Help please

[JawsGarcia42]

Alright guys I've gotten into the SW tank deal...it's BAD*** lol...after a week with my puffer(porcupine) and Singapore angel( I added them together I know I should've waited) I tested my water all parameters are as follow... I used the API saltwater test and non are expired
Btw I have 55lbs of live rock and I used live sand and water from the "ocean"[petco] to start the cycle along with a raw shrimp

Ammonia:0ppm

Nitrite: ? Can't tell if it's 0 or .025 I attached the pic

Nitrate: 5.0ppm

Ph: 8.2

Salinity: 1.025

Temp: 76

My lights are those cool LED ones 96w T5 I know for the fish it ain't too important but I love the look and I can't have anemones or corals cause my puffer and angel

I did let the tank fully cycled its a 55gallon I know I have to upgrade and believe me I will I have the money saved just need to look at the whole sump deal ideas about I'm not to knowledgeable on that at the moment

Phosphate and calcium I'm not sure I just ordered those test kits today BUT I use filtered water not tap

I have two power heads one breaking the surface the other hitting the rocks

I have a cuc turbo snails red and blue legged crabs one shrimp

I know my filter isn't the best for the tank either but I have a 406 fluval canister I clean weekly

I NEED a protein skimmer please any suggestions

I feed every other day frozen shrimp, clams, flakes

Could somebody recommend a skimmer and what level the nitrite looks like to you in the attached pic

And any help is gladly accepted here don't take hard to criticism the more I learn the better!


The puffer is about 2inch and the angel about 1inch

 

[TheTodd]

Are you 100% sure it cycled? You should not have nitrites in a cycled tank. Could be from adding two fish right away and overloading your bio load. Keep an eye on parameters until those nitrites disappear.

What kind of filtered water are you using? Just wondering. It will be better than tap, RODI is the way to go if you can. If not, at least filtered with TDS as close to zero as possible. Calcium won't matter unless you are doing reef.

The best advice that I can give is research the fish you buy prior to purchasing them. Ask here if need be. Singapore Angels are almost an expert-only type of fish and need a much larger tank than a 55g. Before you say "but its really small", the idea behind tank size recommendations is that they are giving a minimum tank size. If your Angel needs 120g, then the fact that it is small now should not matter. Its going to stress and that's generally bad for any fish. For a difficult one like that, it makes it chances of surviving diminish. For the puffer, same general idea (needs 180 ideally). They are messy eaters, so that skimmer would have been better first, to keep parameters better in check.

 

[JawsGarcia42]

Thx for replying!...yeah I tested daily it cycled everything got 0 big water change..ordered fish from blue zoo aquatics..tested again and the trites showed that bluish color..I did do a pwc though..I used the water that's filtered by my fridge I test it and always at 0 amm,trites,trates and if course match salinity and temp and ph before I put it in the tank..the size of the tank I understand you I have a 180gallom that houses a cat banded shark but he ate my maroon clowns so I was afraid of putting these guys in there until the grow a lil bit?...I don't have too much rock in there for them to hide so the shark has more space to roam...which protein skimmer do you recommend though they're all pricey don't want to waste cash on junk lol..and please if you know any on sumps can u help me out..idk how I put up with frequent water changes without having one but I do them lol..any help is appreciated thank you!

 

[Trueerfan]

My tap water has a TDS reading of 139. The water coming out of my fridge has a reading of 125 (not much difference). The filter in refrigerators are mostly a carbon filter. I have 0 TDS on my ro/di. I wouldn't use anything but RO/DI

 

[TheTodd]

Agreed. My fridge barely lowers my TDS. If you can't do RODI, consider buying from the machines at grocery stores or outside gas stations. That is what I've used. TDS is usually under 10, often closer to 3-5. Works for me at 25 cents per gallon.

I will let others answer on skimmers and sumps.

 

[JawsGarcia42]

Oh what does TDS stand for..sorry...I thought since it tested 0 amm trites trates that it was good to go...there's a water station deal by my house where I can get water your talking about..I shall start buying water from there then.

 

[Trueerfan]

Total Dissolved Solids (bad stuff in your water)

 

[TheTodd]

If you really wanted to check the water from that station, you could always purchase a TDS meter. I got one on eBay for less than $10 shipped. Super simple to use. I then started testing different water machines until I found one that appears to keep their filters in good shape. Those dissolved solids can cause problems down the road for fish. Its usually not an instant sorta thing. Some people swear their tap water is fine, but then a year or two later have issues.

 

[JawsGarcia42]

Oh wow that's crazy..yeah I started with tap in a different tank..super bad algae..then started with the fridge no problems yet..glad I got this info from you guys I shall order one right now.