Some additional newbie questions. - The real test of making the tank live...

C

clownfish74

[I bought my first live rock yesterday (but thats another story altogether - anyways) and put that with Texas holey rock that i've had in the tank a while. I also got a fish and some live sand (only 1 pound - hope to get some more from Maldivan this weekend).

Anyway, I put the fish in the tank and that was the last I saw of him for over 2 hours. I cant believe how he could have totally disappeared like that, quite amazing. I tried to find him from every angle and could not so gave up. Yes, he's still there, peeked out of the rocks a couple times. Anyway my questions...

I was told to get the live-rock to spread, you have to get your calcium level right etc so how do I check that and get it right?

I have a mag 5 in a 58 gallon tank and it seems that every time I try to turn it on, it stirs up the sand real bad, like a dust storm so I dont want to keep it on very long. How do I get that to stop? (I thought if I put some rock in the tank in strategic locations, that would help) It just seems the mag 5 is to powerful to use on such a small tank.

Also regarding the mag 5, is that to powerful a water pump to use with a skimmer? It seems if I would hook that pump to the skimmer I have, it would blow the lid right off the skimmer.

My tank seems cloudy (but dont have anything to compare it to), whats up and/or is there even a problem?

I know this is odd to ask, but would anyone be willing to come over this weekend to look at the tank and all my stuff to make sure i'm doing things right?

Thanks to all in advance for your help.]
 
[We need to know:

The type of fish you bought. Some hide, and will only come out to eat.
The type of skimmer you have. Each skimmer needs its own type of pump (gph).
The water parameters - you need to test pH, ammonia, alkalinity, calcium, nitrites, nitrates, salinity, and temperature.]
 
[The skimmer you have is rated for a 500-700 gph pump and is good up to a 150 gal tank.Its a TS-2000 off brand made by Aquamedic ( like Eco pumps are made by Sen ).The mag5 fits the bill for that skimmer perfectly. I remember suggesting that you use 2 maxijet 1200's or 900's for circulation in your 58.I cant imagine the turmoil its creating in that tank!

Andy]
 
[Questions:

Type of fish = Lemon Damsel
Skimmer = See Maldivan response above
Salinity = 1.023-1.024
pH = Above 7.8 (sorry, mistakely bought freshwater type that did not go above 7.8 on its scale)

I have 3 Maxi-Jet 900's on the way but wanted to see if I could use the mag-5 in the interim.]
 
[Here are the "stats" for my water thanks to PETsMART (so take accuracy accordingly)...

PH - 8.2
Chlorine and Chloramine - 0
Ammonia - 2.5 mg/L
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10 mg/L
Hardness - 300
Alkalinity - 180

Any thoughts would be great :)]
 
[Ammonia = 2.5? No wonder that fish is hiding! I am hoping that is a typo, and you meant .025.

I know it's not the recommended course, but maybe some Amquel PLUS or Seachem Prime can help. (Not recommended, because the tank is new, and should rectify itself, rather than be pushed along.)]
 
[Hard to say, typically I would say just leave it alone for a month, do not add any more fish until your cycled, and do not replace the damsel if it dies. Today however much more concern is give to the fish (and rightfully so), and often times water changes and ammonia lowering products are recommended for the fishes sake.

IMO your tank will do much better in the long run with a normal cycle, you need ammonia to cycle the tank, when you start trying to take it out and do water changes during the cycle you can really throw off the bacteria trying to populate your tank, I've seen some cycles take months due to people doing water changes, adding fish, etc during thier cycle. Its best just to leave it alone.

Your best bet if your ammonia is really 2.5ppm, just take the fish back to the store, and let the tank run empty til you have no ammonia or nitrite (cycled), then add 1 fish and go from there.

Going slow, being patient, and not overstocking your tank is the "secret" to success. If you can handle it, I would highly recommend letting the tank run with only the live sand and live rock for as long as you can take. You will build up an amazing population of fauna in that time. My 10g tank has been running for about 3 months now with no fish, and just last week I saw a new type of copepod population take off! I started with non-live rock and 1, fist sized piece of live rock. The fauna life at this point is nothing short of amazing, I don't know where they all came from.

One note, hardness 300? I've never seen hardness tested in saltwater, and I'm not sure what exactly an alkalinity of 180 would be, typically alk is testing in dKH or meq/l, in either case the number would/should be under 10.]
 
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