Cloudy tank!

[K. Steven]

Nitrifying bacteria are not suspended in the water column, so again, using old water does not cycle a tank.

 

[Bob Ander]

Water can’t cycle. The rocks and sand have to grow bacteria in order to process fish waste that is in the water. If you have another tank or container you could set the fish up in there with an air stone rock and filter and do frequent water changes until your tank is cycled. But this usually takes a few weeks. You can speed it up by adding bacteria out of a bottle.

Some fish stores will baby sit your fish. You could ask tomorrow if your fish store will do this.

 

[Bob Ander]

Ouch. That will take time.... I do have an extra 10 gal, BUT, I have only RO water. I won’t add sand or gravel, just salt, a heater and a filter. Will that be fine?

What kind of fish did you buy

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

Some fish stores will baby sit your fish. You could ask tomorrow if your fish store will do this.

I have weeks ago for when I had a nitrite outbreak. They don’t sadly.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Ok I won’t do that too. I just noticed what I said.... I saldy have nowhere though for the livestock except this tank. All pet sores are closed, I got everything today at a convention, 70 miles away. But the convention ended too. So I might be screwed. Idk.

Sadly there's nothing you could do to clear the tank up, it takes time for it to clear. Given that you were not prepared properly, you have no choice but to put them in the tank. You must test for ammonia frequently and if possible add Prime or any water additive that removes ammonia to keep them from dieing. I would take them first thing in the morning to your local fish store for credit.

You must cycle your tanks properly before purchasing any living thing and adding them to your tank.

I wish you the best and hopefully you have gained some insight on this hobby.

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

What kind of fish did you buy

Here’s a list,
A cleaner wrasse,
2 clownfish,
1 filefish,
1 of the hermit crabs with the coral on its shell,

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

Here’s a list,
A cleaner wrasse,
2 clownfish,
1 filefish,
1 of the hermit crabs with the coral on its shell,

6 corals fags,
And a lettuce nudibranch.

 

[Bob Ander]

Ouch. That will take time.... I do have an extra 10 gal, BUT, I have only RO water. I won’t add sand or gravel, just salt, a heater and a filter. Will that be fine?

That will be suitable for the night. Then I would ask your fish store if they can take them for a little bit. Patients is very hard in this hobby but is well worth it in the long run. Keep that in mind.

 

[Bob Ander]

That will be suitable for the night. Then I would ask your fish store if they can take them for a little bit. Patients is very hard in this hobby but is well worth it in the long run. Keep that in mind.

Do you have any water test kits

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

Sadly there's nothing you could do to clear the tank up, it takes time for it to clear. Given that you were not prepared properly, you have no choice but to put them in the tank. You must test for ammonia frequently and if possible add Prime or any water additive that removes ammonia to keep them from dieing. I would take them first thing in the morning to your local fish store for credit.

You must cycle your tanks properly before purchasing any living thing and adding them to your tank.

I wish you the best and hopefully you have gained some insight on this hobby.

Sadly, I can’t give these guys to my pet store. I love them already and my pet store doesn’t want my fish. Idky but yeah...
But I have been testing ammonia, added a bunch of additives to kill ammonia, I will be testing it every 2 hours tommorow. If it gets bad, I might need to BEG my fish store to babysit.

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

Do you have any water test kits

Yes. It tests, PH, High Ph, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and nitrites.

 

[Bob Ander]

I have weeks ago for when I had a nitrite outbreak. They don’t sadly.

Yes. It tests, PH, High Ph, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and nitrites.

how long has your tank been set up and do you have any live rock in it. What are your parameters right now

 

[Bob Ander]

how long has your tank been set up and do you have any live rock in it. What are your parameters right now

I think it would be a good idea to take the corals back to the fish store. Corals require very good lighting and stable water parameters. It is important to test alkalinity calcium and magnesium in order to keep corals successfully. I would work on getting a tank set up with fish first and work on keeping them healthy before you jump into corals.

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

how long has your tank been set up and do you have any live rock in it. What are your parameters right now

So I don’t have any live rock. But I can put it in at any time, but I don’t want to since I know it can worsen the problem. So far too, I just did a test, everything is still at 0 aka the safe level.

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

I think it would be a good idea to take the corals back to the fish store. Corals require very good lighting and stable water parameters. It is important to test alkalinity calcium and magnesium in order to keep corals successfully. I would work on getting a tank set up with fish first and work on keeping them healthy before you jump into corals.

Ok! I know my local fish store has a coral tank, I’ll see if they can baby sit them too! If not, I’ll check with a store further away

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

how long has your tank been set up and do you have any live rock in it. What are your parameters right now

The glass part of the tank is new. The water and the he filter where cycling for a lot of weeks together with no fish and gravel.

 

[Bob Ander]

Th

Ok! I know my local fish store has a coral tank, I’ll see if they can baby sit them too! If not, I’ll check with a store further away

The reason your levels are all at zero is because you have no nutrient source going into the tank. I’d get your fish a house in an established tank until you can cycle your tank. Rock is a must in a reef tank. When it comes to rock you have two choices. You can use live rock which is more expensive but will cycle your tank much faster than the other option which is dry rock. Dry rock is IMO better to start with because it does not introduce any kind of unwanted pests. However many people love live rock because of the biodiversity and inherently fast cycle time. In your case I would probably use live rock so you can add your fish back faster and with better results.

 

[DoggoThePuffer]

Th

The reason your levels are all at zero is because you have no nutrient source going into the tank. I’d get your fish a house in an established tank until you can cycle your tank. Rock is a must in a reef tank. When it comes to rock you have two choices. You can use live rock which is more expensive but will cycle your tank much faster than the other option which is dry rock. Dry rock is IMO better to start with because it does not introduce any kind of unwanted pests. However many people love live rock because of the biodiversity and inherently fast cycle time. In your case I would probably use live rock so you can add your fish back faster and with better results.

What if I put the live rock in with them? Will that speed it up? And how much for a 10 gal. Also, if I get ammonia killer, would that work?

 

[Bob Ander]

I n

What if I put the live rock in with them? Will that speed it up? And how much for a 10 gal. Also, if I get ammonia killer, would that work?

the General rule is 1 pound of live rock per gallon however this rule is flexible and does not need to be exact. Adding the fish at the same time as live rock won’t work well. You need to cycle your tank first. There isn’t any way around it. I would only use ammonia killers in emergency situations. I wouldn’t use them for this.

 

[SDReefer]

If your filter comes from a cycled tank, that should be fine for now. Your best bet would be to get some Bio-Spira or other beneficial bacteria additive to prevent ammonia poisoning. You'd also want to get some live rock ASAP. Next time, please make sure that you are fully prepared before buying fish and corals. I've made this mistake many times but hope that it works out for you.