The Reef Tank banner

Losing friends-walk me through this

1K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Kach 
#1 ·
Started tank 1/17/2016 (I'm aware how new)
Tank specs:
-29L from petco
-penguin power filter model 150
-Fluval aquasky led
-bubble wand
-koralia power head
-30lbs cured live rock
-2 bags petco sand

Inhabitants:
3 firefish- minus 1 found dead today (1/31/2016)
Lost arrow crab- looked like he died eating dead firefish
-2 hermit crabs (1/24/2016)
-snail (1/24/2016)
-shrimp (1/31/2016)
-blenny (2/7/2016)
-banggai Cardinal 3 (2/7/2016)

Feeding:
Pellets from lfs couple times a day up until yesterday. They didn't really touch them and so I did notice food on the bottom. Yesterday I picked up mysis shrimp and watched them go nuts for it.

Water:
From lfs ro/di


So here's the deal...I use the api test kit. I noticed on Sunday that my ammonia had spiked to 1.0 ppm. Up until this time with each addition my levels had remained completely stable. I did a 20% water change. Tested my water levels again yesterday and ammonia was .5 and everything else was still fine. I did another 20% water change. Today I tested again and my ammonia levels are 1.0ppm pH 8.2(holds steady here), Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0

Do I do another water change. How do I save my fish? I promise not to add anything else for a long long time :cry:
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I think you have just added more fish than your system can handle. Your tank is 29L and you have enough fish to fully stock a 29G tank. You can use a bit of prime (or any dechlorinating solution with the same active ingredient) to immediately lower the ammonia and keep doing massive water changes. That should help your fish out a bit. But the only viable long term solution is to either return the fish to a dealer or set up a larger tank.
 
#3 ·
It is a 29G tank. I used the L to indicate the style of Aqueon tank, sorry for the confusion. So anyhow, the 5 fish and, 2 hermits, blenny, snail and shrimp put me at full capacity? The LFS suggested I was below capacity. Grrrr...

Massive water change meaning 50%?
 
#5 ·
Sorry about the confusion (I should have known with the 30lbs of live rock). If your ammonia levels are at 1.0ppm you should probably do about a 50% water change to immediately lower them. You can also add prime to de-toxify the ammonia. You have probably just added fish too quickly. Try and get some filter media (maybe one of the bio-wheels) for the filter to help jump start you bio-filter.
 
#7 ·
I would say too much too fast. There's no way of telling how much bacteria is present in "cured" live rock you buy from an LFS. The only time would actually consider it cured is if I cured it myself or got it from a reefer I knew. It could've been in that tank labeled cured for a day.

Typically you should stock a tank one fish every few weeks to give the bacteria time to grow with each addition.

Also you might run into aggression with groups of the fish you chose in that size tank.

Water changes. Lots of them. Until your bacteria can keep up with the load. Also pick up some Seachem Prime which will detoxify the ammonia - right now it's damaging your fish and causing them pain when they're exposed to it.
 
#9 ·
I'll add to Chiwings advice:

Not only should you stock a tank slowly, but gradually before each new addition you should ramp up the amount of food before you get the new fish so that the increased food stimulates bacterial populations to grow to more closely match the new addition. If you don't do this there will almost always be an ammonia spike, even though it might be small enough to not matter.
 
#12 ·
That's what I was afraid of. LR had already cycled in the store for a while. I went in to my LFS for my water tests on week 2 and bought the crabs and snail. My water has been stable until this weekend so it does seem it's cycling. No, I have not had an algae bloom.

Were the deaths started after switching foods?
Yes

Update:
I did a 20% water change, added seachan prime, plan to check my water again in the morning and repeat the process if it's still high.
 
#13 ·
Ok I've been doing daily water changes. All of my parameters are in check except the ammonia is reading .25. I read somewhere that the primer can still cause an ammonia reading because the ammonia is still in the water, just no longer toxic. True or false?

Do I keep changing water daily until my levels are at 0? Do I add primer with each water change?

I feel like the really confused kid in class that didn't do my homework :(

Fish seem happy... Eating well and hanging out and not hiding.
 
#14 ·
I'm going to add to CRP's statement. Your tank never cycled. Adding live rock, cured or not, will not make a tank instantly inhabitable. It will seed your tank though, then you will need to wait it out.

Your ammonia is diluted because of the water changes, but it isn't over. More ammonia will be produced, then the nitrites will rise.

In my experience, it's not ready until the diatoms bloom. That's your visual.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top