Aysha

Use an api kit. If the amonia monitor is sunshine yellow you're good. If it's green you're not so good. You can't really cycle it with just sand it doesn't work all that well. to cycle a tank easily esp a nano. Add fresh sand. Go to the LFS (Golds if in Calgary Red Coral in Edmonton) and buy a piece of live rock! It doesn't have to be a big piece but in a nano LR isn't too expensive. stack it on top of your base rock. Your tank should be cycled fairly quickly. The bigger the LR the faster the cycle. Example I started a 30 gallon from scratch it took 3 weeks to cycle (standard) When I moved to my 60 gallon cube with my 30 gallon sump I went and bought 20 lbs of dry rock (2.00 a lb baby!!!) I went to Red Coral and bought a 15lb peice of LR (because I liked it) I added all the rock from my old tank slowly (so as not to upset the balance of my old tank) Realistically my tank was safe to use in 4 days. I waited 2 weeks because fish and coral are expensive should you happen to injure it. Bioballs are a nitrate factory. In a picto tank add 3lbs of LR go on canreef and pay 3.00 a lb for it.Heck you can prolly get enough sand,water and rock to get a picto moving for cheap. When all your paramaters zero out? add fishies! You need LR! LR is your filter. your shrimp and corals will be happier. when your coraline grows in and you mount a few corals to your rock you wont even notice it.

Do they? I guess they would, they have the same supplier as AC. I enjoy the Kuboti as well. We'll just wait and see what happens I guess.

Yeah I figured that may have done it.Vacation panic mode set in and I forgot how fragile nano fishies can be. My cherry shrimp look fantastic! even had babies in the new tank!.I keep a saltwater tank and the shrimp are always canaries. I figure I'll let it sit for about a week and watch very carefully. If nobody else dies I'll add a spare guppy from the other tank to see if they're alright before I go get any more fishes If this sounds alright? It's hard when I hadn't lost a FW fish in almost a year except for a jumper to see my peaceful ecosystem turned on it's head. yerk fish jerky! I still love the maculatas and will see if I can't order some new ones when I'm ready. If any of you have any for sale that you'd hold till after this mess that'd be fantastic. Not giving out my saltwater tally...

I did that too! I only use seachem products in my tank IE prime. Is that common for them to get stressed like that? I realize they are the size of fingernails.

All water paramaters normal New biomedia taken from old tank previous occupants 1 crowntail betta 1 rubbernose pleco 20 raspbora maculatas 3 panda garra. 8 cherry shrimp Fully planted tank with manzanita driftwood. Ebi 8 gallon with an aquaclear 30 Here's the story My aquaclear filter died 2 weeks ago while we were on honeymoon.My mother in law did not catch it right away. I came home to my macs covered in white spots and my water black.(not tanins black BLACK) I moved everyone into a clean quarantine tank using a sponge filter and water from our established healthy 30 gallon. I lost a few macs. This was expected. I kept them in there for a week while we set up a new home for them. Fish were not given anything due to their very small size. Nobody dies. I move them into our new 12 gallon long planted mr.aqua. It's a beautiful tank. All seems fine. A WEEK LATER I notice a dead mac on the surface of the water. Time for a water change I start my aquarium siphon. 10 dead macs I'm feeling sick. I test my parameters. normal I test my temperatures normal. We add a new aqua clear 30 along with the sponge filter Day 1 no dead macs day 2 no dead macs day 3 2 dead macs glued to sponge intake I figured the stress got to them. day 3 night 1 dead rubbernose pleco belly up in the middle of the tank. I was quite fond of him :( Day 3 night survivors 1 crowntail betta 3 panda gara 4 raspbora maculata 8 cherry shrimp How do I save my baby fish? What could be happening??? some sort of toxic shock??? *cries

Sorry to give this topic a big ol' bump but now I'm looking for some thanks for the tip on SIL the 70lbs of sand it'll take for my new tank would kill me at the LFS

Have you checked out canreef? www.canreef.com a forum for salt keepers. My clowns like to try and host in my yellow star polyps.Some clowns won't host at all.Many times they can be kept quite easily without an anemone.

I lost him last night, It was Velvet,

yeah I walked out of there with a new black and red crowntail friend yesterday.....

so Ive got the ich under control but now my PH keeps bottoming out ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG I've done 3 15 percent waterchanges in a week and a half yesterday after I finished one I noticed my chromis acting wierd. Ph 7.2 added marine buffer and marine builder ph 8.4 checked again today ph.7.8 ammonia zero nitrates zero nirates zero I feel like im a really really bad fish keeper ANY ideas whats causing this 29 gallons temp 27 35 lbs live rock 15 lbs live sand various inverts 2 fish salinity 35

Now the tank is 3 quarters empty....odd

I'm sure I've seen it without it full of fish, there's usually a puffer and a few angels I thought. such is life. Shows how often I'm over there.

So I don't know how many of you have seen it , but you know those "GIANT" aquariums over by the ice rink? one of the columns is now FULL tailtip to tailtip of adult Ocellaris clown fish. They are agressive (I would be too) and have no place to escape from each other. Does anyone know why this is happening? or maybe what department to call and complain? I mean there has to be at least 45+ clownfish in one of those things;it doesn't seem like a good situation. Thoughts?

He seems to be doing better, I'll just keep up the water changes and medicine I suppose.

And this is why I <3 my biocube

THANKS! it's a start anyway the new life spectrum food I feed the fish does contain garlic, I'll look into the UV option less things to go wrong. I've heard of freshwater dips but I'm still pretty nervous about doing it .That's the thing with being a beginner keeper but in theory I'd heat it to the 27 degrees add my seachem marine buffer and let it sit for an hour? I've also read that this may clear up on its own with periodic outbreaks, should I be worried about ich killing a healthy fish? he's still eating and playing in the current so he doesn't appear on much of a down swing. Also are the cycling setups the same for a hospital tank? When this is over I want to start it up again using sterile salt water can it be done quickly without the Live rock/regular 3 week aquarium cycle??

So my Coral Beauty who I've had for a whole week has a bad case of MI. He is kept with a chromis .in a 29 gallon FOWLER tank who I am guessing has it too there is also a small cleaner crew. I've only had the tank running since the beginning of January so I really am not sure how to do treatments. I've given them some Kordon "ich attack" but I read this doesn't work. The back story. I picked up a dirt cheap fluval Edge marine setup (and I do mean dirt cheap note to self cheap + marine=BAD IDEA) I was going to use it as a Quarantine tank it contained a damsel,a scooter blenny and a sexy shrimp. one of the pieces of rock in the edge took up most of the tank it was a nice piece and in a moment of retardation I put it in my tank till I figured out what to do with it and pulled it back out 10 minutes later when I realized it didn't fit. BIG MISTAKE. Now my poor Coral beauty is covered in little white spots and I assume the other fish are soon to follow. I traced it back to the new tank when I realized there was a huge *%$%%@ bottle of ich meds in the box of supplies. OY! Options please, note that I am new to marine and not sure how to does most chemicals properly just yet I own a refractometer but lowering the salinity is also a bit tweaky! I don't want to kill my new friend with kindness. If I strip the edge bare can I dose the blenny,damsel,Coral beauty and Chromis together in that small of a tank or will I have a battle royale on my hands? Water conditions on both tanks tested normal using APIs marine test kit Temperature is 27 degrees.

I did, the water's about perfect. I also run the same tests daily...nothing.

you can autopsy fish? I know how to check for basic fish diseases and the like (some are pretty freaking gross) I found him jammed up under the LR so I'm going to guess he got stuck, No signs of injury or anything unnatural otherwise.

Antenna,mr. Firefish Passed away in my 29 gallon biocube on Monday, February 27, 2012 in his 3rd day of inhabiting it. It is believed mr.antennas short life was caused by him deciding to inhabit a rock that was too small. Beloved friend of Chromis "Stuntman Mike" and 4 blue legged hermit crabs. Predeceased by tankmates "Gojira" a strawberry top snail and Cromis"Super Dave" who went missing Febuary 22 and is presumed dead. A funeral service was held at the downstairs washroom on the eve of Febuary 27th 2011 Seriously tho, I've checked all my parameters lots the tanks been running for 2 months my algea cycle has come and gone and my crabs,corals and Hermits are doing awesome I'm really confused.

Poor Razzy

Just the info I was looking for

I'd be interested in trying Salinity but rocking a 29 gallon bio cube I'm not sure I need the great big bucket of it,just seems like it would be an easier product to work with than instant ocean. (yes I'm still in the setup stages lol) anyone want to split a bucket?

All reptiles can carry samonella, but if you clean the tank very well it shouldn't be an issue, I've swapped fish and reptile tanks a few times (I even have a tank running with fish and fire belly toads!) and never once had a problem even though I keep a fair number of reptiles. I'm afraid I can't help much on the salt aspect as I'm just starting one myself.Reptiles however.....