Need a little help please!

[daisyclover43]

Newbie here! I have a 35g hex cycled 3 months. Have 1 yellow headed sleeper goby and a valentini puffer. Did water change 1 week ago. Since then, added 2 shrimp and 2 flame scallops. Also added a live rock with toadstools on it. Fed the rock and flame scallops last night with liquid reef plankton. Tonight, water is testing differently. Amonia is in between 0 and 0.25, nitrite is at 0.25 and nitrate is in between 0 and 5.0... HELP! what do I need to do to get all levels back to 0?

 

[logansmomma1228]

The best thing I know of is a water change, but you did that already lol. I would suggest daily PWC's until you see the levels dropping. But I don't know anything about SW so not sure if it would be the same. Good luck! And welcome. I'm sure you will get your answers soon.

 

[daisyclover43]

Just freaking out a little here, because never had water problems before adding the new critters... worried I might be killing something in the tank!

 

[Lowryder]

I would post this same question over in the SW section,, they are super helpful.

 

[mr_X]

you don't feed the rock. how much of this liquid reef food did you add? it's certainly not the addition of the shrimp and scallops that caused an ammonia spike. it was probably that food.

 

[mgamer20o0]

welcome to AA.

 

[daisyclover43]

I gave 1 total capful of that reef plankton... the live rock has large live toadstools on it, and was told they had to be fed the liquid plankton, and the flame scallops get the same thing. Told to feed only 3x per week the toadstools and the scallops.

 

[daisyclover43]

Newbie needs help with water parameters

Newbie here! I have a 35g hex saltwater which has been cycling for over 3 months. Live rock, live sand, fluval 4 filter and an Aeon 55g HOB filter, with a small powerhead at the bottom of the tank pointed upwards. My water parameters have always been 0 and my salinity around 0.23... I had 1 yellow headed sleeper goby and 1 valentini puffer in the tank. Last weekend, I added 2 flame scallops and 2 shrimp. I also added another piece of live rock which has live toadstools on it. I bought liquid plankton to feed the flame scallops and the toadstools (told to feed only 3x per week about 1 capful to all 3, feeding them for the first time Sunday night)... I checked my water parameters last night, and everything except the Ph has risen..... Amonia is between 0 and 0.25, Nitrite is at 0.25 and Nitrate is in between 0 and 5.0... Salinity is still at 0.23. HELP!! What do I do to get the water levels back to 0? (I did a routine water change this past Saturday, right before I added the 2 flame scallops and 2 shrimp)..... Will the levels continue to go up? What do you think caused it? Again, how do I get the water parameters back to where they belong? (everyone seems fine in the tank right this minute, but worried that things might go South very quickly). Thanks for any advice, by the way!

Karen P.

 

[melosu58]

That plankton is notorius for fouling up water parameters. Stop feeding that for now and do some frequent PWC`s. After you get you water test results back to pristine conditions then maybe feed one time a week instead of three times a week.

 

[melosu58]

Thread merged with your other thread on the same thing.

 

[austinsdad]

First of all you've finished cycling if you added fish already... I hope. You say "cycling for over 3 months...". Not an accurate statement. However, you are experiencing another cycle not if you've got ammonia and nitrite present. Things may start to die unless you keep up on water changes very often. Make a LOT of SW and have it ready to go over the next few days.

Flame scallops do not live long from what I've both seen and experienced. The amount of feeding yo'll have to do with keep thet water in a 35g totally messed up. They won't work, believe me. Also, the yellow headed sleeper gobies are notorius for not eating prepared food and starving before long. Good luck with that.

Also, read this about your puffer... http://www.fantasyreef.com/database.php?p=viewitem&dbid=7&itemid=301 Not a good choice for a reef tank. And he'll eat those shrimp before long.

Tell us about your initial cycle prior to adding fish. How did you do it and what were the water readings throughout? Was there rock when you cycled? How much?

 

[daisyclover43]

Thank you Miike so much! I only fed that liquid plankton 1 time, and look what it did to my water parameters! YUCK!!! I did do a small water change last night (from the bottom of the tank) and will check the water this evening after work. If the values are still high, should I do another water change/continue to do water changes until the parameters are back where they are supposed to be? P.S. I also bought frozen reef plankton, but was told by a "saltwater speciality store" that the flame scallops would not eat it (even if I used a baster and squirted it directly into their shell), so that is when I purchased the liquid reef plankton.

 

[daisyclover43]

I had a prior tank (20g hex) which the sleeper goby and puffer lived in for about 6 months (live sand/about 25 lbs. live rock when cycling). Started a new 35g hex approx. 5 months ago (live sand/about 37 lbs. live rock in there when cycling) and water parameters have been fine consistently for 8 or more weeks before I switched the sleeper goby and puffer in there. Have never had a problem with the goby (or puffer) eating brine shrimp or mysis shrimp - in fact, they are both pigs about eating and dive for their food... Told by 4 different stores that the ONLY puffer you can safely put with shrimp is a Valentini (told he was a very peaceful puffer and would not bother anything in the tank, except another puffer, which I have no intention of adding). So, I added a cleaner shrimp and a coral banded shrimp in there just this past weekend, and so far, he has not even gone near the shrimp. Sorry to hear about the flame scallops, will not do those again if they happen to perish.

 

[austinsdad]

Good to hear your goby will eat shrimp. Read around on that puffer. 4 stores, huh?

How often do you feed the puffer and goby by the way?

 

[daisyclover43]

Yep, 4 stores (one a saltwater specialty store)... Fingers crossed now I don't have trouble, but if I do, I will switch the shrimp (if I can catch them) back to my 20g hex which is still up and running and has nothing in it (haven't decided what way I want to go with that tank)... I feed 2x a day with 1/4 of a cube of either brine or mysis frozen shrimp. (was actually told I could put up to 4 or 5 shrimp in that tank [with the Valentini], if I wanted to -- but the only other shrimp I had planned on adding next month, for a total of 3 shrimp, is the blood red - simply because I like its color). Better re-think that until I see how the valentini does with the present 2 shrimp, I am thinking now!

Karen

 

[austinsdad]

The water that those shrimp are frozen in contains a lot of phosphates I hear. I'd consider rinsing them off in FW. Use a small net and run the water over it. I'd also consider using some liquid vitamin (like Zoe or something) and Kent Garlic Guard to add to that shrimp.

Lots of folks feed only once a day. Some even every other day.

 

[daisyclover43]

Thanks for the food advice info, will rinse off... And do you mean add the supplement (Zoe - what is that? and Garlic Guard - what is that?) directly in with the frozen brine or mysis shrimp before I feed it into the tank? (I usually mix the brine or mysis in a little filtered water to break it up from the cube form - do I add BOTH the Zoe and Garlic Guard, or one or both to the liquid brine/mysis shrimp before feeding?) Are these 2 (Zoe and Garlic Guard) just added supplementation for the fish? Thanks for the help.

Karen

 

[mr_X]

toadstool leathers are photosynthetic. they don't need supplemental feedings besides light, and perhaps some fish poop.

 

[austinsdad]

Garlic Guard Seachem Garlic Guard

Zoe/vitamin - Kent Marine Zoe Marine Vitamin

A few drops after you rinse it off.

 

[David S]

if you can defrost and then rinse in ro/di water,drop feeding to once every 2 days,keep doing 15-20% water changes until parameters back to norm