Beginner beginner help.

[Zollman65]

So I came up with the great idea to partician a 10 gallon tank with a glass barrier. I wanted one side to be a salt water FOWLR and the other side to be a vivarium for my baby crested geckos. anyways for my salt water set up I have a 10 gallon s10 marina filter with bio carb and bio clear filter media. For my substrate I'm using caribsea live sand. For my tank heater im using a 150w. And for my aquarium light I'm using a 50/50 17 compact fluorescent. Im using boiled dead coral for a structure and hiding places for fish in the tank. I figured that my live sand would eventually spread live organizems to the coral after a while. To establish my tank I decided to use seachem stability. The day I set up my tank I stocked it with two nassarius snails, a turbo snail, a red leg hermit crab, a blue leg hermit crab, and 5 Molly's. Well my problem is after two days all the Molly's are dead and the rest of the invertebrates are alive but seem very nathargic. My tank also smells pretty bad if that helps at all it smells like dead fish.

[longbeach]

There's something called a cycle when u first setup q aquarium look it up .

[Singlefin]

You're probably right Tom. What a waste of time thinking you're trying to help someone.

[mad28gnc]

Please don't let negativity force you to leave nano-reef we just all love this hobby and when people do things like this it gives us a bad rep. The facts stated above were true though 5 gals makes for a tough tank to care for. This is a hobby that you can spend years learning befor you do bad things to helpless creatures. I don't want you to get discouraged. Just stop and educate yourself first please and welcome to nano-reef

[TeflonTomDosh]

if you guys believe for a second a guy split a 10 gallon tank in half with a sheet of glass and that a 150w heater fits in there, you're way dumber than you look. Put a yellow tang in the other side. they're pretty hardy. Be gone troll

[Singlefin]

I wish I had that much time on my hands.

[Zollman65]

I know I made mistakes starting with taking advice from the person at my Lfs and I do feel bad for the poor creatures that succumbed to my bad fish keeping skills I know what the cycle is but the Lfs said that using the "stability" would avoid a cycle. Obviously they were wrong and I didn't do all the research I should have but that's what I'm here for is to learn not to be ridiculed. Thank you for taking the time to "help". I will post pictures of my tank devision and heater later.

[Dazz78uk]

I'm only new To saltwater tanks my self but I would advise a good cycle before adding anything else. A cycle can take from a few week to a few months all tanks are different. If you havnt got a testing kit I would get yourself one. Before adding anything you want:

Ph to be around 8.2

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 0

 

You want to keep these levels constant for at least a week before adding anything.

 

You will find you will get an ammonia spike or two in the first few week followed by elevated nitrite and nitrate

 

You also want salinity to be about 1.022 - 1.025

 

I could be wrong but I wasn't aware that there were saltwater mollies. Mollies are usualy freshwater fish. This could explain why they died

[Steventomas]

I'm only new To saltwater tanks my self but I would advise a good cycle before adding anything else. A cycle can take from a few week to a few months all tanks are different. If you havnt got a testing kit I would get yourself one. Before adding anything you want:

Ph to be around 8.2

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 0

 

You want to keep these levels constant for at least a week before adding anything.

 

You will find you will get an ammonia spike or two in the first few week followed by elevated nitrite and nitrate

 

You also want salinity to be about 1.022 - 1.025

 

I could be wrong but I wasn't aware that there were saltwater mollies. Mollies are usualy freshwater fish. This could explain why they died

 

+1

 

 

Mollies are fish that can live in full salt or freshwater or a mixture of the two. Much like a salmon who is born in freshwater and then migrates to the ocean and then comes back to spawn.

[jlbzixxer]

you should also get some cured live rock to help your situation

And mollies are a type of brackish fish

which reguired a little different set up then your tradional saltwater tank

becuase salinity needs to be around 1.015

 

good luck on your tank

[jedimasterben]

Mollies are fish that can live in full salt or freshwater or a mixture of the two. Much like a salmon who is born in freshwater and then migrates to the ocean and then comes back to spawn.

+1 all of this, except some mollies spend all of their time in saltwater - a lot are collected at all ages in the Gulf of Mexico, and here in FL I can catch them at the Intercoastal of Fort Pierce/Port Saint Lucie.

 

you should also get some cured live rock to help your situation

And mollies are a type of brackish fish

which reguired a little different set up then your tradional saltwater tank

becuase salinity needs to be around 1.015

 

good luck on your tank

check it. 1.024 sg.

 

I finished a 12-hour acclimation today of three more, all three survived. See my comment above about their collection locations. They are acclimated to freshwater to be sold.

[MeepNand]

if you guys believe for a second a guy split a 10 gallon tank in half with a sheet of glass and that a 150w heater fits in there, you're way dumber than you look. Put a yellow tang in the other side. they're pretty hardy. Be gone troll

I usually disagree when people call others trolls, but Tom makes a valid point. How did you get a 150w heater (about 12" at the smallest) to fit in 10"? And that's sideways, mind you.

And if there is a possibility that you are not a troll, then I would definitely look up "How to start a saltwater aquarium" on google before trusting the LFS.

[jlbzixxer]

@ jedimasterben

Lol thanks for the fine example and proving me wrong

Never had mollies before just some stuff ive read before

12 hour acclimation GOOD job

I could never do that

[jedimasterben]

@ jedimasterben

Lol thanks for the fine example and proving me wrong

Never had mollies before just some stuff ive read before

12 hour acclimation GOOD job

I could never do that

Within two hours I had them from 1.000 to 1.018 and they're none the worse for wear. Mollies are able to VERY quickly change salinities, many do not even acclimate them, pulling them straight from 1.000 to 1.025, though their success rate is indeed lower.

 

 

OP, also keep in mind that mollies are not small fish - in saltwater, they get larger than they do in freshwater, and can reach 6" or more, even for the "smaller" species.

 

 

And what you're trying for is a pretty bad idea, unless you can be absolutely sure to completely seal off each side, and not just by having the baffle go to the top of the tank. You will be spilling saltwater into the other side at times, no way of getting around that, it always happens, and salt creep will make its way over, as well, which I'd imagine is not good for the geckos.

[Zollman65]

Thank you to everyone who gave me some advice my tank is still cycling. I was mistaken by the wattage of my heater it is only a 100w so sorry for the confusion. All i have in my tank at the moment are two hermit crabs. i haven't had the chance to go pick up a test kit yet though so that will happen soon within the week. It looks to me that the hermit crabs are eating away at the dead coral is this normal? I plan to do a water change tomorrow and i will do one every other Saturday from now on. here are a few pictures of my tank.

 

 

 

oh and so far no leaks (: and the salt creep doesn't seem to hard to keep under control.

[tinctorus]

I honestly feel REALLY bad for that gecko, not only is his tank going to be humid but its going to be humid with SALTWATER!!!

That gecko "if this isnt a BS joke that it" needs something better without saltwater that WILL soak into his skin and he will become dessicated and basically be gecko jerky...

Start over with TWO 10 gallon tanks or atleast TWO 5 gallon tanks man

[uglybuckling]

You are starting a saltwater fish tank. This is not a cheap hobby. $10 for another 10 gallon tank is minimal compared to the expenses you will incur trying to take care of a saltwater tank.

 

Please buy a second tank. This partitioning idea is not going to work in the long-term.

 

Additionally, there's a lot to learn about starting a saltwater tank. Generally the rule is to "start low, go slow." Nothing good happens quickly.

 

Put in rocks (dead coral whatever you're using), sand, saltwater, circulation (a pump). Sit back and wait for algae/diatoms to appear--will probably take a couple of weeks. Light or no light, it doesn't really matter. Once you see algae, then put in clean-up crew (snails, hermits, etc). Then wait some more. After another couple weeks, you can start stocking with some hardy fish.