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Starfishie99

moved my zoanthid one more time because ^^they don’t like direct light 

 

im going to try to slowwwwly acclimate my baby mollies freshwater tank, if they all die i won’t feel too bad because mollies reproduce a lot and i think another one of mine is already prego 

 

i dont have a water testing kit but i’ll go to the store and get one tomorrow, i don’t why i’ve been holding off on getting one

 

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Starfishie99
14 minutes ago, Tired said:

Corals just sort of existing often means low nutrients, and will eventually turn into them dying.

i just got two of these corals this week, maybe sunday? so definitely newbies and so i shouldn’t rush them,, how long until you normally see some action?

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Where are you planning to put the baby mollies? They can't go in the 5gal because it's full, the 10gal should be used for these guys, and the current tank (3gal?) is too small for them long-term. I'm also not sure I'd acclimate them as babies, they might be more sensitive. Even if you'll get more of them, it's a shame for these ones to suffer and die if it turns out they can't acclimate as well as the adults. 

 

Growth rate of corals depends hugely on a wide number of factors, not least what kind of coral it is. You shouldn't expect them to do anything for a week or so after being purchased, at least, so it's no wonder you haven't seen much. 

 

I'd suggest not buying any corals you don't know the names of. You might wind up with something difficult to keep, invasive, or not suitable for your tank in one way or another. It's also good to know how much a coral should go for, so you know if the asking price is too high.

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Starfishie99
5 minutes ago, Tired said:

Where are you planning to put the baby mollies? They can't go in the 5gal because it's full, the 10gal should be used for these guys, and the current tank (3gal?) is too small for them long-term. I'm also not sure I'd acclimate them as babies, they might be more sensitive. Even if you'll get more of them, it's a shame for these ones to suffer and die if it turns out they can't acclimate as well as the adults. 

 

Growth rate of corals depends hugely on a wide number of factors, not least what kind of coral it is. You shouldn't expect them to do anything for a week or so after being purchased, at least, so it's no wonder you haven't seen much. 

 

I'd suggest not buying any corals you don't know the names of. You might wind up with something difficult to keep, invasive, or not suitable for your tank in one way or another. It's also good to know how much a coral should go for, so you know if the asking price is too high.

i always go in knowing what i want but coming out with something different 

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Yep, that's how things work at the LFS a lot of the time! But you can run into trouble buying things without knowing what they are. Expensive trouble, when it comes to corals. Ask around at the LFS to see what it is, and if they aren't sure, try looking at pics of coral shops online. Those are almost always labeled, so you can find something that looks similar and go from there. 

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Starfishie99

bought a water test kit and here are the results, i’m prepared for bad news so go ahead and send it my way

i don’t think my levels are too bad but they could probably be better 

 

pH: 7.8-8

ammonia: .25-.50 ppm

nitrite: .25-.50 ppm

nitrate: 5-20 ppm (its hard to tell but i definitely need to get this number lower)

E251A679-1B49-4184-81F8-1E9A48E55060.jpeg

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Lower pH is fairly common when windows are closed an ac is on...so that's not a problem.

 

The problem is that your tank isn't cycled.  Ammonia and nitrite should always be zero in a cycled tank.

 

As others have stated you have way too many fish for a 5 gallon.  Recommend taking those back to LFS and  making sure your tank is cycled.  Once it's cycled then you can add one or two appropriately sized fish.

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Starfishie99
2 minutes ago, DreC80 said:

Lower pH is fairly common when windows are closed an ac is on...so that's not a problem.

 

The problem is that your tank isn't cycled.  Ammonia and nitrite should always be zero in a cycled tank.

 

As others have stated you have way too many fish for a 5 gallon.  Recommend taking those back to LFS and  making sure your tank is cycled.  Once it's cycled then you can add one or two appropriately sized fish.

alrighty, how would you suggest i properly cycle my tank this time

i thought i did it somewhat correctly the first time but i guess not

tips?

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7 minutes ago, Starfishie99 said:

alrighty, how would you suggest i properly cycle my tank this time

i thought i did it somewhat correctly the first time but i guess not

tips?

Most folks use ammonium chloride as the ammonia source and some type of bacteria like Dr. Tim's, Biospira, etc.  I would buy those two items if you can. 

 

Since none of your fish are appropriate for a 5 gallon tank it's probably best to return them and ask the LFS to hold your corals. 

 

Then we can get the tank cycled completely and add a more appropriate sized fish like a neon goby.

 

If you google Dr Tim's, they have a guide on the website that tells you exactly how to do a fishless cycle.  Fairly straightforward.

 

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Starfishie99
1 minute ago, DreC80 said:

Most folks use ammonium chloride as the ammonia source and some type of bacteria like Dr. Tim's, Biospira, etc.  I would buy those two items if you can. 

 

Since none of your fish are appropriate for a 5 gallon tank it's probably best to return them and ask the LFS to hold your corals. 

 

Then we can get the tank cycled completely and add a more appropriate sized fish like a neon goby.

 

If you google Dr Tim's, they have a guide on the website that tells you exactly how to do a fishless cycle.  Fairly straightforward.

 

thank u, will definitely get some dr tim’s 

but i plan on keeping the dotty back in this tank by himself and transferring my clown to a larger tank so i’ll have to do something with them while i am recycling. as for my cardinals, i feel bad just letting them die but i definitely can’t return them because they’ve beaten each other up.

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Starfishie99
3 minutes ago, DreC80 said:

Most folks use ammonium chloride as the ammonia source and some type of bacteria like Dr. Tim's, Biospira, etc.  I would buy those two items if you can. 

 

Since none of your fish are appropriate for a 5 gallon tank it's probably best to return them and ask the LFS to hold your corals. 

 

Then we can get the tank cycled completely and add a more appropriate sized fish like a neon goby.

 

If you google Dr Tim's, they have a guide on the website that tells you exactly how to do a fishless cycle.  Fairly straightforward.

 

actually ya know what i already have doctor tim’s, that’s what i used originally. is there a specific type of ammonia source i should use?

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Starfishie99

i wanna get this right so here is what i plan on using for the bacteria and this other is a picture of the ammonia chloride

are these the right things?

image.jpg

5DCCCDB1-15AE-4F4D-B9BF-CCC919CD5E9D.png

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1 minute ago, Starfishie99 said:

actually ya know what i already have doctor tim’s, that’s what i used originally. is there a specific type of ammonia source i should use?

Well, if you are going to keep the dottyback in the tank you don't need an ammonia source since the fish is one...but that isn't the preferred method since it's rough on the fish to have to go through a cycle.

 

If you are going to rehome the fish while you cycle, Dr. Tim's sells ammonium chloride you buy on amazon.

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1 minute ago, Starfishie99 said:

i wanna get this right so here is what i plan on using for the bacteria and this other is a picture of the ammonia chloride

are these the right things?

image.jpg

5DCCCDB1-15AE-4F4D-B9BF-CCC919CD5E9D.png

Yup, that's exactly what you need....but read my other post.  We don't want to add ammonium chloride to the tank with any inverts, fish, or corals in it.

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4 minutes ago, Starfishie99 said:

i definitely can’t return them because they’ve beaten each other up.

return them. or buy tanks to seperate them. letting fish die on purpose is irresponsible and gives this hobby a bad rap. 

 

also, a maroon is not appropriate for a ten gallon. they get six inches and need AT LEAST 30 gallons. return the fish and do what is right before you get too attached to them. there are a lot of cool fish for tanks that size, but you need to research livestock before you buy. 

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Starfishie99
13 minutes ago, olive said:

return them. or buy tanks to seperate them. letting fish die on purpose is irresponsible and gives this hobby a bad rap. 

 

also, a maroon is not appropriate for a ten gallon. they get six inches and need AT LEAST 30 gallons. return the fish and do what is right before you get too attached to them. there are a lot of cool fish for tanks that size, but you need to research livestock before you buy. 

i’d rather buy them a separate tank,, i’m going to put the maroon fish in a 55 gallon not the 10

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Poison Dart Frog

I've cycled 2 of my tanks with Instant Ocean Biospira. I assume the Dr. Tim's is the same product? If so, that would at least help. With biospira you can add 1 or 2 small fish right after you put it in the tank, but you should give it a month or so to mature before adding corals or more fish.

But yeah, at the very least I'd add Biospira or the Dr. Tim's equivalent.

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Starfishie99

new water new tests and new results

 

pH: is high right now about 8-8.2

ammonia: in between 0 and .25 so it’s way better

nitrite: 0 ppm!! 

nitrate: 0 ppm!

 

i did a full water change so hopefully this cycle goes better

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Starfishie99
3 minutes ago, Poison Dart Frog said:

I've cycled 2 of my tanks with Instant Ocean Biospira. I assume the Dr. Tim's is the same product? If so, that would at least help. With biospira you can add 1 or 2 small fish right after you put it in the tank, but you should give it a month or so to mature before adding corals or more fish.

But yeah, at the very least I'd add Biospira or the Dr. Tim's equivalent.

couldn’t find dr tim’s at the store so i did a little rushed research. the only thing in my saltwater right now in API quickstart, it says i can add fish immediately but i doubt that 

 

i think it’s similar to what you mentioned because when i compared the two they both said live nitrifying bacteria

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You don't want 0 nitrates. Nitrates feed your corals and algae, and are a sign that your cycle is complete. 

 

Have you read up on how cycling a tank works? The general process, the goal, that sort of thing? 

 

You're probably going to have to do a lot of water changes, since the tank is overstocked and fairly new. Ammonia should really be 0. You unfortunately bought a fairly inaccurate test kit, API is difficult to read exact details of, so it's hard to tell what your ammonia actually is. 

 

Do you have access to live rock? It has a lot of bacteria on it, and would greatly hasten your cycle. Bottled bacteria is iffy because you don't know how long it's been on the shelf, and if the stuff in it is still alive.

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Starfishie99
16 minutes ago, Tired said:

You don't want 0 nitrates. Nitrates feed your corals and algae, and are a sign that your cycle is complete. 

 

Have you read up on how cycling a tank works? The general process, the goal, that sort of thing? 

 

You're probably going to have to do a lot of water changes, since the tank is overstocked and fairly new. Ammonia should really be 0. You unfortunately bought a fairly inaccurate test kit, API is difficult to read exact details of, so it's hard to tell what your ammonia actually is. 

 

Do you have access to live rock? It has a lot of bacteria on it, and would greatly hasten your cycle. Bottled bacteria is iffy because you don't know how long it's been on the shelf, and if the stuff in it is still alive.

yes i have live rocks already in my tank

i looked up cycling and all of that but i found nothing useful which is why i come here

 

im only going to keep the dottyback and clownfish in this tank and the cardinals are in a different home so hopefully it’s no longer overstocked and my biograde is down

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That tank will be overstocked with more than 1 fish in it, and you need to move the clown to a bigger tank before it gets stunted. 

 

An overview of cycling: 
Fish produce ammonia. Ammonia is toxic. 
There are bacteria that turn ammonia into nitrites, which are less toxic. There are also bacteria that turn nitrites into nitrates, which are least toxic, and useful to algae.

When a tank has enough of those beneficial bacteria, AKA your biofilter, to turn all fish waste from a reasonable bioload into ammonia, the tank is cycled. 

To cycle a tank, you add a bacteria source, like live rock or bottled stuff, and provide an ammonia source. In this case, the ammonia source is a fish. The bacteria multiply, and eventually your tank is cycled. When you can add ammonia, and then see 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and more than 0 nitrates after 24 hours, your tank is cycled. 

 

Fish-in cycling is more effort. You can't let ammonia get high at all or the fish will suffer and possibly be permanently damaged, if not killed. So you have to do a lot of water changes to keep the ammonia down, and your cycle will take longer because of that. 

 

Have you ever had nitrates? If you've had nitrates, that would indicate that your tank was cycled, but the bacteria are being overwhelmed by too much ammonia from too many fish. 

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Starfishie99
2 hours ago, Tired said:

That tank will be overstocked with more than 1 fish in it, and you need to move the clown to a bigger tank before it gets stunted. 

 

An overview of cycling: 
Fish produce ammonia. Ammonia is toxic. 
There are bacteria that turn ammonia into nitrites, which are less toxic. There are also bacteria that turn nitrites into nitrates, which are least toxic, and useful to algae.

When a tank has enough of those beneficial bacteria, AKA your biofilter, to turn all fish waste from a reasonable bioload into ammonia, the tank is cycled. 

To cycle a tank, you add a bacteria source, like live rock or bottled stuff, and provide an ammonia source. In this case, the ammonia source is a fish. The bacteria multiply, and eventually your tank is cycled. When you can add ammonia, and then see 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and more than 0 nitrates after 24 hours, your tank is cycled. 

 

Fish-in cycling is more effort. You can't let ammonia get high at all or the fish will suffer and possibly be permanently damaged, if not killed. So you have to do a lot of water changes to keep the ammonia down, and your cycle will take longer because of that. 

 

Have you ever had nitrates? If you've had nitrates, that would indicate that your tank was cycled, but the bacteria are being overwhelmed by too much ammonia from too many fish. 

this was incredibly useful thank you, yes i have had nitrates, averaging 5 ppm

 

honestly i think my tank is pretty fine right now,, obviously i can’t fully tell because it’s still fresh saltwater

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I don't see the point of adding ammonia at this point. There already is ammonia present.

 

The tank is clearly in the process of cycling and has been since you added fish(which is an ammonia source)

 

Fish in cycling isn't advised but its already been done.

 

What should be done NOW is removing the fish because the tank isn't fully cycled and the amount if fish in there is just way too many for a 5g.

 

allow the cycle to finish, do a waterchange, and add an appropriate fish for a 5g tank.

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Starfishie99

have these weird algae like flower things, i know the worst description 

i’ve used revive on my rocks and they still didn’t disappear 

when i touch them, they retract into the rock almost like a coral 

what are they??

they don’t seem to be doing any harm and they’ve been here since day 1

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D4CF6F9A-EC4B-4D4B-99E7-62C4C7D9417E.jpeg

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