Just Dave
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I have had much success with fresh water, so I thought I would try salt water, and was doing great. I am very new to salt, so I do not know the tricky names, I am sorry if I come off as ignorant. I have done my best to learn, this forum is the latest endeavor to learn and enjoy my tank, which I enjoy very much, as does my whole family, my son loves it, and will watch the fish for hours.
The tank is a 30 hex, it has been up and running for four months. I bought the test kit, the PH is 8.2 thir is no nitrites anymore, the nitrates are low, the ammonia is low, I keep the tank at 79 to 80 deg. It has a crushed coral bottom of about three inches, a Penguin emp 280 filter on its back and a airstone to help turn the water. Salt water is .023
Tank colony
Healthy
1- On Medium Hermit crab (we like him allot)
4- Snails
1- Lobster looking crayfish with bright white spots (hides allot but neat looking)
1- One half white and half red fish, with an odd tall white antenna like fin on top that stands straight up (don't know the name sorry)
Fish I have lost first
Squished my Cleaner shrimp first - my fault, accident with live rock
Clown fish died after a week, he went in with live rock
Hipocam was next (think thats the name, looks like dori from Nemo) originally was fine for months, died after clown,
Two Damsels, was fine for months, died some time after Hippo
Then I tried
another two damsels - Dead in two days
Tried another clownfish Dead in one day
another half purple half yellow fish, dead two days
Maybe half a dozen more damsels, Dead, dead dead.. Sigh..
Tested water, - it all looked good, couldn't see anything, water changes on time...
It was hard to figure out if the fish had any ick or anything because
the Hermit eats them before I can get to them,
Things were great for the first few months, nothing died. Then I added a neat clown, and things kind of went heywire. I lost the clown on the second. I did also have a Cleaner shrimp the first two months, but I accidently squished him putting in some live rock and the clown (ack, I know i felt horrible) but I doubt that affected that much.
I watched the fish, I saw no spots on thir bodies, tail rot, no clamped fins and they didn't seem to be breathing hard.
I did notice...
They seem to swim in the bubbles allot
They rubbed themselves on the gravel a bit and against the live rock
They hang near the top of the tank before they die
Not wanting to make the matter worse I have stopped the cycle, and am now in treatment phase, No new fish till that water until im sure its safe.
I talked with the young kid at the Pet store, he heard me out, and took a poke at it and handed me Greenex, saying that I most likely had a parasite, I wasn't sure, again no spots but it was worth a try.
I read all the instructions to make sure it was safe for my crab (kind of like that little guy) and it said it was. Took out my carbon put in one drop for every gallon, minus the three gallons for sand in orniments (didn't say to do that, but common sense to me)
So now I got a green tank, looks like it will be down for 5 days,
The rest of the tank doesn't seem to mind the color, the snails, hermit, lobster and the white red fish seem okay with it,
I know this was long, but can anyone tell me if i'm on the right track..Not sure if that kid new what he was doing, he did allot of reading on the back of the medicines, I think he was talking shots and hoping he would hit it..
I'm so tired of loosing fish
The tank is a 30 hex, it has been up and running for four months. I bought the test kit, the PH is 8.2 thir is no nitrites anymore, the nitrates are low, the ammonia is low, I keep the tank at 79 to 80 deg. It has a crushed coral bottom of about three inches, a Penguin emp 280 filter on its back and a airstone to help turn the water. Salt water is .023
Tank colony
Healthy
1- On Medium Hermit crab (we like him allot)
4- Snails
1- Lobster looking crayfish with bright white spots (hides allot but neat looking)
1- One half white and half red fish, with an odd tall white antenna like fin on top that stands straight up (don't know the name sorry)
Fish I have lost first
Squished my Cleaner shrimp first - my fault, accident with live rock
Clown fish died after a week, he went in with live rock
Hipocam was next (think thats the name, looks like dori from Nemo) originally was fine for months, died after clown,
Two Damsels, was fine for months, died some time after Hippo
Then I tried
another two damsels - Dead in two days
Tried another clownfish Dead in one day
another half purple half yellow fish, dead two days
Maybe half a dozen more damsels, Dead, dead dead.. Sigh..
Tested water, - it all looked good, couldn't see anything, water changes on time...
It was hard to figure out if the fish had any ick or anything because
the Hermit eats them before I can get to them,
Things were great for the first few months, nothing died. Then I added a neat clown, and things kind of went heywire. I lost the clown on the second. I did also have a Cleaner shrimp the first two months, but I accidently squished him putting in some live rock and the clown (ack, I know i felt horrible) but I doubt that affected that much.
I watched the fish, I saw no spots on thir bodies, tail rot, no clamped fins and they didn't seem to be breathing hard.
I did notice...
They seem to swim in the bubbles allot
They rubbed themselves on the gravel a bit and against the live rock
They hang near the top of the tank before they die
Not wanting to make the matter worse I have stopped the cycle, and am now in treatment phase, No new fish till that water until im sure its safe.
I talked with the young kid at the Pet store, he heard me out, and took a poke at it and handed me Greenex, saying that I most likely had a parasite, I wasn't sure, again no spots but it was worth a try.
I read all the instructions to make sure it was safe for my crab (kind of like that little guy) and it said it was. Took out my carbon put in one drop for every gallon, minus the three gallons for sand in orniments (didn't say to do that, but common sense to me)
So now I got a green tank, looks like it will be down for 5 days,
The rest of the tank doesn't seem to mind the color, the snails, hermit, lobster and the white red fish seem okay with it,
I know this was long, but can anyone tell me if i'm on the right track..Not sure if that kid new what he was doing, he did allot of reading on the back of the medicines, I think he was talking shots and hoping he would hit it..
I'm so tired of loosing fish
