dwculp
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
So, I have wanted to setup a small marine tank in my classroom for quite sometime. I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with around 40 fish (mostly barbs) in it and a river tank system in my classroom I have maintained for quite some time. However, I have always wanted a marine tank. I actually researched for (believe it or not) a couple of years before taking the plunge.
I decided to setup a 29 gallon fish only system and convert it to a nano-reef in the near future when I could afford the lights and live rock. I got all the equipment and even got sand and water from a well-established tank from a friend of mine. Set everything up, discovered a small leak in the protein skimmer (a Bak-Pak II), fixed it, and monitored the tank for a couple of days and pH, alkalinity, specific gravity, and temp (80) and other params were holding rock steady and well within acceptable limits. So I decided to get the fish tonight after work.
I decided to maintain the tank at 80 degrees, a bit warm, for a reason. In my classroom, holding a steady lower temp would be difficult. I can maintain 80 with no problems what so ever, in fact, my freshwater tank holds steady at 80 with little to no change.
So, I pick out a very nice looking Percula clown who is fat, colorful, active, and eating. I get him back and begin acclimating him. I float the bag and the water seems warm, I check the thermometer, it says 80 so I figure it is just me. After about 30 minutes of floating I decide to begin acclimating him to pH and salinity and I still think, "Gee, this water DOES seem warm." I go over to my freshwater tank and dip my fingers in and I realize something is terribly wrong as the water feels cool (as it should). I take my thermometer from it, clean it and place it into the marine tank. It reads a devastating 95 degrees!!
I’m in a panic now, I call a friend, he says get ziplock baggies and fill them with ice and float them. I do. I also pull out some of the powerheads as I figure this is where the heat is coming from and I don’t need them in a fish-only system. The water begins to cool and I am feeling better. I pull the bags out and guess what, one of the bags has holes in it!! What else could go wrong, now I have possibly a bit of tap water in the tank. I add some water treatment and continue to acclimate the fish in the bag.
Finally, after acclimation is finished I net him and place him in the tank. He swims around a bit, and finally settles to the bottom under a ledge and hangs out there. I watch him for about 30 minutes, he didn’t appear to be breathing hard or swimming erratically. I will find out if he is still alive in the morning.
I feel like a moron now.
I decided to setup a 29 gallon fish only system and convert it to a nano-reef in the near future when I could afford the lights and live rock. I got all the equipment and even got sand and water from a well-established tank from a friend of mine. Set everything up, discovered a small leak in the protein skimmer (a Bak-Pak II), fixed it, and monitored the tank for a couple of days and pH, alkalinity, specific gravity, and temp (80) and other params were holding rock steady and well within acceptable limits. So I decided to get the fish tonight after work.
I decided to maintain the tank at 80 degrees, a bit warm, for a reason. In my classroom, holding a steady lower temp would be difficult. I can maintain 80 with no problems what so ever, in fact, my freshwater tank holds steady at 80 with little to no change.
So, I pick out a very nice looking Percula clown who is fat, colorful, active, and eating. I get him back and begin acclimating him. I float the bag and the water seems warm, I check the thermometer, it says 80 so I figure it is just me. After about 30 minutes of floating I decide to begin acclimating him to pH and salinity and I still think, "Gee, this water DOES seem warm." I go over to my freshwater tank and dip my fingers in and I realize something is terribly wrong as the water feels cool (as it should). I take my thermometer from it, clean it and place it into the marine tank. It reads a devastating 95 degrees!!
I’m in a panic now, I call a friend, he says get ziplock baggies and fill them with ice and float them. I do. I also pull out some of the powerheads as I figure this is where the heat is coming from and I don’t need them in a fish-only system. The water begins to cool and I am feeling better. I pull the bags out and guess what, one of the bags has holes in it!! What else could go wrong, now I have possibly a bit of tap water in the tank. I add some water treatment and continue to acclimate the fish in the bag.
Finally, after acclimation is finished I net him and place him in the tank. He swims around a bit, and finally settles to the bottom under a ledge and hangs out there. I watch him for about 30 minutes, he didn’t appear to be breathing hard or swimming erratically. I will find out if he is still alive in the morning.
I feel like a moron now.