In need of some advice, Please and Thank you (:

[ilovesam08]

Due to issues with being able to properly take care of and mantain a reef tank, I decided to leave the hobby. Over the past years I have had a total of 4 tanks, all of which ended up crashing. I know I was not doing something right, and I am not as " saltwater tank smart " as most on this forum, but I wanted to give it one more try.

On March 2nd, My husband is going to buy me another tank for our anniverisary, and after extensive research I decided to go with the Red Sea Max 130D. I know the lighting is not as good as the 250, but as of right now I do not want to house SPS.

This is the plan until and when the tank is bought.
Before the tank is purchused, I plan on doing RESEARCH, RESEARCH, & More RESEARCH!
After the tank is purchused, I plan on finding the right spot on it for my house, putting everything together properly, Using RO/DI water to mix my salt with, Let the salt mix for a day or so, Add my sand, let the sand settle before turning on the skimmer, and then adding my live rock and letting it cure and cycle for around 6 weeks. ( Making sure my Salinity, Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia levels are were they are supposed to be )

Now, what else do I need to do to decrease the chances of the tank crashing? Is there anything else I need to buy for this system? ( also please explain this to me, in a way I can understand ) Thank you all

 

[tomaquar]

Can you tell us what "tank crashing" specifically means ?

 

[ilovesam08]

All of my levels were perfect.. But everything ended up dying anyways

 

[tomaquar]

does that include fish, shrimp, crabs and mircofauna ?

 

[ilovesam08]

No my fish made it, and some of the shrimps and crabs did also.

 

[tomaquar]

Ok, so a reasonable guess would be a nitrate spike. What kind of corals died?

 

[gnashty]

I am not familiar with the RSM's but there are a few ppl here that have them with great results.

Can you be more specific about the previous tank crashes? I would want to understand that before I spent a dime or put a drop of water in a new tank. Just coral losses or fish too? What size tanks? What kind of corals were you keeping? Were you also testing for Magnesium, Alkalinity, and Calcium?

Research and asking questions is definately the right answer.

guess im a slow typer..lol

 

[ilovesam08]

Mostly LPS, and all my fish lived. I was not testing for calcium and Magnesium. I will def. do that now.

 

[tomaquar]

There is no substitute for a mature tank. Slow, slow, slow slow.

Make sure you have a set up where your shrimp and snails live long term. I find turbo snails to be a great barometer. If you can keep a turbo alive for 6 months you are headed in the right direction.

 

[ilovesam08]

I think I might have rushed things a little too fast. I plan on taking my time, and doing plenty of research. After the tank has cycled, I will add my Clean up crew first, but do I need to wait to add a few fish? And how many fish should be added at once?

 

[tomaquar]

Personally I added a pair of perculas when it was cycled and left them alone for 3-4 months. Plenty of time to add the inverts then and when all everyone is stable and healthy, add a nice candy cane and see if it stays healthy for a couple of months.

 

[ichthyoid]

I would add nitrate, pH, salinity, temperature and overall stability to gnashty's recommendation above. At least until you have sustained success.

Any of these 8 parameters can cause problems.
-alkalinity
-magnesium
-calcium
-nitrate
-pH
-salinity
-temperature
-stability (significant variation of the above, and often overlooked)

-JMHO

 

[gthockey18]

The RSM130 is nice my good friend Thai (tqpolo on ARC) had one for a while. I had the RSM250 for about a year. The 130's skimmer and lights are it's weak points. The 250's skimmer is only a little better. Consider getting an Auto Top Off as the skimmer performance is highly dependent on the height of the water in the back chamber and with a little evaporation, the skimmer stops doing its job until you refill with RODI water. One other thing, those tanks are hot boxes. You may have to invest in a small chiller one day to keep your temps down. My RSM250 would run at 82-84 degrees consistently before I got a chiller. Keeping the room temp lower will help and keeping the fan in the back running all the time helps also but then more evaporation occurs. Good luck with it!

 

[dakota9]

Immediately after reading the original post, my thoughts were that you were probably rushing it a bit.......

Take your time!

Stick with bullet proof additions like softies and clowns (or other tank bred fish) for the first several months or so. These are fun, and will help you build confidence as a reef keeper.

Don't feel terrible about loosing LPS, some of them (Elegance!) can be a bit temperamental.

Learn what elements your inhabitants need and test your water for those elements.

I remember you from a while back. Good luck to you and remember the 4th times the charm.......

 

[ilovesam08]

ichthyoid;719830 wrote: I would add nitrate, pH, salinity, temperature and overall stability to gnashty's recommendation above. At least until you have sustained success.

Any of these 8 parameters can cause problems.
-alkalinity
-magnesium
-calcium
-nitrate
-pH
-salinity
-temperature
-stability (significant variation of the above, and often overlooked)

-JMHO

How long would you recommend letting the tank be empty with proper parameters before adding any livestock?

Edit:

gthockey18;719851 wrote: The RSM130 is nice my good friend Thai (tqpolo on ARC) had one for a while. I had the RSM250 for about a year. The 130's skimmer and lights are it's weak points. The 250's skimmer is only a little better. Consider getting an Auto Top Off as the skimmer performance is highly dependent on the height of the water in the back chamber and with a little evaporation, the skimmer stops doing its job until you refill with RODI water. One other thing, those tanks are hot boxes. You may have to invest in a small chiller one day to keep your temps down. My RSM250 would run at 82-84 degrees consistently before I got a chiller. Keeping the room temp lower will help and keeping the fan in the back running all the time helps also but then more evaporation occurs. Good luck with it!

They have a new one out called the RSM 130D. It is supposed to have an upgraded filter system, plus more updated items. I have heard that they can become over heated, but while it is still cycling I am going to wait because I keep my house very cool, so I am going to see if that works, if not I am going to buy a chiller. What would be a good auto top of to work with this system and how exactly do they work? Also whats the price range on this?

What is a RO unit, would it be helpful? how do they work? and what is the price range for one/

Edit:

Dakota9;719852 wrote: Immediately after reading the original post, my thoughts were that you were probably rushing it a bit.......

Take your time!

Stick with bullet proof additions like softies and clowns (or other tank bred fish) for the first several months or so. These are fun, and will help you build confidence as a reef keeper.

Don't feel terrible about loosing LPS, some of them (Elegance!) can be a bit temperamental.

Learn what elements your inhabitants need and test your water for those elements.

I remember you from a while back. Good luck to you and remember the 4th times the charm.......

I am planning on adding my clean up crew first and then a few chromis, I know that you have to add your fish slow to decrease your chances of having a bio load, but how long of a period of time would be needed to add more fish after I add the chromis? Also does the same rule apply to adding coral?
Hopefully this time will work for me, If not I am completely giving up.

Edit: OK here is another question, How do you do the drip acclimation process work? I understand the basics? but I don't understand what I need to properly do this. If someone could explain it to me, that would be great. Also a video would be helpful if anyone knows a good one.

 

[umbrellacorp]

ichthyoid;719830 wrote: I would add nitrate, pH, salinity, temperature and overall stability to gnashty's recommendation above. At least until you have sustained success.

Any of these 8 parameters can cause problems.
-alkalinity
-magnesium
-calcium
-nitrate
-pH
-salinity
-temperature
-stability (significant variation of the above, and often overlooked)

-JMHO

agreed

 

[v8fla]

you may try going to B.R.S, (not sure if can post the web address?)and watching some of the video's.

 

[wbrown]

Adding livestock of some sort is a fair idea to get beneficial bacteria going. It can be a clean up crew, fish or both. I'd wait till after the cycle. Adding ammonia will start the cycle, seeding with live rock or sand from a trusted system will introduce bacteria faster.
1-2 weeks would be a reasonable timeframe.
RO Unit; Reverse Osmosis, Deionized filter. If you are using tap water to fill your tank; BAD. Bulk reef supply or buckeye field supply are great to deal with. google either for filter setups. Don't forget to get an inline TDS meter while you are at it, it means a lot knowing what's going into and coming out of your filter unit.
Drip acclimation is a pain, but reduces the shock to the critters. I use a section of airline with a inline valve. Drop one end of the airline into the DT, the other into the container with fish. Adjust the valve to drip once every 3-4 seconds and wait. I use a two gallon container myself.
Snails and hermits you can temperature acclimate and toss right in. They can handle salinity and pH swings better than fish and corals.

 

[rdnelson]

As stated already, taking it slow is the biggest key in my opinion. Everytime you add anything or make any change at all, watching the effects it has on the whole ecosystem is critical. The simplest changes can affect everything in the tank. So giving plenty of time for adjustment before making another change is imparative in my opinion. My tank is only 6 months old so I can't speak from years of experience. But, because cash is tight, I am forced to take it very slow and I have come to believe that is why I have had no real problems. And yes, research is key. I try to read most threads on this site even if they don't apply to my situation or tank. In doing so, I have a much better understanding of what is happening in MY tank. Good luck.

 

[ichthyoid]

How long would you recommend letting the tank be empty with proper parameters before adding any livestock?