Help With Salt Water Tank (NEWBIE)

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sus2k

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
6
Hey guys,

I have just decided to have some saltwater fishes. I have just bought a tiny tank (22L) i think, hypdro meter, salt, heater, Stree Zyme. Costing me a total of $250

I have been running the water for 3 days now, and i'm wondering what is the problem because my hydrometer goes all the way to the bottom then jumps to 1.021, then comes back down. On day one it was at 1.030!! but now it seems its on rock bottom and from time to time jumps up and down.

I know i need to keep the needle between 1.023 and .1020. What am i doing wrong? is it not enough salt? i have the Red Sea hydro meter and its reading 24degree and 26degree. I am not sure what i'm doing wrong. Can anyone explain!

Thanks
David.
 
Welcome to the site and the hobby!
I would look into getting a refractometer as they are more accurate.
Hydros can be effected by water movement and definitely temp. I found my measurements were way off when I used the hydro with cold water.
How are you cycling your tank?
 
Scott pointed you in the right direction. A refractometer is essential for an accurate reading on SG (specific gravity).

If I read your post correctly you have a 20 litre (5 gallon) tank! That is awfully small for a starter sw tank. What kind of light does it have? What is the filtration and what do you want to do with this tank?

welcometoaa.gif
 
I think the fluctuations may be down to the small tank size also. It is very difficult to maintain stable conditions when you get under 10gal for marines. If there is any chance you could get a bigger tank it would greatly improve your chances of success.

Are there any particular marine fish you are interested in? We could offer more advise based on that. At 5gal you are very limited in livestock choices.
 
Thanks for the information and reply!

Well the tank is for my room, and i'm just planning to get around 2 clown fishes. Nothing too major or over the top.

The guy in the aquarium told me to cycle for 1 week than add live rocks. I've filled my tank with water and added near 1kg of sea salt (22L). And now i'm putting 5ml of Stree zyme to increase bacteria before i add live rock. Is the hydro mater going crazy up and down because of the small tank? (water pressure i assume) I got the temperture the the right point 25-26.

How much would a refractometer cost me? AUD wise.

Thanks for all the help! much appreciated
-David
 
LR can be added as soon as the tank is at the correct temperature and the salt mix has circulated for 24 hours. The cycle starts when you add a source of ammonia, not a source of bacteria. The bacteria need ammonia to live, that what they eat. Uncured LR is INO the best way to cycle a tank.

David, I hate to damper your enthusiasm for this hobby but a tank that small is very hard to maintain. Things can go wrong very quickly and there is not enough water volume or beneficail bacteria to you time to react to a situation.

Please read throuhg the articles section on this site and GO SLOW. Take your time to understand all aspects of your tank and you may end up with a beautiful nano tank.

BTW, that tank is too small for 2 clowns. Maybe a couple of purple firefish at most.
 
Something like a little clown goby might be ok. I think 5gal would be more of a pico than a nano and they really are tricky at best. You will have to feed tiny amounts every other day and do very frequent water changes.
 
thanks for the advice guys! appreciated alot! I will see how everything turns out in 2 weeks. I'll end up getting 1 clown fish, and if it survives! i'll post up some pictures!

Thanks again!
 
Wait, let your tank cycle first, before you add fish. Do you have any test kits?
 
Yes, please get test kits for pH, ammonia and nitrite at the very least. Temperature (76 -80) and pH (8.0 -8.3) need to be stable and the tank must be cycled before you add a fish. You need to see a rise in the ammonia, then a fall with a concurrent rise in nitrites. Nitrites should then fall and nitrates should rise. When both ammonia and nitrite are reading 0 you can do a 50% water change, wait a week to check stability and then add a fish. A clown fish I fear is too big for that small of a tank.
 
i don't have a test kit. But the aquarium told me to come back 1 week and bring some water sample and so they can test to see if i am able to add some fishes/LR. It's has been a week so far i will be adding some LR and see how it all turns out.
 
I would highly recommend getting your own test kits. That way you can learn how your tank works and won't have to trust your LFS.
 
I would highly recommend getting your own test kits. That way you can learn how your tank works and won't have to trust your LFS.

Couldn't have said it better.

While your LFS might be a good one, they're not the one ultimately responsible for your tank. Their ultimate responsibility it to make sales and stay in business. Not saying they're giving you bum advice, but your goals are different ones!

Unless you are getting fully cured rock for the tank, no tank cycles in one week. And even if it is fully cured rock, it is still good to "kick start" a cycle and wait for the nitrates to show up. That way, there is no doubt that the aquarium is ready for fish/coral/etc.

Even if you do follow your LFS advice for startup, I'd still get the test kits - you'll need them down the road eventually.
 
Especially with a 5-6 gallon tank. You should be testing your water every day afer it cycles till you know how stable it is and get in hte habit of keeping it that way.
 
thanks! i will purchase the test kit today.

Can you list me what i need, the brand etc and the cost!

Thank to everyone, i am learning alot lol.
 
The following are typical recommended brands in no particular order:

API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
Salifert
Elos
Hagen
LaMotte
Hach

NH3: Should be 0ppm. Typically used while cycling; however, monthly testing is a good habit.
NO3: Should be below 15ppm. Generally not a concern unless you are housing invertebrates; Fish are much more tolerant of higher levels. Monthly testing would be fine.
pH: 7.8-8.4 with 8.2 being optimal. Weekly-biweekly testing. Also search online for Pinpoint pH monitor.
Ca: Should be above 400ppm. Important to those invertebrates with calcifying skeletons. Test daily-biweekly depending on if you are dosing or not.
Alk: 2.5meq/l-4.5meq/l; Shoot for above 3.0meq/l. Important in buffering capacities and calcification. Test daily-biweekly depending on if you are dosing or not.
PO4: 0-0.03ppm. Inhibits calcification and promotes algae growth. Test monthly if warranted.
 
I agree with James as those are some pretty good test kits he gave you. Even gave you what to look for.
 
Someone suggested this already but i thought i would put in another vote for this fish. Clown gobys are very interesting little fish. I have one in my nano and love the little guy. They like to perch on corals and a few of their favorite rocks and people watch. I think they are kinda cool looking as well.

there are 5 different clown gobys on this page so you have a few to chose from as well.

Gobies for Sale: Goby Fish Species Including Shrimp Gobies

Also depending on if you wanna keep corals or not the catalina goby is a neat little fish too but prefers a bit lower temperature. I've seen them in tanks with higher temps but supposedly they aren't as hardy then.
 
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