Please help, SO LOST.

[Lacie257]

Ok so here it goes.... My boyfriend and I are new to the saltwater world you could say. Two years ago we purchased our first salt water tank(29 gal hex) the tank had been set up for about 4 years so it was very healthy and thriving. In january we had problems with our protien skimmer and we had some water from it get into the tank and of course it killed everything... a few days later we were so overrun with bristle worms we just decided to empty the tank, cleanse the rock and completely start over. So here we are almost 6 months later and the tank seems to be doing okay.... but my zoanthids and my anemone just don't seem to look as good as they should. One thing I might mention is my LFS is full of morons that don't know what they are talking about, they lie and try to get you to spend more money with them on sick fish and coral. JOY. First starting back up I got a small black ocellaris clown which they called a "chocolate clown" and they sold me a condylactis anemone. Of course the anemone ate the clownfish... they let me trade him back in for a bta who I thought looked really pretty but after getting him home and doing more research realized he was bleached (he is completely white). They have told me things like I need to be putting in calcium and all these other supplements straight in to the tank and I've also found out that dosing your tank like that is not good? So I need to figure out how to get my tank where it needs to be, what I need to be putting in and how to do it properly, ect... Current stock is :

20 hermit crabs
10 margarita snails
3 turbo snails
1 arrow crab
1 percula clownfish (did have two but the other they sold me died the day after I brought him home)
1 BTA
1 small zoanthid frag

Lighting:

T5 HO white lights
actinic blue lights
(don't know much more on them have to as the BF later)

I don't know much about my sump either unfortunately... will try to get more info
Also waiting on parts for my protien skimmer to get it back on.

Just when I think I'm doing everything right I start reading forums and I feel like a complete and total moron.

Sorry for the long post but I really need some help!!!
Please and thank you!

-Lacie

[Drew707]

Bristle worms are not bad..ugly ..but not bad..I hate them but they will eat extra food ext..just take big ones out if you see them..u only realy need to dose ur tank if u have lps and spa corals..try puting a purple light in ur mix helps with growth and color..and to help with the worms add pepperment shrimp..and ya get that skimmer fixed..good luck hope I helped a bit

[Lacie257]

The only reason we cleared the tank was not for a few bristle worms but thousands. There were so many you could hardly see the rock or the sand on the bottom. It seemed like they were doubling daily I wish I had taken pics but I did not. Worms are not the issue now, it just getting everything healthy really.

[Michigan Mike]

I don't know what to tell you other than there are a bunch of threads that say "sticky" in front of them, read them. It will answer alot of your questions.

[Raato]

how are your water parameters? what are your test results for alk, Nitrite etc? First thing to ensure is your water quality is where it should be.

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by Raato

how are your water parameters? what are your test results for alk, Nitrite etc? First thing to ensure is your water quality is where it should be.

This was my first thought. Water parameters

Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Alk Calcium and mag. Give us those so we can see whats going on in your tank.

If your anemone is bleached you are going to need alot of patience. It can take up to 6 months until they are completely happy again. But once again this is gonna be due to water quality more than anything. Being you have t5 lighting, it should be getting enough light.

[RAY in PA.]

You really need to get that protein skimmer up and running.

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by RAY in PA.

You really need to get that protein skimmer up and running.

You will be ok as long as you do weekly water changes of 20% until the skimmer is running.

[Lacie257]

I had Lfs test ammonia, nitrate, nitrite they said those are good. Calcium is 520ppm, phosphate is 0 and kh is 11dkh. Protien slimmer parts should hopefully be in this next week... Keeping my fingers crossed. Also I guess I need to order a magnesium test.

[Lacie257]

We are doing a water change today so we have that covered! I appreciate everyone's help.

[ginger7286]

I agree with Sponger0. Give the BTA a little time. Water quality is #1. Check the expiration dates on your test kits. Find another LFS or better yet educate yourself over and above what you already have. I have found (no ego intended) I know more about what I am looking at my LFS then they do. The owners are never around and the help are morons. Needless to say I have gotten several rare fish for under $30.00 due to their ignornace.

Back on topic get the protien skimmer working/replaced ASAP. Get yourself some good bacteria and reseed your tank or just add some more to give it a boost. The only supp I add to my tanks is Reef Buffer. Check your salt on the salt comparison chart. With different salt mixes come different needs for supplements. I really believe the better the salt mix the less supps you need. Good Luck.

[sponger0]

Well if you are going to have a nem, I would recommend have an alk test at home mostly. Nems dont like major shifts in alkalinity. So keep your eye on that and keep it stable. Also try to give some food once a week to help. I use mysis or silversides.

[WetShepherd]

Absolutely do your own tests. The way you describe your LFS sounds as though they might give you faulty numbers to support selling you more livestock. You might also worry about their competence in doing the tests. Lastly, from the point of view of dosing your tank, it's good for you to keep a history.

And don't dose - your calc is plenty high. You're also doing frequent water change witch lessens your need to dose. If you keep a history of water tests you'll get an idea of when (if) you'll need to start.

Speaking of mixing - are you using RODI water? The nem won't like most tap water, especially in it's current condition, so just note that if it's an issue. If you use RODI from your LFS you still need to test it for TDS - we've had reports of LFS RODI being worse than local tap water so checking is a must-do, at least once. If the tank is stretching your budget and you can't purchase a meter, send me a PM and I'll send you mine (haven't used it since I added in-line meters to my RODI).

Also, and this is probably a given, but just in case, make sure your power heads have their intakes covered (nylon, fitted sponge etc). An unhappy BT nem may move around a lot and you don't want him getting shredded.

Spot feeding him was already mentioned and a great suggestion, but note that he's probably lost most or all of his sting and fish/shrimp might just pick food out of his tentacles. If this happens you might need to create a box (think berry box) that protects him after he's been fed.

Best of luck

[Lacie257]

We do use RO water we get from a local water mill and mix our own salt, we run our salinity at 0.023 normally. I will not buy water or anything else from that store because they have made me so damn mad... I have about $50 in store credit from their screw ups just sitting there. The other lfs we have is run by a sweet older woman, and shes great.. but she doesn't remember a thing. I go in there normally once a week and she has no memory of my previous visits or things we have spoken about. I will work on getting the magnesium test and do a water change this evening and see how that goes. Also intakes are covered because a previously had a nem before the tank had crashed.

[Psyops]

I have a 12 gallon hex with a RBTA, some zoes and a clownfish for 7 yrs now in my vet clinic. I do monthly 20-30% water changes and run a skimmer 24/7. I have had no issues at all. Now my 180 gallon SPS system at home, different issue.

Just focus on water changes with good RO/DI water to start and IO salt mix should be fine. Keep it simple.

Alex