Hi trying to help stepmom

[BlueBubbles]

My stepmom is in the hospital with ketonacidous (sp?)(high sugar caused her organs to start shuting down, so don't know when she'll get out). I'm taking care of her pets. I found this link on her desktop and wonder if you can help me with her saltwater tank, cause I have no idea what to do. Where do I begin?

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi BlueBubbles and welcome! We're sorry to hear about your stepmom and hope she gets well soon. I moved your thread out of the Welcome Wagon forum and into the Saltwater - Getting Started forum to get you the help you need quickly.

 

[cmor1701d]

Sorry to hear about your stepmom. They'll get her sugar back under control in the hospital, so hang in there.

When you log on to this site you will see the forums that are availabe. Scroll down to Saltwater and Reef and then select the area you need to post. For instance, for general help post in Saltwater & Reef - Getting Started . If you are having a spefic problem with a fish or coral post in Saltwater & Reef - Sick Fish or Coral .

Before you post please include the following information in your post IF you know it. If you don't, please get us as much information as you can. We need to know as much about your setup as possible inorder to help you. If you don't know, please just write that you don't know what we are talking about and someone will try to help you. Now for the questions..
Are you have having a problem?
What size is your tank? (total gallons or dimensions)
How old is your tank ? (how long has it been set up and running)
How much LR, a/o LS is in the tank? (Live rock and/or live sand if any)
Is the LR cured ? (when)
How did you cycle your tank and when?
What inhabitants do you have ? (all fish, shrimp, crabs, etc.)
What filter are you running ? (HOB-hang on back; wet/dry (under the tank), or just describe the equipment. "A picture is worth a thousand words"
What PHs are you running? (power heads-small pumps in the tank)
What kind of salt are you using , and how are you making it?
What kind of H20 are you using ? Distilled , tap , RO/DI (reverse osmosis/deionized) ?
Are you using any additives?
What are your water parameters ? (Do you have test kits and do you know how to use them?)
Ammonia
NitrIte
NItrAte
Calcium
PH
SG (specifc gravity used to determin salt concentration).
Temperature

Oh, and WELCOME TO AA !

 

[BlueBubbles]

Thanks for your concern, i hope your right but this has been going on for almost 2 years, she's insulin resentant. At one point they tried 120u at each meal and shes lost over 70lbs. But...........

But here's what I know,

Are you have having a problem? Yes I think her shrimp thingy died, found
what looked like it's body stuck to the
filter.

What size is your tank? 18 gal
How old is your tank ? We (my dad, little bro and myself) got it for her
last month around the mid of Feb
How much LR, a/o LS is in the tank? don't know
Is the LR cured ? don't know
How did you cycle your tank and when? Don't know
What inhabitants do you have ? Little blue fish with yellow tail and did
have a little white shrimp with horzonial
redish bands
What filter are you running ? It saids whisper and is inside the tank
What PHs are you running? Don't know
What kind of salt are you using , and how are you making it?
Haven't made any yet but in the fish drawer theres a box that saids Instant Ocean
What kind of H20 are you using ? tap (I think because I found a bottle (Prime) of stuff to remove chlorine)
Are you using any additives? I think Prime
What are your water parameters ? Found some strips
NitrIte color between safe and caution
NItrAte ok
PH acceptable
Alk ideal
SG don't know
Temperature around 78 degrees

I know her user name and I have her log if that will help.

 

[BlueBubbles]

Stepmoms tanks

The 46 gal has all fresh water fish mostly tetras, small catfish and her prize Placo (shes had him for over 5 yr). the 2 1/2 has her two bettas in it. These I've helped with the saltwater I don't know anything about. She keeps a log on each tank, would the info in it help? Oh and My step Mom is Susie Q

 

[BlueBubbles]

Ok heres what I got from her log on the saltwater tank.

Tank- 18 gal Marineland 24" x 12" x 16"
hood - 60hz 50watt
filter - whisper10-30i 20 Lbs LS
heater- 100wt UL
Skimmer- BioPro Sk-40 air driven



Nitrate Nitrite ALK Ph Silinty
3/10 ideal safe Ideal Ideal 1.021
3/12 Ideal safe Ideal Ideal 1.021
3/14 Ideal safe ideal ideal 1.021
3/16 Ok Caution Ideal Ideal 1.023
3/18 Ok Caution Ideal ideal 1.023
3/20 Ok Caution Ideal ideal 1.023
3/22 Ok Caution Ideal Ideal 1.023

Water Change
3/15

3/15 added aqua safe and 36 drops of prime
3/16, 3/18, 3/20, 3/22 added 36 drops of Prime


Current inhabitants: Blue yellow tailed damsel, and Coral Banded Shrimp

NOTES: 3/20 CBS's color getting dull-shed soon

3/18 ordered complete Test kit Ebay
3/20 ordered 10lbs LR and wavemaker Aloha Aquariums

 

[cmor1701d]

Please wish her well from all of us. I am somewhat familiar with her tank from reading her previous posts.

You are probably seeing a shrimp molt. Shrimp have an exoskeleton that they must shed when they grow. It looks just like the shrimp. The shrimp then goes hiding for a couple of days till its new shell hardens.

Do you have a test for ammonia?
I'm concerned about the rise of nitrite. Test strips are not very accurate. Do you have any liquid tests that you can use?
Please post her log too when you can.

Now for two very important points; PWC's and top off.
A PWC is a partial water change. You need to do a PWC weekly or more often if there is a problem with water chemistry. A PWC consists of removing 10%-20% of the tank water and adding a like amount of water that has the salt added to it. You first need to use the Prime on the tap water (or get distilled water at the store). Then you should heat the water in a mixing container and add a small pump to mix it. Then add the salt. Most salt requires about a half-cup per gallon. It is very important to mix the PWC water to the same SG and temp as the tank.
Do you have a plastic contraption that says hydrometer on it anywhere? (click on the link to see what some look like).
A refractomer would give a more accurate and consistent reading of SG.
You should mix up the salt mix and let it aerate with a power head in the bucket overnight (24 hours is better) before doing a pwc.

Top Off. The tank will lose some water due to evaporation every day. That causes the SG to rise because the salt does not evaporate with the water. Therefore you need add just plain water every day to every other day to make up for the water lost due to evaporation. You need to use the Prime if using tap water, but again using distilled water is best.

Please post her log for the marine tank so we can see where the tank stands.

If you have questions about the freshwater tank, please ask in those forums.

Good luck and thank you for taking of the tank for your stepmom.

 

[An t-iasg]

BlueBubbles,
Thank you for posting this information. I don't have a saltwater tank but I do know that the inverts, like the shrimp, molt and shed their shell periodically. When you said the shrimp died and stuck to the filter, that may not be the real shrimp. That may just be the molt or the old shell that was shed. The molts do look real, so hopefully the shrimp didn't die - it was just the molt that you saw.

 

[cmor1701d]

OK, it looks like I was right about the shrimp molting from reading her log.

NOTES: 3/20 CBS's color getting dull-shed soon (that would be molting)

3/18 ordered complete Test kit Ebay Did this arrive yet?
3/20 ordered 10lbs LR and wavemaker Aloha Aquariums
Did the Live Rock arrive? DONOT put it in the tank if it is not already in there. You will need to cure it (make it safe) before adding it.

 

[BlueBubbles]

Not sure if anythings got here. What does it look like? How do I cure it? I just got here last night, when my dad called. Oh and My dad called and said that they've got her sugar down from 623 to 425. Dr said that she was lucky not to have went into a coma.

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the site, and hang in there! I do agree, it sounds like a shrimp molt. I freaked out when I say my first one and about three days later, he was back out and about.
The test kits should come in a box and hopefully are liquid tests.
You will need to "cure" the new rock. If you put that in the tank, there will be die-off (assuming it is not dry) and can cause another cycle.
In order to cure the new LR, you will need another tank or tote, SW a power head and possibly a small heater, and the test kits. When the cycle starts, you should see a spike in ammonia, a decline with the rise of nitrItes, a decline and then a rise in nitrAtes. Once there is no ammonia and nitrItes, the rock is cycled and ready to be placed in the tank.

 

[cmor1701d]

Scott's advice is right on target. We have no idea she ordered for test kits so look at this site for what the various kits look like. If you have a digital camera try to take pictures of everythng and post those so we can figure out what you have and what you're missing. Try to size the photos to 800x600 before posting them if they are large.
There are a lot of good folks around here to help you. Hang in there.

 

[cmor1701d]

It looks like your stepmom may have ordered the live rock and test kits from Aloha Aquarium on eBay. I went back and read her other postings. She posted on Friday, so my guess is that the items have not arrived yet.

 

[BlueBubbles]

Ok I did a PWC Of 2 gal. How long after the change should I wait to test the water. Dad said the kits and rock were not expected till the end of the week. The idems I found were test strips, food, scrub brush, Prime, salt, aquasafe, a hydrometer, assorted decorations (shells, plants, fake coral, glass eggs, ect), bucket labled swt only, vac, a snap together cliff set, and plans for a sump (whats that). The shrimp showed up today when I added some shells. Cute little thing.

PS It looks like I'll be taking care of the pets for at least a week or two. The Dr wantsd to send her to another hospital for more tests.

 

[pitt420dude]

You can do some water tests just a few minutes after you've done the water changes. It should be all mixed in and give accurate results.

I wish I knew more about SW blue bubbles, but I just wanted to wish your mom (and you!) best wishes. I really admire what you're doing for her.

I have no doubt teh SW pros here will be able to help you and give you good advice to any questions you may have. Thank goodness about the shrimp eh? Thats a relief, it sounds like you're doing fine. Good luck!

 

[BlueBubbles]

Thanks Pitt, it's the least I can do for her.

 

[cmor1701d]

You are doing great so far. Just relax and take a deep breathe every now and then.
Glad to hear the shrimp showed up. They are very cool. Clean you hand and arm to make sure there are no oils or soap residue, then stick your hand in the tank near the shrimp. It's a cleaner shrimp that cleans parasites off the fish. It will scoot all around your hand and arm picking at it. It kinda tickles. Might as well have some fun while your there.

Did you check the SG of the tank and the pwc water with the hydrometer before doing the change?
Did you use tap water treated with Prime?
Any chance of using of using distilled water from the grocery (or better yet RO if they sell it -- reverse osmosis)?
You should let the newly mixed sw aerate either with a small power head in the bucket or an airstone for about 24 hours (overnight is good enough) before adding it to the tank.

 

[BlueBubbles]

Ok did the pwc and the readings were the same. Oh and I did as you said Cmor and it did tickel. I was also wondering if I should add something to the tank to surprise her? I saw a cute little purple and yellow fish ( A royal something) and a golden mantis shrimp on Ebay are they decent and good for a young tank?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I know you mean good, but I sure wouldn't. Too many stories on here that start out with, "A friend thought they were doing me a favor and picked up this coral/fish..." and end with the person trying to figure out what to do with a fish/coral that they never had an intent on getting, or isn't appropriate for the tank.

This tank needs some time to settle down before it gets some new inhabitants. And just FYI, most folks don't want mantis shrimp in their tanks. They're rather hostile, to put it nicely. Those are usually sold to people that put them in solitary tanks, just by themselves.

Hats off for taking care of your step mom's tank and wading in to something that's totally unknown! Hope she gets better soon!

 

[roka64]

I agree, that mantis shrimp will take out your inverts and smaller fish. If you want to surprise her, keep doing what you are doing. I wouldn't add anything to the tank. I think what you are doing is 100 times better than any critter you buy her!