New Member - New Project

[nemo31]

Thanks you so much,
I will now go away and do my testing !!

I'll also post some pictures tonight of the tank.

[cuttingras]

Originally Posted by nemo31

The wife has brought me a Jebo 180 skimmer with powerhead.
Has anyone got this protine skimmer ??? is it any good ??? How do i set it up as a hang one skimmer ??? anyone got any pics ??? I googled it and there were threads on this skimmer but no one has posted a picture of the set up ?

She did say that the shop has a limited amount of stock when it comes to this sort of thing !!! had to order another powerhead as they dont stock them.
The wife also brought me a temp gauge. One step forward another few back !!

I'll keep on pushing !!!

yep sorry to burst your bubble Jebo=Junk-o I think that's Chinese for "Haha Sucker, we got your money!" I have one that I would have sold ya, for mere pennies, heck just the shipping LOL!

[nemo31]

Please see the pictures of the tank.

I am getting very high nitrite & nitrate levels.
I have lost two fish so far.
The filter should have had its cycle by now ? I do have small pockets of algae growing.
The remaining fish seam fine, hardy little buggers !

This morning i done a 50% water change and just waiting for half an hour for the tank to settle so i can check all my levels again.
I cannot get hold of any cleaner crew out here, everyone say’s “One Week” but that was 3 weeks ago.
Please can you help by letting me know:
1) What cleanup crew will help eat the crap of the bottom of the tank, eat the algae, help with keeping natural levels in the tank.
2) What is the best way of keeping my levels in check ? Everything seemed to be going well and then BAM everything f-+ed up !
Please if anyone can now give me either a thread to read or some advice or something I would be grateful

Would coral help with the levels in the tank ???

Cheers

[nemo31]

just checked my levels again, even though a 50% water change is has not gone down as much as i would have liked, still very high ? what next ?

[lunatik_69]

What are your parameters? Whats the problem that your having? Luna

[sssnake]

Originally Posted by lunatik_69

....Whats the problem that your having? Luna

I think the problem is he is going wayyyyy too fast.

On April 8 water is poured in the tank and sand from the "beach". This may be problem number 1.

On April 12 adds inverts, coral and does a water change. May be problem number 2.

On April 27 does another 50% water change and somewhere between April 8 and 27th adds more fish. May be problem number 3.

Parameters are going way out of whack, the tank is wanting to cycle but being prevented from doing so by constant water changes, introduces what may very well be contaminated sand from the local beach.

@ nemo31:
Man, you have to slow down. You have to give your new system a chance to go through a natural process of creating and completing a cycle.

If I were in your shoes I would start all over again and read some very helpful tips written on this forum for doing things properly from the start. Otherwise you're only asking for problems to happen. And this will frustrate you and turn you off about the salt water hobby.

By no means am I being critical of you. I just want to stress that you are going way to fast. Slow it down and start asking allot of questions before you make the next move in the initial set-up of your piece of the ocean. There's allot of knowledge and helpful members in this forum.

[lunatik_69]

If what Snake is saying is true, dude your going to have a very bumpy ride. Before you start this hobby, you need to acquire a special attribute called patience. Trust me I know, I was the most impatient man alive. I dont know who is telling you how to start a SW tank, but I dont think it was anyone from here, probably your LFS. The cycling of a tank CAN last up to 12 weeks, in which, the 1st month should be without any livestock. You can add ONE fish after that month, but thats it. The reason is very simple, fish product the most waste(bio load) of all livestock, the bacteria that converts the waste to Nh3/4 then to No2 and then to No3 needs time to grow(cycling period). As you introduce more fish, that bacteria needs to catch up with that new bio load. Thats why it is recommended to introduce ONE fish at a time with at least 2-3 weeks in between them.
As for the "freebie" stuff from the beach(sand), thats a no-no. I know how tempting it is to just reach out your hands and take it from the shore line or from the ocean but thats just playing russian roulette. I think that Snake makes a good point, you should start from scratch again. Ask your LFS to hold on to your livestock while you start over again. Please read this web site to give you a better understanding about the hobby. It even has a glossary and with definitions. Saltwater Aquarium Setup Guide The better you understand this hobby and how it works, the more success you will have, not to mention the money that you will be saving and the lives of the creatures you will also save. I really hope this helps you. Luna

[sean_p_f]

Originally Posted by lunatik_69

If what Snake is saying is true, dude your going to have a very bumpy ride. Before you start this hobby, you need to acquire a special attribute called patience. Trust me I know, I was the most impatient man alive. I dont know who is telling you how to start a SW tank, but I dont think it was anyone from here, probably your LFS. The cycling of a tank CAN last up to 12 weeks, in which, the 1st month should be without any livestock. You can add ONE fish after that month, but thats it. The reason is very simple, fish product the most waste(bio load) of all livestock, the bacteria that converts the waste to Nh3/4 then to No2 and then to No3 needs time to grow(cycling period). As you introduce more fish, that bacteria needs to catch up with that new bio load. Thats why it is recommended to introduce ONE fish at a time with at least 2-3 weeks in between them.
As for the "freebie" stuff from the beach(sand), thats a no-no. I know how tempting it is to just reach out your hands and take it from the shore line or from the ocean but thats just playing russian roulette. I think that Snake makes a good point, you should start from scratch again. Ask your LFS to hold on to your livestock while you start over again. Please read this web site to give you a better understanding about the hobby. It even has a glossary and with definitions. Saltwater Aquarium Setup Guide The better you understand this hobby and how it works, the more success you will have, not to mention the money that you will be saving and the lives of the creatures you will also save. I really hope this helps you. Luna

+1 to luna.

nemo31 i am a big newbie to this hobby and my first set up on my 20g was a disaster i would lose a fish and think i got a bad one from the store go buy a new one... long story short a lot of money wasted. I would just sit back not test the tank and let it ride for a month. Then test the tank and see where you are. What is done is done just slow it down and you will be ok.

I am still and impatient guy and sometimes rush stuff and normally get bad results but you learn from doing or reading...

Chin up and let it ride.

[nemo31]

I will post levels today of the tank.
I used sand from the beach as no one here sold sand !
The sand was washed before it was added.
I think your right on the cycle of the tank, i was working a bit too fast.

[luvreefs23]

Im with everyone else who rushed...killed fish and inverts cause i had no patience. Here is an example of a tank u could set up for around a 1000 dollars....equipment fish and all.
This tank eventually costed me 4000 dollars and all i got was a lesson in patience. This was my first 29 gallon tank:




now here is my girlfriends 10 gallon...set up for about 300 bux with patience:





Good luck with yours