Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

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JRA95SHO
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by JRA95SHO »

Well, I came home and my yellow tang is missing completely...GONE. I got on the ladder and overturned every piece of rock and coral in that tank and it's NOWHERE. What the hell? I was able to find the Thompson tang under a rock when it died. Been checking my water almost daily, done several water changes, nitrates still are trying to stay high. The other fish look fine. I'm about done with this thing; not worth the hassle anymore. This is one hobby where even if you do everything by the book, you can still throw money down the toilet and have things fail. Not much satisfaction there. Nope, I didn't do it right this time; probably should have QT'd but tons out there don't and do just fine. Had I QT'd, what's to say the fish didn't get stressed out in its environment and still got ich and died?

I don't see putting anymore $ into this thing other than test kids and water changes, if I even keep it.
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jt3069
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by jt3069 »

sry for the loss i hate it when that happens
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by AuroraDrvr »

Did you check behind the tank on the floor? Any dogs/cats that could drag a corpse off somewhere?
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by JRA95SHO »

Yeah, nowhere to be found--checked the sump, changed the sock filter, cleaned the skimmer...just gone.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by Buddy08 »

it happens, ive lost a tang, royal gramma, some inverts and a few corals since ive had mine up. takes time to get the tank to "Settle". there is a possibility that your CUC did away with the tangs corpse which would explain you not being able to find it. Give it time and be patient with it. Even though the tank was well established when you got it, sometimes moving it completely means starting over from scratch. Definitely start feeding your tank 3inch by 3inch algae strip daily. You can get this at petsmart for like $4, make sure to get the green kind. Havent found many fish that enjoy the red algae sheets. also grab some frozen mysis shrimp. Theres got to be another reason for all of your losses... What are your current water parameters? (salinity, nitrates, ammonia, nitrites, etc. etc.)
how often are you doing water changes? they say water changes are good for the tank but a lot of times, especially in newly setup tanks (which again, if you moved the tank from one location to another, its almost like starting over from scratch) its good to do one a week, or every 2 weeks. Saltwater tanks like to be "dirty". Im sure the move added loads of stress to your fish. One thing to consider is that the move also stirred up debri and waste in the sandbed that set there for who knows how long; this effects your fish drastically and can definitely put a load of stress on them. That would also explain your high nitrates. When i first added my yellow tang to the tank, he was terribly thin and had a few ich spots on him. I fattened him up with a proper diet and it took roughly a week for the ich to vanish and maybe 3 weeks before he didnt look starved. i then added 2 clownfish and a coral beauty, everything was great.. I probably did 1 water change every month (not once a week) and i had no problems with him. I then a royal gramma and a yellow eye tang and all hell broke loose. The yellow tangs ich came back worse than before, the royal gramma showed signs of ich, and so did a clownfish and did the new yellow eye tang. I tried to nurse them all back to health but ended up losing the yellow eye tang (in a qt tank) and the royal gramma went MIA. Soon after, all signs of ich vanished and my fish are back to looking healthier than ever. I havent added a new fish since, I want to, but havent... It will probably be months before i do. Im mainly focused on corals for now.

Dont throw in the towel in the hobby just yet, look at it this way, you got the tank and everything for FREE! i spent thousands! I asked B&B how much ive spent on my vip thing and it was $1800 (thats just food, some corals, salts, and a select few fish).. Give your tank a good month before adding anything else. Continue doing water changes (about 15% once a week). Once your water levels are in check, then you can add another fish. If you want a tang, start off with one of the larger tangs you want first. Since your yellow is now gone, add a new one last. its always best to add the most aggressive fish last. Once you start a proper diet and get your water in check, you will have a very successful tank.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by jt3069 »

EATIN IS THE WORD CUC WILL CLEAN A FISH IN HOURS
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by JRA95SHO »

Buddy08 wrote:it happens, ive lost a tang, royal gramma, some inverts and a few corals since ive had mine up. takes time to get the tank to "Settle". there is a possibility that your CUC did away with the tangs corpse which would explain you not being able to find it. Give it time and be patient with it. Even though the tank was well established when you got it, sometimes moving it completely means starting over from scratch. Definitely start feeding your tank 3inch by 3inch algae strip daily. You can get this at petsmart for like $4, make sure to get the green kind. Havent found many fish that enjoy the red algae sheets. also grab some frozen mysis shrimp. Theres got to be another reason for all of your losses... What are your current water parameters? (salinity, nitrates, ammonia, nitrites, etc. etc.)
how often are you doing water changes? they say water changes are good for the tank but a lot of times, especially in newly setup tanks (which again, if you moved the tank from one location to another, its almost like starting over from scratch) its good to do one a week, or every 2 weeks. Saltwater tanks like to be "dirty". Im sure the move added loads of stress to your fish. One thing to consider is that the move also stirred up debri and waste in the sandbed that set there for who knows how long; this effects your fish drastically and can definitely put a load of stress on them. That would also explain your high nitrates. When i first added my yellow tang to the tank, he was terribly thin and had a few ich spots on him. I fattened him up with a proper diet and it took roughly a week for the ich to vanish and maybe 3 weeks before he didnt look starved. i then added 2 clownfish and a coral beauty, everything was great.. I probably did 1 water change every month (not once a week) and i had no problems with him. I then a royal gramma and a yellow eye tang and all hell broke loose. The yellow tangs ich came back worse than before, the royal gramma showed signs of ich, and so did a clownfish and did the new yellow eye tang. I tried to nurse them all back to health but ended up losing the yellow eye tang (in a qt tank) and the royal gramma went MIA. Soon after, all signs of ich vanished and my fish are back to looking healthier than ever. I havent added a new fish since, I want to, but havent... It will probably be months before i do. Im mainly focused on corals for now.

Dont throw in the towel in the hobby just yet, look at it this way, you got the tank and everything for FREE! i spent thousands! I asked B&B how much ive spent on my vip thing and it was $1800 (thats just food, some corals, salts, and a select few fish).. Give your tank a good month before adding anything else. Continue doing water changes (about 15% once a week). Once your water levels are in check, then you can add another fish. If you want a tang, start off with one of the larger tangs you want first. Since your yellow is now gone, add a new one last. its always best to add the most aggressive fish last. Once you start a proper diet and get your water in check, you will have a very successful tank.

Thanks for the helpful advice! We set up the tank about 5 weeks ago (so it wasn't that long). I waited about 2 weeks before I added the fish (I kept them in one of Andy's tanks). I've done about 3 water changes...1st one was around 15-20%, 2nd one was 15-20%, 3rd was about 10%. I started doing them weekly probably 2 weeks ago (the 3rd the other day was to fill my 10 gal QT). For the most part, stuff is ok. B&B tested my water for me the other day when I brought in my dead Tompson tang for credit. Salinity was perfect, calcium was at 360 (needed to be upped), nitirate untraceable, nitrates were at 20ppm. I disagree on that b/c they were 40ppm when I tested it at home; then recently they went back up to 80ppm (probably with the stuff dying). Alkalinity was around 8, I bumped it a bit with superbuffer to get it more in range.

I don't really want to add fish (tangs at least) for a little while. I may ad inverts because they aren't bad and don't seem to be as problematic. Yesterday I bought a bullseye shrimp from Progressive. He's cool looking but tiny (about 1"). I doubt I'll see him much, although I was hoping he might pair with my goby.

I haven't given up yet, but I was REALLY close yesterday.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by Buddy08 »

i wouldnt add any fish at all until ALL signs of ich are gone, this includes specs, skinny fish, and flashing... as for b&b its hard to trust some of their associates and/or test kits, not anything against them personally its just that some know what theyre talking about, others know what theyre trained to say, and last know nothing and just want to sell fish. with that being said, i always look first... go home and research... research more... text someone i know who would know... and then go buy ;D

i wanted to say "to hell with it" when i found my $80 maxima clam dead last week... but you live and you learn, and that goes hand in hand with this hobby. i learned that maybe i needed more lighting for it, so thats what im currently working on, adding more bulbs to my light fixture. just ask andy about how many things he's lost over the years in the hobby, he took a huge loss when he moved, im sure he wanted to quit at some point as well but its a working progess.
and in your situation; youre off to a great start. especially with your setup, your knowledge you've learned so far, and the fact that you have a friend thats very experienced that can help you along the way. plus you got us here at mbrk! :D
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by JRA95SHO »

Thanks for the support. Yeah, I'm going to wait a bit on fish until I get over my frustration and get my nitrates down. Yesterday they were at 80ppm, ugh. I did a 15-20% water change again. I have a feeling it's a combination between moving the tank originally and it still being "relatively new" and not stable. The sand, of course, got stirred up in the move, and I stirred it up quite a bit the other day moving stuff around looking for that tang.

My salinity is fine. There are 2 scales on the refractometer...it was at 30 on the right; left side is specific gravity 1.02-something (it was good). Just bumped up the calcium a bit the other day; it was at 360. Alkalinity is still borderline at 7-8; so I added a bit more superbuffer. B&B tested it not long ago and said everything was in range; but when I test it, my results always look worse. I rely on mine and not theirs. I also follow directions in the test kits to the letter; whereas they may be more in a rush to get you on your way.

Andy found us some blue mushrooms that we'd been looking for and picked those up. I'm going to stick those in there. I haven't seen my bullseye pistol shrimp again, but he's tiny (1"); and I know they hide alot.

Right now I'm going let it stable out for a couple weeks more; like I said, may add some "easy" corals or inverts if I see anything appealing.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by Amphiprion »

Do you have any sort of plant/algal growth, such as in a refugium? If not, that would significantly help nitrate concentrations, especially if you supply adequate light and they are easy to care for. While water changes are great for short-term nitrate control, they are a wasteful, expensive, and impractical method of controlling higher concentrations (anything above 5-10 ppm, in my book) in the long term. Using water changes alone tends to cause a "seesaw effect" in nitrate concentrations as trapped nitrate in interstitial spaces (in both rock and sand) quickly moves to fill in the concentration deficit. There are other approaches to this, as well, though I personally don't favor them too much for various reasons. It is yet another thing that is subject to somewhat intense personal opinion/preference, but I feel that, for the beginner especially, the algal assimilation approach is probably the safest and easiest means of reducing nitrate (and phosphate, too).
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by jt3069 »

Do you have any sort of plant/algal growth, such as in a refugium? If not, that would significantly help nitrate concentrations, especially if you supply adequate light and they are easy to care for. While water changes are great for short-term nitrate control, they are a wasteful, expensive, and impractical method of controlling higher concentrations (anything above 5-10 ppm, in my book) in the long term. Using water changes alone tends to cause a "seesaw effect" in nitrate concentrations as trapped nitrate in interstitial spaces (in both rock and sand) quickly moves to fill in the concentration deficit. There are other approaches to this, as well, though I personally don't favor them too much for various reasons. It is yet another thing that is subject to somewhat intense personal opinion/preference, but I feel that, for the beginner especially, the algal assimilation approach is probably the safest and easiest means of reducing nitrate (and phosphate, too).
I AGREE, THAT IS HOW THE OCEAN WORKES, THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM WITH THAT IS CREATING A BIG ENOUGH FUGE
TO HANDLE THE BIOLOAD, MOST PEOPLE (INCLUDING MYSELF) INCORPORATE FUGES WITH DSB (DEEP SAND BEDS)
VODKA DOSING(ADVANCE BIOFILTRATION) OR OTHER METHODS

I DON'T MEAN THE THROW TO MUCH AT YOU AT ONE TIME.

ANOTHER WAY TO LIMIT AND IS THE EASIEST TO DO. IS TO WASH (IN RODI WATER) YOU FROZEN FOODS
I USE A BRINE SHRIMP NET, I LET THEM THAW IN THE NET WHILE IT SITS IN A CUP, THIS REMOVES ALOT OF THE PHOSPHATES AND UNWANTED STUFF YOU ARE ADDING TO YOUR TANK VIA FOOD

P.S. NOT TRYING TO DEBATE HERE (WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN WAYS) JUST THROWING USEFULL INFO THAT MIGHT HELP
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by JRA95SHO »

No refugium; tried the vodka dosing a couple of days but been forgetting. I'll get back on that routine. I don't think I have alot of algae growth in there. Is there something I should buy to stick in the tank? Someone mentioned green algae from petsmart for like $4.

I agree on the water changes, PITA, takes up time, lots of salt (i.e. $), etc. without much of an effect.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by Amphiprion »

If you are already dosing an organic carbon source and are familiar/comfortable with it, then continue its use. It's a bit less efficient/slower than some algal assimilation methods and somewhat riskier, but plenty of people utilize it. Just monitor inhabitants' reactions while dosing and adjust accordingly.
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

Post by jt3069 »

WELL I HAVE BEEN DOSING VODKA FOR SOME TIME AND TONIGHT IM ORDERING NP PELLETS TO PUT IN MY TLF 150 REACTOR
ILL BE POSTING MY RESULTS OF USING THEM, I WANT TO CUT DOWN ON THE DAILY WORK AND SIMPLIFY MY TANK

PELLETS ARE THE SAFEST WAY TO DOSE VODKA (FROM WHAT I HEAR)
IM GOING HALF THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE BECAUSE I ALSO WANT TO KEEP MY MACRO ALGAE (FOR PODS AND PHYTO)
ALSO I DON'T WANT TO COMPLETELY STRIP MY TANK OF N AND P,
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Re: Finally - Pics of my FREE 100 gal. Tank

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No refugium; tried the vodka dosing a couple of days but been forgetting. I'll get back on that routine. I don't think I have alot of algae growth in there. Is there something I should buy to stick in the tank? Someone mentioned green algae from petsmart for like $4.
ALAGE IN THE DISPLAY WILL TAKE OVER YOUR TANK IF YOUR N AND P ARE NOT UNDER CONTROL
WHEN I FIRST GOT MY FIRST TANG (YELLOW TANG) I WAS TURNED ON TO ALAGE, MY N AND P WERE HIGH
AFTER PUTTING ALAGE IN MY TANK A FEW WEEKS LATER IT WAS EVERY WERE AND MONTHS OF REALLY
EXHAUSTING WORK TO RID MY TANK OF IT, SO IMO I WOULD USE NORI THAT WAS YOUR TANG CAN EAT IT ALL BEFORE
IT GETS ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE TANK , AND STARTS GROWING!

ON ANOTHER NOTE CAN YOU TELL US YOUR DAILY AND MONTHLY HUSBANDRY ROUTINES THAT MAYBE ONE OF YOUR PROBLEMS, OR YOU MIGHT NEED TO ADD SOMETHING TO YOUR ROUTINE
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