Anyone out there a fish tank expert...

yea ill get one better tomorrow when he is active

 

ah okay. i will start using the distilled water again then. any tips on how to get the salt to dissolve faster? i use a 5g bucket so i fill the first 2g with really hot water and cool it off as it fills up so it dissolves faster. the distilled water is reeealy cold. just gotta keep mixing?

 

i would recomend trying to warm the water with a tank heater and mixing the batches the day before. thats how i do it, i do 10 g changes in a 30 g tank (not gonna lie, i let it go past 2 weeks once in a while, sometimes 15 g which is 50%.) i'll mix it up the day before and let the buckets sit there and every now and then when i walk by i'll give them a stir with the heater stick. but yes typically the warmer, the faster it dissolves, but remember, salt water isnt fast. you can add the product called something like "biospire" and it will artifically set your water parameters up fast, but it will crash fast also. patience.

 

EPIC CLOWN GOBY

 

reverse osmosis deionized water is a little different from distilled tap water in the sense that it is not only devoid of all chemicals from tap water, but also all heavy metals and nutrients that feed nuisance algae. RO is definitely the way to go. Also, it seems initially that you cut the nitrogen cycle short with water changs. After adding live rock and starter fish (optional) you should ideally wait four to six weeks for the nitrogen levels to spike before changing the water. Diatomatious algae (brown shit) is a good sign of the cycle coming to a close, so everything is back on track. I do bi monthly water changes on my 450 with about 100 gallons of fresh salt water. To make the water I have my own RO unit that pumps water into a reservoir and have circulation pumps inside of it that help me blend the salt. On a smaller scale use a powerhead in a 5 gallon bucket and let it sit over a week mixing to make sure your levels are perfect before the change. Finally throw away your hydrometer and buy a refractometer. Hydrometers are junk, airbubbles on the dial cause misreadings. Hope this helps, feel free to PM.

 

i knew someone would come thru, and from philly at that! i was trying to beat around the bush but RO and time are key. i have the luxury of a live fish store down the street that has RO for cheap. i cant justify buying and maintaining a system for a 30 gal. it would pay for itself in a year but i have a small appartment. good call on the goby ! hes got the tank to himself

 

rvca ~ your brown algae issue is from high phosphate levels. check the phosphate levels in the water your using to "top off" and water your using for your water changes. They're probably high, as most tap water is.

Several ways to combat phosphate.

1) use distilled or RO water
2) use phosphate filter pads in your filter
3) dose your tank with chemicals to remove the phosphates

also...even tho you only run your lights for 8 hours a day
they might be too much wattage for just a marine fish tank.

too much lighting + high phosphates = brown algae blooms

 

ok so i did another water change last night on my 55 fresh.. and i tested all my levels this morning.. im not to sure what to make of them cause they really dont seem normal..

but ph is at 8.0
amonia is at 0ppm
nitrite is over 5.0 my tester only goes to 5ppm but my water comes out darker
nitraate is at 0 ppm

now amonia is converted to nitrite and then nitrate.. so why would the amonia be converted into the nitrite but not into nitrate??

 

Agreed, try to stay away from step 3. i would just stick with step 1 and cutting back lighting.

 

your running a FW setup correct? i think a pH of 8 is high for FW. never really experienced that problem so i dont know the best method to bring it back down around 7.2ish. i do know that if you use the distilled water from the store it will bring your pH down.

 

Yes its a fresh water tank.. but I haveafrican cichlids and they like the ph high.. its the nitrite im worried about

 

ah i see. well nitrite is the second stage of the cycle and i think they only way you can combat that is to change water and feed less. i thought that 5ppm wasnt THAT bad and that it was an acceptable level when your tank is still cycling. i would just watch it and change water every 4-5 days. i would think that if you change water too often it could do more harm then good.

 

Really?? Ok according to a few books I got it says that it should never more than zero..

But I think I have more problems now.. 3 of the eight seem to be sick.. there back fins are no longer spread like they use to be.. and one gas some white blotchs devoloping on it.. and acting very lazy

 

white spots could be ick(ich?) idk. you can get the medicine at any store. it will make your water pretty blue at first. but it works really well. solved my problem in a few days. as for the back fins i would look to see if they are bitten or not.

 

If your nitrite is really over five the white blotches you are seeing are from the conversion from ammonia to nitrite and are similar to burns from the corrosive nature of the water. Best thing to do is no water changes and finish letting the cycle run out. If any of the cichlids die, leave them in the aquarium. the bacteria from their bodies will assist in speeding up the nitrogen cycle, and help save the others. Cichlids are fairly resilient so you might not lose any. Wait until your levels are all zero and your nitrates spike to do another water change. Your kinda hampering the cycle when you mess with it. Aneorobic bacteria blooms are just starting to develop, you have about two more weeks of cycle to go. See if your local fish store sells turbo start or another organic product that speeds up the cycle process to help your cichlids help themselves.

 

Heres a couple quick shots from two of my 6 remaining personal aquariums. The first are out of a 8 gallon reef with various corals I have either grown in captivity or in a farm I worked at in florida during college.Then my new 300 gallon fish only with my niger trigger, majestic angel, and sweetlips.







Sorry for the poor quality, cellphone cam.

 

Looking good ! Can be a lot of work, but rewarding

 

There is so much to know about this hobby and have been in for 20 years. But please note that no one answer covers every tank. The basics are...

Cichlids
-Feed 2 times per day to curb aggression, I like flakes in AM and brine shrimp in the PM
-10% water change weekly(preferred) or bi-weekly you must export the nutrients (poop and rotting food)
-Change filter media weekly
-Give them hiding spots

Have fun...Happy to help with questions...

 

ok so one of my fish with the spot almost all went away..i woke up this morning to this.. its huge.. im not even sure what to do!!

 

Yes bacterial. Melafix is the way to go on that one. Just remember: melafix destroys oxygen levels. Make sure to add agitation to the waters surface to help add oxygen to the water. Medicate as directed and remember to change water as directed on bottle.