OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
Hey guys i mixed the salt with the water and its all ok but the water looks so cloudy like one of them lemonade tanks at fast food places,even before i put the water in the tank. Is that normal?
Cloudy water
- Thread starter OceanCrazy
- Start date
Samhain
Satin, Lace, and Sequins
Completely normal. Give it a few days to settle out. The water may be cloudy for up to a week, but it WILL settle out eventually. Don't put any livestock in until the tank has fully cycled, usually 4-8 weeks. Make sure you get a good test kit like the API ones (not test strips, which are notoriously unreliable) and test your water every few days or so. You should see an ammonia spike, a nitrite spike, and then a rise in nitrate levels. When your nitrate levels top out, do a big water change, wait a few days, and test again. If nitrates are down, it's ok to add a fish and a Clean Up Crew. Don't add a bunch of fish, just 1 every 2-4 weeks or so, up to your stock limit (1 fish/10 gallons). Viola! Happy salt water tank!
P.S. DO NOT cycle with damsels, or any other fish, even if someone has told you it's ok. It's mean, and then you're saddled with evil fish.....
Good luck, and go make a tank showcase thread! We love to watch new builds!
Oh, and welcome to LR! No question is a bad question here, and folks are usually pretty good at getting you answers fairly quickly!
P.S. DO NOT cycle with damsels, or any other fish, even if someone has told you it's ok. It's mean, and then you're saddled with evil fish.....
Good luck, and go make a tank showcase thread! We love to watch new builds!
Oh, and welcome to LR! No question is a bad question here, and folks are usually pretty good at getting you answers fairly quickly!
Samhain
Satin, Lace, and Sequins
Oh, and whenever you're mixing saltwater up, let it sit for 24 hours. Freshly mixed saltwater can be caustic to your critters. It will clarify within that 24 hours and be crystal clear by the time you put it in your tank!
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
Ty lots Sam, now i can relax then cause i was up all night changing from fresh water tank to salt,and rinsing that aragonite is hell.
Damsels are little devil fish...that quickly turn into bigger devil fish...
I keep reading this and hearing people say this. Mostly, yes, it is true. If you follow a few simple steps it can be avoided though.
1. Make Make the Damsel the LAST fish added to the tank.
2. Make sure it is the smallest fish, even when fully grown, in the tank.
3. Make sure it is well fed.
4. Don't put any fish in the tank that might argue with a Damsel. Hard to do when every living this has its own personality, but it can be done.
Sure, I'm new to this hobby, and most everyone has a ton more experience than I, but I learn quickly and like to find people who are experts on whatever subject I am learning about at the time. I'm lucky, I live near a LARGE Aquarium. People around me work or have worked there. Many are Marine biologists or Zoologists ore Paleontologist. I'm not afraid to ask questions.
Since Damsels are such beautiful fish, its a shame they have such a bad reputation and honestly, can be such bad fish. I added one to my tank. It is one of the sweetest fish in my tank next to my Snowflake. He is my 9th and last fish and I followed those "rules" when I added him. Those are rules I put together after asking the folks around me questions on fish behavior, pecking order, compatibility and about Damsels specifically.
The ONLY rule I broke was the size rule as he will eventually outgrow my Chromis. Of course I keep hearing that Chromis tend to be Highlander fish and have yet to see any such behaviour in mine. I know all is still new, but I'm going with the advise of local experts in the field.
Good luck with your new tank and sorry for hijacking the thread.
JustinsReefTank
Reefing newb
I would not use the same aragonite that you had in your freashwater tank. I would reccomend a sand. Rocky type substarate can catch all the poop and cause the ammonia to spike
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
I meant the new one, the LFS said to rinse them first.
This is true...the problem isn't the fish in particular...the problem is that if you walk into a chain lfs and say I'm starting a saltwater tank what should I do they almost always tell you to get a damsel or clown in case it dies...and then people think well I don't want to kill "Nemo" so I'll get a damsel to start...and they are only three dollars yea...
They are cool fish but I would almost think of them as a small angle and you will be better off...ok done dissing damsels...:mrgreen:
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
Bifferwine
I am a girl
How long ago was Day 1?
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
Day 1 was wednesday
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Oh. Then I'd say that's pretty normal for a newly set up tank. Give it a week or so. There are a lot of particles suspended in the water. It will take a few days for them to all drop out. You can run some form of mechanical filtration to help speed that up.
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
ok i only had my powerhead on. Will use a filter.
ty
ty
I ran all my power heads and return pump through the sump and mine settled out in about two days. After that I kicked on the skimmer to break it in. Your tank should be fine in a few days. You did use RODI? You might want to go ahead and fill it up to the black bracing while your at it!
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OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
ok will do but i used tap water and then i used the chemi to make it safe
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
! more thing, I used Live Sand , will i see any movement later on or are they too small for the naked eye?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Probably too small -- live sand refers to the fact that there is living bacteria in it. Sometimes it will contain pods or worms.
OceanCrazy
Reefing newb
OK ty Lots Biff.
Samhain
Satin, Lace, and Sequins
I used tap water to fill my initial tank, but I did all my water changes with distilled water. At least, I used distilled until I got my RO/DI filter for Yule this year!
