got my first fish today

[kyman2391]

i went out and got my first fish for my 24 gal aquapod, no LS just LR(ill try to get a pic ASAP so you can see the setup), a $5 test damsel. I brought it home and didn't want to put there salt water that was in the bag and dump it in my tank, so i drained the water out and quickly dumped him in. He went to the corner of the tank and laid on his side for a while breathing hard and died. I don't know if it was shock from the warm bag water to my 76 degree water, or just shock from being chased around the tank at the store and put in a tiny bag then into my tank. I checked the PH lvl and it was not bright but golden yellow. I don't know if its the PH or what. The next test fish i get should i acclimate it by putting the bag in the water for a little bit? Please help i feel stupid.

[demonsp]

Please dont use live fish for testing.My 2 yellow tail damsels are my favorate fish. They sell test kits for this.It could be many things from flow to still cycling to poor accumulation. More info is needed to help. Tank size and amount of time its been running?
Equipment , amount of LR and LS?
These are great starts.

[McTeague]

Check out this article on drip acclimation: http://saltaquarium.about.com/librar...y/aa111802.htm

Isn't you tank only a couple days old?

[kyman2391]

yea its 3 days old

[fishnfool]

demonsp is right. But we all have made mistakes (many in my case) and are always learning. I suggest you read and research ALOT, a good place to begin would be the Look Here For Answers thread posted at the top of this forum.

[demonsp]

Whats 3 days old the tank?

[reefergeorge]

To add. You should always QT all things wet. Now your tank could have ich in it, and your next post will be HOW DO I TREAT ICH.
We will need numbers ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity to help anymore.

[McTeague]

Dude, wait 4-6 weeks to add anything else, seriously...

Be sure and remove the damsel as soon as it dies.

[reefergeorge]

3 days old. Ammonia definitely killed it. Wait at least three weeks before adding any fish or cuc. Nothing happens fast in this hobby except bad things. So take your time.

[poppin_fresh]

Ugggg... please dont waste your money on any more fish yet. A three day old tank is not ready for a fish yet, even a Damsel.

Leave your tank alone for a while and use the time to do some reading. There are a number of good books that are available in addition to advice here on RC. If you take your time, you will be rewarded.

[demonsp]

Well its not a tragety and you came here for help so sounds like you want to do it right.A reef tank is a slow and easy hobby. Come in here often and you will see many reasons for research and understanding of the delicate eco system of a reef tank.

If you want to do it right and with least amount of trouble then please list all your tank specs.
LR,SB,equipment , lighting , size , water source , and please get a test kit. You may need two as the basic kit lacks phosphate and alk and calcium and DkH. So you cant proceed without atleast the basic kit and dont trust the LFS for this , but can be used as backup for the kit you have.Or if they match your readings then you are set.

[jacksonimaging]

Take your time. Research what fish you would like to put in your tank. Dont just start out with the cheapest fish that you wont want in the long run. Damsels can become aggressive when they get bigger and that can cause problems in a small tank. Wait it out and in the mean time decide on the fish you want. There are some inexpensive gobies that are good starter fish. Decide if you want coral or not. http://www.liveaquaria.com/ is a good place to look at fish. They have a Nano section and they go into detail about that fishes particular needs. It took me 2 and a half years of making sure I wanted to go into saltwater before I actually did it. It takes a lot of time money and patience. Let your tank fully cycle for another month before you add anything. You can bring a water sample to a Petco and get a free water test - PH, Nitrates Nitrites, Ammonia, and some others depending on the store. Make sure you never just dump anything into your tank. You could bring in disease and kill whatever you put in because of the drastic water changes - Its like if you were in the jungle and someone picked you up and put you in the north pole. With saltwater everything takes time. Sometimes you need to acclimate animals for hour, even longer sometimes. Go to the Library and get some saltwater books and do some reading. Then come back to RC and ask any questions you have. Someone will know the answer! Good luck and dont be afraid to ask questions. Thats how we learn!

[kyman2391]

thanks jack will do.

[demonsp]

No tank specs?

[demonsp]

No time will help any stock in a 3 day old tank.

[kyman2391]

heres my tank ATM:

[IMG][/IMG]

as far as specs go i have no idea what it has:

[demonsp]

Looks like a great start. I would add 1 more powerhead on the right side. You are lacking flow. Then test and whene readings drop and level add some cuc. A good mix of snails and crabs but not to many. Then the next wekk add a fish or soft coral and then the next week more CUC and a fish or coral and so on and so on.
Oh and remove those nitrate collecting bio balls.

[Dewey58]

Hey Kyman,
Please research before adding anything to your tank. You are two months away from being safe to add even a clean-up crew. Adding a fish to a three day old tank just isn't responsible. I'm not trying to be critical, but you MUST know what you are doing before proceeding. I've responded to another post you have and indicated that you need to gain a great deal of knowledge before proceeding any further. This hobby is too expensive in both money and time to do anything without the proper strategy in place. Patience and knowledge will result in a level of satisfaction that you will appreciate. Keep asking the questions, but don't buy anymore fish until your tank is completely cycled. Prove it by testing many times.
Make sure you know what will happen to all creatures before you put them in your tank.
Good luck!
Dewey

[demonsp]

Cool a hippo in a 75. Dewey just curios what you use for flow in that 75 gallon? And you say 75 DT but im not familar with DT?

[phunkie99]

I am a rookie at this as well but are you testing your water for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Alk, & PH??

[demonsp]

Originally posted by phunkie99
I am a rookie at this as well but are you testing your water for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Alk, & PH??

I dont think he tests. But besides that i see you have a return and koralia listed as your flow source in a 55 gallon. If this is right then you would be best increasing your flow. I think i need to invest in koralia stock cause these overrated underpowered poerheads are the most popular.

[scram2]

you really have to be patient in this hobby as im sure you have heard i was the same way i started with the same tank as you but did not add anything near as fast lol. but i added to damsels after about 2-3 weeks to help cycle the tank and see how they would do. Then i added a green clown goby and they were beating the goby up and i had to take the damsels out and i had to take all the LR out of the tank to get them so dont start with damsels unless you want a damsel tank. but you really need to wait 3-4 weeks before adding anymore fish...

[Norward]

It's discouraging that somewhere, somehow, new aquarists are being told to "test" their new aquariums with damsels or some other type of inexpensive fish. It's just not necessary for starting up a successful tank. I still feel bad when I lose a snail!

[McTeague]

Originally posted by kyman2391
[/B]

I really like your tank man, it is going to be awesome!

[kyman2391]

thanks McTeague i think so to.