Just started

[lancefish]

I bought a 30 gallon tank from my brothers wife for $75, came with everything including live rock metal halide light live sand ect.
The problem is we had to drain 1/2 the water to be able to move it to my house. I topped the tank off with fresh water and wasn't able to add salt for a few days, it now has the proper Salinity/Nitrite/Nitrate/PH. my question is this: Is it still live rock? did i kill it by letting the salinity drop for a few days when i added fresh water, there was only 1 crab in the tank when i bought it and it died

Here are some pics of my tank and some closeups of the rock

[lancefish]

there is also some green stringy plant life starting to grow near on the rock closest to the light

[reefhead728]

The rock is still alive its just going to take along time before coraline algia starts growing again get a test kit and test your calcium and alkalinity with adding 15 gal of fresh water to it had to shock the rock. Did you make sure the fresh water you added was the right ph and the water was conditiond, need to get the water right.

[leebca]

A sudden shift in salinity (specific gravity) will kill many if not all the invertebrates. Invertebrates cannot adjust to a sudden change in salinity. Even fish have a problem doing this.

So to answer your question, you probably killed off most of the life on the live rock other than microscopic lifeforms (like bacteria and the coralline algae).

I don't expect you to be an expert, but this action is even below that of a novice. You need to do some serious learning, reading, and getting advice about marine systems before risking any other marine life.

[reefhead728]

yea leebca has it right you need to learn what your getting into

[lancefish]

Thanks for the useful info reefhead, the water was treated and at Ideal alkalinity. I'm starting to see Aiptasia Anemones pop up on the rock, so I guess I didn't screw up too bad, I have read that they're kinda common.
I bought API saltwater test kit, but it did not include calcium test, i suppose ill have to buy that, ill post results when they're available.

[lancefish]

That's why i'm posting here, I learn very well by asking questions
If you have some websites you can recommend for me to read please feel free to post.

[lancefish]

I just looked at the tank and there were some really small crustaceans come out from empty shells at the bottom of the tank, also discovered a small snail moving around.

[reefhead728]

aiptasia anemones are from having bad water conditions. They are a problem they will multiply and can take over your tank. aiptasia anemones can survive almost anything, your best beat is to start reading and the best book i can recomened is for starters " Saltwater Fish for dummies " it has basic preperation and a starting point for getting into this hobby you can harm alot of marine life and waste alot of money not understanding basics

[lancefish]

I should have stuck with my cichlids

[reefhead728]

Iv been doing this for 3 years and im nowhere near an expert, but i trust leebca,charlie and returnofsid anything they say has seemed to work for me and they are always been happy to help

[denhay14]

Pepermint shrimp are good for aiptasia. I got two of them when I spotted my first pest. They do a pretty good job.

[reefhead728]

Yea pepermint shrimp will do the job, but if the water conditons or bad the shrimp wont make it. let the tank cycle for a couple of weeks before adding anything, thats what i would do.

[lancefish]

Sounds like a plan
I found a Lfs that has peppermint shrimp for $3 each
the owner actually gies to the Florida keys and catches them
he's a licensed collector

[leebca]

Reefland has a wealth of information, most of which you need to know.

Start by reading this (BEFORE you do anything else):
Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

While reading the above, if you come across words or phrases you don't understand, see if they are defined in the next link (below).

Next, you'll need to learn new words that are part of this hobby. Read through this post and begin to familiarize yourself with terms:
Glossary of FOWLR Terms

As you read the above, it provides links to other posts you need to read. When you've read all the links to all the posts, then go through this list of topics and find those you haven't learned about and read about them:
Table/Contents - Link List

PLEASE don't buy or do anything else, even if it sounds good, until you're done learning from the above links.

[berkdog]

hi lancefish. that's a pretty nice deal! only 75 bucks for all of that. i wish i have found such a deal. even getting a quarnatine tank is costing me more than 100...

that said, isn't it exciting to have a saltwater tank? everyone will tell you to take things slowly. i agree-- but also know that everyone makes mistakes. we'll never know everything. i made tons already too... the best thing to do, as everyone everywhere says, is to just let the tank cycle for a while.

questions: was your tank cycling before you got it? what was in it? Just the rock and that (now dead) crab? Do you know how long it was sitting there? Were there powerheads/pumps pushing around the water then? I'm just curious of the state of your tank before you got it. And what type of fresh water did you add to it? Tap water straight from the sink? Maybe treated first?

That's a miracle that you were able to move it by just moving out half of the water. I'm going to try and move my tank (+ stand) just 1-3 inches and am going to have to spend a day to do this. Initially I was bringing home RO (reverse osmosis) water too, but after a few trips, my back was giving out and I gave up. Luckily I found out (through this forum) that water in my area is relatively good when treated.

Good luck and keep sharing updates and questions.

[lancefish]

Berkdog, I will answer your questions as best I can

was your tank cycling before you got it?
It was not cycling when I bought it. It had been running for about 2 years, but 6 moths prior to my purchase the person stripped the filter & power head and sold them, he then basically did not feed the fish and let them die off, he had 2 clown fish from what he said, they died and were not removed, I'm guessing that's what the crab was eating

what was in it?
Rock, the (now) dead crab and a snail. the snail is very much alive and racing around the tank

Do you know how long it was sitting there?
6 months with no circulation/filtration/light

what type of fresh water did you add to it?
Hose water treated

Were there power heads/pumps pushing around the water then?
Not for the 6 months prior to my purchase

I've been testing my water the past 3 days

8/25:
PH 8.0
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

8/27
PH 8.0
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20