Brand new to this

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’m almost certain it is ammonia, I’m useing the fluval master kit, how would I be able to drop ammonia levels fast? I have seachem products stability, prime, amgaurd. Wish I had gotten them before adding the fish I have dosed with a cap full of prime and Amgaurd yesterday

Prime will help, as will water changes. However, never use Prime with copper medications, it can break the copper/amine bond and release toxic amounts of free copper.

What levels of ammonia are you seeing with your test?

Jay

 

[Mason603]

Prime will help, as will water changes. However, never use Prime with copper medications, it can break the copper/amine bond and release toxic amounts of free copper.

What levels of ammonia are you seeing with your test?

Jay

I sent you a message

 

[Floyd-]

If the fish are still alive, you need to get them into a mature tank asap. Two days is WAY too early to introduce fish. Most tanks take about 2-3 weeks before you can put a fish or two in. Coral should be added later after the tank matures, maybe 6 months or so.
I also jumped into salt water fish like this and sadly lost some fish and coral because I was rushing everything. Now over a year into the hobby the BIG take away is take things very slowly in salt tanks and check before you add anything.

 

[jfoahs04]

OP, check out the Boston Reefer's forum - lots of Southern NH and Northern MA reefers are active members and one may be able to hold your fish in a QT setup until your tank is properly cycled and ready for fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yes they are. There is no excuse for not even learning the basics of this hobby prior to introducing live stock into a completely unsafe environment.

I think you can cut them some slack in this case - they obviously have a pet store that is giving them bad (or no) information. When I worked in the pet industry, I would inquire about everyone's tank that I sold animals to - and would pump the brakes on a sale if I could tell the tank wasn't ready. Any store that sells ANYONE bags of fish and anemones at the same time, is NOT doing that. A new aquarist doesn't know what they don't know, and if the store feeds on that with predatory business practices, that is on them, not the OP.

Jay

 

[Lavey29]

I think you can cut them some slack in this case - they obviously have a pet store that is giving them bad (or no) information. When I worked in the pet industry, I would inquire about everyone's tank that I sold animals to - and would pump the brakes on a sale if I could tell the tank wasn't ready. Any store that sells ANYONE bags of fish and anemones at the same time, is NOT doing that. A new aquarist doesn't know what they don't know, and if the store feeds on that with predatory business practices, that is on them, not the OP.

Jay

That's a contributing factor but there is no excuse whatsoever for not learning the basics of the hobby prior to jumping in. That is where common sense is needed and if you fail to use common sense then you are completely negligent and culpable for your actions. Unethical LFS and negligent reefers are why government extremist are trying to end our hobby completely.

 

[Floyd-]

I bet its the local store pushing stuff on them, they tried the same with me. That and being excited for the tank to be filled.

 

[sights2012]

(mostly) everyone has some constructive comments, but I would put in some ammonia detoxifier you can find at Petco or other lfs. It will at least bind to the ammonia present and give your fish some relief. But WC for sure! Good luck. Sorry for all your headache. This hobby is really hard to get into, especially since we get so excited about and maybe go a little faster than what we should. The best thing I've heard is nothing good happens quickly!

 

[Blue Cheese]

I’m in southern Vermont if you want some established media or a small amount of rock or water if needed if they are still alive

 

[jfoahs04]

That's a contributing factor but there is no excuse whatsoever for not learning the basics of the hobby prior to jumping in. That is where common sense is needed and if you fail to use common sense then you are completely negligent and culpable for your actions. Unethical LFS and negligent reefers are why government extremist are trying to end our hobby completely.

You're not wrong, but the "learning the basics of the hobby prior to jumping in" ship has sailed in this case. So all that's left to do here is try and mitigate the damage. For the sake of the OP's livestock, I'd argue constructive efforts to help are more likely to save the fish than potentially discouraging criticisms about things they can no longer change. I'm not sure how many "lurkers" are going to be helped by these criticisms either - presumably if they're lurking on a reefing forum, they're attempting to learn about reefing. And the importance of the cycle is pretty well covered both here and elsewhere.

 

[wil-yuhm]

I think you can cut them some slack in this case - they obviously have a pet store that is giving them bad (or no) information. When I worked in the pet industry, I would inquire about everyone's tank that I sold animals to - and would pump the brakes on a sale if I could tell the tank wasn't ready. Any store that sells ANYONE bags of fish and anemones at the same time, is NOT doing that. A new aquarist doesn't know what they don't know, and if the store feeds on that with predatory business practices, that is on them, not the OP.

Jay

That's a contributing factor but there is no excuse whatsoever for not learning the basics of the hobby prior to jumping in. That is where common sense is needed and if you fail to use common sense then you are completely negligent and culpable for your actions. Unethical LFS and negligent reefers are why government extremist are trying to end our hobby completely.

I've enjoyed the dialogue thus far in this thread. Especially an emphasis to help the problem at hand. However, these two perspectives quoted above gave pause. There appears to be an ethical/moral standard - the individual and societal/business share equal responsibility when life becomes the main emphasis for the host or transfer of life from host to host. I suppose if the mistake was made on part of the reef keeper/host the mistake could be felt from monetary loss rather than the loss of life. On the other hand it is refreshing to see another @Lavey29 which emphasizes the love of life which includes "sea creatures." Someone mentioned shaming does nothing to help- intriguing response in that shaming does not "always" help. Especially if considering repeating the same mistakes in the future to achieve an objective/goal in preventing the loss of life: some prevent death of livestock because the reef/host may feel the monetary loss, others want to avoid shaming, while still some feel the loss of life. I suppose "conviction" is much like the flavor of the day? Reef2Reef hosts many species of fishy, and some nibble on others each serves its purpose.

Just wishing to say thanks for sharing each of your perspectives.

W.T.

 

[PlumbTuckered]

Thank you Jay for getting back to me, tank was set up 2 days ago had water cycle for 24 hrs did a test and thought everything was good so I introduced the fish and rocks and two anemones but those shriveled up the first night. The clown seems to be getting far worse over today but I have one other fish in There that appears perfectly fine. Brand new to this and really should have done a lot more research on the cycling process and testing. Just trying to save the fish so it’s not a total loss I will test again now and post pics.

So to be clear:

- The tank is 2 days old.
- You cycled for 24 hours.
- You added fish and anemones.
- The anemones shriveled.

Friend, I suspect you are following the advice of the local fish store. Only the local fish store would advise having Anemones in a 2 day old tank.

There are lots of ways to tell when a tank has completed its cycle. More experienced reefers can tell by observation. Less experienced reefers may rely on testing. I rely on testing. It is safe to say your tank is cycled when you you have NO Ammonia and NO Nitrites.

Yes, you should have done more research and posted here BEFORE starting. But I guess its a moot point now.

You can help us help you by doing a complete testing of your water parameters.

1. Salinity
2. pH
3. Ammonia
4. Nitrites.

Let us know.

 

[Blue Cheese]

There’s a Petco in Portsmouth I’d stop at every time on the way back from Maine,they were knowledgeable,had corals,only place I’ve gotten fish that didn’t have diseases not far from you

 

[Dom]

I think you can cut them some slack in this case - they obviously have a pet store that is giving them bad (or no) information. When I worked in the pet industry, I would inquire about everyone's tank that I sold animals to - and would pump the brakes on a sale if I could tell the tank wasn't ready. Any store that sells ANYONE bags of fish and anemones at the same time, is NOT doing that. A new aquarist doesn't know what they don't know, and if the store feeds on that with predatory business practices, that is on them, not the OP.

Jay

Agree completely; cut the guy some slack. I'd bet that more people learn this lesson the hard way than are willing to admit.

My first salt water tank was 5 gallons with a Nem and a Clown using a bubbler filter and an incandescent light.

What a huge failure!

But I was relying on the "nice guy" at the local fish store. Hindsight being what it is, I see now that it was his success (putting money in his pocket) that was his priority and not my success (A thriving tank) that mattered.

The mistake has been made. I don't see any point in shaming the guy about it. If we are going to shame anyone, shouldn't it be the LFS? I'd love the name of the local fish store so I can email them and let them know how I feel about this.

Now, on to the fix...

What I can tell from the pictures is that you have set up your tank much in the way that fresh water tanks are. But a salt water tank is much more complex.

The only thing aesthetic about a saltwater tank is the manner in which you aquascape. Everything in the tank has a function that in combination with other things, creates a self-supporting ecosystem in the tank.

For example, we use live rock as a place where our nitrifying bacteria colony can establish itself and break down ammonia resulting from fish waste. Live rock is porous and provides lots of surface area for the bacteria to colonize.

Buy an ammonia badge and place it in the tank. Also, do large water changes using RODI water. Do not use TAP water.

The addition of bottled bacteria after the water change is also a good idea as it will help to establish a nitrifying bacteria colony which will aid in breaking down ammonia.

It would be helpful if we could see a quality full tank picture of your setup. Much can be determined by observation.

Also, please tell us about the tank:

What kind of lighting do you have? What kind of filtration do you run? What are the dimensions of the tank and its capacity?

Relax; we will get you on the right track.

Dom

 

[Lavey29]

I've enjoyed the dialogue thus far in this thread. Especially an emphasis to help the problem at hand. However, these two perspectives quoted above gave pause. There appears to be an ethical/moral standard - the individual and societal/business share equal responsibility when life becomes the main emphasis for the host or transfer of life from host to host. I suppose if the mistake was made on part of the reef keeper/host the mistake could be felt from monetary loss rather than the loss of life. On the other hand it is refreshing to see another @Lavey29 which emphasizes the love of life which includes "sea creatures." Someone mentioned shaming does nothing to help- intriguing response in that shaming does not "always" help. Especially if considering repeating the same mistakes in the future to achieve an objective/goal in preventing the loss of life: some prevent death of livestock because the reef/host may feel the monetary loss, others want to avoid shaming, while still some feel the loss of life. I suppose "conviction" is much like the flavor of the day? Reef2Reef hosts many species of fishy, and some nibble on others each serves its purpose.

Just wishing to say thanks for sharing each of your perspectives.

W.T.

Very well stated and thank you.

OP, I truly wish this didn't happen to you and am sure you had no malice intentions but that still does not excuse the carelessness. There are terrific experienced reefers here with volumes of knowledge who can help guide you along your journey but you have to put the effort in to build your knowledge and skills in order to be successful. I do wish you success in this beautiful hobby.

If you would like to give us the name of your LFS I will contact the owner directly and give them a lesson in ethical business practices.

 

[Mason603]

Just did a test and here it is

 

[Mason603]

This was yesterday’s ammonia test before swapping out 5 gallons with new water and adding prime

 

[Lavey29]

This was yesterday’s ammonia test before swapping out 5 gallons with new water and adding prime

If that tank is 37 gallons as your pics show then you need to do a much larger water change then 5 gallons to bring ammonia down. More like 25 gallons and add nitrifying bacteria after.

 

[lulubap]

Just did a test and here it is

What kind of salt are you using? Ph looks very low. I suggest taking @jfoahs04 's advice and finding reefers near you to QT the fish in a more stable environment. Chances are if they survive the ammonia, they may not survive the nitrite. While your fish are in QT please cycle the tank and remodel it to suit it for saltwater fish (substrate change to Caribsea sand, adding of nitrifying bacteria) and a full cycle instead of hurriedly trying to decrease ammonia. Best of luck.

 

[Mason603]

What kind of salt are you using? Ph looks very low. I suggest taking @jfoahs04 's advice and finding reefers near you to QT the fish in a more stable environment. Chances are if they survive the ammonia, they may not survive the nitrite. While your fish are in QT please cycle the tank and remodel it to suit it for saltwater fish (substrate change to Caribsea sand, adding of nitrifying bacteria) and a full cycle instead of hurriedly trying to decrease ammonia. Best of luck.