What fish is this??

[jambon]

Hey dude maybe you should be listening to the above folks. IMHO one of the chromis would have been a better start... after the clean up crew.

[Pinner Reef]

Well at least you found the proper forum... Listen to what everyone is telling you when they say to slow down and don't trust the LFS. Only bad things happen fast in this hobby and the journey is half of the fun of it. It's harder telling your wife you've killed a fish than to tell her to be patient... maybe, I've never been married

 

Anyways, stick around and read up... there's tons of good info here

[Clown79]

Research prior to setting up a tank is absolutely the first and most necessary step to a successful aquarium.

 

Going slow and learning patience is the next step.

 

Not listening to you lfs which is in existence to make profits is another valuable lesson.

 

When we advise newbs on here, its not to be d$&ks, its because we have either gone through it ourselves or know ppl who have. We are helping but that only works if one is willing to hear and listen to the advice.

 

We all advised you in previous threads  that the tank needed cycling before adding livestock and you needed a refractometer as well. Research and patience was also advised....

 

Good you got the refractometer but honestly, a tank not cycled with 6 fish is bound for failure. The amount of waste those fish will produce will have your ammonia levels skyrocket and there is no way the system will handle it...the amount of money wasted and unnecessary death to livestock would tick me off more than taking the fish back. 

 

As for water. Tap is the worst choice. Not only is there a ton of chemicals added to it, there is chemicals used to clean pipes, there is high nutrient levels, everything the fikteration system can't fikter out- this is just the tip of the iceburg on tap water issues.

Distilled or ro/di only.

 

Are you topping off with saltwater too because thats an issue.

 

The only advice I can give is start researching saltwater tanks, cycling, proper stocking, maintenance, and parameters.

[Asureef]

Tap is probably fine if you plan on fish only.  More than likely the rocks are already cured, I'm guessing.  Best thing to do now is head over to your lfs or petsmart and pick up API saltwater master test kit.  Test for ammonia & nitrite.  If possible, grab a bottle of seachem seed or Dr. Tims bacteria.  

 

 

[Derrick1980]

29 minutes ago, Asureef said:

Tap is probably fine if you plan on fish only.  More than likely the rocks are already cured, I'm guessing.  Best thing to do now is head over to your lfs or petsmart and pick up API saltwater master test kit.  Test for ammonia & nitrite.  If possible, grab a bottle of seachem seed or Dr. Tims bacteria.  

 

 

I plan on introducing coral next month.

[BulkRate]

Given what's already been said in earlier posts... I don't think Derrick1980's much of a "take it slow" kinda guy.  Just sayin' and while maybe it's not ideal... well, we all get wet in this hobby one way or another.

 

Derrick1980 - take it slow, anyways for a bit.  Even if starting with already cured rock or a bacterial starter, your tank's biofilter is still getting established.  Stop adding fish or anything higher up the chain than snails/hermits for a few weeks if you want what you already have to have a better chance.  Suggest you follow other NR's advice and switch to either distilled or RO water as your mixing source if you plan on making this a reef tank, and prepare yourself for doing at least 50% water changes every 3-4 days for a month or so.

 

I'd also save your money & hold off on adding more rock... looks like you have enough, and a tank cluttered up with too much rock lacks room for corals/macroalgae/critters later.

 

As for fixing it - from a local store or Amazon pick up a Seachem Ammonia Alert badge, a bottle of Prime and one of the better bacterial supplement products out there (Seed/Stability, Dr. Timms, Microbacter"I forget which number" etc).  Stick the badge in the tank so you have an at-a-glance reading of ammonia levels.  Is it perfect?  Nope.  But it'll give you some warning that the water's starting to get toxic and that you need to dose prime & up your water changes to keep up.  Dose the bacterial product conservatively to help give your biofilter a leg up.

 

Things will stabilize if you don't overfeed and have decent water circulation.

 

Another possible step (and this tells you if you have a good LFS or not) is to ask them if you can TEMPORARILY bring some of the fish back for them to hold onto for 2-3 weeks.  Offer to pay a little for this service if need be and not ask for a refund on the initial fish purchase.  If they care one whit about your success & long-term interest in the hobby (ie continued purchasing) they should say yes.

[jambon]

Hey dude maybe you should be listening to the above folks. IMHO one of the chromis would have been a better start... after the clean up crew. As far as tap water... it contains calcium and alkalinity. Your salt mix should have enough to give a good balance. When you use tap water it throws that out of whack. We use an RO system and the water it makes works wonders in our coffee maker to boot. Never get a calcium build up.

[1891Bro]

Is there a beating a dead horse emoji?

lol @ you guys. 

All sound advice though. 

Derrick, like I said before, it's your money so do whatever you want. I learned the hard way with my first try. However, I never used tap and still had wicked algae. Took me forever, with multiple teardowns w/ hydrogen peroxide treatments blah blah blah. 

Point is, some learn by reading, others by doing. 

 

Edit: Found it. 

 

 

[flatlandreefer]

100% trolling 

[gone_PHiSHin]

13 minutes ago, flatlandreefer said:

100% trolling 

 

i really hope so.  IME there are trolls in every internet forum. 

[jambon]

Troll or not it sure got some attn. I've been at this hobby 35 yrs on and off and I still do some questionable things.

[Rev_Svejk]

you guys kill me.  sure he didn't do it 'the right way', but I've added 4-5 fish to several new nano tanks in the first couple of weeks and all of them are still alive and well.  Clowns are super hardy.  Keep up with weekly water changes...you'll be fine, no seriously...it's fine.  Some folks here get so specialized and into a certain way of doing things they just can't see it any other way. 

 

[Derrick1980]

1 hour ago, Rev_Svejk said:

you guys kill me.  sure he didn't do it 'the right way', but I've added 4-5 fish to several new nano tanks in the first couple of weeks and all of them are still alive and well.  Clowns are super hardy.  Keep up with weekly water changes...you'll be fine, no seriously...it's fine.  Some folks here get so specialized and into a certain way of doing things they just can't see it any other way. 

 

Thanks man.  I figured everything would be ok.

[kimberbee]

How do you know you got a good deal on the fish if you didn't even know what kind of fish they were? 

 

You say your wife will "kill you" if you take the fish back, but if you kill them with poor parameters what then? 

 

This has got to be trolling. Someone says "you'll be ok if you don't add coral" and you simply respond that you will be adding coral. One person out of 10 says "nah man, you're good," and you respond with "I figured"

 

Really... 

[Derrick1980]

2 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

How do you know you got a good deal on the fish if you didn't even know what kind of fish they were? 

 

You say your wife will "kill you" if you take the fish back, but if you kill them with poor parameters what then? 

 

This has got to be trolling. Someone says "you'll be ok if you don't add coral" and you simply respond that you will be adding coral. One person out of 10 says "nah man, you're good," and you respond with "I figured"

 

Really... 

Yeah, I'm NOT trolling.  I seriously have a tank, and am still learning but I'll be ok I think with the help of ppl here.

[lkoechle]

12 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

Yeah, I'm NOT trolling.  I seriously have a tank, and am still learning but I'll be ok I think with the help of ppl here.

Then you should listen. thats why people think you are trolling.  Kimberbee made very valid points. also look at who "agrees" with you.  What do their tanks look like? What do their contributing posts look like?  

 

I am not saying a low post count equals newb (we have long term lurkers, my husband falls in that category), thats why should look at WHAT is being posted. But you also need to establish the credibility of who is giving you advice.  Trust me, I am instantly wary of a low post count member giving me advice. Then i got back to join date and what else are they saying, do the seem knowledgeable? Are their other posts of substance and value indicating a long term understanding of the hobby? 

 

Investigate who is giving you advice.

[Derrick1980]

11 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

Then you should listen. thats why people think you are trolling.  Kimberbee made very valid points. also look at who "agrees" with you.  What do their tanks look like? What do their contributing posts look like?  

 

I am not saying a low post count equals newb (we have long term lurkers, my husband falls in that category), thats why should look at WHAT is being posted. But you also need to establish the credibility of who is giving you advice.  Trust me, I am instantly wary of a low post count member giving me advice. Then i got back to join date and what else are they saying, do the seem knowledgeable? Are their other posts of substance and value indicating a long term understanding of the hobby? 

 

Investigate who is giving you advice.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Maxspect_27_Inch_Razor_15_000K_LED_Light_Fixture_180_Watt_LED_Light_Fixtures_for_Aquariums-Maxspect-0M63004-FILTFILD-vi.html how do y'all weigh in on this?  It's $500 but I'm ready to order it in a few days if it's decent.  Edit: I need the 20 inch one.

[lkoechle]

3 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Maxspect_27_Inch_Razor_15_000K_LED_Light_Fixture_180_Watt_LED_Light_Fixtures_for_Aquariums-Maxspect-0M63004-FILTFILD-vi.html how do y'all weigh in on this?  It's $500 but I'm ready to order it in a few days if it's decent.

I would invest in an ro/di unti first since you are using tap water and a light fixture like that is only worth it if you plan on keeping sps which would most likely grow very very poorly in tap water no matter what your light is.  

 

Aside from that, I know other users here use the maxspect but I only have experience with AI and NanoBox.  I would suggest looking at NanoBox for a cheaper and more controllable solution.  The Duo + M runs around 475 I think.

 

But first, I highly suggest an RODI unit like a spectrapure.  brs (bulk reef supply) has one as well thats a good value.

[jambon]

I have a maxpect razor 120 watt on an IM 20 fusion. It is more than enough light for the tank. But as above person commented a good RO system is money Well spent at this point. 

    I don't remember reading if your live rock was cured when you added it? That would be a bonus if it was. 

[Clown79]

4 hours ago, kimberbee said:

 

This has got to be trolling. Someone says "you'll be ok if you don't add coral" and you simply respond that you will be adding coral. One person out of 10 says "nah man, you're good," and you respond with "I figured"

 

 

 

I agree. Take advice from 1 opposed to many...thats the easy way out.

[1891Bro]

Keep feeding him.....

[Derrick1980]

28 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

 

I agree. Take advice from 1 opposed to many...thats the easy way out.

No, you're right.  It is the easy way out. And I'm going to devote more time to my tank.  Well I already spend most of my time with it..... I don't even play guitar anymore :/ but it's cool.  The benefits of a healthy tank will be very rewarding.

[1891Bro]

23 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

No, you're right.  It is the easy way out. And I'm going to devote more time to my tank.  Well I already spend most of my time with it..... I don't even play guitar anymore :/ but it's cool.  The benefits of a healthy tank will be very rewarding.

If it's a nice guitar you could sell it, than have the light and the ro/di unit! Or a storage shed full of distilled, that's just as good. 

Doing it anyway. 

[Derrick1980]

20 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

If it's a nice guitar you could sell it, than have the light and the ro/di unit! Or a storage shed full of distilled, that's just as good. 

Doing it anyway. 

How about 15 guitars?  Lol.  Between my father and I.  And if you know anything about Gibson, well..

[1891Bro]

49 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

How about 15 guitars?  Lol.  Between my father and I.  And if you know anything about Gibson, well..

Well, open a pawn shop.