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BRS
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I recommend watching 52 weeks of reefing from Bulk Reef Supply and any other YouTube channels you like that go through the process from the beginning. 10 gallons is a small tank and requires skill to keep stable. Stability is the most important thing in reefing. This just isnt a cheap hobby, no way around that. You need salt on hand at all times, you need to be able to water changes. Water changes can fix a lot of problems or at least help with them. You need a good refractometer. You need test kits. The good ones cost more than the bad ones. You need to be able to test ammonia and maybe nitrite until the tank is cycled and ph, alk, nitrate regularly till the end of time. The is more to test then that but that's a start. Cycling takes time, a lot of time. And you need to take this hobby very slowly. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Watch vids, a lot of vids. And when you get things stabilized add fish and coral slowly, like over months. Every time you add something you need to give it about 6 weeks before you add more.

As you can see from other peoples comments, they are upset. That fish didnt just die. You made poor decisions that cost its life but you can learn and do better from here and it will require work on your part.
 
OP: the suggestions to restart would be my advice too, before jumping in, please read these very informative articles. This aint like freshwater, a lot more is involved in marine Fishkeeping...

It isn't quick, cheap, or necessarily easy...

www.reef2reef.com

Beginners Guide to Acclimation and Quarantine

Beginners Guide to Acclimation and Quarantine Your beautiful new display tank is up and ready for fish. You have come up with your stocking list and you are finally ready to buy your first fish but you aren’t confident on how to proceed. I am going to walk you through a basic acclimation and...
www.reef2reef.com www.reef2reef.com
www.reef2reef.com

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...
www.reef2reef.com www.reef2reef.com
www.reef2reef.com

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...
www.reef2reef.com www.reef2reef.com
 
FairbanksReefer said:
I recommend watching 52 weeks of reefing from Bulk Reef Supply
Click to expand...
OP: I agree, but remember these are also marketing videos. Good for general education to get started, but you dont need the million recommended products they advise either.
 
As everyone has already pointed out, it's time to probably hit the pause/reset button on this endeavour.

* If you don't have salt and RO water, you're not ready
* If you don't have the proper testing kits, you're not ready
* If you're planning to add fish and corals right away, you're not ready
* If you don't have the right setup (including lights, filtration, etc.) for your tank, you're not ready
 
blaxsun said:
As everyone has already pointed out, it's time to probably hit the pause/reset button on this endeavour.

* If you don't have salt and RO water, you're not ready
* If you don't have the proper testing kits, you're not ready
* If you're planning to add fish and corals right away, you're not ready
* If you don't have the right setup (including lights, filtration, etc.) for your tank, you're not ready
Click to expand...
4052412C-DE40-42D3-9294-8C6F034F689F.png
 
BRS
Ok guys Ik I did my research and I made a mistake. I’m doing a 95/5 percent water change with fresh saltwater, [forget] the local fish shop, I am also gonna clean the dead crabs out and, put in fritz turbo start.
Is this good?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ethanlovesfish said:
Ok guys Ik I did my research and I made a mistake. I’m doing a 95/5 percent water change with fresh saltwater, [forget] the local fish shop, I am also gonna clean the dead crabs out and, put in fritz turbo start.
Is this good?
Click to expand...
Low salinity temporarily would have been ok

Plan on having spares:3
Salt
refractometer
heater

Over fritz turbo, see if you can get MicroBacter XLM and measure along the way. Week 3 , add a sailfin and/or black molly as test fish. Once fish are in then you add crabs or snails
If using API test kits- Very unreliable. Look at others such as salifert or Hanna
 
Last edited by a moderator:
blaxsun said:
As everyone has already pointed out, it's time to probably hit the pause/reset button on this endeavour.

* If you don't have salt and RO water, you're not ready
* If you don't have the proper testing kits, you're not ready
* If you're planning to add fish and corals right away, you're not ready
* If you don't have the right setup (including lights, filtration, etc.) for your tank, you're not ready
Click to expand...
BINGO!! They should have this posted on every lfs front door.
 
Chewy.com
vetteguy53081 said:
Week 3 , add a sailfin and/or black molly as test fish. Once fish are in then you add crabs or snails
Click to expand...

WHAT?? This is completely backwards!

My suggestion based on your tank size:
Use saltwater that has a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026, add a heater and keep temp near 78 F.
1. Add bacteria and ghost feed (add a small amount of food every other day) Buy test kits for pH, ammonia and nitrate. (See my comments on using API at the end)
2. Test ammonia and nitrate on day 4 to get an idea of how the cycle is starting. Also test pH and salinity. If ammonia is 0, use more food.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have 0 ammonia and 2-10 nitrate.
4. Do a water change (10-20%), ghost feed, and then test ammo and nitrate 24 hours later
**THESE STEPS SHOULD TAKE YOU TO WEEK 3 OR 4

5a. If your test shows ammo, add bacteria and go back to step 3.
5b. If ammo and nitrates are still 0 and 2-10, THEN add a few snails and/or hermits. Again, get used to testing pH and salinity (and add fresh water frequently to replace what's evaporated). Buy test kits for alk, Calcium, magnesium now, if you plan to add coral soon.

6. AFTER ANOTHER 2-3 WEEKS, if ammo is still 0, you can add 1 or 2
hearty fish or an easy coral. Test ammo a day after adding fish, and add more bacteria if it's anything but 0.

7. Continue SLOWLY adding fish or coral, and test at least weekly.

If at any point ammo starts registering, add bacteria and SLOW down, waiting a week or so before adding anything else.

*API tests are OK for your initial cycle but be sure to read the ammonia test tube on a white background. If you had high ammonia at first (as you should have) and after 4 weeks the color has a *slightly* greenish tint, if you have a steady nitrate reading (indicating that you have enough bacteria in the system to convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate), then the *slightly* greenish color can be read as 0 ammonia.

So, I just spent 20 minutes on this... You're welcome.
 
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blaxsun said:
Doesn't matter to me. I'm not the one who's tank is dying... :dizzy-face:
Click to expand...
Erin1971Texas said:
WHAT?? This is completely backwards!

My suggestion based on your tank size:
Use saltwater that has a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026, add a heater and keep temp near 78 F.
1. Add bacteria and ghost feed (add a small amount of food every other day) Buy test kits for pH, ammonia and nitrate. (See my comments on using API at the end)
2. Test ammonia and nitrate on day 4 to get an idea of how the cycle is starting. Also test pH and salinity. If ammonia is 0, use more food.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have 0 ammonia and 2-10 nitrate.
4. Do a water change (10-20%), ghost feed, and then test ammo and nitrate 24 hours later
**THESE STEPS SHOULD TAKE YOU TO WEEK 3 OR 4

5a. If your test shows ammo, add bacteria and go back to step 3.
5b. If ammo and nitrates are still 0 and 2-10, THEN add a few snails and/or hermits. Again, get used to testing pH and salinity (and add fresh water frequently to replace what's evaporated). Buy test kits for alk, Calcium, magnesium now, if you plan to add coral soon.

6. AFTER ANOTHER 2-3 WEEKS, if ammo is still 0, you can add 1 or 2
hearty fish or an easy coral. Test ammo a day after adding fish, and add more bacteria if it's anything but 0.

7. Continue SLOWLY adding fish or coral, and test at least weekly.

If at any point ammo starts registering, add bacteria and SLOW down, waiting a week or so before adding anything else.

*API tests are OK for your initial cycle but be sure to read the ammonia test tube on a white background. If you had high ammonia at first (as you should have) and after 4 weeks the color has a *slightly* greenish tint, if you have a steady nitrate reading (indicating that you have enough bacteria in the system to convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate), then the *slightly* greenish color can be read as 0 ammonia.

So, I just spent 20 minutes on this... You're welcome.
Click to expand...
thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Erin1971Texas said:
WHAT?? This is completely backwards!

My suggestion based on your tank size:
Use saltwater that has a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026, add a heater and keep temp near 78 F.
1. Add bacteria and ghost feed (add a small amount of food every other day) Buy test kits for pH, ammonia and nitrate. (See my comments on using API at the end)
2. Test ammonia and nitrate on day 4 to get an idea of how the cycle is starting. Also test pH and salinity. If ammonia is 0, use more food.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have 0 ammonia and 2-10 nitrate.
4. Do a water change (10-20%), ghost feed, and then test ammo and nitrate 24 hours later
**THESE STEPS SHOULD TAKE YOU TO WEEK 3 OR 4

5a. If your test shows ammo, add bacteria and go back to step 3.
5b. If ammo and nitrates are still 0 and 2-10, THEN add a few snails and/or hermits. Again, get used to testing pH and salinity (and add fresh water frequently to replace what's evaporated). Buy test kits for alk, Calcium, magnesium now, if you plan to add coral soon.

6. AFTER ANOTHER 2-3 WEEKS, if ammo is still 0, you can add 1 or 2
hearty fish or an easy coral. Test ammo a day after adding fish, and add more bacteria if it's anything but 0.

7. Continue SLOWLY adding fish or coral, and test at least weekly.

If at any point ammo starts registering, add bacteria and SLOW down, waiting a week or so before adding anything else.

*API tests are OK for your initial cycle but be sure to read the ammonia test tube on a white background. If you had high ammonia at first (as you should have) and after 4 weeks the color has a *slightly* greenish tint, if you have a steady nitrate reading (indicating that you have enough bacteria in the system to convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate), then the *slightly* greenish color can be read as 0 ammonia.

So, I just spent 20 minutes on this... You're welcome.
Click to expand...
What do I do Bc my tank was fine and I got the clear to get coral from my local saltwater fish store and my order is unable to be canceled
 
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Deltec
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BRS

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%

  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
See comments…

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