Freshwater & Saltwater Aquarium Forum

You Know You Are Addicted When.....

RJRofFL — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:31:21 GMT

When I first pursued this hobby I was warned, repeatedly over and over that it would become addictive.

Although I immediately dismissed this idea, as each day passes I find circumstances occur which bring truth to that warning.

I strongly urge you to examine your own lifestyle to see if any of the following apply in order that you too might need to seek therapy before it's too late.

You Know You Are Addicted When:

1 - You rearrange the furniture in a way that that the TV faces the tank so the fish can watch Animal Planet.

2 - You give names to all the fish and in your own mind honestly feel they individually respond when you call out "Tad, Biff, Buffy or Rocco".

3 - You enter the house with a water-filled plastic bag and sheepishly ask your spouse or parent "Can We Keep Him?"

4 - You mistakenly interpret fin movements as a "wave" or "high-five"

5 - When introducing a larger fish to your tank do you mimic in your best Al Pacino impression "Say Hello to My Little Friend?"

6 - When you call the dog over to play do you ask him to give you his fin?

7 - As Christmas draws near do you think about what kind of "toys" you can buy your fish? And how will you wrap them?

8 - When scolding your fish do you often use the old and tired out phrase "Why, when I was your age..."?

9 - Upon the demise of a fish do you find yourself prevailing with a eulogy which starts with "He was a good fish"?

10 - And finally, when driving down the road does your car suddenly veer to the right when you pass a LFS?

So tell me, do you need therapy? What are your symptoms?

Thanks,
Bob

Show off your cichlid Pics!

gm333 — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 07:11:13 GMT

Lets start a thread that shows off all our precious cichlids.
Remember this will be for cichlids only.

Stocking Schemes

RJRofFL — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:16:00 GMT

The following suggested stocking schemes which I found most informative, reliable and accurate came from an excellent book written by David E. Boruchowitz, entitled "The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums."

Your tank is set up. Everything's working. It's almost cycled. Now what?

In an attempt to address the commonly asked question of 'What kind of fish should I get?" I am offering some suggestions simply as
"food for thought" type of ideas for stocking your aquariums.

Naturally you should research the fish prior to purchase, and although these suggestions are not "goof-proof", I have tried my best to make them as accurate as I could. All of the fish suggested here are common and inexpensive, and can usually be found in most LFS tanks.

*Please note: These groupings will not resemble the "average" beginner's tank, since that is usually "one-of-those-two-of-those-and-oh-two-of those" which unfortunately are not successful. These groupings are designed to avoid the pitfalls that uninformed impulse buying of fish can create.

To keep the length reasonable, I have set the schemes for a 29-gallon and a 55-gallon tank only. The numbers for the species are given in brackets like this [6/8] indicating the 29gal / 55gal.

Scheme#1: Community Tank. No attention to biotype or habitat, but focus on color, beauty and form.

Platies [3/5] hardy. Danios [8/8] active, Lemon tetras [6/6] beauty, Cory cats [4/6] bottom comical.

Scheme#2: An Asian Accent. Sticking within a region of beautiful and small fish.

Gold barbs [6/8] colors, Rasboras [8/15] iridescence and behavior, Dwarf Gouramis [2/4] smaller group = 2 males, larger group one pair dwarfs & one pair honey dwarfs. Red&Blue of males with SilverGreenishGrey of females for larger group.

Scheme#3: Just a Little Bit Larger. Obviously fewer fish, but nice collection.

Blue Gouramis [1pair/2pairs] either male/females or just females this will keep the tank peaceful, Swordtails [2/4] color, Rosy barbs [5/8] schooling.

Scheme#4: Barbs, Barbs, Barbs. An always lively and interesting display.

Cherry barbs [6/10] color, Black ruby barbs [6/8] school, Tiger barbs [6/10] wild type. You can buy all same color or mix & match.

Scheme#5: A Tetrad of Tetras. Very popular and impressive display.

Black neons [6/10] glowing, Bloodfin tetra [6/10] streamlined, Glowlight tetras [6/10] Serpae tetras [6/10] beautiful red coloration.

HERE's AN IDEA
Some bright colored fish such as Neons and Cardinals sometimes bring out the predatory nature of any fish that sees them. This makes it difficult in a community situation, where they also do not compete well for food against more aggressive fish. The solution?

Scheme#6: Species Tank - Neon Madness. Fluorescent bon-bons of the fish world.
What's the matter, you never thought of a species tank? There is nothing more impressive than a huge school of spectacular color swimming together. While six or eight are beautiful in a community tank, a couple dozen in a tank of their own are magnificent!
Neon tetras [24/40] or Cardinal tetras [24/40]

Note: Although both are same species and will indeed school and get along with each other, my personal reason for not mixing them is purely aesthetic. Although they are breathtaking together, the viewer will be led to focus on their differences. Your tank will succeed either way, but will look better if you stick to one or the other.

Scheme#7: Species Tank - Guppy Extravaganza. The perfect setup and more.
These colorful little livebearers have been around since the beginning of the hobby.
A group of guppies all the same color make a startling display.
Guppies [24/35] These can be pairs but can be all males. Do not try a few females with the idea of not having many fry. They will be harassed, possibly to death, and the males will fight more amongst themselves if females are present. On the other hand a thankful of females with a few males will work well, but soon overrun with young fish.

I did not include Cichlids or Angels, etc, as they require a little more research and can be slightly more difficult, however, can surely be included.
I'm sure there are hundreds of other various combinations that will work, however, as stated, this was simply to offer "food for thought."
Regardless of your choice for stocking, most importantly, enjoy your finned friends.

Bob

Chronicles of Willis

Judge — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:50:00 GMT

I am writing this to give insight, information and hope to any who have a favorite fish. I have such a fish and if there was only one lesson to be learned (which of course there were more) it was to not give up hope (which I did). Not even sure where to begin with this fish so I will try and make this article as brief as possible and perhaps not bore those who can gain some help with a variety of illnesses and injuries.
Willis, my Foxface and most favored of pets. I have had him now for about 3 years. he is shy but a very peaceful tank mate. Willis is also somewhat of a pig, he will eat anything and has been known to eat out of my hand. If hungry and being ignored he has also on occasion come to the top and spit water out. Willis has more personality than some of the folks I work with!
About a year ago I decided I needed a Coral Beauty. My online fish person had one so I decided to go ahead and get one. A nice fish, a really nice fish with ICH. I am absolutely against using chemicals in my tank so I opted for hypo-salinity and raising the temp to about 82. Those that caught it were the Dottyback, Butterfly, 4 Cardinals, Lawnmower Blenny, and of course the Coral Beauty. Only the Cardinals survived. Willis, my pair of Clowns, and my breeding Chromis did not get it.
The tank settled again and I decided no more new fish! At least for awhile. Last September something spooked Willis. I was sitting watching tv and he tried to jump out of the tank twice and rammed into the live rock. He cut himself up pretty bad and had a huge gash on his nose which prevented him from eating. (being a pig can come in handy) I made my own garlic dosed food and after much weight loss (his, not mine) I finally got him to eating again. He completely healed and there are no visible scars from the incident. after about a month he had regained all the weight, and then some.
Then disaster hit. Three weeks ago I came home from work and could not find him. He normally greets me as soon as I walk through the door. I looked for about 15 minutes before I found him. He was wedged in behind some rock and I could not get a good look at him. He came out the next morning briefly and I got one horrified look. Willis had pop eye on his right eye, had more scrapes and over the next two weeks would become ragged, weak and certain to die. I was torn between hoping for a miracle, not being able to watch him suffer, and not quite ready to give up (fortunately). Even my spouse, knowing how I love this fish volunteered to euthanize if I thought that was best. I came home several days in a row expecting to find him dead but this was not the case. One day he was so tired he was laying on top of the Koralia. I thought he was being sucked/held there so when I tried to remove him he would take off...still had some strength! I turned off the Koralia's and most of the lights. He took up a new spot on the opposite side of the tank and his eye continued to get worse. His swimming was anything but normal. I finally decided he was fighting like heck so I researched and decided to join the fight and bought some Melafix. (like I said, I do not like adding chemicals) I dumped two bottles in, turned off filters and protein skimmers for three days. Dumped another bottle in day before yesterday. After 6 days I turned the filter and skimmer back on. His nose has not completely healed up from banging around because of his bad eye, but his eye has healed and he is eating again. I wish now I had pictures of how bad he looked at his worst moment because to see him now you would not know he ever had any problems, but for the small white scrape on his nose that has not completely healed yet. Willis, the Foxface is an amazing fish. I have wanted a Foxface since getting in to saltwater and I hope that this article can give others some hope or inspiration to enjoy this great hobby.

Apologies for the drip spots...trying not to disturb the fav one. Last photo...he eats!

Questions on freshwater planted aquariums.

ahill3780 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:46:00 GMT

I put a sticky tag on this thread because it gets into a lot of important issues concerning planted tanks. It is long, sometimes technical, but is a good informative read about planted tank "stuff". It will get you started on asking the right questions as you start out.

Jay

I suppose that this thread would mostly be targeted toward Jay, but anyone should feel free to chip in here.

Jay,

I know what nutrients, and what levels to target when setting up a reef aquarium since finding information online regarding that topic is not hard at all. However, learning the proper way to set up and maintain a freshwater tank is less widely available.

My brother has a 75 gallon freshwater planted system and he has recently tapped my shoulder for advice and help in making it more stable and healthy. Being more of an expert in saltwater systems I am not sure where to start. I did some research and learned a little of the basics that I passed along to him as a start, but I fear that he is more lost in this than I am. So I was wondering if you could help me out a little here.

I'll start off with telling you what I know so far. I know that plants grow best under 6500K lighting and we have made use of the Aqualife DayMax 6500K bulbs on that system. I know that plants need CO2 uptake in order to breathe and my brother has made use of the TurboCO2 Canister system that can be found at most supply stores. I, however, question this systems ability to provide sufficient levels of CO2. I have read somewhere about the use of homemade "yeast fermentation" systems in order to produce CO2 but I have not attempted to learn more and try this on my own. And with the large costs involved with CO2 injection systems, we have not considered this as a viable option at this time. I am also aware that CO2 can play havoc on the systems pH level when improperly used, or when too much has been added.

My question to you on this subject is: First, what is the system that you use in your tank to achieve the desired production of CO2? and Second, what process should be used to determine how much CO2 is needed, and how much is present within the aquarium?

Next, I am aware of the need for Iron in the planted aquarium and it was suggested early on that we make use of Flourite as our substrate in order to provide a plentiful source of this. I passed this information on to my brother as well and he accepted the suggestion. However, he only purchased a single bag of flourite and mixed it in to his sand substrate. The iron levels are completely undetectable in the system so I know that we do not have the sufficient amount of Flourite.

Is there a better way to introduce iron into the system?

We use RO/DI water for all of our tanks, and have since we began keeping the 75 gallon. We treated the fresh RO water with Kent Marine RO Right until we ran out and we simply haven't obtained more yet. I mention this mainly to let you know that all water going into the system currently during water changes contains no minerals such as iron, or phosphates, etc.

When we set the system up we used all live sand (and the Flourite) and the system has been stable ever since - we never see any registered levels of Ammonia or Nitrites, and the Nitrate levels stay relatively low (below 10 ppm typically). We have several plants in the system (I could not name them all right off the top of my head, but I know they include Dwarf Grass, and Micro Sword) but we are constantly plagued with a greyish dirty algae that attaches itself to the plants and kills them off. I know that this is due to nutrient difficiency, but I have no idea what nutrients are needed, and therefore have no idea where to start in the recovery process.

What I need from you is to complete this list of necessary nutrients, as well as the desired levels for each, so that I can begin analysing our current strategy and adjust it accordingly.

Plants need:
CO2 -
Iron -
Chelated Iron -
Phosphate -

Here are the current levels - so far as I can recall them off the top of my head:

pH = 6.8
Alk = 2.9
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 10
Iron = 0
Chel. Iron = 0
CO2 = (no way of detecting - 2 TurboCO2 systems (rated for 40 gallons each) that run 24/7, replacement of cannister contents is done every month)
Temperature = 78 F (has been constant at this level since the tank was est.)
PO4 = 0

Our lights are on a timer that runs on a 12 hour on / 12 hour off cycle. (from 11am - 11pm)

For filtration we rely primarily on good maintenance habits and water changes, which are performed at the rate of 10-20% each week - no more than every 2 weeks, but we have 2 Eheim Cannister filters rated for 100 gallon systems each which we use primarily for moving water around, but we occasionally use activated carbon if someone accidently overdoses the tank with nutrient supplements.

The tank is supplemented with Seachem Flourish Excel, and Seachem Flourish Essential Elements (I think thats what it is - I will confirm that later if needed). Other than that, no other supplements are added, although we keep a few onhand just in case.

For test kits we rely on the Aquarium Pharm. Master Test Kit for Freshwater (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH), and the Hagen Iron test kit. No other test kits are used at this time.

I think thats about all the relavent information I can provide, if you can think of anything else that might be helpful please let me know and I will provide it as I can. But with this knoweldge of our operation what suggestions or tips can you offer to make our endeavor more successful?

Thank you up front for all your help!

Green water in tank - cant get rid of it

erik11 — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:22:00 GMT

I have a 70 gallon freshwater tank. It was great the first 5 months with just fish, no plants in it. Somehow I got an algae bloom in my tank and now my tank has been green ever since. The fish have all been fine, but its just hard to see them. Here's what I have done to it and my tank parameters:

Water quality: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, Alkalinity, Hardness, Chlorine, all zero or in normal zone
Tested for Phosphates: 10.0+ obviously it was off the scale
My tap water had 1.0 phosphates in it already
Added a few plants to help with the phosphates - no change
Aeration: 2 bubblers which I turned up to increase air in the tank - no change
Filters: 2 Outside filters and one Under gravel filter tube with power head
Temp: 80
Water changes: 50%-66% weekly! but the green comes back
I have two 20 gallon tanks using the same water and they are not green at all

Chemicals used: Algae fix (didn't help), Microbial Algae clean (didn't help), Algae Destroyer (didn't help),
What did seem to help was the combination of: Phosguard or Phospure in one bag, while I put a Poly filter in one of my filters. This cleared the tank of phosphates in a day, left a white cloudiness, but then after a week, I assume the poly filter was full, and the green started coming back.

I bought a bunch of poly filters, but by themselves, they don't work. Its way too expensive to buy phospure, phosguard, and polyfilters to clean the tank and/or make weekly tank changes.

There must be a way to clear the tank so I can have normal clear water like my other tanks and only make monthly water changes.

I am about to drain the tank and start over!

Help!!!

Emergency

Speedstreetz — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:30:43 GMT

my tank is a well established 40g. last night I noticed a few white spots on my tetras that looked like sand. then i saw my catfish has a few more as well. Ich is what I assume so I went and got treatment today it turned the water blue. I turned the light out removed the carbon filter raised the temp 2deg added 1/2 tbl spoon salt and 4 caps of stress coat. all my fish are acting 100% different... my eel is swimming around alot...1 of my pictus catfish is just chillin on the bottom panting and looks like hell... my swordtail was biting his back fin... the cat is twice his size. the other catfish is swimming around at the top. neither one would eat the last 2 nights (tried bloodworms, shrimp pellets, flakes, alge, and a cucumber) all of which they normally Go CRAZY for. I had my leporinus in there but i accused home of eating half my femaly swordtail so i took him back. I had my water tested a few times and both petco and petsmart and they said it was all great! If anyone knows whats going on please help. Im pretty worried about my fish!

thanks
william

Aiptasia GONE

Judge — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Hi Folks, please keep in mind that some of this is my opinion and what I have observed. Quite frankly I have a tendency to be very skeptical but will give things a try that do not seen too far out there. This is the case with a product put out by Red Sea called Aiptasia X, the Eliminator Kit.
I would first like to point out something that I am certain will be met with strong arguments, but that is the nature of our hobby. I have had a huge Aiptasia for almost a year. He had given me no problems and had not spread at all. A YEAR!! Keep this in mind. I then got a little worried over the horror stories of Aiptasia taking over and spreading like crazy so I decided it was time for him to go..did not need any more battles. I purchased Joe's Juice. I used Joe's Juice, and within three weeks had every size Aiptasia known to mankind. I have since read that when attacked they produce this "slime" which is actually Planual, or spawn if you prefer. So, as a result of using Joe's Juice and really making him mad I now had dozens of these little devils EVERYWHERE.
I searched and researched and discovered a nudibranch called Berghia. These do in fact offer some control. Problem is, they can have a hard time finding all of the Aiptasia and sometimes have to be physically moved to where one is located and then they can starve, and the recommendation is to gather them up and trade/give away to someone who needs them. Seemed like a lot of trouble to me so I kept searching. I found a product called Aiptasia X by Red Sea. I have used their products in the past and have always discovered the quality I demand. I purchased the Aiptasia X after watching a video on their site that clearly shows them imploding if used correctly. I managed to use it on all but two small ones that were hiding out in Willis, the Foxface's corner so for obvious reasons I have not got to them yet. I have to tell you, this stuff works. You approach the Aiptasia carefully while letting some of the product escape around their mouth, They like it and wrap around the applicator (there are two, one is bent fir reaching hard spots) then you squeeze enought o cover the entire area in between the tenacles and it shrinks immediately and then if you look closely you can see it implode and it disappears completely. It took about 15 minutes to hit all of the ones I had and within a few hours, no more Aiptasia. The product is safe for corals and fish. WOW, I am amazed that something actually does exactly what it claims and therefore would recommend this product to anyone.
Conclusion: **remember this is my opinion** I think Joe's Juice exacerbated the situation and actually enabled my one large Aiptasia to turn into 15 because it allowed the planual to spread. The Red Sea Aiptasia X glues the mouth shut so no planual or spawn can be released into the water, creating more. So I would suggest if you have a problem with these try the Aiptasia X, it did exactly what it claimed to. If I discover that some return or any other problems I will update.

Fishless Cycling For Dummies

RJRofFL — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Fishless Cycling For Dummies

(written by a dummy)

Why Cycle?

I doubt that any of you would consider bringing home that new little cute & cuddly kitten from the pet store, lock him in a closet with a litter box, throw in a can of cat food, close the door and let him live in his own waste. Of course not! Besides, he probably doesn't even know how to use the can opener!

Naturally, you prepare his area in his new home, with a clean dish, clean pillow and a fancy little feather toy. Well, I can tell you that fish do not like fancy little feather toys, but the concept is the same.

Why Fishless Cycle?

In addition to being a more humane process, since there are no fish in the tank to be harmed, it offers complete and total control over the process, is quite forgiving should mistakes be made, easily corrected, and if done properly, can allow for a slightly larger quantity of fish to be introduced at once.

However, I feel that best way to justify using this method is that Fish have rights. Just as any other animal in our care, whether domesticated or not, at one time was taken from its natural environment, and at that particular point we must assume the responsibility of providing a safe and healthy environment, allowing it to achieve, as it is entitled to, a good quality of life. (Remember the kitty cat?)

What do I Need?

First and foremost a good quality liquid test kit. one that tests for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte (that's all for now) around $20-$30. Yes, I know it is expensive, but, heck, you already spent more than that on that stupid Castle, Sunken Ship, or Ship's Wheel you have sitting on the bottom of the empty tank!

A pen or pencil and a Notebook. You are going to want to record your daily readings with the test kit, and probably refer to them often. You can also use it for photos, and doodle if so inclined.

A bottle of pure ammonia. Since there are no fish, we are going to manually add the ammonia for the other bad boys to go after. It's important that it be pure ammonia without any surfactants. Test-shake it, if it bubbles put it back!

First a few points!

Point: Patience. Tanks cycle in their own time, you cannot force it.

Point: Of course the addition of some "already cycled" substrate, filter media, decorations, etc. that you might get from a friend will aid in speeding the cycle,
But, alas, some of us don't have any friends, so you may skip this.

Point: Contrary to some beliefs, the bacteria we are attempting to introduce will mostly take residence in the substrate, filter and walls of the tank. Very little, if any, lives in the water.

Point: Time tables & dosage amount will vary according to your setup size.

Weeks 1 - 2

Stand good and sturdy. Make sure it's level. Decorations & substrate in. Filter & heater in place. Filled with water. Filter & heater turned on. (approx 80-85 degrees). Test Kit ready. An air stone would be helpful (since the bad boys love oxygenation), but, lacking that, just lower the water level about 1" below the top of the tank.

Add ammonia. Start with 2-3 teaspoons. Wait an hour. Test (for ammonia only). What we are aiming for here is to get a test reading of 5.0 ppm (that's parts per million for the techies here), and yes, that's 5 point zero.
After an hour or so, you may have to add more.(for example if you get a zero reading, Doh!) Just remember, we're looking for 5.0 (yes, that's 5 point zero) for a reading.
If you overdose, a little, that's OK. (Have you ever heard a doctor say that?). Remember, no fish here to hurt. And this is not rocket science. A 5.0 or a 5.5 is OK too. Just don't go crazy bonkers.

Now we wait. Continue to test (for ammonia only) each day. Don't forget to record your readings in that sexy notebook you bought.

Somewhere into the 2nd week you should see some reading for NitrItes. During this time you should also see ammonia start decreasing. That's a good thing.

Weeks 3 - 4

By the 3rd week you should see the NitrIte reading increase and at the same time see the ammonia decrease.

Once the ammonia reaches zero, just continue to add 1 teaspoon of ammonia each day. Not enough to cause a reading, but just enough to keep the "ammonia eating" bacteria alive and happy. This is important! Remember to keep feeding these little buggers.

In the meantime, the NitrItes should start climbing and climbing. Somewhere in the 3rd or 4th week they should peak and start dropping down. This is a sign that you're getting close, and cause for celebration. Go have a beer!

At this point we grab our trusty Test Kit and test for NitrAtes. This part of the process will probably move faster than the previous ones. As with earlier tests, this new NitrAte should start climbing and the older NitrIte should start dropping.

Weeks 5 - 6

If it hasn't already, somewhere in the 5th week the NitrAtes will continue to rise, and the NitrItes should rather quickly lower to zero, often within a few days from spiking.

When your NitrItes are zero and your ammonia is zero, then, (drum roll please) your tank is cycled!

Don't break out the champagne yet, there's one more step (and it?s pretty darn important). Do a large water change (60% - 80%) to bring the still present NitrAtes down to a non-toxic level (which is <20). After the water change, do not, I repeat, do not remove or change the filter media, (hey, that's where a lot of those little good bacteria guys are!). Add your water conditioner and lower the temperature to 76 degrees or whatever is proper for your about to become resident FISH!

One final note, kind of for the future. As you add fish, (and you will), it's important to quarantine them a while (2 weeks or so) so as not to add any contamination/disease from the LFS. After all, you just went through an exhausting experience "cycling" to insure a pure and healthy tank. Don't want to see it all for naught.

I truly hope that I have convinced you to go with the fishless cycling. I can guarantee you that your fish will thank you, too, by letting you watch them live a happy, healthy life for many years, and will occasionally give you a wink! (or maybe a high five!).
Good Luck.

* Final Note: I've taken great care to insure that the above instructions are accurate, (as well as the humor), and I ask that those posting after this, please feel free to correct/expand on or otherwise comment. I hope, too, that those using this method will further add their experiences with it.

Bob R
.

Some of my best coral pics yet

gm333 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:14:00 GMT

I was playing around taking some pics of my newer corals and decided not to turn on the vho's and take the pics only with the 20,000 halides on. I Figured I would have to retake all the shots because I didnt use a flash, and man they turned out very good.
I wont label them all, would take too long.

My pH is Out of Control

Edicson — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:31:00 GMT

So, i talked to this guy i met at the fishstore a while ago and he had told me he adds salt to his fresh water fish. He said that his fish grow a lot healthier and with brighter colors. i didnt believe him, i was like why would you add salt to fresh water fish, but he said he has been doing it for over 7 years and he has like 4 or 5 tanks in his house, so i was like ok and we left it at that.
so i just got some aquarium salt for my betta because he was showing stress signs and i read that a little salt would help. so i figured salt reduces stress, makes sense what the guy had told me. then i further read that the salt adds electrolytes to the water which the fish need. so its starting to make sense what the guy told me. so i added some salt to my fish tank.
I was doing rutine test on the tank yesterday, everything came out fine, but the PH IS OFF THE CHART...literaly, my chart only measures to 7.6. so i added a bunch of ph down and lowered it a bit, then i came back home later in the night and added a little more, got the ph to 7. this was about 2 in the morning.
i tested it again about 3pm and its giving readings between 7.2 and 7.6
What should i do?
right now the fish look ok, but i know in the long run its going to hurt them.

Starting 75g first salt water tank

Fitler — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:09:00 GMT

Hey guys, I am pretty new here and joined up a couple of months ago. Anyways I have had experience with FW and much success with it. However curiosity and the want to do SW has overtaken me. I have read many many threads and topics here and have gotten some great info from all around the web. Right now I just have the 75g and its stand sitting here empty as I begin to plan out the tank. At first I was going to start out with a small 10 or 20g setup but I realized that any error on my part will be better sorted with a larger tank and I knew that I would just want to upgrade anyways. I don't care how much planning or time it takes to get this thing going I want to do it right the first time. I must say I feel a bit overwhelmed with everything I am reading. Its so much more involved then FW but I am up to the challenge. Unfortunately money is not in tight supply but its not like I have thousands to spend right now on this so its going to be a slow moving process and will take some time to get all my ducks lined up. I have so many questions that I literally cannot think of where to start.

My biggest concern right now is what route I am going to go with on the filtration for this thing. I would really like to go the sump/refugium/skimmer route but I want to start simple and plus I don't have the $$ right now for that. I do know that a good quality skimmer is needed and I know not to skimp on that. I think to start off with I am going to begin with a AquaC Remora hang on skimmer seeing as how it seems to be regarded as a good choice. It fits the budget well enough and the quality seems to be on par also.

Then we have lighting. My ultimate goal as of this moment is like I said, simple. Down the road, when the tank is established for awhile I would like to add some corals to the live rock but not anytime soon. I know also that its good for the tank to be established for awhile before adding any and then I will have to rethink the lighting to accomdate them. The tank came with one single flourescent 48in light and I of course will be upgrading. I found some T5HO fixures online that I am looking into. Here is the link... http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ory=FILTFIT5T5

I was thinking of doing two of those ontop of the tank to give me a total of 216w which will be about 2.6w per gallon. I need information though on this and what kind of corals and whatnot can survive with that kind of lighting. I realize that in some cases you need upwards of atleast 5w per gallon but thats not the goal right now.

I also have yet to look into powerheads that I will be using and also I have to start looking into getting live rock to cycle this thing when the time does come. Now when I get my live rock, can I just add it to the newly setup tank or what? I know live rock has to cure but wont it be fine to cure while the tank is cycling itself? I also need suggestions on substrate. I want to have a live sand substrate also. Of course all of this is just what I am considering right now. I welcome any and all suggestions any one has. Like I said, im doing my research first and taking my time with this one.

I need help!

Jay — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:47:30 GMT

If you have a question about your tank, someone here probably has an answer for you. But there are a few things you can do to help eliminate the guesswork involved in order to find a resolution fast.

First off, many of the problems that plague aquaria are due to poor water quality. For this reason, this is generally the first thing that you will be asked about.

Getting Results

Since we cannot always see your tank and the conditions you describe we must rely on information to help us determine what the underlying issue is. Testing your tanks parameters and knowing what the current levels are is a crucial part of accurately diagnosing and treating your tank.

Statements such as "I have algae in my tank" and "My water is cloudy" are not really enough to go on.

Here are a few of the questions you will likely encounter whenever asking for help with your tank.

Freshwater

What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your GH?
What is the temperature?
What type of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?

If the tank is Planted, then add the following:

What is your Phosphate level?
What is your Iron level?
What is your CO2 level?
What Type of lighting do you use?
How long are the lights on each day?

Saltwater

What size is the tank?
How long has the tank been set up and running for?
How many fish do you have, and what are they?
Do you house Corals or sensitive invertebrates in the tank?
What Salt mix do you use?
Where do you mix your saltwater at and how long before you use it?
What is your Ammonia level?
What is your Nitrite level?
What is your Nitrate level?
What is your pH?
What is your KH?
What is your salinity (ppt) or specific gravity (ppm)?
What is the temperature?
What type or combination of filtration do you use?
How often do you change the filtration media?
What type of lighting do you have?
How often do you perform water changes?
How often and how much do you feed your tank?
What chemicals do you dose in your tank?
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it?
If you keep carnivorous fish do you feed them live foods?

If you have a Reef tank then add the following:

What is your Phosphate level at?
What is your Calcium level at?
What is your Strontium level?
What is your Magnesium level?
How much current do you have in the tank?
How much live rock is present?
How many total watts of lighting are you providing the tank with?

Answer as many of these questions as you possibly can in your first post. The answers to these questions can tell whether your tank is cycled, biologically stable, overburdened, properly configured for the species you house, has compatibility issues that need to be addressed, and will give clues as to what is causing your problems, how to deal with them, and how best you can go about resolving the issue so that it does not return.

Help others help you by coming prepared with some base statistics. Otherwise there will be a lot of back and forth, what is this, how about that, check this and report back...

Thanks!

Technical problems are fixed

Jay — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:08:58 GMT

We appreciate your patience during the last two weeks. All bugs should now be fixed and lost posts restored. If you are still having difficulties, please PM a Moderator so we can quickly tweak the system back to normal.

Thanks for your help!
FTF Moderation Team

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Jay — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:22:27 GMT

We apologize for the inconvenience, and are working to correct the problems. You may find posts from the last two weeks temporarily missing or inaccessible.

Thanks for your patience
FTF Administration