new reef trouble

[Neal]

I have a new 150x high 24x48x30 120lbs uncured live rock, 356watts of power compacts, proclear aquatics pro 200 with skimmer wet/dry,cap 5000 pump, with 2 over flows in the reef ready tank. Its been set up for 5 weeks all of my nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and ph are good as in 0, 0, 0, 8.2, calcium is at 300 hundred and bringing it up while alk was a just little high but coming down. I tried adding corals but its not looking good for the leather and the xenia died day after adding it polyps are good mushrooms are ok :? and sea mat looks a little sketchy.I've been told my tank needs time to stabalize but what does that mean and what can i do to help it. Also my tank has tiny particals blowing all around and its not sand, I know it has some small bugs swimming aroud but there is enough blowing around to make it look a tad cloudy. Can anyone make suggestions?
Thanx

 

[Mikef1]

Hi Neal Welcome to Reefs.Org!! :lol:

My suggestion to you is to wait longer before trying to add corals. At the 4 week point your tank has just finished its nitrogen cycle. I find it very hard to believe you nitrates are at zero if your tank fully cycled. Yes your calcium is on the low side. I would do water changes over the next couple of weeks and your calcium should come up. In most cases a new tank like that has a very high calcium, what test kits are you using? I wouldnt add more corals for at least a month or so. Hope this helps!

 

[fredso2003]

I would do 20% water changes 2 or 3 times a month and try raising the salinity up to 1.26 or even 1.27.I know that's a little high but the reason is to decrease the chances of harmful bacterial related disease early on.And if your planning on coral go with "starter corals" such as polyps,zoos,shrooms, leathers, etc....you should not have any problems with a little higher salt level.Also you can raise that calcium slowly with a kalkwasser drip up to 420to450ppm. Just watch so your alk doesnt go up to high with it! keep your high PH in check and temp around 74-76 max and wait at least 6 weeks to add any more corals till things start to stabilize.The most inportant tip I can give you is the one that was the hardest for me to learn:BE PATIENT!!No great reef ever happened in 3 months or 6 months,I have my system for 11 months and it is only in the last 2 months that things really got stable and my corals are flurishing and the coraline algae has taken off!I hope this helps........ :lol:

 

[hillbilly]

If you try to stock a new tank before it has "cycled" out, you are just throwing money away and killing livestock. Please wait 2 or more months before stocking. In the meantime learn all you can about the critters needs that you want to keep. It will keep the creatures happy, and you won't waste any more money!

 

[Anonymous]

wasting money and critters will get you outta this hobby faster than you can say "holy Godspeed through Texas Fagg*t"!"

 

[Neal]

Just for your info i had no fish die one xenia dead on arrival and a leather died after a water change. My levels WERE all a ZERO when I added the corals when I did the water change I stired up the tank and blew the detritus off the live rock witch there was alot because it was uncured when I bought it and that is why my levels spiked and that is why my leather died I know enough not to buy things just to put them to death.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the message here is simply "patience." I'm not sensing that anyone is implying anything, other than the tank is very young and very unstable. Even when cycled, a new tank is subject to fluctuations in water quality. Regardless of what your levels are at, hold off on ading anything for a few more weeks. I see in your other thread that you have fish with ich. Slow down a bit. You're having things get sick and die and that's how not to proceed. Don't get discouraged, just realize that you're not going to have a successful reef in a few weeks or even months. I really believe that tanks don't "settle down" for about the first year.

 

[Anonymous]

Xenia and leather are kinda touchy too epesically a new tank..id recommend 6 months before adding coral but that is my opinion..

 

[Neal]

Thankx for the info now I'm just watching, I have enough in my tank now to keep me happy although i did buy two stars and some crabs to help with the detritus and algea. My tank has since zeroed out again and it looks great, star polyps bloomed mushrooms growing, fish are happy and water is crystl clear so I'm just gonna sit back and watch for awhile.

Thanks

 

[J.Howard]

Now you're on the right track. Remember these words...

"When you can walk on the rice paper, and leave no trace... only then will you be ready Grasshopper."

I know it sucks to wait, but it really pays off in the end.