New Reefer here very concerned

[sham]

Hello everyone,

So i made a huge mistake as this is my first saltwater tank. I got my tank running about a week ago with some live rock and live sand. After about 4 days i decided to add coral as the store totally gave me misinformation. This is the light I have

• Lighting: 30W LED 12K White & Actinic

I accidentally bought 3 LPS/SPS corals and i am concerned on what's going to happen. Is my light anywhere near strong enough to support these? I also have two clownfish in my tank. Ammonia and Nitrates are slowly rising but my PH is at 8.2. Just curious on what to do from here on out. Ive used the bacteria turbo starter as well as a coral turbo starter.

 

[melonheadorion]

Hello everyone,

So i made a huge mistake as this is my first saltwater tank. I got my tank running about a week ago with some live rock and live sand. After about 4 days i decided to add coral as the store totally gave me misinformation. This is the light I have

• Lighting: 30W LED 12K White & Actinic

I accidentally bought 3 LPS/SPS corals and i am concerned on what's going to happen. Is my light anywhere near strong enough to support these? I also have two clownfish in my tank. Ammonia and Nitrates are slowly rising but my PH is at 8.2. Just curious on what to do from here on out. Ive used the bacteria turbo starter as well as a coral turbo starter.

my suspicion, if they sold you corals this early, is that the light you have is just a light, and nothing near recommended for coral. is there a brand/model on it anywhere? if the light didnt cost you at least 250, then its probably a cheap light not intended for coral, unless of course its one of those chinese made lights that people get off of amazon, or whatever, that seem to work.

without proper light, they will probably slowly die away from lighting issues, thats if your new tank doesnt do it on its own.
i dont want to worry you, but youre probably going to need to do alot of work and purchases here in a very short period to keep those alive. for the LPS and SPS, youre going to need to do more than just keep your ammonia and nitrates in line, but then you also have to worry about the lighting.

also, since they are so quick to sell you corals, i recommend checkin in with R2R with questions that you have. i would be weary about buying anything based off of what they say, because it is obvious that they just want to make a profit from you at this point

 

[Oldreefer44]

IMO, I would return the fish and coral if possible. Way too early to ad these as they are likely doomed when your ammonia and nitrite spike. The tank needs to cycle first. Nothing good happens fast in reefing. Patience is an absolute must in order to be successful in this hobby. You dont mention what size tank or specifically which corals you have. That info would be necessary to give accurate help.

 

[DeniseAndy]

If it was truly liverock, your tank will not need a new cycle (it is cycled with the wet live rock). It shouldbe good to go. For the corals, make sure to get good flow and light. Try to check out the actual wavelengths of the light fixture. Do not worry about the clown, it will be fine. This is if the lock was live rock and wet live rock!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The corals will likely die, possibly the fish too. I agree with oldreefer above, one week old tank is not ready for life.

 

[Pistondog]

Hello everyone,

So i made a huge mistake as this is my first saltwater tank. I got my tank running about a week ago with some live rock and live sand. After about 4 days i decided to add coral as the store totally gave me misinformation. This is the light I have

• Lighting: 30W LED 12K White & Actinic

I accidentally bought 3 LPS/SPS corals and i am concerned on what's going to happen. Is my light anywhere near strong enough to support these? I also have two clownfish in my tank. Ammonia and Nitrates are slowly rising but my PH is at 8.2. Just curious on what to do from here on out. Ive used the bacteria turbo starter as well as a coral turbo starter.

Welcome sham,
As you can see, we are here to help.
Maybe ask the lfs to hold the corals and fish for a month, until the tank is cycled.
Good luck and keep,us posted.

 

[sham]

my suspicion, if they sold you corals this early, is that the light you have is just a light, and nothing near recommended for coral. is there a brand/model on it anywhere? if the light didnt cost you at least 250, then its probably a cheap light not intended for coral, unless of course its one of those chinese made lights that people get off of amazon, or whatever, that seem to work.

without proper light, they will probably slowly die away from lighting issues, thats if your new tank doesnt do it on its own.
i dont want to worry you, but youre probably going to need to do alot of work and purchases here in a very short period to keep those alive. for the LPS and SPS, youre going to need to do more than just keep your ammonia and nitrates in line, but then you also have to worry about the lighting.

also, since they are so quick to sell you corals, i recommend checkin in with R2R with questions that you have. i would be weary about buying anything based off of what they say, because it is obvious that they just want to make a profit from you at this point

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This is the tank setup i have now. As well as I attached pictures of the corals. They all look fairly healthy so far and the zoa and the pulsing xenia look great. They both close up at night around 10 pm and open once I turn the light back on in the morning.

 

[sham]

IMO, I would return the fish and coral if possible. Way too early to ad these as they are likely doomed when your ammonia and nitrite spike. The tank needs to cycle first. Nothing good happens fast in reefing. Patience is an absolute must in order to be successful in this hobby. You dont mention what size tank or specifically which corals you have. That info would be necessary to give accurate help.

Check my reply I added pictures of the corals as well as the tank. Thanks

 

[Pistondog]

Those look good.
I'm sure someone is growing corals with that light. None of these are especially light demanding. Wait and see.

 

[sham]

Those look good.
I'm sure someone is growing corals with that light. None of these are especially light demanding. Wait and see.

To be totally honest im most worried about losing the pair of clowns I purchased I spent a pretty penny on them. The corals weren't too expensive they were 15 a peice.

 

[Swordsman82]

When it comes to light, it is very coral specific and tank size dependent. I currently have a bunch of LPS and softies thriving in a simple 14K light with white and blue LEDs.

more knowledge of your set up would be helpful.

 

[sham]

To be totally honest im most worried about losing the pair of clowns I purchased I spent a pretty penny on them. The corals weren't too expensive they were 15 a peice.

Tank and the clowns if anyone wanted a pic of this

 

[melonheadorion]

To be totally honest im most worried about losing the pair of clowns I purchased I spent a pretty penny on them. The corals weren't too expensive they were 15 a peice.

the fish will probably go better than the corals. if all survive, great. the fish will start to tell you when they have problems. they will be breathing heavy, acting strange (stranger than clowns already do), go to the surface for air, etc. as long as your ammonia isnt crazy, you should be ok. .5 or less, with this new of a tank, you should be alright. if it is higher than that, then there will be cause for worry. however, any ammonia could cause problems for your coral, and is one reason why a tank needs to be a little established before adding any.

everything right now looks good, and i wish you the best of luck with it. definately keep an eye on things in the coming days, but dont get discouraged if you start running into issues. the people here are very knowledgeable. i am no expert, but there are many here that are, so ask away

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I agree with Pistondog, better to be safe than sorry. See if your LFS or a fellow reefer will babysit your fish and coral asap until your tank is a bit more mature. I strongly suggest you read Ron Reefman's beginner articles here. Also, starting out videos on Bulk Reef Supply's Youtube site.

 

[MaxTremors]

Was your live rock wet, in a tank when you purchased it, or was it dry. And if it was wet, does it have obvious signs of life on it (copa/amphipods, feather dusters/fan worms, even sprirorbid worms, etc)? If it was dry rock, your tank might be able to process ammonia at this point (if you added bottled bacteria), but it’s nowhere near stable. You need to be checking your alkalinity (can be anywhere from 8-12dkh, just needs to be stable), PH (7.8-8.4), Calcium (400-450), Nitrates (<20ppm but not 0), Phosphates (<0.15 but not 0), and Magnesium (1250-1450ppm). Your clowns will likely be okay so long as your tank is processing ammonia (I wouldn’t worry about testing for nitrites). I would also move that birdsnest up to the top of your rockwork (the green sps), it is the most light hungry of the coral you got. I would also add a wave maker/powerhead to increase flow, the stock return pump is not adequate. The light you got is only adequate for the lowest light softies and lps, so you’re going to need to upgrade, its not an emergency, but you’ll need to upgrade fairly soon (I would recommend either the AI Prime 16hd or the kessil a160, either would allow you to grow pretty much anything).

 

[sham]

Was your live rock wet, in a tank when you purchased it, or was it dry. And if it was wet, does it have obvious signs of life on it (copa/amphipods, feather dusters/fan worms, even sprirorbid worms, etc)? If it was dry rock, your tank might be able to process ammonia at this point (if you added bottled bacteria), but it’s nowhere near stable. You need to be checking your alkalinity (can be anywhere from 8-12dkh, just needs to be stable), PH (7.8-8.4), Calcium (400-450), Nitrates (<20ppm but not 0), Phosphates (<0.15 but not 0), and Magnesium (1250-1450ppm). Your clowns will likely be okay so long as your tank is processing ammonia (I wouldn’t worry about testing for nitrites). I would also move that birdsnest up to the top of your rockwork (the green sps), it is the most light hungry of the coral you got. I would also add a wave maker/powerhead to increase flow, the stock return pump is not adequate. The light you got is only adequate for the lowest light softies and lps, so you’re going to need to upgrade, its not an emergency, but you’ll need to upgrade fairly soon (I would recommend either the AI Prime 16hd or the kessil a160, either would allow you to grow pretty much anything).

Hi so when I bought the live rock it was in a tank and had the coralline algae already developed all over the rocks. I don't really see any signs of life on the rock though. My nitrates are hovering around 5 ppm to 10 ppm. Don't have a tester for alkalinity, calcium, or phosphates but I will take in a water sample tomorrow and get it tested. Also my protein skimmer is just creating a bunch of bubbles and the top where the gunk should accumulate is just sort of empty with bubbles in there. Moved the corals like you said and here is the current setup. Don't mind all the gunk in the water just fed the clowns. The SPS coral surprisingly looks extremely healthy after 4 days.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Should do fine then. No cycle will happen as the bacteria needed to build up for the "cycle" is present on the rock already. You should be fine with the life in the tank.
Keep an eye on salinity, pH, and temp for stability. Also get some tests for Alk, Ca, Mg. If you start to see lots of algae, get a test for Nitrate and Phosphate.
Top offs and water changes are your best friend for smaller tanks and keeping parameters good.
Looks good so far!!!!

 

[Ntvper]

Hello everyone,

So i made a huge mistake as this is my first saltwater tank. I got my tank running about a week ago with some live rock and live sand. After about 4 days i decided to add coral as the store totally gave me misinformation. This is the light I have

• Lighting: 30W LED 12K White & Actinic

I accidentally bought 3 LPS/SPS corals and i am concerned on what's going to happen. Is my light anywhere near strong enough to support these? I also have two clownfish in my tank. Ammonia and Nitrates are slowly rising but my PH is at 8.2. Just curious on what to do from here on out. Ive used the bacteria turbo starter as well as a coral turbo starter.

Test daily, aim for stability, water changes every time something spikes, go slow I believe in you and they can survive this oopsy just stay on top of it. Been there done that I have had success in my mistakes