[longtran]

here is the protein skimmer. i have no choice to leave it like that if i want a clean tank...i added it in last night and its already cleaning out toxic.

[deutschmann59]

Longtran, from that pic, it looks like the skimmer is "over" skimming, which means the bubbles are going too high. You may have to adjust (raise) it. The bubbles shouldn't be white per se. Your skim should be dark, thick, and muddy-like.

Then again, maybe since it's a new tank, maybe there's just not a lot of inorganic compounds yet.

If, after you add more livestock, the skim is still light, it needs to be adjusted. Good luck!

[longtran]

Originally Posted by sharp1183

Longtran, from that pic, it looks like the skimmer is "over" skimming, which means the bubbles are going too high. You may have to adjust (raise) it. The bubbles shouldn't be white per se. Your skim should be dark, thick, and muddy-like.

Then again, maybe since it's a new tank, maybe there's just not a lot of inorganic compounds yet.

If, after you add more livestock, the skim is still light, it needs to be adjusted. Good luck!

what do you use to check for amonia, nitrate and ph level?? the master kit will do? i've been using that kit and always have a hard time matching up the colors. is there anything i can use beside the master kit i have been using?

[deutschmann59]

I don't think so...the colors are pretty difficult on all tests, especially since I'm partly color blind!

Luckily, after you cycle the tank, theoretically, you shouldn't have to check for ammonia or nitrites anymore. All you need to check for is nitrates. And if you're using a seachem kit (the one I use) this should be pretty straightforward. Luckily, the nitrate test is the easiest one because you just have to see how dark the color is (not what color it is). I'd recommend the seachem kit, just for the nitrates. You can test pH and all that other stuff, but if the corals and fish seem fine, that means they are

[longtran]

how long do you think i should wait before adding in the cooler stuff?

[deutschmann59]

If you saw a spike in ammonia and nitrites and they dropped, it's ok to add anything from that point on!

Just be sure, though. Get a hardy coral like a bubble tip...they are "relatively" ok to poor water conditions.

As far as fish, you'll need to get rid of that damsel if you want a peacful tank. Seriously, I've seen it. My one cardinal is still chewed up from the damsel (I'm surprised the cardinal is still living this long).

Hardy fish that are peacful are cardinals, clowns (only one or two), tangs (though they get a bit expensive and usually need at least 75 gallons--mine is in 29 and has been doing fine for months, though.)

[longtran]

i got 2 clown fish and one shit eating fish. one clown fish died and the others are missing? any clue where they went?? all my filter and pwerhead are working properly. so i dont think they got suck in. what do you guys think?

[noflash]

Originally Posted by longtran

i got 2 clown fish and one shit eating fish. one clown fish died and the others are missing? any clue where they went?? all my filter and pwerhead are working properly. so i dont think they got suck in. what do you guys think?

It's dead. Many fish that die are not floaters. It's behind a rock or in the shit-eater's belly.

I actually lost two clowns a month ago -- wusses.

[firstkill]

you probably have a fireworm that is cleaning up the dead bodies.

dont worry, it doesnt hunt live stuff... it only eats dead fish/shrimp/snails

fk

[firstkill]

reefcentral.com

good forum for tanks!






[IMG]

[Nikki]

Nice tank pics!

As for losing fish, eh it happens and sometimes it is completely out of your hands.

We're getting new lighting tomorrow, so I will post pics

[deutschmann59]

I just setup a 75 gallon a few weeks ago. I transferred the old 29 gallon to the 75 and everything seems to be doing fine. I'll post pics of that too soon.

[Nikki]

How's everyone's progress going? Updates?

Here are some new ones I took of our tank.

[deutschmann59]

Huh, looks like I was supposed to post some pics back in May! Whoops!

Anyway, my 75 gal. is doing pretty well. I can't find my camera, but as soon as I do, I'll post some pics.

[longtran]

my tank is doing well too.i added some grass looking thing...LOL. i had 2 clown fish. one died and the other missing??? then i got a yellow tang and it got suck into the powerhead. damn..the damsel is doing good....

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by longtran

my tank is doing well too.i added some grass looking thing...LOL. i had 2 clown fish. one died and the other missing??? then i got a yellow tang and it got suck into the powerhead. damn..the damsel is doing good....

lol good ol damsels.

[just4kickz]

so wait did that all grow? or are those rocks? n' how do u make the saltwater? do you just mix salt and freshwater together? lol *shrugs* cause im guessing thers a certain concentration that should be "natural" for the fish.

your tank is hella cleaner than my friends... he has crud all over his windows.. probably like a 100-120g tank? its built into the house or something like that... so i dont know the volume... but its dirty as fuq and the fishes eat each other. survival of the fittest

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by just4kickz

so wait did that all grow? or are those rocks? n' how do u make the saltwater? do you just mix salt and freshwater together? lol *shrugs* cause im guessing thers a certain concentration that should be "natural" for the fish.

your tank is hella cleaner than my friends... he has crud all over his windows.. probably like a 100-120g tank? its built into the house or something like that... so i dont know the volume... but its dirty as fuq and the fishes eat each other. survival of the fittest

If your friend doesn't have a reef tank, then it is very hard to clean the tank because it doesn't clean on its own. We don't clean ours really at all, we just treat for red algae once in a while.

You can buy a package and mix the salt and water together but we get the water in a 5g bucket every two weeks from the fish store premixed. We used to mix our own but it's a pain in the butt. Then you need to buy liverock and livesand, which is plain looking rock and sand but is cultured with bacteria so it will begin to show growth over time. Most of what you see in our tank however was purchased because it's only two years old. In order for a tank to look like that after two years without buying anything, well you'd need magic water or something. Here is what our tank looked like the day we got it, 12-31-04, with only a few rocks because it's real expensive:

[Nikki]

BTW, I was reading through the thread again and looking at pictures and I reliazed I never mentioned that I upgraded my lighting and flitration since the last time I posted, d'oh lol. We got 65 x 2 power compact Coralife lunar double deluxe and a remora aqua c hang on back protein skimmer with a maxijet 1200. We also have the eheim aquaball 2208. My boyfriend retrofit the lighting into the eclipse hood..man that was a lengthy dremel process lol, but it looks great. The total cost was under $350 which isn't too bad. Here's some older photos taken by my boyfriend (hence the major unsteady hands blur haha) but it shows the whole tank:

[tl_boy]

i've been out for a few days, but a thread about fish tanks generates this many responses?

Oh duh, its written by a girl!

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by tl_boy

i've been out for a few days, but a thread about fish tanks generates this many responses?

Oh duh, its written by a girl!

it's an old thread.

[tl_boy]

ehh....Nice pictures???

Originally Posted by Nikki

it's an old thread.