[zambezi]

Hi All,

I am new to this site and new to fish and saltwater in general. We decided to start with a 29 gallon biocube to see if we liked it. I am about 6 weeks in. We are doing pretty well so far but I do have a few questions.

We have live rock and live sand and we started with damsel fish. We also had a fake piece of rock/corral during the cycling process which I am removing today to add more live rock in prepration for corals, etc. So far in the process, we have lost quite a few fish, which is sad I think one or two of the fish were sick when I got them because they died within a day or two of me putting them in the tank.

I *think* my tank has cycled but I have never seen a spike in any of my levels- I even had my local shop check my levels to make sure that I was doing it right and they were fine for them too. We did get alge and my water got icky about halfway through and I am pretty sure that is when the cycle got started. Am I missing anything that I should be doing with the cycling process?

Temperature control has been my biggest issue. I think this is a big reason wny my fish have been dying. When it was warm out, my tank was super hot...low to mid 80s...It is not in front of a window and gets no direct outside light, but it is the general vicinity of a window so I think it is affected by the outside temp. What do you do when your tank gets too hot? Now my problem is the opposite. Now that it is cooler outside, my temperatures have been low (down to 65, yikes!) so we got a heater and it has been maintaing at 72-76degrees pretty consistenly. HOw much temperature variation is acceptable? I am worried about the summer months when they come along again.

Also, I have found a few of my fish and removed them from the tank when they die...but a few I just can't find. I have searched all over. With flashlights. I've had my husband help to no avail, some of the fish have just straight disappeared. I'm pretty sure they are dead...I realize that its not good to leave dead fish in the tank...but how much does it affect the rest of the tank if I just can't find them?

Anyway, this is super long-winded so thanks for sticking with it. I really enjoy the tank so far. It is kept in our baby's room and she enjoys looking at the fish. I am excited to add corrals and what not but want to work on the temperature issues first.

Any suggestions or helpful hints?

[Tonz of fun]

Ok wow there is a lot to talk about. For now all I will say is dont put anymore fish in. You should wait at least 4 weeks after cycling before you even think about buying fish. That is why your fish died because your tank wasnt "cycled", not because they were sick. Do you have a cleaning crew? Snails and crabs?
Getting a heater is a must. I keep mine set at about 79-80 that way my temperature swings are only a few degrees.
What kind of tests are you using? I think it is good that you got rid of the fake rock and corals. How much Live Rock do you have? LR is absolutely the most important part of the filtration process IMO.

[zambezi]

Thanks for the reply. We aren't getting any new fish for now. I'll have to look into getting some snails and crabs. I just got 5-6 more lbs of LR yesterday so we'll see how that works out. I'm not sure how much LR we had before. I'd guess 7-8 lbs or so (but I could be off, I'm not good about guessing weight). The heater is working well now that it is colder out, the temperatures have been much easier to control. I am using the API Saltwater master test kit and the coralife deep six hydrometer. I'll post a pic later today.

[rlcline76]

I used API and my results were way off. I use Salifert these days. Some others are using Sera.

[Tonz of fun]

Originally Posted by rlcline76

I used API and my results were way off. I use Salifert these days. Some others are using Sera.

I had the same problem. I have found that the phosphate tests from salfiert are junk though...

[Tonz of fun]

Originally Posted by zambezi

Thanks for the reply. We aren't getting any new fish for now. I'll have to look into getting some snails and crabs. I just got 5-6 more lbs of LR yesterday so we'll see how that works out. I'm not sure how much LR we had before. I'd guess 7-8 lbs or so (but I could be off, I'm not good about guessing weight). The heater is working well now that it is colder out, the temperatures have been much easier to control. I am using the API Saltwater master test kit and the coralife deep six hydrometer. I'll post a pic later today.

If you are getting your LR from your LFS (local fish store) and it is already in water its probably cured and ready to put into your tank. If you ever get it online and you put LR in there you will go through a mini cycle so just be careful you could do some harm if you put uncured LR in your tank and your levels get to high. I recommend at least 50 lbs of LR. This will make filtering your tank a breeze. I think in terms of equipment I would recommend a refractometer as well. I was using the deep six as well and when i tested my water for the first time these were the two readings. Deep Six 1.024 Refractometer 1.015

[zambezi]

Thanks for the replies. I get my rock from a local store and it has already been cured. I will look into the different options for saltwater test kits. I seem to be growing some red alge too...it is not too bad so I am just waiting for now...I recently bought some little crabs and a peppermint shrimp. I will get a cleaner shrimp too but the store was out my last visit. I hope that these will help keep my tank a little healthier. Still doing well with the tests...my nitrate has started to rise a bit...5-10 last check and I will do a water change today trying to get it back down. My four fish are still alive, yay! Actually I have five fish but one likes to live in the back part of the tank...basically in the overflow part of the tank near the filter- I have taken him out multiple times but he always gets back in there...so I have just left him there. Very strange.

[thelastmucci]

I have nothing to add b/c rlcline and tonz have pretty much said everything I would have said. I'd just like to add welcome to RB

[stephaniesquires]

This is a great place to learn and ask questions, look through the old posts and and read all you can, this is an expensive hobby and if you can do it right the first time then you will have more $ for fish, coral, new lights, electric bills, ro/di unit, lr, etc....

[rlcline76]

Nitrates at 5-10, eh? You do not want to know mine! I haven't checked mine in over a month! lol It is hard to keep everything at zero. Red algae....test your phosphates, as well. Getting good flow to the area helps out and keeping up with water quality is necessary. Check out the sticky at the the top of the New to the Hobby section. RyanG gives a few good suggestions there.

Good luck!