water parameters good or bad?

[Jereli]

60 gallon fish tank
fluval 405 filter
protein skimmer
640 gph power head

ph = 8.3
nitrite = .1
nitrate = 0
ammonia = .25ppm according to my test kit i have to calculate it and it comes out to like .35ppm
Alkilinity = High. my test kit has three different ranges from low - normal - high. mine is in the high range.
Salt level is good. dont remember the axact value though.

i changed out like 5 gallons one night and in the morning my small yellow tang and small blue tang were dead. also had couple clown fish die already. the tank has been running since feb this year so its fairly new.

can some one help me with my water parameters. do they look okay or what can i do to fix them.

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

Your tank isn't yet cycled, and that's likely what's causing your deaths. Check out the link in my signature about the Nitrogen Cycle, that'll explain what's going on in your tank. Basically, you need to keep your ammonia and nitrIte levels at 0 to maintain your fish's health.

What kind of test kit are you using? If you're using the colored test paper strips, I'll recommend you get a better liquid test kit, these are much more accurate and give a better idea of what's going on in your tank.

 

[jeffwisely]

welcome to AA. nitirites need to be zero and i agree not cycled yet.
check out this site
The Tank Cycling Process, and Ways to Cycle a Saltwater Aquarium

 

[ilostnemo]

ya think since its be running since feb it would be cycled though?

 

[thincat]

That's why they made test kits. That's the only sure way...

 

[ilostnemo]

thats true..

 

[thincat]

ilostnemo, so many people forget the fine details of saltwater reef keeping and look for an easy fix. That is why so many fail at this. And by todays standards reefkeeping is a snap and all you have to do is follow a few simple rules and they are...."Nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank and "Test, test, and test again".

 

[Jereli]

well i thought it would be cycled by now..i never had a problem with ammonia until recently..and i have a marine lab test kit by red sea.. my alkalinity is in the high range from 2.9 - 3.6. i am not sure of an exact number. just out of no where my ammonia began to rise.also noticed some of my rock began to turn somewhat white from the back...could that be the reason why my ammonia has gone up because at one point it was at zero.

 

[thincat]

At what point was it 0? How long ago and what ddi you have in there then? Give us a timeline of events leading up to you adding the fish and they dying.

 

[thincat]

Okay, rereading your post it seems that you may have cycled your tank, but if you don't maintain a bio-load your tanks bacteria would then die off and you would have to cycle it again. So when you added your fish, the bio-load started again and a new cycle began and the spike in ammonia killed your fish.

 

[cmor1701d]

We need much information about your tank setup and history, but on the surface I think you may have added too many fish at once. The increased bioload would cause a spike.

So:
How long has it been up and running with fish?
How was the tank cycled (and when)?
What are the current tank inhabitants?
Do you have any live rock? If so, how much?
How often do you do partial water changes?
How much do change at each PWC?
What is your process for a PWC (do you mix it the night before making a change?)?
What do you feed the tank?
How often?
How much at each feeding?
You must have test kits that give an exact reading (not low/high).
For Salt (SG), any reading not taken with a calibrated refractomer is suspect.
You say your Alk is high! We need to know just how high it is. High may be a good thing or it could be off the charts.

PWC's are a good general cure. For now, I would suggest you prepare another 20% PWC to help get your readings back in check.

 

[ilostnemo]

ilostnemo, so many people forget the fine details of saltwater reef keeping and look for an easy fix. That is why so many fail at this. And by todays standards reefkeeping is a snap and all you have to do is follow a few simple rules and they are...."Nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank and "Test, test, and test again".

oh yeah i know about testing, i test my 2 gallon nano once a day and all my other freshwater tanks three times a week..

 

[Jereli]

oh okay then yea that makes sense. i would say my ammonia was at zero about month ago but i dont ever remember my nitrite being at zero. each time i have checked my nitrite it has alwasy been at 0.1

what kind of filter media would be best suitable for FOWLR tank. right now my fluval 405 has to compartments with carbon and the top two comparments with biological media. is that ok thats how it came brand new.

 

[Jereli]

How long has it been up and running with fish? since march 2010
How was the tank cycled (and when)? was cycled in feb for about 3 weeks
What are the current tank inhabitants? currently only 4 hermit crabs one appears to be missing. could that be why ammonia is also going up if its dead some where inside tank.
Do you have any live rock? If so, how much? i would say about 25lbs live rock which parts have turned white.
How often do you do partial water changes? was doing them about every 2weeks
How much do change at each PWC? like 5 - 10 gallons
What is your process for a PWC (do you mix it the night before making a change?)? i buy it at local fish store mixed already
What do you feed the tank? havent really put anything in besides the fish food i use to feed my fish which was frozen shrimp pellets or flakes
How often? everyday about twice a day
How much at each feeding? just enough so they would eat most of it..some would stay on sand but not a whole lot would stay on bottom.

 

[ilostnemo]

What are the current tank inhabitants? currently only 4 hermit crabs one appears to be missing. could that be why ammonia is also going up if its dead some where inside tank. yes
Do you have any live rock? If so, how much? i would say about 25lbs live rock which parts have turned white. id add some more live rock

How often? everyday about twice a day id suggest feeding once a day. cause fish will eat what is put right into a tank then five mins later you can put more in and they start eating again.,

 

[jeffwisely]

+++ 1 for thincat.
i agree that his cycle started over because of the bio load mine did the same because i did not maintain it. as everyone else has said the only thing to do now is to restart your cycle and go from there

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
If his nitrite never came down, it sounds like he never finished the cycle. It can take some time for the bacteria that converts nitrites into nitrates to form. It did with mine anyways....

Just because ammonia goes to zero doesnt mean the tank cycled. Also, a dead hermit isnt going to cause the tank to crash. Ive lost several critters and never saw a blip of ammonia or nitrite. A whole dead fish probably would cause the ammonia to spike though.

You need to recycle and keep in mind that it could take AWHILE to get the nitrites converted. Dont add any more fish until you see ammonia go to zero, and then nitrites go to zero. Make sure you DO have ammonia present right now too. (You should with death in the tank).

Live rocks will cycle the tank faster than anything out there. All those magic beans wont do anything compared to them. It might be worthwhile to get a live rock or two to help re-start things.

BTW- A better master salt water test kit should be in order. "High" doesnt mean anything.

Matt

 

[Jereli]

thanks a lot. i keep reading that after it cycles and ammonia goes to zero and nitrite go to zero that i must maintain my bioload? whats that all about or what can i do do maintain my bioload.

 

[mrg02d]

To maintain the bioload, youll need a source of ammonia. Either a creature pooping in the water, or some fish food rotting will do it. I prefer a creature. Once certain that you are cycled, add a fish. A fish should be plenty, just dont add many too quickly. I think the general consensus is 1 per month or two (if small).

Matt

 

[cmor1701d]

How often do you do partial water changes? was doing them about every 2weeks
How much do change at each PWC? like 5 - 10 gallons
That's about half or less of what you should be doing. 10 gallons a week for a 60 would be about right, or 15 gallons every 2 weeks.

What do you feed the tank? havent really put anything in besides the fish food i use to feed my fish which was frozen shrimp pellets or flakes
How often? everyday about twice a day
Cut back to once every 2 - 3 days and only what they eat in a couple of minutes (2-5). Frozen food should be rinsed with RODI water. Use a brine shrimp net or a coffee filter to rinse it.

Your filter media seems fine for a FOWLR.