novice setting up 150 gallon reef aquarium

My book came in. Thanks GoToSleep; it is an excellent reference for me. Honestly I don't know most of what it is talking about yet, but then it does explain well.

I feel empowered by knowledge...a good thing

 

Question: Time for a water change?

I am adding two clownfish on Tuesday and think it is time to do a 10 gal (<10%) water change.

My new-to-me Salifert nitrate test is 2. mg/L (isn't it supposed to be 1.0 mg/L or at least less than 2.0 mg/L?)

All other parameters are fine or reading the lowest reading in my Tetratest kit:
ammonia 0 mg/L
nitrite <0.3 mg/L (lowest reading in test kit for nitrite)
pH 8.0
KH 8
salinity (hydrometer 1.022-1.024) - getting refractometer, hopefully, 9/12

My initially added 4 chromis died last week. I did a 10 gal water change during their distress but it didn't save them.

More-or-less by mistake I got a live bait shrimp in the tank ("fishless cycling" took a bad/good turn). The shrimp has been doing fine.

I think the tank has cycled and I am now seeing nitrate build up routinely to be solved by water changes. (I never saw the cycling parameters rise and fall but I could have missed them.)

 

Added two Ocellaris (false) clownfish to tank today. The fish and bait-size shrimp are showing curiosity about each other but no aggression.

It is very nice to have fish in the tank again.

I'll do a partial water change in a week whether the chemical tests tell me to or not. (My current theory is that I didn't change the water often enough to keep the green chromis alive.)

 

Refractometer arrived and salinity is 1.023. Yes!

Both clownfish are active and at least touching their food. I am too far back to tell if they are eating. They've adjusted nicely to the large shrimp who seems more active than it was before.

(Wondering if fish and invertebrates have personalities....)

 

Second wave of fish:

Today I added a replacement clownfish for the one that died within three days. The other clownfish and the bait shrimp have been thriving for over 10 days.

I also added a firefish goby, sailfin tang, cleaner shrimp, blue-legged hermit crabs, bumble bee snails, acorn snail, amphipods and copepods, red grape tree, and a red tree sponge. In a separate bowl I am raising "food" with caulerpa (to be frozen or microwaved before adding to display tank) and amphipods and copepods.

All the fish are mostly staying one side of the 150 gallon tank with a central overflow column. Invertebrates and mollusks are moving all over the place. Everyone arrived alive. Now it is my job to keep them healthy and well-adjusted.

 

Update:

2 Oscellaris and 1 firefish goby and 1 cleaner shrimp are living with blue-leg hermit crabs, bumblebee snails and an olive snail...alive and well. A red tree sponge is fine and red grape tree seems too be gone or going.

Nitrates not yet zero and I am doing 15% water change weekly. Last readings have been 10 mg/L

The cleaner shrimp has molted.

I had a clownfish die within four days of being added to the tank earlier. I had a sailfin tang die within 8 hrs of being added to the tank. I suspect in both cases that something was wrong with the fish as all others added at the same times thrive.

Plans:
(1) Keep changing water weekly and expect nitrates to drop to zero.
(2) Add some mermaid fan and bristle algae to aquascape
(3) Take existing 10 gal and set up with algae to grow for food and aquascape.
(4) When weather cooler and nitrates decreasing, order sailfin tang, foxface, additional cleaner shrimp, and three cardinalfish plus some more snails.
(4) Shop for used 40 long tank to convert to filter, refugium, protein skimmer area and shop for AMS or Octopus used skimmer. Until that is in place, handle nitrate by regular water changes.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Congrats on the 150 inheritance.

 

sounding pretty good but cant understand why ur stock keeps dieing now tangs are very fragile the slightest change in water params and zam they go belly up but the chromis and the clown thats zangy

 

I've posted a picture in my 150 gal album of a white tubed bristle circumferenced "worm". It doesn't look like it has tentacles like I expect on aiptasia (sp?).



Worry. Leave alone. Let hermit crabs decide?

 

how are you acclimating? If your live stock keeps dying something is not cosher in the tank or with the acclimation process. My opinion. need to test parameters and wait between additions. I know it is hard because I have been guilty of the same thing. Most of us here probably have. Its hard to keep looking at a empty tank especially when you see all the beautiful tanks that the people on here put together. Dont tell them im jealous. One day in the future someone will (hopefully) look at my tank and say Man I wish my tank looked that good. just my opinion. "Only bad things happen fast"