HELP!!!!

[mihali]

I’m new to the reefing hobby and have experienced some deaths within my new tank. It’s around two months old 7 gallons (I will be upgrading to a 50 to 60 gal)
Current stocking: three zombie snails three turbo snails a very very very small clownfish a regal damselfish and a green coral goby. I first started off with three hermit crabs, three zombie snails, a serpent star and a regal damsel fish. All the hermit crabs died. One got killed by the other one and then the two ones that were alive Just stayed in there shell until they died. Then the serpent star shed off all its legs and died. Ammonia and nitrite were a little bit elevated. All the snails and fish are doing fine now what could be the cause of this?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Pictures of your tank?

What are you using to test nitritre and ammonia?

 

[mihali]

API test kit

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Can we see a pic of the tank, it will really give us a lot of info?
How is the water oxygenated?
Are you using tap water or rodi water?
What are the parameters?
We need more info.....

 

[mihali]

I’m not home at the moment. I’ll be home on Thursday or Friday. I thought that because I was not gonna have coral or anemones I could use tapwater but I quickly learnt that that still wasn’t a good idea for fowlr tanks. So I got RO water from the store and did a half water change I’m gonna keep doing more to changes with RO water tank is completely RO it’s oxygenated by a small internal filter and a sponge filter the ammonia was 0.75 ppm nitrite 0 ppm nitrate 40 ppm and ph 8.2 salinity 1.026 temp 25 celcius

 

[mihali]

But as my LFS has very reasonable prices for soft coral, I have decided to make the choice to get soft coral when I upgrade my tank and when I fix whatever going on with my tank

 

[mihali]

Would it help if I buy a canister filter and put ammonia remover or something like that in it

 

[mihali]

Would something like this be good

 

[mihali]

 

[SlyPuffer]

If you’re seeing ammonia and nitrite you may have crashed/overwhelmed your cycle. Definitely send as much info and pictures as you can and people can point you in the right direction!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

No you should not need that. You have 2 fishes in a 7 gallon with a tiny hob filter, it is not sufficient filtration and thats why you have ammonia and high nitrate.

A bigger tank gives you more space to add more filtration equipment. Control the bioload and the water quality, but not use chemicals..

 

[Tamberav]

Tank is too new and small for 3 fish and a starfish. Ammonia should be 0 but may not be keeping up with the bioload.

 

[mihali]

 

[mihali]

Should I buy a canister filter

 

[mihali]

The death of my hermit crabs and serpent Star was about a month ago I just said it on here because I only found out about this website now I’ve almost fully got my water parameters under control now. I said about what happened because I just wanted to know why they died but oh my nitrite and ammonia spikes was in the past I am ordering a better filter and those bio rings. by the end of November I will have a larger tank and by Christmas it will be cycled up and running. I’m planning to give my 3 nas snails and 3 turbo snails and my green coral goby to my LFS and cycle the tank with my clownfish and damsel fish and then once it is cycled get my snails and Goby back. Also, I will already have a cycle filter that was in the current tank it it will also have live sand from my tank and live sand from my LFS And live rock so it will cycle pretty quickly. But I just wanted to know if it could’ve been copper in the water or something like that or just from the high levels.

 

[I never finish anythi]

How do you keep your salinity stable ?

 

[FUNGI]

I would get something like this:

Tetra Whisper IQ Filter, 30 Gallon removed from the wishlist

Tetra Whisper IQ Filter, 30 Gallon​

Dont buy any more livestock. That internal filter is too small.....

 

[mihali]

I would get something like this:

Tetra Whisper IQ Filter, 30 Gallon removed from the wishlist

Tetra Whisper IQ Filter, 30 Gallon​

Dont buy any more livestock. That internal filter is too small.....

Ok

 

[mihali]

How do you keep your salinity stable ?

Topping up with ro

 

[Tamberav]

Tank was probably too new, and 7g is a tiny volume of water. It isn’t stable yet regardless of what tests tell you.

Tap water is not great for sensitive inverts depending on what’s in it.