Nitro-Mare

[M-Pod]

Hey there fish friends,
So me and my girlfriend got a saltwater tank 30 gallon live sand 2 inches bottom, fake coral. I’m new to the saltwater tanks but not to fish or critters of all kind. Started with 2 captive clowns and 2 pistol shrimp. Tank was doing great 3 weeks later got two captive small kauderns cardinal fish, 1 royal gramma Basslet, 1 yellow prawn goby, 3 scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp, 1 bulb anemone (clown fish want nothing to do with it )
2 3.5 inch zebra dart fish
2 shaved brush plants
2 bumble bee snails
3 super Tonga snails

I’m having trouble with my nitrogen I’ve done 1 20% water change last week and yesterday 45% change. Changed the filter cartridge, have been decreasing feeding amount since the 45% water change I did yesterday.
I have all the proper de-nitrogen chemicals and live bacteria magnesium etc .
Just can’t get my nitrogen in check... please help
Thanks guys

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef

 

[fishguy242]

how old is tank

 

[M-Pod]

how old is tank

1.5 months however everything besides the 2 clown fish went in a week ago

 

[fishguy242]

do you have a skimmer

 

[M-Pod]

do you have a skimmer

I think it’s apart of the filter some water goes into it not sure if it does anything
I was told it was a protein skimmer... ‍

 

[W1ngz]

That's a really short timeline for a lot of bioload and really not a lot of rock at all.
When you say 'nitrogen' I assume you mean nitrate? Ammonia and nitrite are also considered nitrogen.

I'd make a guess that you're approaching saltwater the same as freshwater, but they're not the same. Post the full list of test parameters you have.

Also, the finish on some resin decorations in saltwater can break down. If any of that stuff is plastic, expect it to start to fall apart in 3-4 weeks.

 

[fishguy242]

agree yes that is skimmer,lose the fake ,add fully cured live rock,will help a lot

 

[M-Pod]

That's a really short timeline for a lot of bioload and really not a lot of rock at all.
When you say 'nitrogen' I assume you mean nitrate? Ammonia and nitrite are also considered nitrogen.

I'd make a guess that you're approaching saltwater the same as freshwater, but they're not the same. Post the full list of test parameters you have.

Also, the finish on some resin decorations in saltwater can break down. If any of that stuff is plastic, expect it to start to fall apart in 3-4 weeks.

The large coral in tank isn’t plastic but the fake anenome i see is starting fade the rock in front is plastic but so far no fading
Those can inc nitrogen?
I’m testing hardness
Nitrate
Nitrite
Alkalinity
pH
All on one of those test strips
I have Caribbean coral basin rock two medium pieces i placed in yesterday was trying to ecologically friendly that’s why I got those...

 

[W1ngz]

Anything not living is just going to eventually get coralline algae on it anyway.
Hardness is meaningless in saltwater, unless you mean salinity? Not testable with a strip.

Strips are a freshwater thing. You need to get some individual tests for ammonia and nitrate. Alkalinity, calcium and magnesium can come later.

Food increases nitrogen in all forms ending in nitrate. You probably need 4x the rock you have in there to help process the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Most of the nitrate reduction will come from twice weekly filter cleaning and water changes.

You could be testing high ammonia on the strip, which throws off the other tests. With a sudden addition of 3 or 4 fish at once, and so little rock, it's a recipe for death. If the rock just went in yesterday, you need to really change your thinking from freshwater to salt. It really really isn't the same game.

 

[W1ngz]

A quick comparison of cycling in freshwater vs saltwater as an example of the first thing anyone with a tank learns about, and how different they are:

in freshwater you mainly cycle the filter and bacteria accumulate in the bio-media and foam pads within the filter. You throw away the filter floss and always rinse the foam pads and biomedia in old tank water.

In saltwater, it's the rock in the tank that is cycled and which eventually becomes home to the bacteria that deal with ammonia. The filter doesn't need anything more than filter floss and maybe some carbon. It doesn't matter if you dump all the media in the filter and replace it, because that's not where the bacteria live.

 

[fishguy242]

lights rock skimmer backbone

 

[fishguy242]

alk cal mag backbone soon

 

[ScottR]

If you’re seeing ammonia, then you probably are going to go through a mini cycle. Ammonia is very toxic to fish. Adding a bottled bacteria and prime can help you. If you’re having high nitrates, it’s not as toxic to fish and you can have pretty high nitrates and the fish generally won’t be bothered.

 

[Magellan]

A good rule of thumb is 1 lb of rock per 1g of water. Some biomedia in your media basket will also provide a place for bacteria to grow, but you really need some rock in there. I would also remove everything artificial if I were you.

 

[W1ngz]

@Magellan your avatar picture is hilarious
I literally LOL'd sitting alone in the dark.

 

[fishguy242]

back to m pod try to get some live rock in asap that lil skimmer will work for now but that is the key imo

 

[Magellan]

@Magellan your avatar picture is hilarious
I literally LOL'd sitting alone in the dark.

You should see the looks I get when I wear it ;Hilarious

 

[fishguy242]

You should see the looks I get when I wear it ;Hilarious

LOL...

 

[Magellan]

back to m pod try to get some live rock in asap that lil skimmer will work for now but that is the key imo

+1

rock is just an essential part of the reef. Gives a home for important critters, breeding ground for bacteria, and of course: a place to glue some animals!