LynnCeeBee
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2007
- Messages
- 42
I'm trying to start up a 125gal FOWLR tank, which I bought second-hand. I bought it because I have a little puffer (PuffDaddy) and a chocolate chip starfish (Anonymous) because I was one of those people who didn't do ENOUGH reading and got the puffer because the lfs told me it would stay relatively small if I kept it in a relatively small tank. OK...so I did things backwards, and I am now trying to fix things before it's too late! My 10 gal tank has always had perfect readings and crystal clear water, and as of the moment, both the inhabitants seem happy, if not crowded.
So I set up this 125 gal tank, using the previous owner's setup. 60# LR, crushed coral bed, 350 Mag filter, wet-dry filter, protein skimmer, and lights on a timer. I even used about 65gal of his water, as his tank had been up and operating with 6 fish for the last few years. (And when I saw them--the tank and the fish--they all appeared healthy, although neglected and the tank was a little cloudy.) The numbers now are right on the money, but the tank has never stopped being cloudy, and there seems to be a serious algae bloom going on. I'm afraid to put any fish in the tank at all. I hate how dirty the tank looks, even with all three pumps going and the protein skimmer operating as well. (And I've never had a protein skimmer before....are there really supposed to be those teeny tiny bubble pouring out of it into the tank??) I also don't want to mess up any good bacterial growth that was going on before I took this thing over. I feel like such a newbie! Any advice? Any suggestions?
What do I do now?
So I set up this 125 gal tank, using the previous owner's setup. 60# LR, crushed coral bed, 350 Mag filter, wet-dry filter, protein skimmer, and lights on a timer. I even used about 65gal of his water, as his tank had been up and operating with 6 fish for the last few years. (And when I saw them--the tank and the fish--they all appeared healthy, although neglected and the tank was a little cloudy.) The numbers now are right on the money, but the tank has never stopped being cloudy, and there seems to be a serious algae bloom going on. I'm afraid to put any fish in the tank at all. I hate how dirty the tank looks, even with all three pumps going and the protein skimmer operating as well. (And I've never had a protein skimmer before....are there really supposed to be those teeny tiny bubble pouring out of it into the tank??) I also don't want to mess up any good bacterial growth that was going on before I took this thing over. I feel like such a newbie! Any advice? Any suggestions?
What do I do now?