Saltwater newbie need MAJOR HELP (DMV)

[mskiki0520]

HI im Kiki...new to saltwater. I joined a FB group for Reefs and was refered here.
I got a 10g tank as a gift with complete setup. (I'm buying a 20g next week).
I went and got live sand, salt and a hydrometer. The guy in the store had to be a **** cuz everyone says he told me wrong. I put TAP over the sand.... Then mixed the salt with more tap and added that. (As he said this was all I needed and could come back the next day and throw a clown fish in there) Very cloudy.... And I'm a newbie but I knew better. Turned off the filter for 24 hrs. Water cleared up and salt levels are fine. I'm told to START COMPLETELY over and I'm told to buy bacteria and live rocks... That's it's still salvageable.
PLEASE HELP cuz I'm beyond confused. I'm reading this book but it's copyrighted 2001 so lots has changed.
Thanks in advance

 

[Mal11224]

Hi mskiki5020... your water is fine. You should get a bucket and a small power head to mix your salt for water changes. Salt clouds the water and the cloudiness will dissipate. Turn your filter back on and begin cycling the tank. You will need an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate kit. I'm assuming you are only adding fish to your tank (FOWLR - fish only with live rock). DO NOT add a fish to cycle it. The fish will likely die and there are better ways. The kits are necessary in determining if your tank is cycled.
You can place a raw shrimp in your tank to start the nitrogen cycle or phantom feed (place small portions of food to build up ammonia levels. You should add rock dry or live to your tank as it serves as a biological filter. Live rock will speed up the cycling process but should be treated first for pests. Dry rock is usually cured and treated.
During the cycle, ammonia rises and will eventually fall as nitrites rise. Then, you will start to see nitrates rise towards the end of the cycle. Once you are reading nitrate levels and ammonia and nitrites are zero, the your tank is cycled. You can add a fish to the tank and move slowly with new additions.
Bio spira is a biological booster that some people use to speed up the cycle of their tank. Cycling can take several weeks. Be patient.

 

[Katrina71]

Welcome to the most confusing hobby you'll ever love! Go ahead and stock up on aspirin in the begginning.

 

[mskiki0520]

I had a person tell me to do this....
Use brightwell bacteria and bio fuel daily for the first 10 days exactly the amount told in the instructions, then go 2 times a week, doing that you can add livestock and corals at day 12 without any trouble, every fish store and hobbyist down here use this method to speed things up never seen anyone lose any livestock including me (of course you need to add healthy live stock)

I want a reef tank... Maybe 5 fish total.

 

[Mal11224]

Well...... you can do a reef tank. Not sure of the water quality where you are but since you will have a smaller size tank, you may be able to get ro/di water from your local fish store. You may need to find out the TDS level of your tap water. Mine is 49 for example, but I still use ro/di. You can probably get away with tap but it will require more water changes and algae can become a problem down the line. It is not an easy hobby but it is fun.
You can use the bio fuel to speed up things but you will need to check your water to ensure that the cycle is happening. People make he mistake of seeing low nitrogen levels and thinking that the tank is cycled. Ammonia is very bad for fish, nitrites, bad as well but not as bad as ammonia. Both will cause stress to fish and definitely corals. Get the live rock and cycle as you see fit but make sure it's cycled and the slowly add livestock. Remember patience will serve you well. I know it's hard but if it wasn't, why would we do it?

 

[mskiki0520]

I had some one tell me to get Rodi water also. House of Tropicals in Glen Burnie MD is the best closest to me in Baltimore( but he also told me wrong ... They were crowded)
So dump this water for the Rodi or combine them? What I want to do... Is go Friday and get what ever I need to bring this around... Or I wanna dump it and start over.

 

[Brew12]

I had some one tell me to get Rodi water also. House of Tropicals in Glen Burnie MD is the best closest to me in Baltimore( but he also told me wrong ... They were crowded)
So dump this water for the Rodi or combine them? What I want to do... Is go Friday and get what ever I need to bring this around... Or I wanna dump it and start over.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I'm sorry you were given such bad advice but I am glad you are here asking the right questions before adding fish!

RODI is better than tap water, but it isn't absolutely required. I would recommend adding Seachem Prime to your tank since you may have chloramine or chlorine in your tap water and that will greatly slow down your cycle.

You don't need live rock, but you do need some rock. Your fish will need some hiding places so they are less stressed and you need the surface area for the bacteria to grow. Your HOB filter will provide some of that surface area but it might not add enough.

There are many ways to get a tank ready for fish. My preferred method is to use Biospira as a bacteria additive. I find it works well and is available to me locally (Petco). This is completely optional but it can speed up the amount of time it take before you are ready to add fish. Even if you don't add bottled bacteria, the bacteria will work its way in your system, just slower. I then add a little pure ammonia to feed the bacteria and get it reproducing. Instead of pure ammonia you can also "ghost feed" which is adding food just as if there were a fish in the tank or you can put a raw uncooked shrimp in your tank. Either way, these will break down into ammonia and feed the bacteria.

You will need an ammonia test kit and a nitrate test kit. Depending on which path you go down will depend on what your test results will look like to let you know when you are ready to add fish. As you are finding out, there are many correct ways to set up a new system. There are also many incorrect ways. Just keep asking questions until you figure out the way you want to go.

 

[Mal11224]

Since your tank is new, I would keep the water but use rodi in the future if you can. Research is important and you can definitely get answers for most if not all of your questions on here.
Mix your water with salt first before adding it to the tank and make sure your salinity is the same when doing water changes. You will get used to the maintenance routine. Some corals are easier than others. Reef keeping requires more attention than any other type of marine care. While you cycle your tank, get your questions answered and research as much as you can.

 

[mskiki0520]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I'm sorry you were given such bad advice but I am glad you are here asking the right questions before adding fish!

RODI is better than tap water, but it isn't absolutely required. I would recommend adding Seachem Prime to your tank since you may have chloramine or chlorine in your tap water and that will greatly slow down your cycle.

You don't need live rock, but you do need some rock. Your fish will need some hiding places so they are less stressed and you need the surface area for the bacteria to grow. Your HOB filter will provide some of that surface area but it might not add enough.

There are many ways to get a tank ready for fish. My preferred method is to use Biospira as a bacteria additive. I find it works well and is available to me locally (Petco). This is completely optional but it can speed up the amount of time it take before you are ready to add fish. Even if you don't add bottled bacteria, the bacteria will work its way in your system, just slower. I then add a little pure ammonia to feed the bacteria and get it reproducing. Instead of pure ammonia you can also "ghost feed" which is adding food just as if there were a fish in the tank or you can put a raw uncooked shrimp in your tank. Either way, these will break down into ammonia and feed the bacteria.

You will need an ammonia test kit and a nitrate test kit. Depending on which path you go down will depend on what your test results will look like to let you know when you are ready to add fish. As you are finding out, there are many correct ways to set up a new system. There are also many incorrect ways. Just keep asking questions until you figure out the way you want to go.

hear Petco is the worst lls.i do have a friend who works there and she said pretty much the same thing. So she said to get Red Sea test kit. Another friend suggested live rocks since it will have bacteria and because this will be a reef tank. I'm glad u said RAW shrimp....cuz I wasn't thinking that. Thank u

 

[Stolireef]

I think that the first thing you need to do is develop a basic understanding of reef keeping chemistry (it's really easy) and the basic concepts of reef keeping. This means read all of the stickies on this forum first. As you read the stickies, ask lots of questions here. If someone tells you that they have a shortcut to the stickies, be extremely skeptical.

Cycling a tank takes at least a month whether you add bacteria or not. All adding the bacteria does is get the tank past the earliest part of the cycle faster.

You're going to want some reef rock in your tank. It provides the ideal environment for your bacterial population.

Finally, remember that NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS FAST IN A REEF. Patience is the single greatest asset of a reef keeper.

 

[GK3]

Potted plants don't do well in saltwater. I'd take that out.

 

[mskiki0520]

Potted plants don't do well in saltwater. I'd take that out.

I'm DYING LAUGHING ....it's behind it on the counter [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[mskiki0520]

I think that the first thing you need to do is develop a basic understanding of reef keeping chemistry (it's really easy) and the basic concepts of reef keeping. This means read all of the stickies on this forum first. As you read the stickies, ask lots of questions here. If someone tells you that they have a shortcut to the stickies, be extremely skeptical.

Cycling a tank takes at least a month whether you add bacteria or not. All adding the bacteria does is get the tank past the earliest part of the cycle faster.

You're going to want some reef rock in your tank. It provides the ideal environment for your bacterial population.

Finally, remember that NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS FAST IN A REEF. Patience is the single greatest asset of a reef keeper.

Stickies???? Point me in the direction and thanks

 

[30cubereef]

I would agree with mal. I started this hobby about 7 months ago and did the exact same thing you did. It cost me some money but I got the tank turned around and was able to save my clown. I did a huge water change on my 30 gallon right away with a new rodi system and increased live rock to 35 pounds. I was told to go a pound of rock for every gallon of water. My tank eventually cycled and everything is great now. Give it some time and be ready to spend some money. I've already replaced my a.c. pumps with dc because of stray voltage and better control and changed up lighting to help my corals out. Happy reefing and good luck!

 

[Todd31]

I was in your spot 4 years ago so i completely understand being overwhelmed with all sorts of advice and options.

I think the first thing you'll want to do is get some rock in the tank. It provides additional surface area for good bacteria to grow, hiding spots for fish, and looks cool. If you buy "live rock" or get some rock from someone with an established tank you will get through the cycle period faster, but the downside would be potential hitchhikers/pests in the tank that you dont want. Depends on how patient you are. I personally like going with dry rock like BRS's reef saver rock and be patient with the tank cycling. Look up "10 gallon rock scape" or "10 gallon reef tank aquascape" on google to see what people's rocks look like and decide what kind of look you like. So... that's the rocks.

Next is water. I never tried without RODI water, so im not sure if you can get away with using tap water. It probably will depend on the quality of the local water. But since you mentioned wanting to do a reef tank eventually with corals you will eventually want to use RODI. In the beginning you can get RODI from the local fish store, but you'll quickly realize that you probably should have gotten your own RODI unit right from the get-go. But, that will depend on everyone's budget. I started off buying RODI from the LFS, and probably got my own unit after a few months or so.

So you have water, rock, and your tank... Now its time to cycle. I grabbed something called fritz turbo start to give a jump start.... i believe its similar to the bio-spira. Then i did the piece of shrimp in a mesh bag floating in the tank until the cycle ended. You will need the test kits of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to know when your cycle is finished. First a spike in ammonia, then it goes down. then a spike in nitrite, then that goes down. When ammonia and nitrite are 0 and you have some nitrate you are good to go. Add a fish and a few snails and you are off and running.

When you get to that point check back here with all the good people and they'll help you with stocking tips, how to clean, water changes, equipment... etc...

Go slow!

 

[mskiki0520]

I would agree with mal. I started this hobby about 7 months ago and did the exact same thing you did. It cost me some money but I got the tank turned around and was able to save my clown. I did a huge water change on my 30 gallon right away with a new rodi system and increased live rock to 35 pounds. I was told to go a pound of rock for every gallon of water. My tank eventually cycled and everything is great now. Give it some time and be ready to spend some money. I've already replaced my a.c. pumps with dc because of stray voltage and better control and changed up lighting to help my corals out. Happy reefing and good luck!

Yes... U are exactly who I'm looking for (no really thanks everyone!!!!)
How did u turn it around? U completely changed the water to Rodi? And I read 1 of per gallon also... Trying to decide between cured and uncured (cuz I'm new and it's costly). So if this were u 7 mths back.... What was ur First step? And Thank u!!!

 

[Maacc]

Welcome to R2R! Try out this link to get started out with the basics: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/
By stickies, he means all of the sub forums have posts at the top and most of those top posts have guides for general, get yourself started kind of information.

This one might help for all the acronyms people throw around: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lingo-commonly-used-acronyms-0.57652/

 

[mskiki0520]

I was in your spot 4 years ago so i completely understand being overwhelmed with all sorts of advice and options.

I think the first thing you'll want to do is get some rock in the tank. It provides additional surface area for good bacteria to grow, hiding spots for fish, and looks cool. If you buy "live rock" or get some rock from someone with an established tank you will get through the cycle period faster, but the downside would be potential hitchhikers/pests in the tank that you dont want. Depends on how patient you are. I personally like going with dry rock like BRS's reef saver rock and be patient with the tank cycling. Look up "10 gallon rock scape" or "10 gallon reef tank aquascape" on google to see what people's rocks look like and decide what kind of look you like. So... that's the rocks.

Next is water. I never tried without RODI water, so im not sure if you can get away with using tap water. It probably will depend on the quality of the local water. But since you mentioned wanting to do a reef tank eventually with corals you will eventually want to use RODI. In the beginning you can get RODI from the local fish store, but you'll quickly realize that you probably should have gotten your own RODI unit right from the get-go. But, that will depend on everyone's budget. I started off buying RODI from the LFS, and probably got my own unit after a few months or so.

So you have water, rock, and your tank... Now its time to cycle. I grabbed something called fritz turbo start to give a jump start.... i believe its similar to the bio-spira. Then i did the piece of shrimp in a mesh bag floating in the tank until the cycle ended. You will need the test kits of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to know when your cycle is finished. First a spike in ammonia, then it goes down. then a spike in nitrite, then that goes down. When ammonia and nitrite are 0 and you have some nitrate you are good to go. Add a fish and a few snails and you are off and running.

When you get to that point check back here with all the good people and they'll help you with stocking tips, how to clean, water changes, equipment... etc...

Go slow!

Thank u for the step by step.... That's what I need. Patient as hell but needed that step by step.

 

[mskiki0520]

Welcome to R2R! Try out this link to get started out with the basics: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/
By stickies, he means all of the sub forums have posts at the top and most of those top posts have guides for general, get yourself started kind of information.

This one might help for all the acronyms people throw around: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lingo-commonly-used-acronyms-0.57652/

Thank youuuuuu

 

[Stolireef]

If you go to the top of the new to hobby forum, you will see several threads that are 'stickie'. They stay at the top of the forum. They are great places to start.