!!!urgent!!! Please read!!! Major mess up!!!

thenanoreef · Mar 9, 2014

Hello everyone, I am currently going through the process first reef tank. It is an Innovative Marine Nuvo 24 AIO. My newness to the hobby was proven today. Here is what happened

Today I went to my LFS and picked up a bubble tip anemone and a second (black) Ocellaris Clown. Acclimating the new inhabitants when fine and well. I introduced the new tank mates into the tank and everything was good. Then I added sand. The guy at the LFS said i should add the extra bag of sand I had to deepen the sand bed. Well i did what he said, in one way or another and poured the entire bag of Caribsea live sand into the tank. As you can imagine the sand clouded the tank so much that the original ocellaris clown was jumping for clean oxygen. In hast i grabbed a extra five gallon bucket of clean saltwater and put the fish, anemone, and corals on the bucket with the heater and air pump for circulation. My setup is pictured below and it has been running for about 3 hours now. So my question is, did i do it right or is this the end of my reef tank hobby? What suggestions are there for easing my fish and settling the tank quickly?

Thanks everyone,
thenanoreef

mike007 · Mar 9, 2014

If you can provide aeration and heating to the bucket they should be okay. Your tank should clear soon then you can put them back in.

Reef_Lounge_USA · Mar 9, 2014

It'll clear up quite a bit as early as tomorrow hopefully so you can re-introduce the inhabitants. Did you used the water clarity pouch that came in the bag? I don't know how long your tank has been cycling or what is the reason behind the advice of having that deep of a sand bed in a nuvo 24 (IMO, not necessary). I get the feeling that things were done too quickly but I don't know the whole story.

JMSKI333 · Mar 9, 2014

You should not add any inhabitants to your tank until your aquarium has cycled. It is way to early to be adding any creatures - 3 hours isn't even enough time to dissolve the salt. Do you have a reefer friend that can care for the livestock you purchased until your tank has cycled or do can you return them to your local fish store?

A standard cycle takes about a month and can be initiated by many different things. Check the "New to the Hobby" section for a lot of information on how to get your cycle started and when you can add the fish and Anenome back to the tank. Not to mention that you need proper lighting to keep the anenome alive.

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Rob&Gab · Mar 9, 2014

oh no. How long has your system been running for bud? the standard time to cycle a month if not more.

EFSleeper · Mar 9, 2014

I think he was saying it's been running for 3 hours since he poured the sand in. But I'll give the best info I can give here. 1st remove all fish and the bta. Put them in a 5 gallon bucket with heat and plenty or oxygen. Also a big thing when adding sand to a tank with stuff running in it. Mix the sand in a bucket and use a cup to slowly pour the sand in at the bottom of the tank. Just slowly put the cup in the tank and pour where you want it. The sand won't stir as bad into the water and is already in the place you want it. Also the big thing I've learned, with this being your first reef tank you will make mistakes. But never listen to what your lfs tell you because it may have worked for them but there is a million other people out there who it has failed on many of times. Not saying he don't know what he is talking about. But my rule of thumb for sand and rock is 1 pound a sand per gallon is plenty enough with rock 2 pounds per gallon is plenty. Once again others will argue that point but that is how I've always done it and it's worked great.