Spiny Urchin ok?!

Don't let your Ph drop any lower. When adding fish to a new tank I would do 1 at a time. When did you a water change? Try adding ammonia neutralizing crystals by White Diamond, and change it every 24 hrs. Your nitrates are probably high and you can add nitrate sponge by Kent and also change it every 24hrs. You want to get rid of ammonia and your nitrates

 

I didn't think zeolite was reef-safe. It will strip the alk and cal out of the tank to if I remember right.

If it where me I would reduce or stop feeding until the ammonia is gone. keep with the water changes, and posssibly add some Amquel plus.

You tank need to cycle and you added stuff too quick. Also you have far to little LR and LS even if it was cycled. This is going to take some work.

Also what skimmer?

 

Ok, just did a 35 gallon water change, numbers;


Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 0.0
Nitrate 10
Ph 8.2
Salinity .023

Urchin checked out last night. the fish are getting VERY LITTLE food 2x a day, and are as active and happy as ever. What else do I need to do now?

oh yea, seaclone skimmer...just started working very well the past few days, lots of good brown froth and filling bowl as it should, will probably be full in a week.

 

just came home, ammonia over 8.0

 

Are you sure your doing/reading the tests right? If ammonia was that high everything would be dead.

Also, a seaclone skimmer is not even close to being half way adequate for a 150 gallon tank.

 

How old is your tank, are you sure this is not your 1st cycle? Is anything alive or stress?

 

Yep I am sorry to say but your skimmer is too small, you got too little LR and LS, and you already added your fish. This tank will never work right as is. Like Phish said I think the 8.0 was a bad reading but your still going to have a hard time keeping this tank stable as is.

If I where you I would see if the LFS or a freind with a stable system could hold your fish and inverts. Then I would add sand until you get 3-4" deep bed and double your LR. Then wait for the tank to recycle.

Do you have the Seaclone 100 or 150? There both not great but if you had the right amount of LR and LS and you have the 150 you could probably get by with it if you don't have hugh plans for coral.

Sorry to be this upfront but I don't think your system will work that well without major work.

 

Back from the LFS with 30 lbs more cured LR and Chemi-Pure, did a 40 gallon water change while all rocks out, and vacuumed the sand bed (it is already 3-4" deep) Ammonia was off the scale at the LFS when they tested my water too. Nothing else died YET, and are rather happy...I ammo locked the water this morning on my way out the door to work.
After being in the store for an hour, and everyone there thinking, the good vacuum, water change, more LR and Chemi-Pure was the answer.

What do you think? Water murky becase of all the new rock and moving things after an hour still.......Anyone used Chemi-Pure?

 

Your sandbed won't cycle if you keep disturbing. Is your sand, sand, gravel, or crushed coral?

Your headed in the right direction. If anything decent size dies at this point it would probably take out the rest of the fish with it if it gets a chance to rot. So keep track of all the fish. Just keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and hopefully you can ride this out.
I would still suggest more rock though.

 

I am out for the night, the fish all (counted) look good, water still very cloudy. I am planning on picking up more rock tomorrow (I hate parting with hundreds of dollars every time I go to the LFS! Which has been actually thousands over the last 2 months.....)


my substrate is 80% "live sand," dunno what that is exactly, it was wet in the bag, and the rest argonite. I came to think about my vacuuming it....dumb I think...I am used to freshwater..i may have sucked up many days of good bacteria......