Rookie seeking help

[RJS2515]

Hi guys,
I got into the hobby about 5 months ago now knowing at all what went into keeping a saltwater tank (It didn't help that the staff at the LFS I went to was not very knowledgeable or interested in helping me out aside from when i was ready to buy something). To keep a long story short, my 70 gallon was way overstocked and I would add multiple fish at a time, never check parameters aside from the one I was aware of which was salinity, only filtration was a hang on bio wheel filter, after water changes I would pour marine salt directly into the tank to get the salinity back. now knowing MUCH more I am extremely surprised that I managed to keep an RBTA, 2 clownfish, a snowflake and ghost eel, valentini puffer and two blue damsels alive until the bacterial bloom that happened a week ago which killed everything but the RBTA and two eels. The sad part is that the bloom happened when i was out getting more livestock and I ended up coming home with a green birdsnest flowerpot corals (which I was told at the same store that these are the two easiest rookie suited corals around. after starting to do research I am thinking that is completely false at least for the flower pot). Currently i have the two eels, RBTA, flower pot and birdsnest in a 20 gallon tank with good parameters (I read up on every and anything I could after the bacterial bloom so I went and got a testing kit) and some live rock. as for my main 70 gal tank I purchased a Eshopps psk100 skimmer for it that is running well and I will be getting a canister filter this week to replace the hang on (I really would prefer to not have a sump). The tank completely cleared up and has those little white dots appearing on the glass again that I know are good but cant remember exactly what they are called, as for parameters ph is 8.4 but ammonia and either nitrite or nitrate are still outta whack( when i saw how off they were I just figured ill test again in a few days). I have a decent amount of live rock in the tank and about 3 inches of sand. Please help me out with where i go from here?How do i get my parameters right? how do i make it safe to put my eels and RBTA and corals back in? how do i know when the tank will be ready to add a pair of clownfish? any advice on keeping an RBTA birdsnest and flower pot? sorry for the long post Ive just been in the dark for so long and now that i know how much is involved in keeping a marine tank i wanna make sure i get everything right! thanks!

 

[Jason mack]

Hi welcome too R2R , thats quite a story you got there , but i have Some good news for you .. Your at the right place for help and advice .. yours already Well on Your way too resolving Your issues , ammonia is a problem you need too test properly and know Where its at .. i suggest saliferts or red sea pro tests .. if your ammonia is at 0 .. or your tank can consume 1-2 ppm in a 24 hrs , then your tank should be ok !iT would also help if you could tell us all Your parameters Calc , alk , mag , no3 , po4 .. the live tock Will be doing its work but Your bacteria no2 no3 Will need too catch up with Your tank .. you could add a bottle of bacteria dr Tims or something similar.. once you post your parameters , more advice can be given .. good luck and happy reefing .. ohh my best advice I can give you is learn to be patient .. nothing good happens fast in a reef aquarium ... keep researching .. and keep asking questions on here .. no matter how dumb you think it is .. we all began at the beginning and we we are all still learning !!!!!

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!
The Cycle

image via @rusticgirls

In a freshwater aquarium you can add some flake food, wait a couple weeks, and then you can add fish. In the ocean there is much more involved than mechanical filtration. In fact, 70% of your aquariums filtration relies on the maturity of the live rock. A combination of bacteria, algae, and various invertebrates compose the “live” part of the rock. It takes quite a while to establish an ecosystem, even on a microscopic level. Without a proper understanding of the Marine Cycle, you will be in for a long term battle with parameters and algae. There are six main stages to a properly cycled tank. Follow this guide and you cannot mess up. You will need your basic test kit to test the progress.

Stage 1: Ammonia Cycle

Ammonia is the first thing that forms when something rots. It is a waste product in nearly all creatures as well. Instead of using a fish to start the cycle just use some food. Anything that is all natural and uncooked works just fine. Table shrimp that is uncooked works great. Drop it on the sand so it is in view. The shrimp should begin to rot within a couple hours or more. Let this shrimp rot until it is completely gone. If you are curious what your ammonia levels are, go ahead and take some tests. Keep track of the results as the shrimp rots. The smaller the food gets the more ammonia should be present in your water column and pretty soon should be off the charts. This will stay high for a while, but then start to drop. As soon as the ammonia starts to drop you will see a rise in Nitrite, you are now on the next stage.

Stage 2: Nitrite Cycle

Ammonia when broken down by bacteria becomes Nitrite, which is still a toxin. As your Nitrites rise your Ammonia will drop, drop, and keep dropping as long as you haven’t added any animals. Keep up with testing to observe your progress. Eventually your Ammonia will be very low and your nitrites will peak out until it starts feeding a different type of bacteria that turns it into Nitrates. Once your first signs of Nitrates are seen you are on the next stage.

Stage 3: Nitrate Cycle

Nitrates are removed within the live rock deep inside in all of the deep pours. This hidden bacteria consumes the nitrate and creates nitrogen gas as a byproduct. The nitrogen gas rises in the water column and escapes into the air. When one gas leave, another enters. Oxygen is then infused into the water. After the Nitrates start to dissipate your oxygen will increase and you will be ready for the intermission:

Intermission:

You are not done yet! You may have cultivated a nice crop of groovy bacteria and your water may be clean as can be, but, there are still 3 more stages to the cycle process before you can start your stocking. Take this time to consume all of which you have already done. The next 3 stages often put fear into the eyes of many newcomers. These are perfectly natural and are partially a representation of how the earth became an oxygen rich planet. Before there was any oxygen breathing organisms, there was the evolution of Cyanobacteria. This is a photosynthetic bacteria that creates Oxygen as a byproduct. There are several colors, but the commonality is that it is like a slime. The Cyanobacteria spread over a vast area and the atmosphere became oxygen rich like we breath today, without the smog. Cyanobacteria is responsible for life as we know it. The same applies to the reef. Now that your mind has been blown you may move on to the next stage of the cycle.

 

[RJS2515]

Thank you for the reassurance Jason Mack! I will test ammonia and Calc tonight and post. as for Alk and Mag i dont have the tests so i will post either tonight or tomorrow( depends on if my LFS is open when i get off work) and for no3, po4, and no2 i am a little embarrassed to say I dont know what you are referring to.. I will definitely take your advice on being patient!

 

[RJS2515]

Thank you KJ! I will read that through multiple times.

 

[Jason mack]

Thank you for the reassurance Jason Mack! I will test ammonia and Calc tonight and post. as for Alk and Mag i dont have the tests so i will post either tonight or tomorrow( depends on if my LFS is open when i get off work) and for no3, po4, and no2 i am a little embarrassed to say I dont know what you are referring to.. I will definitely take your advice on being patient!

No2 = nitrite
No3 = nitrate
Po4 = phosphate
Alk = alkalinity
Calc= calcium
Mag = magnesium
These are the basic test kits you will need too keep corals ..
how are you making your salt water , with RODI water ??

 

[Jason mack]

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/
Hope this helps a little too !!

 

[RJS2515]

thanks again Jason Mack I will add No2 No3 and po4 to my list and that guide is extremely helpful!

 

[ndrwater]

I have another suggestion to add to the absolutely correct statements made above...


Find a new LFS......

There are good ones, and BAD ones... A store more interested in selling you something than providing good, long term minded advice is one to avoid if at all possible.

That said, read, then re read then re re read the advice given above. All solid with nothing but your best interests at heart.

 

[RJS2515]

No2 = nitrite
No3 = nitrate
Po4 = phosphate
Alk = alkalinity
Calc= calcium
Mag = magnesium
These are the basic test kits you will need too keep corals ..
how are you making your salt water , with RODI water ??

I forgot about the water.. I use to use conditioned tap water and marine salt but since the bacterial bloom i get RODI water already premixed with reef crystals from a small boutique style LFS i found

 

[dbl]

Welcome to R2R. You've come to the right place for help.

 

[SalinFL]

I totally agree with ndrwater, find a new lfs if at all possible. Besides the great people here on R2R, see if you can find a local reef club in your area so you can meet up with other folks that love the hobby like we all do.

 

[Traxter]

Welcome to r2r Hey there, fairly new myself but I'm getting the swing of things after a year. I had a solid year in freshwater and binge watched bra 5w weeks of reading (Not a definitive guide by any means but it was extremely helpful)

A piece of advice looking back, get an rodi system and get the best one you can afford, also grab a booster pump, float valve, and autoshutoff kit. Having my mixing station (50 gal salt bin and 35gal fresh holding bin) has saved my bacon a few times. Bins are not expensive and you can find larger used pumps like mag 12s online fairly cheap to mix your salt

 

[4FordFamily]

Welcome home, you will love it here!

The only advice I can add is that nothing good happens quickly in this hobby!

 

[RJS2515]

Quick update: Last night I saw a dead hermit crab left over from the last bacterial bloom and i removed it and used a baster to blow though the live rock just in case there is anything left in there and I woke up to another bacterial bloom this morning.. its so bad i cant even see the live rock or heater. I added a bottle of BIOspira and turned off my skimmer hopefully it will be a little better by the time i get home. Should I test parameters tonight or do I wait until it clears up? Do i leave the skimmer off for 48 hours like the BIOspira bottle said? im really lost as to waht to do next but im not giving up on this.

 

[RJS2515]

Also just a little side question, I read about people who've had bacterial blooms but it didn't kill the whole tank. any ideas on why it killed mine? was there just not enough oxygen in my tank? I didn't have a skimmer at the time.

 

[Jason mack]

Let's get #reefsquad in on this I'm sure they can help you more

 

[RJS2515]

Thanks Jason Mack. I was worried I was gonna get chewed out when I posted here at first like Ive seen on a lot of other websites but everyone was right, this place is great. It actually feels like people are legitimately trying to help me out!

 

[ndrwater]

Quick update: Last night I saw a dead hermit crab left over from the last bacterial bloom and i removed it and used a baster to blow though the live rock just in case there is anything left in there and I woke up to another bacterial bloom this morning.. its so bad i cant even see the live rock or heater. I added a bottle of BIOspira and turned off my skimmer hopefully it will be a little better by the time i get home. Should I test parameters tonight or do I wait until it clears up? Do i leave the skimmer off for 48 hours like the BIOspira bottle said? im really lost as to waht to do next but im not giving up on this.

Follow the directions on the bottle about the skimmer. And... Ride it out. Should only take a couple few days to clear up.
You CAN however make sure you have good surface agitation using a powerhead to make sure there is good gas exchange ie. Plenty of O2 in the water.

You'll get there.. hang tough.

 

[Jason mack]

Thanks Jason Mack. I was worried I was gonna get chewed out when I posted here at first like Ive seen on a lot of other websites but everyone was right, this place is great. It actually feels like people are legitimately trying to help me out!

That's because they are my friend .. this is not an easy hobby to start in at all but it is worth it in the end .. but your journey will be full of successes and failures .. and if we can learn from someone else's mistakes or help someone out of theirs .. then we are happy our fish and our corals are happy .. and the world seems like a nicer place for a while