New here... And need help!

G

Goldrapala

Reefing newb
Hello everyone,

I am new to saltwater aquariums... and new to the site. I have been hawking around her for the past couple weeks... and hope to learn alot... and eventually be a fellow resource to this site. But I am kinda worried if I may have , inadvertently, stepped into a problem.

Here it is...

I bought a 150gal saltwater fish tank (complete) from a friend who had successfully cultivated it for the past 4+ years. He had this tank and a larger coral-only tank... and did not want to continue both tanks. I bought his fish-only tank... along with the fish.

The tank was dismantled, transported, and then set up in my place by his professional fish guy back on April 3rd, 2012. The tank and the fish successfully made the trip form Upstate NY to my place... Southshore Boston, MA.

Tank: 150gal rectangular with loads of live rock
2 heaters, big filter system with under tank with bio-balls... overflowing to another under tank which houses the pump system back into main tank.

Fish: 1 Emperor Angel, 1 Flame angel, 1 dog-face puffer, 1 spanish hog fish, 1 snow-flake moray, 1 Long-fin Bannerfish, and one yellow fish I have yet to positively identify. Lemon Tang maybe?

Fish are all appear happy, up-front, displaying, and eating well.

On Monday... I started noticing brown algae on some of the flat rock shelves... it is growing little by little each day. I think that I now understand that the bio-filter is establishing itself.. and my tank is 'cycling'... with all those fish in there! My friend, who I bought the tank from... tells me not to worry... stay on the tests and water changes... and it will all work out fine.

Tank specs as of 1 hour ago:

PH - 8.4
NH3 - 0ppm
NO3 - 5.0pp
Copper -0 ppm
Salinity - 1.026
Temp 80degrees steady

I did 20% water change after week 2... will do another this weekend which I will be using a API tap filter... as well as change all filter cartridges and floss... The tank was not set up with RODI water from the beginning. :(

Pictures of the tank to follow post haste.

I appreciate any and all advice. And I do not have a thin skin... so please let me know what I am up against to keep these guys thriving.

Jim
 
Jim welcome to the group!!
When i first started in saltwater 12 years ago MY fish store guy
built me a wet/dry system with bio-balls and every thing worked great!!!
as long as your not keeping corals. Get your self a api ammonia test kit
and a reef octopus protien skimmer seeing how you have BIG MESSY eaters.
Others will advise you on how to clean and do up keep on the bio-balls
best of luck and enjoy the fish
 
Hopefully pictures are attached here now...

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sounds to me like you started a little mini cycle , like bigford said get yourself a few test kits, ammonia nitrite and nitrate and run a few tests and see where it is at..
shouldnt be to bad for you and dI would just do the waterchanges on schedule if the cycle wasnt bad.. The bioballs I am a firm believer in the removal of them , but if you decide to remove them do partial with each waterchange you do then I would throw some rubble rock in there..
And welcome to the site..:D
 
Thanks Bigford. Thankfully, I did get a fully battery of API test supplies with the tank. I test routinely (now religiously everyday...since the brown alagae appeared) as it is a new to me tank...

I feel it is important to add... that I feed the above mentioned fish 1 time per day... when I get home from work.

2 cubes mysis shrimp
1 cube either bloodworms or marine cuisine (alternated daily)
8-10 small pieces of thawed frozen krill - for the puffer and eel...

Jim
 
thet actually trap detritus that will lead to nitrate problems if not cleaned..
where the rubble rock will add to your biofilter in the tank.
 
Welcome! Bioballs do tend to lead to nigh nitrates, but in a fish only tank like yours, that's not so important. Nitrates are fatal to inverts and corals, but fish can tolerate them at much higher levels. The brown algae you are seeing is normal for a new tank (and in most cases, taking down, moving and setting up an old tank resets it to new tank status).

One thing that will help is not using tap water. That API tap water filter is only good for so many gallons (I think 30?)-- and the replacement filter cartridge is EXPENSIVE. You are better off buying an RODI unit (they go for around $125 - $175). Using tap water will lead to algae problems.

Your friend is right though -- keep up with the water changes. Do 10% to 20% each week, or every two weeks.
 
Bifferwine said:
Welcome! Bioballs do tend to lead to nigh nitrates, but in a fish only tank like yours, that's not so important. Nitrates are fatal to inverts and corals, but fish can tolerate them at much higher levels. The brown algae you are seeing is normal for a new tank (and in most cases, taking down, moving and setting up an old tank resets it to new tank status).

One thing that will help is not using tap water. That API tap water filter is only good for so many gallons (I think 30?)-- and the replacement filter cartridge is EXPENSIVE. You are better off buying an RODI unit (they go for around $125 - $175). Using tap water will lead to algae problems.

Your friend is right though -- keep up with the water changes. Do 10% to 20% each week, or every two weeks.
Click to expand...

Hi

What does a RODI unit comprise of? I might already have one... lol
 
An RODI system is basically a water filtration/purification system. They connect to your plumbing under the kitchen sink. They are easy to install and turn your tap water into nice, clean tank water. You know the fridges that have a water dispenser? Those have a built-in RO system, but the ones for aquariums are a little bit more heavy duty, with more cartridges and stages of filtration.
 
Bifferwine said:
An RODI system is basically a water filtration/purification system. They connect to your plumbing under the kitchen sink. They are easy to install and turn your tap water into nice, clean tank water. You know the fridges that have a water dispenser? Those have a built-in RO system, but the ones for aquariums are a little bit more heavy duty, with more cartridges and stages of filtration.
Click to expand...

Sweet! I am getting one... Is there any particular manufacturer I should look for?
 
Thank you all. Ordering up a 4 stage Rodi system... and gonna just ride out the cycle, I guess. If the fish start looking stressed... I'm gonna pull them.
 
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