What started out great turned tragic

[JRWOHLER]

Kathy,

We whent to the LFS to hang out and just enjoy there displays, they know me in there and asked if the tank had water. I told them I just Put water in less than a week ago and they suggested that I put in 2 Damsels since they are very hardy. They also told me to put in some hermits and that they could survive any type of water . I will now go in and move they rock around to find the dead fish, I did see a few crabs still clinging to life on some rock, maybe two that I can see.
I will post some pictures, let me go find my camara

Try to do a decent water change. Your tank is really pretty darn good sized perhaps you are lucky and they are not really dead. Two little fish assuming they are an inch in size are not IMHO really worth looking for. And they still may be hiding. I doubt you will really have any great smell from two small fish. Did you happen to add any bacteria(forget the trade name) into the tank to help get the cycle started?

Take a few pics for us and relax. You screwed up but not really big time. You didn't do anything really stupid(or expensive) like add a big hippo tang to the tank.

I would suggest you write down a plan for the tank. Once you have the plan/schedule down stick to it.

OH and by the way you should QT all your fish if not everything before you add it to your tank. Just a reminder.

Thanks for the links Pedro I am reading now.

 

[mray]

Tank is a 225g , with custom Life Reef sump and 36" protein skimmer, 57W Uv light, Phosphate reactor. Tank was just filled for the first time a week ago so nothing lived, I took the snails out and the crabs I Could butthe 2 damsels andthe rest of the crabs are under the live rock. Live rock in the tank around 220lbs.

Leave what you can't take out in. It'll feed the cycle. It's kind of like placing table shrimp in to start the cycle.

 

[Salty Dog]

I have 55 g of mixed ro water waiting , but wasnt sure if a water change should be done right now,, Amonia is at .01 Nitrate is at 10 salinity 1.025 phosphate .03 temp 77.5 - 79.1.

Moved all the rock aroud and coudnt find the fish, rock is very porous so they might be in a cave, one crab still hanging in there, damm I feel bad. I hate to see an animal suffer.

I didnot add any chemicals to speed up the cycle, should I? If so what is good to use.

 

[Killerdrgn]

don't add chemicals to your main tank, just leave everything alone for now.
What is your nitrite reading?

 

[JRWOHLER]

Not chemicals ... bacteria that sort of jump starts your cycle. I am sorry I don't remember the name of it. You don't need to use it.

I would do a water change doesn't 20G say. You have the salt mixed right?

 

[Awibrandy]

Try to do a decent water change. Your tank is really pretty darn good sized perhaps you are lucky and they are not really dead. Two little fish assuming they are an inch in size are not IMHO really worth looking for. And they still may be hiding. I doubt you will really have any great smell from two small fish. Did you happen to add any bacteria(forget the trade name) into the tank to help get the cycle started?

Take a few pics for us and relax. You screwed up but not really big time. You didn't do anything really stupid(or expensive) like add a big hippo tang to the tank.

I would suggest you write down a plan for the tank. Once you have the plan/schedule down stick to it.

OH and by the way you should QT all your fish if not everything before you add it to your tank. Just a reminder.

Thanks for the links Pedro I am reading now.

Leave what you can't take out in. It'll feed the cycle. It's kind of like placing table shrimp in to start the cycle.

Salty Dog, I totally agree with JRWOHLER & mray! That tank is pretty large for two tiny little fish to make a big impact. As for the crabs/snails that would also depend on how many it was that you added to the tank. I don't believe a few hundred of them.

I'm sorry you went through the trouble of looking for them.
I've lost fish in my reef (150g) and never looked for them. It would be impossible to do without tearing my reef apart and I'm not about to go there.
The tank never smelled. If you see the dead fish and can get it out great, but if not and you have a large tank I don't see the sense. Even more so if there is nothing in the tank to be affected by it.

Do not a do a water change, you will only slow down the cycling..

And most of all: BE A LITTLE MORE PATIENT buddy! I know that is easier said then done, I know I know.
Read all those books you have a few times if you have to.lol And as others stated; make your list of what you would like to have and go study up on them as well.

 

[Salty Dog]

thank you, I am so new to salt water and will ask lots of questions. thankfully good people like yourself take time to answer these issues. Im glad you jumped in with the water change becaue others said not to and a few said go for it. It makes a lot of sense notto do a water change and let nature... :bablefish

Bill oh yea I have a shepard and a husky as well, there both layingon the couch wathing TV since its raining. LOL

 

[Salty Dog]

Im looking for really nice reef tank display with multiple coral stony and soft, clams , shrimp, star fish ect. I would like to create a natural enviroment that is breath taking to look at. I am reading about the fish and coral I would lie to keep. I should have picts up today of mytank and wet room.

Thanks again Bill

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

I'm looking for really nice reef tank display with multiple coral stony and soft, clams , shrimp, star fish ect. I would like to create a natural environment that is breath taking to look at. I am reading about the fish and coral I would lie to keep. I should have picts up today of mytank and wet room.

Thanks again Bill

Hi Bill
If that is what you want, then you should look at nature as it is and try to do a diorama or close to it, both for rock work as well as the species chosen.
Concerning sea stars, please read the article I suggested you to read.
Concerning rock work here are some examples from the Red Sea

Now these are mostly for lay-out as some of the species seen here are not adequate for reef systems even though they live in the reef.
Please select the species you like and let us know so that we can help you to select the ones that are adequate.

There's more but I suggest you browse through this this gallery Fotografia Subaqu?tica

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[ihatefish]

MRAY is right leave what ever you can't get in the tank and its bio spira jrwohler or dr tims or the other 12 million makers of it. You can add it but seeing how u have dead what ever in the tank it will cycle the best way 2 start a cycle is uncured live rock in my opinion. The most important things to do now are A: don't listen 2 the peiople at that fish store and B: wait

 

[Salty Dog]

got it

 

[swervo513]

i honestly dont think you would have such a bad reaction to you tank if conditions werent right. even if you put the fish in the day of the setup... do you have the right specific gravity? check your pH and salinity to determine this one

 

[swervo513]

lower ur salinity

 

[MikeyZO]

i honestly dont think you would have such a bad reaction to you tank if conditions werent right. even if you put the fish in the day of the setup... do you have the right specific gravity? check your pH and salinity to determine this one

His SG is 1.025. Thats fine, it doesnt need to be lowered. His tank still has amonia in it, its not finished cycling yet. Not to sound rude, but adding livestock the day of setup given that he added new sand and the liverock was out of water for a while and had dieoff is bad advice.

 

[Salty Dog]

I will do the time, because I would hate to see more fish suffer. Im tring hard to get the picts up, any time now.

Bill

 

[CHEMCHEF]

DONT LISTEN TO THE GUY AT THE FISH STORE?????
WHY NOT????
IF HE WORKS THERE, HE MUST KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT.

I let my tank cycle about 6 weeks before adding livestock, and have had only 1 fish die so far.
Patience Young SkywalkerarthVade

MRAY is right leave what ever you can't get in the tank and its bio spira jrwohler or dr tims or the other 12 million makers of it. You can add it but seeing how u have dead what ever in the tank it will cycle the best way 2 start a cycle is uncured live rock in my opinion. The most important things to do now are A: don't listen 2 the peiople at that fish store and B: wait

 

[Salty Dog]

damm 6 weeks is like torture, probally wait like 8 weeks though to be sure

 

[masterswimmer]

damm 6 weeks is like torture, probally wait like 8 weeks though to be sure

Just test your parameters regularly during the cycle. When you see ammonia spike and then retreat to zero, then the nitrites spike and then retreat to zero, then the nitrates spike and retreat to <20ppm then your cycle is complete.

Waiting 6 weeks or even 8 weeks is better. As your tank matures beyond the cycle the better it'll be. But once the cycle is done, there's no absolute necessity to wait any longer.

swimmer