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Dont get frustrated, just take it slow. It will all come around in time.

Dan

It's only a 20gal tank, so I figured I'd keep only one shrimp. In that case, I'd probably just get the coral banded, or maybe a cleaner shrimp. I'm not to familiar with the other shrimp you mentioned.

Also, I need to be careful with the fish. I don't know if any kinds of shrimp like to chase fish, but I have an engineer goby and a firefish that hide under the live rock all day long. Will a shrimp harrass them too much?

I cleaned the sponges and replaced the carbon bags. Hopefully by this weekend the water will much more clear. I'm really starting to get frustrated now. I want a good-looking tank!

Thanks again for the input.

If you add a CBS, keep in mind that you wont be able to add any other shrimp. CBS do not do well with other shrimp. I would suggest a cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, and peppermint shrimp. If you only plan to have one shrimp, then a CBS will be fine.

Dan


Dan

Thanks again for the advice.

I bought a large carton of activated carbon tonight, and I brought it home to put in the filter immediately. However, when I pulled out the media tray, I noticed that there was a sponge on the bottom of it. I had never used Aquaclear filters before, so I had no idea they were there.

I pulled out the sponges and found them full of garbage. I rushed to the sink and squeezed them out and rinsed each one for a few minutes. It was disgusting! I bet the previous owner hadn't rinsed them in a while, and the move stirred up the water causing the sponges to clog.

Now that I've cleaned the sponges, I'm going to give the tank a few days to clear up again. If not, I'm going to add the new carbon. Finally, within a few days, I'll do a 25% water change. I'm hoping that this will clear up the tank rather quickly. With some good luck, those sponges may have the water much more clear by tomorrow morning. Any other advice?

Once clear, I'm going to add some better lights, and hopefully a banded coral shrimp. My friend has one, and they are so much fun to watch. If not a coral banded, what other shrimps should I look at?

Thanks again for the help. I'll post again once I see if my tank looks any better or not. Hopefully I can get some more advice on here. This website has been so helpful.

You could try some water changes, perhaps every other day until it clears up.

The price of the bulbs would depend on the type you want. Figure about $15 or so for a bulb for your tank size.

Dan


Dan

Thanks for your input. The move was over three weeks ago, so I'm kinda surprised that it is still cloudy. The cloudiness may also be attributed to some algae, but the tank really receives no direct sunlight, so I'm not sure if this is really possible.

My friend and I moved the rock in a large bucket of water from the tank, and the small gravel was left in the tank with a small layer of water to keep it wet. We moved it to my place and had it all reassembled (fish and all) within one hour. After the move, about 25% of the tank was clean saltwater. The water doesn't really stink at all. It did immediately after moving it, but after a day or two it went away.

I have been topping off the tank with freshwater almost every other day now. However, I have yet to do a water change, as I wasn't sure if it would help clear the water at all. I was waiting for some advice on here before wasting some salt on a water change if nothing would happen.

I've also been monitoring the specific gravity also and understand how to perform a water change. I just wasn't sure if that would be a help, or a waste. I thought maybe replacing the carbon would be a good start to see if that helped clear up the water first.

I'll keep the info about the bulbs in mind when looking for better bulbs. For the bulbs you mentioned, how much am I looking at paying? I figured they'd be expensive and would wait until after clearing up the water before buying better lighting.

Please help me out more, and let me know what else I could be doing (or what else I may be doing wrong). Thanks again for everything!

Mised the part about the lights. SW is more of a blue. In the 10,000k range. 20,000k is really blue. Yellow lights are in the 6500k range I would suggest a 50/50 actenic.

Dan


Dan

The live rock will provide your biological filteration. For the most part, you may not see much on the rock. It's mostly bacteria. You may see a few pods, (small bugs), these are fine. Bristle worms, again, just fine. And even a few small feather dusters over time.

The HOB filters are fine. They will provide more then enough mecianal filteration. It's not really needed, but still nice to have. Carbon should only be added when neded.

The cloudy water might be from the move. How did you move the rock and sand, if you have sand. Does the water stink? If so, it is a big cycle from die off on the rock. I strongly suggest not adding any fish for a while.

Water changes can be done every week, or month, depending on the need. Be sure to mix your water and get the temp close to the tank temp, and the gravity is also the same. You will also need to watch your tank and top it off with fresh water, not mixed salt water.

Dan


Dan