Vent about LFS

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#1
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#1
Okay... so.... I decided to go to my LFS on the weekend and just take a look at the different fish that they have and pick up some livesand for my aquarium. Actually picked up a mix of aragonite (sp) and live sand. So anyways, my tank was set up about 8 days ago, a 55 gallon. My husband and I set it up last saturday with some used liverock that we picked up off of some guy from a online message board. He had the liverock sitting in a bucket for what I think is a very long time. So my husband and I have been testing the water for salinity and Ammonia. Once my ammonia spikes I will know that my tank is heading in the right direction but so far nothing. No spike no nothing, all levels of my tank are at 0 and the salinity is at 1.022. I decided that when we wen't to the LFS to bring some water for them to test to make sure that i am doing everything correct (with testing the water). They actually told me that my water already spiked and that with saltwater there isn't always a "spike" in ammonia/nitrites/nitraes. They said that sometimes the liverock is so good (yes the liverock that was on the verge of being deadrock) that it filters out everything without a spike.

Grrrrr.... so my LFS tried to sell me some fish. WTF!!!! Even though i didn't have any sand in the tank yet and that when i did eventually put it in the tank was out of commission for about 1/2 a day clearing.

Why, Why does my LFS lie to me like this, what are they on commission or something????
 

F

FishGeek

Elite Fish
#2
May 13, 2005
4,294
5
0
38
South Carolina
#2
Thats why alot of us tell people not to listen to their LFS unless they know for a fact a person knows what they are talking about. Everyone has their one way of handling a tank and not all of them awe right. BTW you salinity is a little low you might want to raise it some. I keep mine around 1.025.
 

Joe Fish

Joe Fish

Superstar Fish
#3
Apr 21, 2006
2,126
1
0
Penn State
josy.isa-geek.com
#3
I agree. I rely on responses I get from all of you on here before I go to my LFS so I have some information backing up what they say. A LFS is looking to get rid of their fish because one, they don't take good care of them and know they will die soon if they don't. You just have to be able to tell them no. A good LFS won't do things like this. They are the ones that have good tanks and want to build a lasting relationship. These LFS are hard to find!
 

Tayles

Tayles

Large Fish
#4
Jun 14, 2003
156
0
0
43
Orlando, Florida
Visit site
#4
The petsmart near me is really good. My girlfriend wanted some glass fish and the manager refused to sell them to us because of disease. She also helped a lot in explaining about the fish and one of the employees there is a biologist and helped us a lot when our betta that died, had a disease. That particular store is the only one that I trust, when the right people are working, because the manager was very knowledgable. Other than that all other LFS's suck a**. Always trust MFT first and foremost, because they have really helped me to keep awesome tanks.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#7
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#7
I wouldn't trust the live rock you got out of a bucket???? who knows how long it was in there and what treatment it had in there. Though you have some really good rock to get started. I think I would be tempted to take it out, and place it in a bucket of salt water with a powerhead and heater. Then I would jump start your cycle with a dead cocktail shrimp (the kind you buy at the deli cooked or uncooked doesn't matter). Place it in the tank for a few days and watch your ammonia daily......once it spikes take out the shrimp (or what's left of it and get some glade air freshners as it is going to stink a bit) and then wait for the nitrite to drop and when everything is zero re-introduce your rock. The reason I would take it out is you don't want to kill anything that is left on the rock with the ammonia spike. You may even then get another small cycle when you re-intro the rock....wait again and when everything is zero you should be able to add a cleanup crew.......and a few weeks later start with your fish....... not exactly what you wanted to hear, but a safe sure method. No one dies....(fish that is)
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#8
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#8
Thanks Lorna,

I did add some mysis shrimp. I think someone from the LFS told me about that. It planted itself underneith the LR and stayed there. I did notice some decay happening when I added the Sand. I left it in there (with the lr) and nothing still.

I am waiting for the Ammonia to spike before i think about adding anything, only thing is that it just doesn't seem like it is going anywhere anytime soon.

I will try adding some cocktail shrimp, not sure if it is different from Mysis Shrimp. (its just what I had on hand from the cichlid tank and the LFS said it would work the same)

I have some RO water in a bucket with a air pump hooked up. Letting it sit there untill I have to do a water change. Should add the rock in there? Would prefer not to only because then I would have to get rid of some water (and actually don't think it would all fit. I have about 45lbs of Live Rock now and I have a 5 gal bucket.)

Also, I was told from the LFS that if I purchased some more LR that the old LR would come back to life because the organisims would move onto it.
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#10
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#10
Hi Guppy Newby,

I added about 3 cubes of mysis shrimp. Thought it might have been enough. Okay, so i am going to try 3 coctail shrimp. If the mysis shrimp didn't work, this should.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#11
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#11
3 cocktail shrimp is a lot, I put 2 in my 75g to get it going. You just want to jack up the cycle. The mysis probably wasn't enough. You need to have something in there to provide the ammonia. You can leave the rock in there as I said the only reason to take it out would be to ensure you don't kill everything with an ammonia spike. If you leave it in there......once you start showing ammonia in your tests, take the shrimp out right away. That way hopefully the spike wont be too bad. Don't add any more liverock to your tank until that ammonia spike starts to convert to nitrite and they start falling....
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#12
I'm astonished - forget this cocktail shrimp nonsense - I think the lfs was right and you are wrong. If you use decent live rock that's cured then don't expect any spikes.

This is not the same as freshwater! Do you not understand saltwater cycling, liverock?
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#13
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#13
Wayne, I understand what the LFS is saying, and it makes sense to me. If there is enough LR in the tank then it will filter out everything and cycle the tank. I questioned what they said (as I question everything they say with SW & FW) because I knew that my LR wasn't the greatest. Everyone that has seen it has told me that it is almost dead and should get seeded with a more efficent batch of LR. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't beeing fed incorrect information.

I put in a little more mysis shrimp because i didn't have any cocktail. If nothing happens then I will scoop it out and test all the water paramaters again, if everything seems ok then I will try putting in a very hardy fish.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#15
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#15
I suggested the cocktail shrimp as there were questions regarding the viability and life of the live rock. I agree, if you add cured live rock (with a good load of beneficial bacteria) and live sand you will see very little of a cycle and it would be almost immediately cycled. I agree with adding some additional live rock to re-seed the existing. I cycled my tank initially with a shrimp because at the time it was empty except the sand. Then after 1 week added all my cured live rock and noticed no additional cycle after that, then a week later I added a cleanup crew. I do believe that using a shrimp or mysis is a good way to initiate a cycle when you don't have the live rock at hand.....it is much better solution than using damsels as most LFS will suggest. I have even heard of people using household ammonia.....a course of action I can't advocate.
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#16
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#16
Hi everyone,

well currently in my tank i have 20 lbs (?) of Argonite as well as 5 lbs (?) of Live Sand (I have the ? Because I can't remember if it is lbs) I just added the sand this weekend. Before that I have 35lbs of LR (added to the tank at start up but was not that great of LR) so periodically i have added another 10 lbs, give or take.

I am starting to think now that maybe I am just not going to get a spike at all so am going to pick up some cleaners. Maybe some shrimp as well as some snails. So here is what could possibly be a stupid question. (apparently I am full of them today) Can I add shrimp and snails without any other fish or should i put in a clown fish with them (when i say "a" clown fish I mean 2)
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#18
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
41
Brampton, Ontario
#18
Yeah thats what I'll start with. I wasn't sure if they needed fish or not aswell in the tank. But I guess with the LS they should be good. Ok Thanks :)


HOLD ON!!!!!! I CAN GET SOMETHING IN MY TANK!!!!!!! *BOUNCINGS
 

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