new to saltwater
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tyler1503
2500 Club Member
1) Take it as slow as humanly possible. Changes need to be made slow as to not shock the tank. The tank needs to adjust and resettle in before something else is changed.
2) Cycle the tank properly. This is arguably one of the most crucial parts of the entire life of the tank. A healthy cycle means healthy rock. Healthy rock means happy fish and coral. Happy fish and coral means a happy reefer
3) Research EVERYTHING before making any decisions. You don't wana add that beautiful lionfish to a tank full of clown gobies!
4) Decide on what type of tank you'd like before starting to stock it. I'm sure you'd hate to spend $200 on fish, then think of another idea you like better and be stuck with fish you don't really like.
5) Don't make owning the tank a chore. It doesn't have to rule your life like it does with some people. If you make it fun and enjoyable, you'll be much more likely to spend time maintaining it which in turn will give you much better results, but you have to learn not to stress over the slightest little thing.
6) (an extra one just for good luck!) Good husbandry is better and healthier for the tank than owning top of the line expensive crap. A good water change schedule, proper feeding habits, a good knowledge of what's going on, a keen eye for subtle changes and a good biological filter are far more important than $2000 lights, $1000 wave makers, $1000 reactors, $500 dosers etc. People buy this fancy stuff, then wonder why something goes wrong. It's because they're not paying any attention to the fish or coral, they're too busy figuring out how to program sunset on their brand new $2000 LEDs.
Thats the best advice I can give a new hobbyist
Good luck!
2) Cycle the tank properly. This is arguably one of the most crucial parts of the entire life of the tank. A healthy cycle means healthy rock. Healthy rock means happy fish and coral. Happy fish and coral means a happy reefer
3) Research EVERYTHING before making any decisions. You don't wana add that beautiful lionfish to a tank full of clown gobies!
4) Decide on what type of tank you'd like before starting to stock it. I'm sure you'd hate to spend $200 on fish, then think of another idea you like better and be stuck with fish you don't really like.
5) Don't make owning the tank a chore. It doesn't have to rule your life like it does with some people. If you make it fun and enjoyable, you'll be much more likely to spend time maintaining it which in turn will give you much better results, but you have to learn not to stress over the slightest little thing.
6) (an extra one just for good luck!) Good husbandry is better and healthier for the tank than owning top of the line expensive crap. A good water change schedule, proper feeding habits, a good knowledge of what's going on, a keen eye for subtle changes and a good biological filter are far more important than $2000 lights, $1000 wave makers, $1000 reactors, $500 dosers etc. People buy this fancy stuff, then wonder why something goes wrong. It's because they're not paying any attention to the fish or coral, they're too busy figuring out how to program sunset on their brand new $2000 LEDs.
Thats the best advice I can give a new hobbyist
Good luck!
chadb202
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So the deal is...... I inherited a running tank from someone who didnt care for it properly. Filter media wasnt changed, no water changes, salinity was way too high. I highly doubt that this tank was ever cycled properly. It currently holds 8 fish in a 75 gallon aquarium. 3 Tangs, 1 puffer, a clownfish, foxface, and 2 angels. along with 2 crabs and an urchin.
I have changed the filter media and started from scratch. The tank water was moved with the tank. One water change has been done at 30%.
The yellow Tang is basically white. other than that, the fish seem happy. Have also added bacteria since the water change. The ammonia levels are currently 0 but the nitrate level is very high. Algae seems to be growing much faster since the water change and bacteria addition.
Any advice on how to restore this tank to healthy would be appreciated.
CB
I have changed the filter media and started from scratch. The tank water was moved with the tank. One water change has been done at 30%.
The yellow Tang is basically white. other than that, the fish seem happy. Have also added bacteria since the water change. The ammonia levels are currently 0 but the nitrate level is very high. Algae seems to be growing much faster since the water change and bacteria addition.
Any advice on how to restore this tank to healthy would be appreciated.
CB
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
No worries
If possible, I would ask the LFS or a nearby reefer to hold onto the fish for a few weeks while you get the tank back in order.
What did you get with the tank?
That's quite a lot of fish for a 75 gal. I would think about which ones you like most and consider selling or trading the rest. Sorry to be the bearer of bad new and I'd hate to become the tang police, but three tangs in a 75 is too many. One tang in a 75 can be pushing it. Do you know what species the other tangs are? I would be concerned about a stressed tang, they can be disease magnets, particularly ich.
I would recommend lots of water changes at the moment. The larger the better. Some people will suggest reactors and carbon dosing and stuff, but I like a natural approach. If you have a sump, could you add any macro algae?
If possible, I would ask the LFS or a nearby reefer to hold onto the fish for a few weeks while you get the tank back in order.
What did you get with the tank?
That's quite a lot of fish for a 75 gal. I would think about which ones you like most and consider selling or trading the rest. Sorry to be the bearer of bad new and I'd hate to become the tang police, but three tangs in a 75 is too many. One tang in a 75 can be pushing it. Do you know what species the other tangs are? I would be concerned about a stressed tang, they can be disease magnets, particularly ich.
I would recommend lots of water changes at the moment. The larger the better. Some people will suggest reactors and carbon dosing and stuff, but I like a natural approach. If you have a sump, could you add any macro algae?
chadb202
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Thank you. I am aware of the Tang issue and have another two tanks that they will eventually be separated into. There is a gray and hippo tang as well as the yellow. Can you be a bit more specific about the frequencies of the water changes? Once a week? Would 40-50% be better? Can you explain the sump to me. I really appreciate your input thus far. Thank you.
CB
CB
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
It would be best to separate them like your planning
a grey tang? Do you have a photo?Personally, I would be trying to do 1 or 2 50%+ water changes a week. One bigger water change will remove more nutrients than two smaller ones, even if they add up to the same percentage. Also try to remove as much algae as you can by hand. This will help significantly. Just remember to heat your new water and match the salinity before adding it to the tank!
Do you have any snails or anything like that?
A sump is a second tank usually below the display tank. Water travels through some kind of overflow system into the sump, through filtration, into a pump where it returns to the display tank. It's where most people like to put equipment like heaters, protein skimmers etc. They often have a section for certain species of macro algae to grow. The macro algae uses phosphate and nitrate to grow and it can be used to starve nuisance algae of food so it eventually dies off. This link http://www.melevsreef.com/node/710 has all the info about sumps you'll ever need!
No need to thank me
chadb202
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We acquired a 55 gallon from craig's list and have a 20 gallon. I want to cycle these tanks properly so we don't have the same issues that we have now. We will be separating the yellow tang and blue tang into different tanks and getting rid of the naso because we don't have the means to take care of him properly. Three feet is a VERY large fish. Did you have any other equipment suggestions besides the protein skimmer?
Also, do you have any idea what the growth in the attached picture is?
Also, do you have any idea what the growth in the attached picture is?
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
We acquired a 55 gallon from craig's list and have a 20 gallon. I want to cycle these tanks properly so we don't have the same issues that we have now. We will be separating the yellow tang and blue tang into different tanks and getting rid of the naso because we don't have the means to take care of him properly. Three feet is a VERY large fish. Did you have any other equipment suggestions besides the protein skimmer?
Also, do you have any idea what the growth in the attached picture is?
Wise move
The naso isn't quite that big fully grown. About 18-20" would be considered a large naso I believe. Still a very big fish! The blue tang also gets to about this size, some say even bigger. I've never seen any that size though. I would look into turning one of the tanks you just bought into a sump for the 75 gal. A refugium is always a good idea and lots of good quality live rock. This is how I have my 120 set up, but I like the minimalist/natural way of reef keeping. If you like having cool gadgets and stuff to play around with there's literally tons and tons of options out there, but I can't help too much with that sorry.
Strange looking.....creature. I have no idea what that is. I'm guessing some type of sponge or bacterial growth. Is it slimy? It seems to have a Xenia type polyp on the side. Did it pop up over the last few days or has it always been there?
chadb202
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I really don't care about fancy gadgets, I prefer natural. I'm just looking for the best way to do this.
I actually removed the rock from the tank and let it dry out but am still curious about what it was. It seemed to grow very quickly over 2-3 days time. I didn't notice whether it was slimy or not.
I actually removed the rock from the tank and let it dry out but am still curious about what it was. It seemed to grow very quickly over 2-3 days time. I didn't notice whether it was slimy or not.
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
I've found my way to be successful so far, but my current tank has only been set up for a short time. I have good quality rock, good water movement and a big skimmer at the moment and in time my refugium will be operational and I have filter socks coming in the mail. Other than that I have no additional means of filtration except for the odd water change.
There is no best way to run a marine tank. There's a million ways to do it, you just need to find one that fits around your schedule
I think it may have been some sort of bacterial growth. I'm in no way an expert on that sort of thing though.
saltyphish
Certified Sand Groomer
Patience is key in this hobby. Looks like you are doing the right thing for the livestock. The best advice is to research, research, and research. You don't need a lot of high tech gadgets to run a nice tank. The main things are filtration, circulation, and lighting. Cannister filters can become nitrate factories if not maintained properly.
