I messed up!

RNicorvo · 05-24-2008, 01:46 PM

My first mess up! I've had my new 14g Biocube for a week and a half. Had my water tested at Big Al's on Wednesday and everything was fine except the salt level. It was at 1.028 - almost there.

Today, had the water tested and the salt spiked to 1.031 -

I was advised to add some fresh water. So, I replaced some of the saltwater with fresh and my pump started spewing air bubbles in the tank. Not realizing that one of the reservoirs was 1/2 full (optimist here), not 1/2 empty. I turned the system off and the reservior filled back up - no problem. Then I get the bright idea to meddle with the live rocks and rearrange them since I was all in there.

Results? Junk flying all around - levels are all over the place, I'm sure.

Obviously, I'm starting from scratch. But the good thing is, I like the rock arrangement better. More holes between the rocks for future creatures to swim and crawl through.

Any ideas how long it will take to level off?

Input and ideas welcome! Robin

lcstorc · 05-24-2008, 02:00 PM

First of all your salt level was too high to begin with. Remove some of the saltwater and replace it with fresh. Do it slowly so you do not shock the tank. The mess you are referriing to is priobably just stirred up sand and time will take care of that.
The most important thing to learn from this is that you need your own test kits. You never know when something will go wrong and you need to know what your values are and the store is closed;

RNicorvo · 05-25-2008, 02:20 PM

I tested the water today and everything seems to be fine except for the salt level. It's 1.033.

So it appears that I didn't mess up too badly.

I have a couple of questions. How do I lower the salt without causing havoc? Replace salt water with fresh water, if so, how much and how often?

Also, I live in South Florida where the tempature in the house is pretty constant at 76 degrees. However, the tank water is between 78 - 82. I don't use the florenscents often. I do keep the LED's on for the most part, but doesn't coral need bright lights to survive?

I'm glad that I don't have anything in the tank yet, it would have been salted and cooked by now.

Thanks, Robin

rbursek · 05-25-2008, 02:24 PM

Remove some water and then just add RO/DI, check SG, and repeat as needed until you get it down to where you want it.

PEMfish · 05-25-2008, 04:41 PM

Pumps and power heads will also add to your heat.

RNicorvo · 05-27-2008, 08:30 PM

I just want to say thanks to those folks who replied. Things are looking better.

Water is crystal clear and the salt is down to 1.026 - it seems to me a bit of a drastic change from 1.033 to 1.026 in approximately 36 hours. I didn't test anything else, but will do a thorough test on everything on Thursday.

I know you have to keep a close check on nano reefs, but if there are changes like these in 36 hours will it cause immediate death to corals and fishes, or can they hold on to levels getting adjusted within normal parameters ?

I guess I'm apprehensive in putting anything live into the tank.

Robin

lcstorc · 05-27-2008, 08:59 PM

If there had been anything live in the tank I would probably have gone a bit slower. A lot depends on what was in the tank. Invertebrates for example are very sensitive to osmotic change.
As for the temp it is far more important to keep it consistant than to keep it a certain temp. Some species such as seahorses require cooler water but most are fine with higher temps. I'm in Cocoa just up the road and my reef stays at 82 with no problem. Now I do have a chiller for the seahorse tank I am setting up.

SJS · 05-27-2008, 09:24 PM

The reason we all start off with just rocks sand and water is so we get used to figuring out some of the basic chemistry. Get yourself some good testing supplies and become familiar with them. A nano is going to be harder to keep at optimum level than a larger tank (imho), but you will get the hang of it... Read the stickys and other threads regarding water chemistry - even if you dont need it now - you will eventually!!

RNicorvo · 05-29-2008, 09:21 PM

Today's testing went pretty well.

Salt 1.024
PH High 8.3
Nitrate 0 ppt
Nitrite 0 ppm
Amm 0 ppt

I do have green algae(?) sprouting from the lr. I think....

I'll test again on Saturday and have a water sample checked at the store. If all goes well I may get a cleaner and 1 fish. Or is it to soon? The cleaner may take care of the algae.

I've been reading a lot of great info on this site, especially the sticky's.

If I am using the wrong terminology or anything, advice is welcome.

Robin

RNicorvo · 05-31-2008, 02:53 PM

Today I visited Big Al's and picked up:

1 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 red leg hermit crab

they're settling in right now, but I have two questions.

1) after rearranging the lr last week, one of the rocks really started to put out some green algae - there are pieces about 2 inches long now and just started growing about 3 days ago. Is this normal? and do I have to do or be concerned about something?

2) when releasing the shrimp there was this little "blob" crawling in the bottom of the tank. so small, there is no way I can get a picture. any clue what the little guy may be?

I'm attaching photos.
#1 - First tank set up
#2 - LR rearranged
#3 - close up of green algae?

lcstorc · 05-31-2008, 03:06 PM

Looks like typical hair algae. What kind of water did you use and what are you using for top-offs. Generally HA indicates high nutrients in the tank. Try to manually remove what you can and get an algae eating snail or two. Remember inverts need a longer acclimation than fish. They have a difficult time with salinity changes.

RNicorvo · 05-31-2008, 09:31 PM

Well, I've been topping off with RO/DI only.

My shrimp after 8 hours seems to be more perky, but hermit crab already seems dead. Part of him is out of the shell and half to seems to be in.

The shrimp after releasing him, stayed behind some lr for an hour then went exploring. The hermit crab immediately went behind some lr and stayed until I went to check on him and saw the separation.

Geez, and I already named them.

I let both acclimate for 40 minutes before entering them into the main tank. 25 floating ...15 minutes adding my tank water to the aquarium water.

RNicorvo · 06-02-2008, 07:37 PM

Good news,

Seems like I'm back on track. Shrimp is doing real well and my half hermit crab still seems to be in tack. I thought he split in half, but he is coming in an out of his shell and moved around the tank a little today. Moved about an inch, so don't know what the deal is with him. There are about 4 little legs on the other side of the tank, so I really don't know if they came from him or were just in the bag of water when I bought him. I'm sure I would have seen them, but oh well. Things are going good so far. So thanks for the advice.

I did hand pick some of the algae off and kept the tank pretty dark for two days so the algae growth is very limited. Next time to add to the tank, I was thinking of getting a snail and a peppermint shrimp.

I'll take more pics when I have something more interesting to look at.

View Poll Results: Your experience with disasters?
1-3	6	85.71%
3-5	1	14.29%
5 +	0	0%
Voters: 7. You may not vote on this poll

05-24-2008, 01:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	I messed up! My first mess up! I've had my new 14g Biocube for a week and a half. Had my water tested at Big Al's on Wednesday and everything was fine except the salt level. It was at 1.028 - almost there. Today, had the water tested and the salt spiked to 1.031 - I was advised to add some fresh water. So, I replaced some of the saltwater with fresh and my pump started spewing air bubbles in the tank. Not realizing that one of the reservoirs was 1/2 full (optimist here), not 1/2 empty. I turned the system off and the reservior filled back up - no problem. Then I get the bright idea to meddle with the live rocks and rearrange them since I was all in there. Results? Junk flying all around - levels are all over the place, I'm sure. Obviously, I'm starting from scratch. But the good thing is, I like the rock arrangement better. More holes between the rocks for future creatures to swim and crawl through. Any ideas how long it will take to level off? Input and ideas welcome! Robin

05-24-2008, 02:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,925 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! First of all your salt level was too high to begin with. Remove some of the saltwater and replace it with fresh. Do it slowly so you do not shock the tank. The mess you are referriing to is priobably just stirred up sand and time will take care of that. The most important thing to learn from this is that you need your own test kits. You never know when something will go wrong and you need to know what your values are and the store is closed; __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

05-25-2008, 02:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! I tested the water today and everything seems to be fine except for the salt level. It's 1.033. So it appears that I didn't mess up too badly. I have a couple of questions. How do I lower the salt without causing havoc? Replace salt water with fresh water, if so, how much and how often? Also, I live in South Florida where the tempature in the house is pretty constant at 76 degrees. However, the tank water is between 78 - 82. I don't use the florenscents often. I do keep the LED's on for the most part, but doesn't coral need bright lights to survive? I'm glad that I don't have anything in the tank yet, it would have been salted and cooked by now. Thanks, Robin

05-25-2008, 02:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
rbursek Cabbage Leather Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Milw, WI area suburb Posts: 391 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! Remove some water and then just add RO/DI, check SG, and repeat as needed until you get it down to where you want it. __________________ The difference between a Reef tank and a money shredder is the Tank will trip the GFI! Bret Farve turned #4 into #1!!!!! And I am as confused as he is!!! What a stupped way to come back! We will see the thought/negotiations that happen with this! 120gal tank, 30gal fuge/sump, 2 250w MH, 2 96w Actinics, SPS's, LPS's, fish. Bob

05-25-2008, 04:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
PEMfish Golden Moray Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kane Co. Il. Posts: 2,459 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! Pumps and power heads will also add to your heat. __________________ Paul `EM My new 48" reef tank; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...-opciones.html My new planted; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...-planted.html# Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I'll make the whole damn world jealous if given the money to do so. Don't make mistakes and learn from them, read and learn how to avoid mistakes. a)Fix the damn problem b)live with it -But absolutely no b*tching

05-27-2008, 08:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! I just want to say thanks to those folks who replied. Things are looking better. Water is crystal clear and the salt is down to 1.026 - it seems to me a bit of a drastic change from 1.033 to 1.026 in approximately 36 hours. I didn't test anything else, but will do a thorough test on everything on Thursday. I know you have to keep a close check on nano reefs, but if there are changes like these in 36 hours will it cause immediate death to corals and fishes, or can they hold on to levels getting adjusted within normal parameters ? I guess I'm apprehensive in putting anything live into the tank. Robin

05-27-2008, 08:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,925 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! If there had been anything live in the tank I would probably have gone a bit slower. A lot depends on what was in the tank. Invertebrates for example are very sensitive to osmotic change. As for the temp it is far more important to keep it consistant than to keep it a certain temp. Some species such as seahorses require cooler water but most are fine with higher temps. I'm in Cocoa just up the road and my reef stays at 82 with no problem. Now I do have a chiller for the seahorse tank I am setting up. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

05-27-2008, 09:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
SJS Achilles Tang Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SO CAL - Rancho Cucamonga Posts: 834 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! The reason we all start off with just rocks sand and water is so we get used to figuring out some of the basic chemistry. Get yourself some good testing supplies and become familiar with them. A nano is going to be harder to keep at optimum level than a larger tank (imho), but you will get the hang of it... Read the stickys and other threads regarding water chemistry - even if you dont need it now - you will eventually!! __________________ Steph 300 gallon dt, 90 gallon fuge, 35 gallon fuge, 35 gallon sump, 4 Ecotech Vortechs, T-5 lights

05-29-2008, 09:21 PM	#9 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! Today's testing went pretty well. Salt 1.024 PH High 8.3 Nitrate 0 ppt Nitrite 0 ppm Amm 0 ppt I do have green algae(?) sprouting from the lr. I think.... I'll test again on Saturday and have a water sample checked at the store. If all goes well I may get a cleaner and 1 fish. Or is it to soon? The cleaner may take care of the algae. I've been reading a lot of great info on this site, especially the sticky's. If I am using the wrong terminology or anything, advice is welcome. Robin Last edited by RNicorvo : 05-29-2008 at 10:58 PM.

05-31-2008, 03:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,925 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! Looks like typical hair algae. What kind of water did you use and what are you using for top-offs. Generally HA indicates high nutrients in the tank. Try to manually remove what you can and get an algae eating snail or two. Remember inverts need a longer acclimation than fish. They have a difficult time with salinity changes. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

05-31-2008, 09:31 PM	#12 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: I messed up! Well, I've been topping off with RO/DI only. My shrimp after 8 hours seems to be more perky, but hermit crab already seems dead. Part of him is out of the shell and half to seems to be in. The shrimp after releasing him, stayed behind some lr for an hour then went exploring. The hermit crab immediately went behind some lr and stayed until I went to check on him and saw the separation. Geez, and I already named them. I let both acclimate for 40 minutes before entering them into the main tank. 25 floating ...15 minutes adding my tank water to the aquarium water. Last edited by RNicorvo : 05-31-2008 at 09:46 PM. Reason: add'l info

06-02-2008, 07:37 PM	#13 (permalink)
RNicorvo Fire Coral Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Lauderdale area Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Back on track... Good news, Seems like I'm back on track. Shrimp is doing real well and my half hermit crab still seems to be in tack. I thought he split in half, but he is coming in an out of his shell and moved around the tank a little today. Moved about an inch, so don't know what the deal is with him. There are about 4 little legs on the other side of the tank, so I really don't know if they came from him or were just in the bag of water when I bought him. I'm sure I would have seen them, but oh well. Things are going good so far. So thanks for the advice. I did hand pick some of the algae off and kept the tank pretty dark for two days so the algae growth is very limited. Next time to add to the tank, I was thinking of getting a snail and a peppermint shrimp. I'll take more pics when I have something more interesting to look at.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)