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Stinking Water New Tank

26K views 195 replies 12 participants last post by  Pasfur 
#1 ·
I am from India, kolkata, the temperature here is 31 Degree celcius, i have new 29 gallon tank filled with saltwater from last 2 weeks, i have added last week some live rocks from my petshop which he said were cured, after smelling i found very light smell almost nothing, but after adding them in my tank, i have found that my water is stinking whenever i put my hand in the water, my hand stinks badly, but the water is ok when u smell it by putting the nose above the tank. Yesterday my nitrate is 10mg/l, my ammonia test is also 0 , and ph is around 6.5 to 7. No fish is added yet, i have 1 internal filter and 1 powerhead. I have the lights but i am switching them on for 3-4 hrs. every evening. I have changed 20% water today and the bad smell has gone down a bit. . My salinity is 1.022 (earlier it was 1.028 in 32 degree celcius temperature and I am using bottled mineral water and my home Kent RO water purifier.

Plz help what is wrong why my water is stinking. Is my live rock dead. Should i replace more water.

Imtiaz Khan
 
#61 ·
Okay so you were following my thread thats gr8.:lol:

I can get Calcium Kit. But Alakalinity Kit is very difficult to get. I can get the test done of both by paying $6 in my Local Area Test Laboratory. Its a Multi-National Firm. They deal in all kinds of tests. Here is a link : http://www.mitrask.com/www/Contact.html. OR If i buy the Calcium Kit now it will cost me $8. Which one should i prefer ?

(my God doing FOWLR is so expensive, if i would have gone to reef tank what would have happend anyways now i am in it so i have to cross the river).:cry:

Ph Test time was afternoon 3.00 pm(lights were on from last 4 hrs.)

Search Baking Soda in Google to increase ph (its floooded on the net).:twisted:


You can add a small fan to blow across the surface of the water if necessary.
Replied earlier : A 4" Fan has been installed on the hood(cover) to run 12 hrs. in the day time installed 3 weeks back. But i will confirm the temperature again.:roll:
 
#62 ·
This is ridiculous. I am ready to mail you an alkalinity kit. Send me a self-addressed postage paid package and a 16oz bottle of AmQuel and I will send you an alkalinity kit in return. Yes, seriously. PM me.

For now, get the calcium kit. This is a relatively new system, so the calcium result will give us a good indicator of the alkalinity levels, especially if we can test pH at the same time each day. But this is NOT a long term solution to alkalinity. In the short term, we can assume your other carbonate buffers are in the acceptable range.
 
#63 · (Edited)
Its Brown Brown Brown

The sand rocks and glass are all almost BROWN. It makes me Frown.

Thanks bro for doing this favour but what is 16oz bottle of AmQuel and where can i get it. Is it available in India?:roll:

First let me get the calcium kit and reply u with the results tmrw.:-?

India is hot humid and a 3rd world country.
 
#64 · (Edited)
More news ahead.

Just got Calcium Kh Kit (actually Alkalinity but nobody knows here).

Anyways the results are here.

Calcim : 440 ppm. Hope its normal.

Alkalinity : 8 dkh. (is it high?).

Well what now Pasfur or Arkamaic Bro.

Plz reply at the earliest. Yellow tail damsel is doing fine and
alone coz no clown fish available here in LFS.
 
#65 ·
Finally got a test, good. 440ppm for Calcium is a good number. I believe some like it higher. Mine is finally around 440 like yours. Most like it around 400-460 ppm

My Alkalinity is also 8. I aim for 8-12 dkh.

Pasfur or someone will help more with this, but I think that you need to add a buffer to get your Ph up. Dont go with what I say on that though, for I am still elarning the chemistry behind it.
 
#66 ·
We have Arrived in a Damsel Kingdom.

No clown fish available even after searching 3 weeks.:roll:

So last night i bought 1 Pakistani Red Tail butterfly & 1 Small Baby Sailfin Tang.:lol:
My LFS said butterfly is good algae cleaner.

The damsel initially started to fight but its becoming okay since morning. Though new comers are in one corner of the aquarium while the damsel rules the whole tank scaring them with his spiky dorsal fin. Hope they will be fine and soon be friends. (I did some modification on my rock due to the initial fight and gave some hiding place for the new comers).:lol:

But the new comers are not eating flakes nor the pellet. They were only grazing algae which is deep brown at this moment. Dont they eat flakes or pellet ?:cry:



I have iphone and i have downloaded a software Aquaria which says Butterfly & Tangs are comaptible with Damsels.:lol:

Someone should reply i hope ?
 
#67 ·
#69 ·
I have been stalking this thread :)lol:), and I thought it was a 29 or thirty gallon tank? I am confused as to the size of the tank. Is it 130 gallons? If so, it's definitely big enough for both of those fish.

A 30 gallon tank is pushing it for even one of these two fish, especially the Tang. The gallon reccomendations put on these websites are more of a generic tag than anything. These kind of fish need room to swim. They need an ample amount of live rock to graze on. They need a lot of places to hide. A standard 30 gallon is 12" x 36" x 17" I think. Fish such as Tangs, Butterflies, Angels, etc... are fish that like to roam and graze. These fish are at their happiest when they have the room to roam and graze, and happy=healthy.:-D

Fish like Clowns, some Gobies, some Blennies... these are more of the "gate-keeper" type. They like to hover in certain areas and protect small dugouts or caves they reside in. These types of fish are perfect for smaller tanks, 55 gallons or less.

The 130 gallon tank, is that an idea for the near future? Do you plan on upgrading soon? I had a Hippo Tang in my 46 gallon Bow before I upgraded to the 150 gallon I have now. He was a baby, maybe 2-3". He has sprung up in size since the move, he's probably around six inches now at the least. I wouldn't reccomend that you buy smaller fish with the plan of upgrading, because if things come and plans change, that large fish is growing in a small enviroment. It isn't all that healthy for the fish.

So, when the website says 150 gallon minimum, they are kind of going along the idea that most 150 gallon tanks are 6' long. There is a 4' long 150 gallon that obviously wouldn't provide as much swimming room as it's 6' counterpart. I wouldn't say that those two tanks are of the same type. These internet sites should really say, "needs 6' of swimming room," or "tends to stay in one area, 18 inches of swimming room recommended"....
 
#72 ·
Oh God....

Yes it is typo mistake. Mine is 30 gallon only.:cry:

But the Small Sailfin Tang started getting micro white spots and died today morning. Last night after coming from my office when i spotted white spots and he was gasping near the sand falling from this side and that side, i immediately removed him to my fish bowl with the some tank water and tested for nitrates in the tank, it was 10 ppm. Fine..but ??.

I knew he won't survive.

May be Sailfin Tang got stressed a lot due to the damsel annoyance and transportation. Poor Soul i feel so sad about it.:cry: God Bless his/her soul.

Pakistani Butterfly is doing well. :roll: But what about his food(always searching for algaes)? Can i give Live worms(Deep Brown Colour) which is fed to the freshwater fishes? Brine shrimp is not available here in Kolkata, india. I am still searching for hatching eggs?

How long it will take my algaes to grow ? Can anybody answer this one? :evil:
Its been more than 2 weeks of the diatom bloom ? 12 hrs. light daily provided. Aqua Coral & T5.

Pasfur/Arkamaic r u guys concerned?:shock:
 
#73 ·
Pasfur/Arkamaic r u guys concerned?:shock:
Concerned? I am beyond concerned. I have no idea why you bought fish, much less these specific fish. Anyhow, moving on....

On the subject of buffers. Calcium at 440ppm and alkalinity of 8dkh, with a pH on the bottom end of the acceptable range. I would expect pH to be higher with these levels of calcium and alkalinity, so lets do a water change. I would suggest changing 5 gallons of water, waiting 24 hours, and then testing again. Lets see how these levels respond. Adding baking soda would not do anything productive with these levels, but adding a true buffer, such as Kent Marine Super Buffer DKH, might help, because it contains buffering salts such as borate and magnesium, which appear to be lacking in your system.

The goal is to get calcium, alkalinity, and pH all in the acceptable range. At this point you can test regularly and start to see trends, adding calcium or buffers as necessary.

Man, your fish selection was horrible. I mean HORRIBLE. You need to ask before you make these decisions. Right now, having a fish that died from ich, you need to wait 90 days before purchasing another fish.
 
#76 ·
Yes a glass fishbowl 5 gallon.

What abt my damsel and butterfly fish? Will they get infected?

Coz they are in the same tank without UV Sterilizer. (it was recommended by Pasfur). but its not available here now, but will be soon available.
 
#77 ·
I would definately not use a fishbowl, I think the fish would drop dead within a few days, at this point Pasfur has some pretty good advice on how to treat ICH if you read the post, maybe it will give you an idea on how to control it.
and if I am not mistaken, ich is extremely contagious, I would wait the 90 days to make sure the tank is rid of it, this hobby is expensive enough, you don't want to spend money to go out the window and for dissapointment do you?

Also have you read the diet for your butterfly fish? you mentioned algae, but these fish are carnivores, so if it isn't eating, maybe something is wrong? but I am not 100% sure, I am sure Pasfur can comment.
 
#78 ·
Honestly, I'm not sure how I can help at this point. The words that follow are not an attempt to bash you or be rude. But this thread can be helpful for others who are following along.

I am only being honest when I say it is highly likely that your Butterflyfish will also die in the very short future. The tank is way to small and the aquarium is not mature enough to successfully keep this fish. Plus, you still have pH issues. To make it worse, you have introduced ich into the tank, which was a result of quick decision making, as opposed to careful planning. You skipped quarantine and purchased fish that are beyond the readiness of the tank.

Folks, saltwater is not hard. What is hard is controlling your personal behavior. Extreme patience is required to be successful. This thread has become a perfect example of what not to do.

Now, what to do from here? My advice is to immediately begin feeding garlic with every feeding. Garlic boosts the fish resistance to ich. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to get your Butterflyfish to accept this type of food. You may want to purchase algae sheets that are garlic enhanced.
 
#79 · (Edited)
May be this thread help others to learn from my mistakes.:frustrated:

Well I have finally purchased more 18 lbs of cured+MATURED Rocks with some green purple algae and very few tube worms from my LFS. He bought it from one of his customers who wanted to sell the rocks. Well they look beautiful. Wait till i upload the pics.:notworthy:
Total 35lbs Live Rocks in my tank now.
Made lots of aquascapes. (Picture will be updated soon).
Protien Skimmer xptd soon.

Pasfur. r u talking about the garlic which we eat in food. White ones, 1 inch long. Or fishes eat some special garlics mixed in their food. Plz reply fast for this one.
Algae sheets that are garlic enhanced not available here.


Butterfly is doing well always searching for algae or may be worms.
 
#80 ·
Many fish foods today have a garlic supplement in the food. I use Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Pellet food. You should buy the small pellet size, and be prepared to feed a little at a time. It takes a few feeding for most marine fish to accept pellets. The Butterfly will probably not eat them.
 
#84 · (Edited)
You really need more of a rock structure, simply to help break up territory for compatibility issues with the livestock. A 25 pound order of dry rock for $75 from Marco Rocks The finest aquarium rock available, base rock, live rock, reef rock, marco rock, reef tank saltwater fish, live corals, Marco rocks, Fiji live rock, Tonga Live rock should do the trick.
Which snail should i buy. My LFS has got after one month Cowry and Domo Snail. Which one is good grazer. Plz answer this fast today? Otherwise the stock might go.


Bro My Bank Balance is in a bad shape. I have already spent a lot in my tank. For these Marco Rocks are beautiful but very expensive at this moment for me. $75 makes 4000 Indian Rupees. I will buy more Rocks after a month or so.:cry:

BTW U didn't comment on my tank looks.:oops:

(Please Note : My tank is running on Zeolite Stone and Cermic Rings).
 
#85 ·
Cowry snails are generally not reef safe. I have never heard of a Domo snail.

The tank appears to be coming along. The sand bed grain size and depth look good. I notice your water level is down. Keep an eye on that, because you don't want the salinity bouncing around.

Why is there a strip of black tape across the top? What is the tape covering?
 
#87 ·
Thanks for commenting on my tank.

From day before yesterday both fishes are going in front of the Powerhead most of the times. R they enjoying the flow of air.
or is it Ph problem.

May be Ph is higher in front of the powerhead ? Mine is 7.8
 
#88 · (Edited)
Thanks for Not Commenting on my Tank.

From day before yesterday both fishes are going in front of the Powerhead most of the times. R they enjoying the flow of air.
or is it Ph problem.

May be Ph is higher in front of the powerhead ? Mine is 7.8

salwaterabout.com : The generally accepted pH level in a basic saltwater system is between 7.6 and 8.4, but reef tanks are a more sensitive, and therefore need to be kept at the higher end of the pH scale, 8.0 to 8.4.

Mine is a fowlr.
 
#94 ·
You never siphon the sand in a properly set up marine aquarium.

I am personally becoming lost in this thread. My guess is that you are getting some bad advice from some places (LFS?) and it is causing you to ask questions which don't fit the situation. Or, perhaps, you have not read enough threads, magazines, books, etc. I am trying to help, but I feel like we are loosing you.

All of these problems can be summed up easily. Your pH was not stable and you still do not have a protein skimmer. Little mistakes led to big problems, and the problems are getting worse as the ich spreads.

By the way, ditto the comments Wake made about garlic.
 
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