon tank....or more. SLOW DOWN...do A LOT of research....LEARN....then and only then....start over. Until then, put all your live rock in a container, with saltwater and a couple power heads. Leave it alone long enough for you to learn A LOT more before your second attempt.

Heinz · 01/25/2009, 03:02 AM

you did so many things wrong that i dont know where to start,
as a last resort i will give you a link ,
http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.p...showpage&pid=1
with the hope you take the time and read it

MileHighFish · 01/25/2009, 04:55 AM

I hear what all have said above and agree, Have you thought about running a large amount of carbon to pull out some of the toxicities? Are you running a skimmer on this tank? Like it has been mentioned pull out the rock and rinse well, I would also dump your sand and start fresh. You will need to recycle the tank and give it some time. Sorry to read about the money lost I feel for you but you encountered a "CUC-NUKE"

MileHighFish · 01/25/2009, 04:58 AM

also dump the bio wheels and fill the canister filter full of carbon, or dont use it at all, there is no place for them in a reef tank. Good luck

fitlerreef · 01/25/2009, 06:54 AM

Many sea cucumbers are known to release toxins on death. Aside from other issues, it's likely that your cucumber died, released toxins and more or less instantly killed your entire tank.

If you're going to start again, I would stay away from cucumbers and other things that can lead to instant peril.

JBuffetReefer · 01/25/2009, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whys
Oh the slaughter...

Half of me wants to tell you to get out of this hobby. The other half fears what your next hobby might be. What ever you do, don't visit the pound!

Paintings and sculpture... seriously. It's pretty and it doesn't suffer or die.

Sorry, I don't mean to be mean, but you're clearly in over your head and throwing more fish at the problem is no solution. Take a serious chill pill, consider if this is what you really want to do, and if so, spend the next few months learning what you can about the bio-cycle and species compatibility. There are many knowledgeable people here more than willing to teach you everything you need to know. Otherwise... you're just being cruel to suit your own vanity.

Sorry, but really.

Its really sad that people have to make these types of comments.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Toss your sand, wash your LR and start over. In the meantime, do some reading and research. Dont give up and dont get discouraged.

Keep asking questions. Good luck.

billdogg · 01/25/2009, 07:03 AM

^^^+1,000,000,000^^^^^

STOP KILLING THINGS THAT YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE NOT RESEARCHED!!!

Please SLOW DOWN, READ READ READ!!!

Go to www.wetwebmedia.com - when you have read and understand all the information on setup, filtration, livestock (especially compatibility) maintenance, testing, etc.......................then restart your tank. Please stop throwing money at it thinking that will fix it. It will not!

This can be a wonderful hobby (addiction), IF you take the time and do it right.

Gary Majchrzak · 01/25/2009, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dmeltonjr
So after that I went to a local pet store and told a guy i knew about my situation and he asked what kind of fish did i have in the begining and when i got to the medusa sea cucumber be laughed and said that was the problem because it has a bad poison in it and it can wipe a tank out and he said do another big water change and test my water the next day so i did and my water tested perfect on EVERYTHING

the medusa worm wiped out your aquarium for sure.
How did you test for it's toxins... I wasn't aware there was a test (besides dead fish).
You need to do a 100% complete water change. Shake the rock out in clean saltwater. Start over again real slow and thoroughly research every single critter you want to place in your aquarium beforehand. Get several opinions- the more the better. Advice from experienced aquarists should be weighted and take into consideration advice from those selling you something.
Good luck.

commonstranger · 01/25/2009, 07:19 AM

Dmeltonjr , Hmmmm bet you didnt expect this kind of feed back huh. Laugh Hey dont let these people get you down you can do it. I will admit that they are right but people can be more tactful when speaking to people. If some people on here talked like this to people face to face they would end up with a bloody nose. You do need to do more research and take your time and enjoy the hobby. Find someone near you who has a nice tank and years of experience and make a new friend. (Thats what I did) They will be able to help you not make as many mistakes and learn things faster. Even the people on here who have bashed you will help you they just dont like seeing things die and I dont blame them. You did have a bad setup but you didnt know. I doubt you are the kind of person who set it up on purpose for it to fail. Do like people have said slow down, read and enjoy. Dont be afraid to ask questions on here and learn. I can understand why you wouldnt want to with some of the answers youve gotten but there are plenty of people here who will help you. Wishing you the best.

P.S. Come on guys remember what it was like being new. Your going to run more people off than help them by the answers you give. You can be honest without being rude.

Paul_PSU · 01/25/2009, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JBuffetReefer
Its really sad that people have to make these types of comments.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Toss your sand, wash your LR and start over. In the meantime, do some reading and research. Dont give up and dont get discouraged.

Keep asking questions. Good luck.

I agree. You just need to take a step back and do some research on anything and everything you put in your tank. If you are not sure, then post here on RC and people will give you their experiences. You just have to realize when you post on here that you can get constructive and helpful post or some like those above. Don't let the latter discourage you if you truly want this to work.

You would have been better of if your first post was "this is what I plan on doing what do you guys think?' And then list everything like you did. As you can see there are always people on RC that are happy to point out how wrong you are...

Paul

gnorts · 01/25/2009, 08:02 AM

Couldn't agree more why would anyone want to post about being a newb and making a mistake when your going to get answers like that?(not from everyone, I have met some nice people and some nice people who can be blatently honest, but not rude!) SLOW DOWN take your time and ignore those who just like to bash while acting like there trying to help.

MikePowell · 01/25/2009, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whys

Half of me wants to tell you to get out of this hobby. The other half fears what your next hobby might be. What ever you do, don't visit the pound!
. [/B]

lol!!

Juruense · 01/25/2009, 08:26 AM

Wow OP your wallet must be pretty fat to fund all that failing.

I think the first thing you must do is stabilize your tank and remove the toxins from the dead medusa.

I would suggest lots of carbon. Also put a full sheet of polyfilter in there and after two weeks replace it with another.

The carbon and polyfilter should remove any toxins.

reefworm · 01/25/2009, 08:35 AM

Something about honey vs. vinegar comes to mind.

DmeltonJr I hope you're still with us.

As others have said, just ignore the barbs and take the advice. Trust me, I can feel your frustration and very sorry for your loss of livestock and $$$ I'm sure you were looking forward to a display like some of the lush ones you see here and elsewhere. Don't give up - that's still possible. Start off with waterkeeper's sticky at the top of this forum - it's a great resource for just about everything. By all means do lots of research before proceeding with anything, ask questions and you'll find that things will work out. We all have set backs from time to time - just the nature of the beast. Unfortunately, many of them come early on while we're still trying to figure things out. Many of us start out with too little information about how complex these systems are, and get into trouble. It would seem a few folks here have forgotten that. Again, step back and take it slow and you'll do fine. I hope you've not been put off of RC - it's saved my cookies more than once. [you do get something of a thicker skin after awhile, however

] Wish I'd found this board earlier. Despite appearances, you're ahead of the game by checking in now. Oh, and....

WELCOME ON BOARD RC!

E.intheC · 01/25/2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by commonstranger
Dmeltonjr , Hmmmm bet you didnt expect this kind of feed back huh. Laugh Hey dont let these people get you down you can do it. I will admit that they are right but people can be more tactful when speaking to people. If some people on here talked like this to people face to face they would end up with a bloody nose. You do need to do more research and take your time and enjoy the hobby. Find someone near you who has a nice tank and years of experience and make a new friend. (Thats what I did) They will be able to help you not make as many mistakes and learn things faster. Even the people on here who have bashed you will help you they just dont like seeing things die and I dont blame them. You did have a bad setup but you didnt know. I doubt you are the kind of person who set it up on purpose for it to fail. Do like people have said slow down, read and enjoy. Dont be afraid to ask questions on here and learn. I can understand why you wouldnt want to with some of the answers youve gotten but there are plenty of people here who will help you. Wishing you the best.

P.S. Come on guys remember what it was like being new. Your going to run more people off than help them by the answers you give. You can be honest without being rude.

..Couldn't have said this better, I don't think.. Excellent answer.

Eel-byte · 01/25/2009, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paul_PSU
I agree. You just need to take a step back and do some research on anything and everything you put in your tank. If you are not sure, then post here on RC and people will give you their experiences. You just have to realize when you post on here that you can get constructive and helpful post or some like those above. Don't let the latter discourage you if you truly want this to work.

You would have been better of if your first post was "this is what I plan on doing what do you guys think?' And then list everything like you did. As you can see there are always people on RC that are happy to point out how wrong you are...

Paul

I agree! I think we've all done stuff like this ourselves at some point in time, give the guy a break. Instead of driving him away from a very knowledgeable forum lets show this person how to be more responsible with his tank purchases. Otherwise he will go away, ignore everyones comments and start throwing more fish down the toilet bowl.

echo29 · 01/25/2009, 09:04 AM

You guys need to remember that this forum is "New to the Hobby"!
Enough with the barbs, snide comments and put downs. This is supposed to be where novice hobbiests come to learn and share their experiences and get some guidance from those of us who already suffered through the learning curve.
Making new members the butt of jokes doesn't encourage the site or the hobby. If you have a criticism, make it constructive.

rdelong · 01/25/2009, 09:06 AM

I'm disappointed with those of you who bashed this gentleman and proud of those who shored him up and encouraged patience. I met this guy at our LFS and in helping think through how to recover, I asked him to post since I had never had to fix a cuke poisoning. I'll help him be patient and make good livestock selections and would some of you help with toxin elimination? will just a soak of the rock leach the toxins out. Is there any other technique to assure it's gone before reintroducing livestock? Having met this gentleman, He's not over his head, He just got impatient and didn't get good advice along the way but I'm committed to helping him be successful this time if you boneheads (who I'm sure have made your own share of mistakes) haven't already run him off. I'll be more careful about recommending a post on Reef Central in the future.

01/25/2009, 01:07 AM	#1
dmeltonjr Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Byram Ms Posts: 7	My hard work and money went down the drain! WHY!!!!? Hi, I have a 55 gallon aquarium with alot of live rock, 2 bio wheel filters and a canister 1500 filter. I have 1 red volotin lion, powder blue tang 3 clowns, a niger trigger and a clown trigger. The coral i have is a bubble tip anemone, a few zoe's, a few star polyps, and PRETTY brain. I also have 2 clams and my invertabrate consist of a sea urchin, star fish, hermit crabs, snails and a emeral crab. About a month ago i purchased a mudusa sea cucumber and unfortunatly i came home from work one day and found out it died about 2 weeks ago and the next morning EVERYTHING in my tank was dead, EVERYTHING!!!!!! So i took everything out, dead coral and all and the next day i bought a bird wrasse and about 3 hours it was dead also. So the next day i did a 10 gallon water change and the day after i bought another fish and it died with in a few hours also so that very same day someone advised me to do several water changes before i put anymore fish in so i started asap. First day i did another 10 gal change and i waited 2 days and did a 20 gal change and waited another 2 days and i did my final water change and i made it a big one of 35 gallons. I let it sit for 2 days and within those 2 days i treated it with stability and aqua vitro alpha. So then i decided to buy a few clown fish and with in about 4 hours they were ALL dead!!!!!!!!! So after that I went to a local pet store and told a guy i knew about my situation and he asked what kind of fish did i have in the begining and when i got to the medusa sea cucumber be laughed and said that was the problem because it has a bad poison in it and it can wipe a tank out and he said do another big water change and test my water the next day so i did and my water tested perfect on EVERYTHING so i then got a much cheaper fish which was a damsel, i got 4 of them. I treated those 4.00 fish like they were 400.00 fish, i did aclimations and everything and in about 3 hours THEY WERE DEAD TOO!!!! All i have in my tank now is live rock and sand. Is there anyone that can help me figure out why i cant keep fish alive i my tank any longer than 4 hrs now. Ive cleaned filters, did several water changes and everything else i could think of. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!

01/25/2009, 01:18 AM	#2
Johnny C Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 4,140	Oh SNAP, the tang police are about to be on you like white on rice! As for your dilemma... you gotta SLOW DOWN with the fish purchases! Remember that everything takes time in this hobby and trying to keep adding fish is only going to make your situation 10x worse. IMO, if it were me, I would put the LR in buckets and drain ALL of the water. I would add new (mind you premixed and heated) SW and then re-add the LR. Let the tank sit for about a month, doing 5-10G water changes weekly, and THEN maybe add a fish. Hopefully a few more people will chime in... good luck! PS- If you haven't already, now would be the time to buy some serious test-kits! __________________ "...the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever" -Jacques Cousteau

01/25/2009, 01:21 AM	#3
Johnny C Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 4,140	BTW... are you absolutely CRAZY having the lion in the same tank as the other fish you had? I'm not trying to sound mean at all, but you really need to take this as a learning experience and slow your roll in this hobby. I surely hope everything works out for you, and btw... Welcome to RC! __________________ "...the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever" -Jacques Cousteau

01/25/2009, 01:31 AM	#4
BradsOcean Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: The Island Posts: 1,173	55gallon tank and 'lion, powderblue tang, 2 triggers' does NOT go well together... __________________ the low cost of 3 Ramen meals a day is feeding my zoa addiction Current Tank Info: had a few small reefs in the past, researching for my future 125 :)

01/25/2009, 02:16 AM	#6
nikon187 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 4,717	none of your original fish were compatible with each other in that tank size. Agree with everything mentioned already, you need to research and slow down. Nothing happens fast in this hobby. __________________ ----------------- Current Tanks: New 210 custom 84 x 24 x 24, 60g sump, SWC 250 extreme with bubble blaster 5000, 2 vortech mp40, 2 vortech mp10, 12 T5, Water blaster 5000, warner marine bio pellets, 60g clownfish cube, red carpet anemone with a 25g sump,SRO octopus 1000sss, 250w radium, lumenarc large.

01/25/2009, 02:21 AM	#7
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Oh the slaughter... Half of me wants to tell you to get out of this hobby. The other half fears what your next hobby might be. What ever you do, don't visit the pound! Paintings and sculpture... seriously. It's pretty and it doesn't suffer or die. Sorry, I don't mean to be mean, but you're clearly in over your head and throwing more fish at the problem is no solution. Take a serious chill pill, consider if this is what you really want to do, and if so, spend the next few months learning what you can about the bio-cycle and species compatibility. There are many knowledgeable people here more than willing to teach you everything you need to know. Otherwise... you're just being cruel to suit your own vanity. Sorry, but really.

01/25/2009, 02:41 AM	#8
returnofsid Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,852	For the amount of fish you had, you needed at least a 180 gallon tank....or more. SLOW DOWN...do A LOT of research....LEARN....then and only then....start over. Until then, put all your live rock in a container, with saltwater and a couple power heads. Leave it alone long enough for you to learn A LOT more before your second attempt.

01/25/2009, 03:02 AM	#9
Heinz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 1,534	you did so many things wrong that i dont know where to start, as a last resort i will give you a link , http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.p...showpage&pid=1 with the hope you take the time and read it

01/25/2009, 04:55 AM	#10
MileHighFish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NM. Posts: 1,722	I hear what all have said above and agree, Have you thought about running a large amount of carbon to pull out some of the toxicities? Are you running a skimmer on this tank? Like it has been mentioned pull out the rock and rinse well, I would also dump your sand and start fresh. You will need to recycle the tank and give it some time. Sorry to read about the money lost I feel for you but you encountered a "CUC-NUKE" __________________ See "Red House" for pics!! I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. Mitch Hedberg Current Tank Info: Reef tank, 100 gal Lee Mar polished.. 60 sump.. 800 watts mh 20k radium..Ran on "Taiwan HQI Ballast" 330 watt VHO.. 48 watt compacts (dawn/dusk).. sps/lps tank..

01/25/2009, 04:58 AM	#11
MileHighFish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NM. Posts: 1,722	also dump the bio wheels and fill the canister filter full of carbon, or dont use it at all, there is no place for them in a reef tank. Good luck __________________ See "Red House" for pics!! I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. Mitch Hedberg Current Tank Info: Reef tank, 100 gal Lee Mar polished.. 60 sump.. 800 watts mh 20k radium..Ran on "Taiwan HQI Ballast" 330 watt VHO.. 48 watt compacts (dawn/dusk).. sps/lps tank..

01/25/2009, 06:54 AM	#12
fitlerreef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 45	Many sea cucumbers are known to release toxins on death. Aside from other issues, it's likely that your cucumber died, released toxins and more or less instantly killed your entire tank. If you're going to start again, I would stay away from cucumbers and other things that can lead to instant peril.

01/25/2009, 07:03 AM	#14
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	^^^+1,000,000,000^^^^^ STOP KILLING THINGS THAT YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE NOT RESEARCHED!!! Please SLOW DOWN, READ READ READ!!! Go to www.wetwebmedia.com - when you have read and understand all the information on setup, filtration, livestock (especially compatibility) maintenance, testing, etc.......................then restart your tank. Please stop throwing money at it thinking that will fix it. It will not! This can be a wonderful hobby (addiction), IF you take the time and do it right. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/25/2009, 07:19 AM	#16
commonstranger Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Franklin, TN Posts: 1,331	Dmeltonjr , Hmmmm bet you didnt expect this kind of feed back huh. Laugh Hey dont let these people get you down you can do it. I will admit that they are right but people can be more tactful when speaking to people. If some people on here talked like this to people face to face they would end up with a bloody nose. You do need to do more research and take your time and enjoy the hobby. Find someone near you who has a nice tank and years of experience and make a new friend. (Thats what I did) They will be able to help you not make as many mistakes and learn things faster. Even the people on here who have bashed you will help you they just dont like seeing things die and I dont blame them. You did have a bad setup but you didnt know. I doubt you are the kind of person who set it up on purpose for it to fail. Do like people have said slow down, read and enjoy. Dont be afraid to ask questions on here and learn. I can understand why you wouldnt want to with some of the answers youve gotten but there are plenty of people here who will help you. Wishing you the best. P.S. Come on guys remember what it was like being new. Your going to run more people off than help them by the answers you give. You can be honest without being rude. __________________ My drug dog is smarter than your honor student. I'll keep my Guns,Money and Freedom. You can keep the "Change". Current Tank Info: 125 tank and 125 sump

01/25/2009, 08:02 AM	#18
gnorts Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 308	Couldn't agree more why would anyone want to post about being a newb and making a mistake when your going to get answers like that?(not from everyone, I have met some nice people and some nice people who can be blatently honest, but not rude!) SLOW DOWN take your time and ignore those who just like to bash while acting like there trying to help.

01/25/2009, 08:26 AM	#20
Juruense Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 1,138	Wow OP your wallet must be pretty fat to fund all that failing. I think the first thing you must do is stabilize your tank and remove the toxins from the dead medusa. I would suggest lots of carbon. Also put a full sheet of polyfilter in there and after two weeks replace it with another. The carbon and polyfilter should remove any toxins.

01/25/2009, 08:35 AM	#21
reefworm Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Waxhaw, NC USA Posts: 2,139	Something about honey vs. vinegar comes to mind. DmeltonJr I hope you're still with us. As others have said, just ignore the barbs and take the advice. Trust me, I can feel your frustration and very sorry for your loss of livestock and $$$ I'm sure you were looking forward to a display like some of the lush ones you see here and elsewhere. Don't give up - that's still possible. Start off with waterkeeper's sticky at the top of this forum - it's a great resource for just about everything. By all means do lots of research before proceeding with anything, ask questions and you'll find that things will work out. We all have set backs from time to time - just the nature of the beast. Unfortunately, many of them come early on while we're still trying to figure things out. Many of us start out with too little information about how complex these systems are, and get into trouble. It would seem a few folks here have forgotten that. Again, step back and take it slow and you'll do fine. I hope you've not been put off of RC - it's saved my cookies more than once. [you do get something of a thicker skin after awhile, however ] Wish I'd found this board earlier. Despite appearances, you're ahead of the game by checking in now. Oh, and.... WELCOME ON BOARD RC! __________________ "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: 29 gal. reef/assist with 75 gal. at the school

01/25/2009, 09:04 AM	#24
echo29 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CT Posts: 50	You guys need to remember that this forum is "New to the Hobby"! Enough with the barbs, snide comments and put downs. This is supposed to be where novice hobbiests come to learn and share their experiences and get some guidance from those of us who already suffered through the learning curve. Making new members the butt of jokes doesn't encourage the site or the hobby. If you have a criticism, make it constructive.

01/25/2009, 09:06 AM	#25
rdelong Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cranberry Township, PA Posts: 263	I'm disappointed with those of you who bashed this gentleman and proud of those who shored him up and encouraged patience. I met this guy at our LFS and in helping think through how to recover, I asked him to post since I had never had to fix a cuke poisoning. I'll help him be patient and make good livestock selections and would some of you help with toxin elimination? will just a soak of the rock leach the toxins out. Is there any other technique to assure it's gone before reintroducing livestock? Having met this gentleman, He's not over his head, He just got impatient and didn't get good advice along the way but I'm committed to helping him be successful this time if you boneheads (who I'm sure have made your own share of mistakes) haven't already run him off. I'll be more careful about recommending a post on Reef Central in the future.