Resolved First Saltwater tank.. having serious problems

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by MaroonClownFish, Mar 31, 2010.

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  1. MaroonClownFish

    MaroonClownFish Astrea Snail

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    I've kept freshwater tanks for years, and I finally decided to do a saltwater tank for once. The tank has been running for almost three days now. It was going great.. the water was clear and the levels were good. Then yesterday I put in a bunch of live rock and it clouded up my tank horribly. I thought maybe it would clear up overnight, but it didn't. I did a test last night and the nitrates were at 80 and the nitrites were at 0-0.5. Today I did a 40-50% water change. The water was still very cloudy, so I tested again. Nitrates were still 80 and nitrites 0.

    What is going on? What do I do???
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2010
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  3. divott

    divott Giant Squid

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    when cycling your tank, do not do water changes until your cycle is over. doing a water change will just make the cycle last longer. usually 4-6 weeks for a tank to cycle. give it time , all the readings wil lslowly go down. and the water will clear up in a few days. to aid your cycle getting a boost , throw in a piece of raw shrimp. it wil lhelp establish the bacterias youre gonna want. remember patience is the key word here. good luck

    guy
     
  4. bama

    bama Humpback Whale

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    your tank is 3 days old.. let it chill for a little bit.. Adding LR is the best thing you can do for your tank at this time.. I suggest letting it just do its thing for a few days and then test the water again.. Also please dont buy any fish until your levels are somewhat stable..
     
  5. MaroonClownFish

    MaroonClownFish Astrea Snail

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    It is not the cycle, I don't think. You don't reach the 80 nitrates point instantaneously, from what I know. Unless the live rock advanced it? I already have three damsels. They are swimming very happily (I don't understand how or why!) and still playing in the rocks. I am so confused at this point.
     
  6. Reef2Keep

    Reef2Keep Purple Spiny Lobster

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    was your LR sitting around for a while before you put it in? maybe you had a ton of die off which spiked your nitrates.
     
  7. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    What is your source water? Has the tank cycled? How much have you fed the fish and how often? It sounds like you may not have prepared and researched enough before starting this tank. The best thing you can do is let the tank sit there for a while and perform water tests every few days to judge how far along you are in the cycle.
     
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  9. divott

    divott Giant Squid

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    well if your tanks only been running 3 days, you havent even begun your cycle. but its coming.ammonia, nitrite then nitrates will all spike , then settle down. hopefully all to zero.
     
  10. MaroonClownFish

    MaroonClownFish Astrea Snail

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    Yeah the live rock was used and then sitting around for a while. Someone gave them to me. He said it would be fine if I just put it in and that I didn't have to rinse them off.

    I rarely feed them. They get 4 or 5 of the Hikari baby pellets for all three of them to eat.

    What do I do now? I really don't want to do anymore water changes. I have a 55gal with a tiny siphon. It takes forever to do water changes.
     
  11. the fisherman

    the fisherman Vlamingii Tang

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    Should have added a little at a time.
     
  12. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    Basically all you can do is let the tank sit, and let nature take its course. You should experience a cycle. An ammonia spike, then nitrite then nitrates, but it doesn't always follow that formula all of the time.