mentallylost
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hey y’all,
I adopted a 29 gallon FOWLR from my roommate today, and I’ve got to tell you that it’s in bad shape. It’s been set up for about a year and it’s seen a lot of death and disease. My roommate has now all but given up on it. Truth is told, I don’t think that he was ever really into it. He already had a 55 gallon FO set up in his room, and decided to give a reef a try. He promptly bought about 40 lbs of live rock, some live sand, and a clean-up crew. That whole crew died. Over the next few months, just about all the fish that he had been putting in also died. In fact just about everything in the 55 gallon also died. What didn’t die there was moved into the 29 gallon so it could die there. Yeah, lots of death. But can you expect? I don’t think that he has ever changed the water. Anyway, remaining alive is a hawkfish, two yellow chromis, and a sand sifting starfish along with a few snails.
I have taken over the 29 gallon tank, and the 55 has been disassembled. I need to bring this tank back to life. Now don’t just assume that I’m clueless with aquariums. I had been keeping African Cichlids for about the last five or six years very successfully in three different tanks. A 10, 80, and 125 gallon tanks, but I need some help. Since the apartment came to be, and now having roommates I’ve had to pack mine away for now. I have zero experience with salt water. All my experience is with African Cichlids.
So that all brings us to where we are now. When I got control of the tank today, I promptly jumped up and pulled out the test kit to see where we stand. I got…
Specific Gravity = 1.025
Salinity = 34
Ph = 7.8
Ammonia = .25 > .50
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0 > 5
Temp = 76* (checked by two thermometers)
I didn’t like the ammonia, so I ran on out to the local WalMart, and picked up 6 gallons of distilled water. Then I ran over to the LFS to pick up some Instant Ocean salt and a new light (ZooMed Actinic). I have the salt water mixed now, and tomorrow I change the 6 gallons. I figure that in about 3 or so more days I’ll change another 6 gallons.
I’d really like to bring this tank back to life as a reef tank. I know that I’ll need new lights and am not afraid of needing to put some money into this if I end up feeling that salt water is for me. But for now, before I start adding more livestock I need a healthy tank.
Now if you read all that, do y’all have any suggestions? I’d appreciate them.
I adopted a 29 gallon FOWLR from my roommate today, and I’ve got to tell you that it’s in bad shape. It’s been set up for about a year and it’s seen a lot of death and disease. My roommate has now all but given up on it. Truth is told, I don’t think that he was ever really into it. He already had a 55 gallon FO set up in his room, and decided to give a reef a try. He promptly bought about 40 lbs of live rock, some live sand, and a clean-up crew. That whole crew died. Over the next few months, just about all the fish that he had been putting in also died. In fact just about everything in the 55 gallon also died. What didn’t die there was moved into the 29 gallon so it could die there. Yeah, lots of death. But can you expect? I don’t think that he has ever changed the water. Anyway, remaining alive is a hawkfish, two yellow chromis, and a sand sifting starfish along with a few snails.
I have taken over the 29 gallon tank, and the 55 has been disassembled. I need to bring this tank back to life. Now don’t just assume that I’m clueless with aquariums. I had been keeping African Cichlids for about the last five or six years very successfully in three different tanks. A 10, 80, and 125 gallon tanks, but I need some help. Since the apartment came to be, and now having roommates I’ve had to pack mine away for now. I have zero experience with salt water. All my experience is with African Cichlids.
So that all brings us to where we are now. When I got control of the tank today, I promptly jumped up and pulled out the test kit to see where we stand. I got…
Specific Gravity = 1.025
Salinity = 34
Ph = 7.8
Ammonia = .25 > .50
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0 > 5
Temp = 76* (checked by two thermometers)
I didn’t like the ammonia, so I ran on out to the local WalMart, and picked up 6 gallons of distilled water. Then I ran over to the LFS to pick up some Instant Ocean salt and a new light (ZooMed Actinic). I have the salt water mixed now, and tomorrow I change the 6 gallons. I figure that in about 3 or so more days I’ll change another 6 gallons.
I’d really like to bring this tank back to life as a reef tank. I know that I’ll need new lights and am not afraid of needing to put some money into this if I end up feeling that salt water is for me. But for now, before I start adding more livestock I need a healthy tank.
Now if you read all that, do y’all have any suggestions? I’d appreciate them.