$130 live rock!

[mistaflicksta]

12lbs of live rock that cost me $130!

So I had my tank up and running for a little over 4 months. 36gal corner bow front. Everything was running just fine but then I got the itch, I had 24lbs of live rock in the tank but that wasn't enough for me. Yesterday I decided to get 12 lbs more of the same rock from the same guy I had bought the previous rock. He has a 300gal tank with all kinds of fish from where he pulls the rock (hense the thing should be cycled).

So I bought the 12lbs for $50, went home and put it the tank. right away the blue hippo tang and the two fire fish didnt like that move.

this morning I woke up checked the water parameters and both nitrites and nitrates were very high. I fed the fish and the hippo and fire fish were no where to be seen. I moved the rock once more and found them all dead.

Now my wife is mad at me for getting the rock and extremely mad for killing the fish.

So now the $50 live rock also cost me $40 tang, and two $20 fire fish totaling $130 and a tore down tank that I have to deal with when I get home from school.

 

[melosu58]

You have to cure the LR before you can add it to the tank. All the die off will cause your nitrites and ammonia to jump killing off all your livestock. We have an excellent article in our SW articles section on that subject. To take care of the immediate problem you`ll need to do some frequent PWC`s to lower the ammonia and nitrites.

 

[mistaflicksta]

Well after I got home I decided to take all of the life stock out of the tank and into a QT tank. I started taking all of the rock out and to my surprise the fire fish i thought were dead came out of the back corner as if to say thanks for freeing us. So the only loss was the tang.

Every thing is out of the tank and I rearanged the rock. Im gona wait a couple of days till the parameters are stable and Im content with the look of the rock work(water is really clowdy) then I will put the life stock bak in the tank

As far as my wife goes, she is still mad at me for killing Dory! lol Ill Get her another one and its starts to outgrow the tank Ill trade it for something else just to keep the wifey happy.

Just Like a quote I read " My tank isnt over stocked! My tank is just to small! LOL

Well Its live and learn, I just wish learning wasnt this expensive.

 

[ccCapt]

Please, DO NOT replace the blue hippo tang. You tank is way too small for it. It doesn't matter if you get a small 1, tangs need alot of swimming space and you can not provide that in a 36g tank. Don't make the fish suffer in cramped quarters for your pleasure.