Help a brother out....

[trk1616]

Strike two. For the second time I had a rapid complete die off of my fish. Just when I thought I had things figured out from the first time this happened, pretty much all my fish died at once. This was about 3 weeks ago.

Got my water checked today and everything seems back to normal after the die off except for the Nitrates are VERY high. LFS said do a 40-50% water change.

I think I'm going to give it once more chance and see if I can actually keep any fish alive. I have far from the best setup, but I'm thinking of changing some things. What do you guys think?

Here is some background info:
-45 g tall
-30-35 lbs of LR
-using a large hang on filter
-very average lighting (dont have specifics)
-no protein skimmer
-no power heads

Here is what I'm thinking about going towards:
-another 10-15 lbs LR
-getting rid of filter and replacing with a protein skimmer
-I can get an Excalibur HV 100 skimmer that was used for 1 month for $100.....Is that a good skimmer or a price??
-Get 2 power heads...put one high on tank on one side and one low on tank on other side

Once my Nitrates get back to normal, I might start with a clown or another smaller inexpensive fish and see how it goes. I'm not looking for something outrageous, just your normal 5 or so fish with a few cool inverts.

Any input on any of this would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[captivereefs]

First off you need more flow. The lack of flow in the tank is causing some C02 build up I would guess. (2) maxi jet 900's or 1200's would do the trick quite nicely. The excalibur skimmers are fair at best; they have problems maintaining consistent water levels. For alittle more you could buy a new back Pak II R that would work alot better than the excalibur. If you really wanted to gfet a good skimmer for about $60 more than the Excalibur you could get a aqua c remora with MJ1200 upgrade and be set! I would leave the Hangon filter in place for extra water movement. I like alittle mechanical filtration in my tank. Just be sure to clen it weekly or it will be a problem in the long run!

 

[Guest]

Well the filter im assuming has pads in it. These can act as nitrate farms. I run 3 cpr backpack skimmers, and 4 1200 maxi jets on my 125. This IMO is very effective, but I also have over 150 lbs of LR. Add as much LR as you can, a protein skimmer will help as well (Im not familiar with that skimmer). Im assuming you never did water changes. You have to keep up with them, and test your water to see when there needed. Water circulation is very important, and make sure you have a good current. Best of luck.