Need extreme help

[reefiniteasy]

What size should I get can I get to much?

The smallest bottle is more than enough. If it’s a 15 gallon QT the small 1oz bottle will be fine. Works to seed 25 gallons.

 

[artieg1]

Stepping back for a second, and really trying to be helpful here: I would rethink your entire plan. As many above are noting, QT setups often have no biofilter established, and it is possible to address that through water changes, bacteria, Prime, etc. But that is difficult for a beginner.

So stepping back: how did you get into this situation? Can you say "no" to this "gift"? Nothing good in a reef tank happens with spur of the moment decisions like this. And you go down a rabbit hole chasing one issue and more keep popping up. Slow and steady is the only good strategy.

I would do this right, and it sounds like you have read enough to know how to do it right, which is why you are asking for help on doing the shortcut. Marine fish are the worst possible surprise "gift".

 

[living_tribunal]

Stepping back for a second, and really trying to be helpful here: I would rethink your entire plan. As many above are noting, QT setups often have no biofilter established, and it is possible to address that through water changes, bacteria, Prime, etc. But that is difficult for a beginner.

So stepping back: how did you get into this situation? Can you say "no" to this "gift"? Nothing good in a reef tank happens with spur of the moment decisions like this. And you go down a rabbit hole chasing one issue and more keep popping up. Slow and steady is the only good strategy.

I would do this right, and it sounds like you have read enough to know how to do it right, which is why you are asking for help on doing the shortcut. Marine fish are the worst possible surprise "gift".

It’s really not very hard to get a qt quickly setup.

If I was op, I’d go ahead and dump his water completely out of the qt. He should add a new batch of water considering ammonia levels skyrocketed to 8ppm, that would have probably rendered the bacteria from the rocks useless and would take a month to clear.

He then should simply add a full 1oz bottle of fritz and maybe a capful of microbacter.

He should then dose maybe .5ppm pure ammonia chloride (dr Tim’s would work fine) since he’s on a time crunch (would take maybe two days for the nitrite to clear at a full 1ppm ammonia dose).

Add the fish the second day and don’t feed them (typical to not feed fish first day in qt) which buys you an additional day for the bacteria to clear the .5ppm ammonia/nitrite.

At this point, op is probably in the clear. No need to complicate anything.

 

[carguy4471]

The solution here is simple.

100% water change.
Refill tank with fresh salt water.
Once water is up to temp, dose the tank with one bottle of biospira or dr. tim's one ond only (either one, doesn't matter)
You can then immediately add fish.

You will get no ammonia spike, you will see little if any nitrite. Within a couple days you will start seeing nitrate, at this point you know the product did it's job. A few days after you are seeing nitrates you should start your regular schedule of water changes, you are fully cycled.

This method works. It is not hard on the fish. Bulk Reef Supply highlighted this method in a tank setup series of videos and I followed it on my new 20G. I added two clownfish immediately and they are doing great, the whole tank is 3 weeks in.

One note, make sure the bottle of product you use is not expired.