newbie needs help with marine fish setup

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About 6 months ago I started my 130gal sal****er aquarium - I was a
newbie then and still am. I originally populated it with about half a
dozen fish which all died in the first 3 months. I think my problem
was I bought fussy fish which are not easy to keep in a non established
system

I now have a bunch of damsels, a dogface puffer, trigger, and some
clowns. They all have been doing fine for about 3 months but the
trigger is showing major signs of trouble (I think he is near death).

I just tested my water today. Here are the results:
- pH at 7.7
- nitrate at 100 mg per litre
- nitrite at 0.2
- ammonia at 0.2
- hydrometer at 1.023

I think my pH is very low and nitrate very high. I plan to change
about 30% of the water this week - will this solve the problem. It has
been a few months since I last did a water change. By the way, I have
an external Magnum350 filter plus two 802 Powerheads which are
connected to a below-coral filter system - should this setup not keep
the water clean on its own for some time?

Another problem I recently found is a heavy build-up of black spots on
the glass inside. The worst is on each corner of the front glass which
covers about 1' x 1' area each - and I also have small black spots now
throughout. I tried to wipe this today and couldn't even take a bit
off. In the past I used to get a lot of green algea there, but it
easily wiped off with a rag tied to a stick. I did notice about 4
weeks ago that the green algea never returned but instead I got these
funny little white things (possibly plant life) hanging off the glass,
which were all bunched up and about 1mm long. These white things
gradually disappeared on there own in about 3 weeks, but now I have
this black buildup which I can not get ride of. I think it is mineral
buildup? What can I use to get ride of this without hurting the fish?
I really do not want to remove all the fish and empty the whole tank to
clean it - is there a product I can use with the fish and water still
in the tank? I've heard vinegar is good and safe for the fish.

Thanks

[Roy]

Yes IMHO and from books I have read a ph as low as yours is a problem.
It needs to be 8.0 or higher. It may be fine if it does dip to say 7.9
or so at night, but its best to keep it higher with a 8.0 as its bare
minimum. Are you sure your sg is correct? Are you usuing a swing arm
or other float type hydrometer to read it? If so, they are nortorious
for being out of whack.....NItrite shold be 0 as should be the
ammonia.....
Filters still need clenaing on a periodic schedule, and its more
inportant in a newly established tank as its still not mature yet even
at 6 months of age........

I would do some research on fish so you can get fish that are suitable
to live together. Damsels are pretty hardy, but can be troublesome
later on, triggers are iffy as are puffers which really should onlly
be kept once you get a fully established mature tank and a bit of
experiience first. Water changes made every couple of months is bad
fish keeping practice.........especially with a new setup...and
nothing works on its own very effectively without some form of human
intervention or periodically checking.

I would look for community type fish that will accept commercially
prepared feeds as a starter. Damsels fit that catagory if you like
damsels, as are some dwarf angels but angels can be finicky with
diets....

Have you kept a running record of water parameters? Its nice to see
fluctuations and its a good idea to do so until its matured.




On 25 Dec 2005 14:41:08 -0800, "
> wrote:
>><>About 6 months ago I started my 130gal sal****er aquarium - I was a
>><>newbie then and still am. I originally populated it with about half a
>><>dozen fish which all died in the first 3 months. I think my problem
>><>was I bought fussy fish which are not easy to keep in a non established
>><>system
>><>
>><>I now have a bunch of damsels, a dogface puffer, trigger, and some
>><>clowns. They all have been doing fine for about 3 months but the
>><>trigger is showing major signs of trouble (I think he is near death).
>><>
>><>I just tested my water today. Here are the results:
>><> - pH at 7.7
>><> - nitrate at 100 mg per litre
>><> - nitrite at 0.2
>><> - ammonia at 0.2
>><> - hydrometer at 1.023
>><>
>><>I think my pH is very low and nitrate very high. I plan to change
>><>about 30% of the water this week - will this solve the problem. It has
>><>been a few months since I last did a water change. By the way, I have
>><>an external Magnum350 filter plus two 802 Powerheads which are
>><>connected to a below-coral filter system - should this setup not keep
>><>the water clean on its own for some time?
>><>
>><>Another problem I recently found is a heavy build-up of black spots on
>><>the glass inside. The worst is on each corner of the front glass which
>><>covers about 1' x 1' area each - and I also have small black spots now
>><>throughout. I tried to wipe this today and couldn't even take a bit
>><>off. In the past I used to get a lot of green algea there, but it
>><>easily wiped off with a rag tied to a stick. I did notice about 4
>><>weeks ago that the green algea never returned but instead I got these
>><>funny little white things (possibly plant life) hanging off the glass,
>><>which were all bunched up and about 1mm long. These white things
>><>gradually disappeared on there own in about 3 weeks, but now I have
>><>this black buildup which I can not get ride of. I think it is mineral
>><>buildup? What can I use to get ride of this without hurting the fish?
>><>I really do not want to remove all the fish and empty the whole tank to
>><>clean it - is there a product I can use with the fish and water still
>><>in the tank? I've heard vinegar is good and safe for the fish.
>><>
>><>Thanks

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Captain Feedback]

Not sure what your black buildup is, but you might want to try out the
Penn Plax "Magnet Scraper". It was the only thing that could remove
the hard green algae spots in my tank.

[Wayne Sallee]

I don't like them. They use razor blades. The mag float is
better. If you want to use a razor blade to carfully
remove stubborn things, that's one thing, but even then be
carefull, as it's easy to scrach the glass.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Captain Feedback wrote on 12/26/2005 8:46 AM:
> Not sure what your black buildup is, but you might want to try out the
> Penn Plax "Magnet Scraper". It was the only thing that could remove
> the hard green algae spots in my tank.
>

[Terry]

What type of substrate do you have?
How much Live rock (if any)?
What Skimmer?
Type and flow of your powerheads?
What Salt are you using?
Any signs of disease in the tank (anything just a bit odd)?

As much info as poss will help a lot.............


> wrote in message
oups.com...
> About 6 months ago I started my 130gal sal****er aquarium - I was a
> newbie then and still am. I originally populated it with about half a
> dozen fish which all died in the first 3 months. I think my problem
> was I bought fussy fish which are not easy to keep in a non established
> system
>
> I now have a bunch of damsels, a dogface puffer, trigger, and some
> clowns. They all have been doing fine for about 3 months but the
> trigger is showing major signs of trouble (I think he is near death).
>
> I just tested my water today. Here are the results:
> - pH at 7.7
> - nitrate at 100 mg per litre
> - nitrite at 0.2
> - ammonia at 0.2
> - hydrometer at 1.023
>
> I think my pH is very low and nitrate very high. I plan to change
> about 30% of the water this week - will this solve the problem. It has
> been a few months since I last did a water change. By the way, I have
> an external Magnum350 filter plus two 802 Powerheads which are
> connected to a below-coral filter system - should this setup not keep
> the water clean on its own for some time?
>
> Another problem I recently found is a heavy build-up of black spots on
> the glass inside. The worst is on each corner of the front glass which
> covers about 1' x 1' area each - and I also have small black spots now
> throughout. I tried to wipe this today and couldn't even take a bit
> off. In the past I used to get a lot of green algea there, but it
> easily wiped off with a rag tied to a stick. I did notice about 4
> weeks ago that the green algea never returned but instead I got these
> funny little white things (possibly plant life) hanging off the glass,
> which were all bunched up and about 1mm long. These white things
> gradually disappeared on there own in about 3 weeks, but now I have
> this black buildup which I can not get ride of. I think it is mineral
> buildup? What can I use to get ride of this without hurting the fish?
> I really do not want to remove all the fish and empty the whole tank to
> clean it - is there a product I can use with the fish and water still
> in the tank? I've heard vinegar is good and safe for the fish.
>
> Thanks
>

[Terry]

I Quote from your post:

"It has been a few months since I last did a water change"

10% water change per week MINIMUM!!!!

You want to swim in your own **** for month's at a time??

[Wayne Sallee]

I only do a 50% water change once every 3 to 6 months.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Terry wrote on 12/26/2005 5:03 PM:
> I Quote from your post:
>
> "It has been a few months since I last did a water change"
>
> 10% water change per week MINIMUM!!!!
>
>

[Terry]

>I only do a 50% water change once every 3 to 6 months.

But you don't have fish dying all over the place, Dodgy water params and a
black build-up over the tank etc etc like this guy does :)

[Captain Feedback]

I tried the MagFloat and several other non-blade cleaners. I even used
various algae removal pads with gloves and monkey grease. Nothing
worked except for the Magnet Scraper. So far I don't see any evidence
of the glass being scratched, but I'll continue to keep a close eye on
it.

Wayne Sallee wrote:
> I don't like them. They use razor blades. The mag float is
> better. If you want to use a razor blade to carfully
> remove stubborn things, that's one thing, but even then be
> carefull, as it's easy to scrach the glass.
>
> Wayne Sallee
> Wayne's Pets
>
>
>
> Captain Feedback wrote on 12/26/2005 8:46 AM:
> > Not sure what your black buildup is, but you might want to try out the
> > Penn Plax "Magnet Scraper". It was the only thing that could remove
> > the hard green algae spots in my tank.
> >

[Captain Feedback]

>10% water change per week MINIMUM!!!!

Err, there are quite a few experienced hobbyists who change their tank
water less frequently than that.

Of course, every few months is the other extreme.

[Terry]

As I said above.........

But you don't have fish dying all over the place, Dodgy water params and a
black build-up over the tank etc etc like this guy does :)

See what i'm getting at?

"Captain Feedback" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> >10% water change per week MINIMUM!!!!
>
> Err, there are quite a few experienced hobbyists who change their tank
> water less frequently than that.
>
> Of course, every few months is the other extreme.
>

[Wayne Sallee]

Oh I guess I missed that :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Terry wrote on 12/27/2005 4:12 PM:
>>I only do a 50% water change once every 3 to 6 months.
>
>
> But you don't have fish dying all over the place, Dodgy water params and a
> black build-up over the tank etc etc like this guy does :)
>
>
>
>

[George Patterson]

wrote:

> - hydrometer at 1.023

Drop this down some. 1.023 is fine for a temperature of 60 degrees. If you're up
near 80 (more likely), the specific gravity should be 1.021.

If my fish were behaving that way, I would set up for a 20% water change ASAP. I
would change another 20% a week later.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

[Wayne Sallee]

1021 is unnaturaly low.

The aim for a reef tank, is to keep conditions like that
in nature. The salinity in sea water is 35ppt Since cold
water is heavyer than warm water, the specific gravity
(weight of water) will vary with temp.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



George Patterson wrote on 12/28/2005 10:17 PM:
> wrote:
>
>> - hydrometer at 1.023
>
>
> Drop this down some. 1.023 is fine for a temperature of 60 degrees. If
> you're up near 80 (more likely), the specific gravity should be 1.021.
>
> If my fish were behaving that way, I would set up for a 20% water change
> ASAP. I would change another 20% a week later.
>
> George Patterson
> Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
> your slightly older self.

[Hawk-I]

1.021 Is NO WHERE near being unnaturally low. Full strength seawater
ranges from 1.022 to 1.030 with the worlds average being 1.025.
The acceptable range for S.G. is anywhere between 1.015 and 1.032,
low S.G. is useful in controlling some disease's a higher S.G. is
useful in the aid of skimming. Most reefers keep a SG in the low
to mid 20's , a fish only tank I keep 1.017, my reef is at 1.023
reef temp was at 82 for a very long time (over 5 yrs) just recently
changed it to 78 with no ill effects fish tank has been 78

Wayne Sallee wrote:
> 1021 is unnaturaly low.
>
> The aim for a reef tank, is to keep conditions like that in nature. The
> salinity in sea water is 35ppt Since cold water is heavyer than warm
> water, the specific gravity (weight of water) will vary with temp.
>
> Wayne Sallee
> Wayne's Pets
>
>
>
> George Patterson wrote on 12/28/2005 10:17 PM:
>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> - hydrometer at 1.023
>>
>>
>>
>> Drop this down some. 1.023 is fine for a temperature of 60 degrees. If
>> you're up near 80 (more likely), the specific gravity should be 1.021.
>>
>> If my fish were behaving that way, I would set up for a 20% water
>> change ASAP. I would change another 20% a week later.
>>
>> George Patterson
>> Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights
>> belong to
>> your slightly older self.

[Wayne Sallee]

Don't count sea water that doesn't contain coral reefs.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Hawk-I wrote on 12/31/2005 4:44 PM:
> 1.021 Is NO WHERE near being unnaturally low. Full strength seawater
> ranges from 1.022 to 1.030 with the worlds average being 1.025.
> The acceptable range for S.G. is anywhere between 1.015 and 1.032,
> low S.G. is useful in controlling some disease's a higher S.G. is
> useful in the aid of skimming. Most reefers keep a SG in the low
> to mid 20's , a fish only tank I keep 1.017, my reef is at 1.023
> reef temp was at 82 for a very long time (over 5 yrs) just recently
> changed it to 78 with no ill effects fish tank has been 78
>
> Wayne Sallee wrote:
>
>> 1021 is unnaturaly low.
>>
>> The aim for a reef tank, is to keep conditions like that in nature.
>> The salinity in sea water is 35ppt Since cold water is heavyer than
>> warm water, the specific gravity (weight of water) will vary with temp.
>>
>> Wayne Sallee
>> Wayne's Pets
>>
>>
>>
>> George Patterson wrote on 12/28/2005 10:17 PM:
>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> - hydrometer at 1.023
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Drop this down some. 1.023 is fine for a temperature of 60 degrees.
>>> If you're up near 80 (more likely), the specific gravity should be
>>> 1.021.
>>>
>>> If my fish were behaving that way, I would set up for a 20% water
>>> change ASAP. I would change another 20% a week later.
>>>
>>> George Patterson
>>> Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights
>>> belong to
>>> your slightly older self.
>
>