Just started out. Help!

[Tim.B]

Ok let me start from the beginning. I bought a tank from someone that was already up and running with no fish. Just live rock. It's a 75g, t5 lights, CPR backpak and marine land canister filter. We left a lil water over the sand to transport it back to my place. Well when I got it home I filled it back up, cleaned everything and let it do its thing for 2 weeks. Well I tested the water everyday and was told that I could add fish. Well I added five damsels and now the sick with ick and the nitrates are high and this brown algae is taking over! What to do??

 

[bruinsbro1997]

to AA!

Ok let me start from the beginning. I bought a tank from someone that was already up and running with no fish. Just live rock. It's a 75g, t5 lights, CPR backpak and marine land canister filter. We left a lil water over the sand to transport it back to my place. Well when I got it home I filled it back up, cleaned everything and let it do its thing for 2 weeks. Well I tested the water everyday and was told that I could add fish. Well I added five damsels and now the sick with ick and the nitrates are high and this brown algae is taking over! What to do??

A saltwater tank can take at least one to two months to properly cycle, which means that you weren't fully cycled when you had the fish. I would suggest returning the fish. Are you sure it was fully cycled? How many pounds of live rock? Did you change the water?

 

[Tim.B]

It has about 50lbs of rock. There was only 4 inches of water left in it so I filled it back up and the live rock I left in a container with water when I moved it but didn't use that water. I started it off with a fresh batch of salt mix.

 

[all4wheels2]

It might have been cycled, but 5 fish was too much of a bioload for the good bacteria to keep up with. Try not to add more than two fish at a time, and then don't add anymore until your levels all read zero again. Five fish at once is too stressful on the fish and the filtration.

I did the same thing with three chromis. It's called "new tank syndrome". You should probably remove the damsels if they have ich.

I always add some Stability when I introduce new fish. It's basically a bottle with good bacteria in it.

 

[joy13]

If you plan on having a reef tank you won't want to add any type of meds to kill the ich. The life cycle of ich is usually about 6 weeks without a host. So if you take the fish out now and let your tank cycle properly then slowly add fish you will be better off.

During the cycle time is when you can start planning on how you want to stock your tank.

 

[Tim.B]

Ok guys thanks for the replies and info. I knew I was doing things to fast and I should have waited longer.