# HELP ME PLEASE HELP.....!!



## fishstickss (Mar 17, 2008)

hi every1 this is my first time joining an online group i need some help.

i have a 30 gallon tank, i have 35pounds of live rock the tank is a oceanic bio cube it has a filter in the back and has bio-balls the water falls into in the back also it is a curved glass tank with the back being a solid wall. it has 3 lights white light, a blue light, and a moon light. the tank pretty much came complete an its all covered on top it has a little opening in the corner where water is pushed through with a power-head into the tank from the back and i bought a small power-head to push more water on the other side

i mix my own water, i use a 5gallon jug and get my salinity to 1.023 and i add prime and just a little purple up im doing everything as directed on the bottles so im using the right amounts. i use filtered water from our kitchen, i do a water change every week.

i bought a damsel he died 4 days after buying him, could he have been sick.
i also medicated my tank for red slime, i had just a lil coming in the day when i turned my lights on, but all of that stuff in my sand stop showing up the bottle said it wont harm anything in the tank. and today i noticed a dark dark burgundy color on my rock is that red slime?

i have been cycling for 1 1/2 months. with 3 red hermit crabs, 2 blue legged hermits, 3 snails. and they all seem to be doing fine.

i take test
ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, nitrates = 12.5 mg/l ph = 8.1
the pet-store said im ready for fish. all my water seems good.

i bought 2 clown-fishes they seem to be swimming in one spot and their mouth openin an closing i was wondering is that normal are they gasping for air? what should i do am i over medicating my water or adding too much prime or purple up.

to be honest i spent alot of money and im completely lost so now im turning for help online. please help me.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

*Hi, welcom to FF! We'll do all we can to help you, but we'll need to ask some questions. I'm going to break this up and type in bold so I don't miss any of your questions.*



fishstickss said:


> hi every1 this is my first time joining an online group i need some help.
> 
> i have a 30 gallon tank, i have 35pounds of live rock the tank is a oceanic bio cube it has a filter in the back and has bio-balls the water falls into in the back also it is a curved glass tank with the back being a solid wall. it has 3 lights white light, a blue light, and a moon light. the tank pretty much came complete an its all covered on top it has a little opening in the corner where water is pushed through with a power-head into the tank from the back and i bought a small power-head to push more water on the other side
> 
> ...


Saltwater can be quite expensive if you don't understand it before you start spending your money. It can also be quite expensive and time consuming to maintain. When you check your water params, you'll always want to check your calcium levels. These will fluctuate over time and with water changes. Calcium is extremely important and the one that too many people forget about. Too much or too little and the animal's bodies can't function properly. What kind of substrate do you have? (crushed coral or live sand?) Also, can you post any pictures of the tank? There are some types of rock that will leech calcium into the water, more so than others. Honeycomb rock is a good example of that. Crushed coral substrate at the bottom will do the same thing, and this is why it is often used in African cichlid tanks as a substrate, to keep the pH high. Your pH is actually a touch on the low side for saltwater. 8.3 - 8.5 is ideal. 
Your problem could be a number of things, alone or in combination. Once we have more info and can maybe see some pictures, we should be able to help you quite easily.


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## fishstickss (Mar 17, 2008)

*srry guys i bug alot but help again with my clowns! please!!*

srry i bug alot but i know nothing about this stuff.

my 2 clown fishes are always together, but sometimes they twitch real fast or something and it only happens when they r together.... are they going to die?!?!?!?!


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## fishstickss (Mar 17, 2008)

*hiii betta*

i dont know my calcium level i dont have a tester 

the temp stays around 77-80

i have 2 powerheads the system i have is a oceanic bio cube 29gallon. and i bought another powerhead thats about the same power a lil less by rio it moves 80gallons an hour i found out that my enclosed system and not pointing my powerheads up to create waves can cause my fishes to not get enough oxygen so i pointed them up to create nice waves and i keep my lid cracked and it seemed to improve for them they r more active now less gasping and they are eating mysis shrimp!! 

yes i can post pics.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Your topics have been merged so people won't be confused by the post flow as they try to help you with your situation.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Knowing your calcium level is very important, I would strongly suggest you get a calcium test kit. There is no way to keep saltwater stable if you don't know your calcium levels. That is something that needs to be checked regularly.


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