Help! I'm giving up

johnny4491 · Dec 2, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
if your concerned about ammonia add A bottled bacteria to eat it. I use Prime. and stability.
when I open the bag on a new fish, I add Prime. to eat the ammoina.

Oh ok well I'm going to try that out this week and hopefully starts cleaning up

Brew12 · Dec 2, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
if your concerned about ammonia add A bottled bacteria to eat it. I use Prime. and stability.
when I open the bag on a new fish, I add Prime. to eat the ammoina.

This is a great idea, however you need to make sure that the people you buy your fish from don't keep copper in their tanks. For instance, my LFS does keep a low level of copper in their system. If you add Prime to water with copper in it the copper becomes much more toxic.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 2, 2016

Brew12 said:
This is a great idea, however you need to make sure that the people you buy your fish from don't keep copper in their tanks. For instance, my LFS does keep a low level of copper in their system. If you add Prime to water with copper in it the copper becomes much more toxic.

you already have that strain of nitrifying bacteria in your system. plus several others. And personally I dont buy fish from copper systems anymore. bad chemotherapy is worse than regular chemotherapy. esp if your going to bring the fish home and give it chemotherapy. QT on a copper store fish IMO is very different. store copper actually the only time Ive ever really lost fish besides crash and jump or injury.

Brew12 · Dec 2, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
you already have that strain of nitrifying bacteria in your system. plus several others. And personally I dont buy fish from copper systems anymore. bad chemotherapy is worse than regular chemotherapy. esp if your going to bring the fish home and give it chemotherapy. QT on a copper store fish IMO is very different. store copper actually the only time Ive ever really lost fish besides crash and jump or injury.

The problem isn't the bacteria. Prime also has a dechlorinator in it. That is why it has a warning not to use with copper.

I do agree that keeping low levels of copper at fish stores is just a bad practice. All it does it trick people into thinking the fish are healthier than they really are.

Unfortunately, many people don't even think to ask about what could be in the water when they buy from a LFS or online source. I only ask now because of a school of dead firefish. I learned.

TomToro · Dec 2, 2016

After you make sure you're not adding phos. to your water with iether the water or salt mix, you can try a tuxedo urchin. It worked for me, but know that it also eats coralline algae.

johnny4491 · Dec 2, 2016

Marco.M said:
How much life rocks do u have in your Tank ?

I just have those 3 pieces u see in the picture and a little more in my chamber in the back

DeniseAndy · Dec 3, 2016

It will be enough for your bioload to not cycle. Just do not add anything new such as a fish. Let me know how the clean out goes! I just did what I suggested on my 40g and everything looks tons better. Then you have to keep up on it.

johnny4491 · Dec 3, 2016

DeniseAndy said:
It will be enough for your bioload to not cycle. Just do not add anything new such as a fish. Let me know how the clean out goes! I just did what I suggested on my 40g and everything looks tons better. Then you have to keep up on it.

Yes I will put a pix up as soon as I'm done

johnny4491 · Dec 3, 2016

Currently just finished cleaning my tank now just waiting for it to clear up and I'll post a pix

twilliard · Dec 3, 2016

I saw the first picture and said "H2O2"

johnny4491 · Dec 3, 2016

Looks so different and I still see a little on the back wall I'll get that on the next water change and I'm excited I got my lights coming in tomorrow

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 4, 2016

johnny4491 said:
Looks so different and I still see a little on the back wall I'll get that on the next water change and I'm excited I got my lights coming in tomorrow

Nice work. Feels pretty good right?

A rebuild is not as hard as so many make it out to be.

johnny4491 · Dec 4, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
Nice work. Feels pretty good right?

A rebuild is not as hard as so many make it out to be.

Thank u and yes it does feel good and u think I should add more live rock ?

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 4, 2016

johnny4491 said:
Thank u and yes it does feel good and u think I should add more live rock ?

No. ....more coral [emoji1]

johnny4491 · Dec 4, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
No. ....more coral [emoji1]

Ok but I feel my rocks are not in the right position lol like where are the Coral going to go lol

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 4, 2016

johnny4491 said:
Ok but I feel my rocks are not in the right position lol like where are the Coral going to go lol

Haha. Then do it!

A balsto merletti would be a good choice in there. It kinda branches Not too many stonys. In a small tank. I'd pick one at least. Or a gorg.
Zoas for sure. Gsp on the back wall. Shrooms on the floor
One small rock with clove polyps on the sand avoid red shrooms.
Oh the shopping list goes on and on

Oh in my aio. On thing to look for is detritus in the back chamber. My jbj was nasty for that. I wound up just doing all the WC right from the back.

johnny4491 · Dec 4, 2016

saltyfilmfolks said:
Haha. Then do it!

A balsto merletti would be a good choice in there. It kinda branches Not too many stonys. In a small tank. I'd pick one at least. Or a gorg.
Zoas for sure. Gsp on the back wall. Shrooms on the floor
One small rock with clove polyps on the sand avoid red shrooms.
Oh the shopping list goes on and on

Oh in my aio. On thing to look for is detritus in the back chamber. My jbj was nasty for that. I wound up just doing all the WC right from the back.

Ok I'll look into those thanks

DeniseAndy · Dec 4, 2016

Yep, in little tanks as your first experience, I would go with pretty softies. So many beautiful options and they are usually very forgiving with water and maintenance. Looks great by the way. Love it when I do that deep clean on my little tanks.

Honestly, I would just add corals and leave the one large rock. You could get height from the right gorg, gsp up back wall, branching like a tree (nepthea or sinularia or toadstool). Ask before you get a gorg as if you want to keep anything except mushrooms, the wrong one will be too much for that little tank. I can recommend the grubes gorg highly (ora) cuz it is friendly, hardy, and pretty.

johnny4491 · Dec 4, 2016

DeniseAndy said:
Yep, in little tanks as your first experience, I would go with pretty softies. So many beautiful options and they are usually very forgiving with water and maintenance. Looks great by the way. Love it when I do that deep clean on my little tanks.

Honestly, I would just add corals and leave the one large rock. You could get height from the right gorg, gsp up back wall, branching like a tree (nepthea or sinularia or toadstool). Ask before you get a gorg as if you want to keep anything except mushrooms, the wrong one will be too much for that little tank. I can recommend the grubes gorg highly (ora) cuz it is friendly, hardy, and pretty.

Ok thank u I'll see what I can do thanks for the help