My damsels!!

[BeginnersLuck]

Hey MR, I need some help with my new first saltwater tank. I have a 24G auqapod with 25 lbs of live rocks and 15 lbs of live sand.

Ok now to the point.. well i cycled my tank for 5 days with the live rocks and live sand and i have noticed some algae and green algaie on my koraila 2 so i tested my water and everything is ok... pH-7.8, NO3-0, Nitrite No2-0, ammonia- 0.25. So i thought everything was alright.. except ammonia but i got a stripped damsel because i read damsels are very hardy and able to cycle with a new tank..when i got it it was doing fine for 1-2 hours swimming normally.. swimming through caves... but not its beginning to look as if it's dying. Doesnt seem like he has much energy left like he did before.. now he is just on the floor sitting and swimming against the current..

Please don't flame me with hate messages..=[
just asking for help from experienced people.

 

[duke62]

you r rushing the cycle.having fish in a setup before the tank is completly cycled is cruel to your fish.a cycle can take over a month before u add livestock.there will be spikes in ammonia during your cycle that will kill a fish.please dont rush into it.let your tank go through its natural cycle before adding any livestock

 

[BeginnersLuck]

But arent damsels a hardy fish and capable of going through a cycle? I mean i acclimated him into the tank slowly and he was swimming perfectly... swimming through caves and coming back out it was fun to watch him... but after 2 hours i think it was maybe even 3 hours he began to just sit on the bottom.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

And he keeps trying to swim against my power head current.

 

[duke62]

is this what your fishstore told u to do.if so they just want you to buy there fish.take him out and bring him back to your store.let your tank cycle fish and coral free.i will find you a link to properly cycle ur tank

 

[BeginnersLuck]

I bought the fish from Petco there are refunds on saltwater fishes =[. But he was happy at first... somehow its like he's paralyzed but still keeps trying to swim against the current even though he cant.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Is it possible to have a hermit crab at least? I have algae growing in the tank.

 

[duke62]

your cycle will give you different types of algae growth.lets start off with 1.what type of lighting do u have 2.what kind of filtration r u using 3.im guessing u r using tap water and not ro/di water or you r buying the water from the pet store 4.dont listen to anything they have to say about setting up a reef tank.buy some books and look on this site and other web sites that teach u the correct way of getting started and staying successful.also what r u planning to do..reef tanl or fish only

 

[Pootie]

Inverts are even more prone to die during a cycle.!!

Just take your time and in a sense "forget" about your tank for a month or so.!!

 

[BeginnersLuck]

1. Lighting came with the tank - 32w sunpaq dual atinic and one 32w sunpaq dual daylight compact fluorescent lamp, and Nocturnal Blue Lunar Lights.
2. Filterration - Berlin Skimmer triple pass and 25 lbs of live rocks
3. Yes i use tap water. I fill a bucket of water and left it out for 2 days before adding salt.
4. Yes Sir. lol. But that's why im here.. to ask for help. I did some research online and see how people did their tanks and i compare them and see what i would like to do.

I use "Natue's ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite Reef Sand" from petco.
http://www.petco.com/product/7452/N...-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA
and added live rocks i got from a member from this forum.

 

[JonnyJ]

I'd get him out and return him if you could.
*
I started on the aquapod 24 a few months ago.

*. My local fish store Convinced me to get a green chromis 7 days after I started the 24 pod, The first day he was great! awesome swimmer lol he was like lighting - *in an out of rocks swimming like a maniac ( sounds familiar) then slowed down the next few days and eventually died. From what? Definitely a spike from some die off that didn't happen in the first 7 days etc

After the chromis incident i kept reading random stuff on here and picked up on stuff- still learning of coarse. I'm a little over 3 months in to the reef world and especially a nano.

Again*Don't rush, I waited like 5-6 weeks after that before adding 2 damsels which I shouldn't have even done - I didn't plan on keeping them - they are mean and will kill and attack any othe new fish ( especially in a nano)*

* I understand the want for a fish. The rock can be boring lol...anyways the rock I added was 3 years old from an established tank with coraline. My advice is to Let the tank settle in and cycle - the reason people say to wait a few weeks is because it gives the good bacteria a chance to establish.*

what didn't die off yet may within the next week or weeks to come. The tank needs to stablize.

You'll save yourself alot of problems in the future if you just wait.

If you have any questions MSG me. Even if you think they are dumb.*

Jonnnnnyy*

 

[duke62]

letting water sit outside does nothing.is this a way to try to get rid of chlorine.you still are going to have to get some sort of ro/di unit to be positive your water is pure.some use bottled water which is expensive and some buy premixed water from there Local Fish Store "LFS".you will notice alot of algae growth while using tap water.also get yourself some good test kits.i use salifert.this hobby will be expensive at first but the cost goes down unless your a coralaholic like most of us

 

[BeginnersLuck]

But did your tank eventually work out? i didnt plan on keeping the damsel either.. i never even planned to get damsels actually... I was just so bored staring at the rocks and i hear damsels are hardy so i thought i'd have some fun.

But i don't get it.. he been floating around against the current for almost TWO DAYS! and he's still alive...

 

[duke62]

probably having a rough time breathing.of course its boring but would u rather be bored or keep buying fish for 5 dollars a pop just to see them suffer and die.patience is the key to success in this hobby.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

I wasn't planning for it to die i read somewhere that they are very hardy fish and capable of going through a cycle. But i still don't get it.. the water parameter were the same before the day i got the damsel as the day after i got the damsel it just started dying.

Well, thanks a lot for the help! - Duke, Jonny, and Pootie

 

[caad3]

I know it sucks, but one thing I have learned in this hobby is take things slow and late nature take its course.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Yeah thanks caad3 my damsel died just now... =[.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Ok so here is a good re-start point. First no more fish until the tank is cycled. Give it another few weeks. Then test the water to male sure it is ready for fish. Once it has finished wait a week and add a clean up crew. After that add another week and add your first fish. One or two only at first. I would not use tap water any more and in fact since nothing is alive in the tank I would get as much of the tap water out and start with RODI water or like I have done with all my tanks go to petco and buy the premade water they sell and add that. I also do all my water changes using that water. Five gallons every two weeks. On my old aqua pods and my current solana and bio cube it works quite well.

Right now take a pinch of food and put it into the tank to help with jump starting the cycle if you don't plan on removing the water. Tap water has a lot of cr@p in it that can be detrimental to your ecosystem that is why we use filtered water. You can also use distilled water for top offs if you elect not to get an RODI filter.

 

[Imbarrie]

I dont think anyone is beating you up for making rookie mistakes.

I started with a 12G Aquapod over a year ago and fortunately for me and my fish I found Manhattan Reefs early on.

+1 Replace all the water with RODI or prepackaged salt water, wait for the cycle to complete.

If you know someone with a tank you can get a scoop of their sand, it can help but you would still need to wait at least a month for the cycle. If you want to come out to Long Island I will give you a scoop of sand. PM me. Most of what you need though is deep inside that live rock. You need to let it grow.

It can take that long to read about how to proceed.
Volumes of information is online about how to start a tank. And all of it contradicts what the 'Guru' at Petco told you.

One last thing, never get advice or livestock from Petco again. There is a reason they dont allow returns on SW, their advice is always crap and most of it dies. The store near me had nothing more than standard flourescent tubes on their soft coral tanks.

Best of luck.

 

[JonnyJ]

i bought my first two damsels there because no lfs had any, anyways i ended up bringing back the two damsels to the same store because i didn't want to keep them. I didnt expect or get a refund or even ask...The employees don't have any training...the guy literally poured the container into a net over a sink then threw them into one of the tanks without acclimating.