# Marine Mushrooms



## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

I have just set up my first tank and stocked it with all the usual recomended things but with it being a hot day the tank temp rose to 30% most of the mushrooms died . They let of first a long brown string which eventually devoured the rest of the mushroom. All other corals seem fine at the moment 

Why would this be ??? Would it have been the heat or something else maybe ? 

The tank is only 3 days old , but i was told what i had bought was ok for ithe new tank by the experts at oasis .


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## Guest (Jun 15, 2009)

Did you cycle the tank? The long brown string sounds like algae to me, what are your readings from the tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, KH and calcium?

High temperatures will cause corals to retract and possibly die, especially the more sensitive SPS species such as _Acropora_. You could try positioning two fans so that they blow across the tank, or you could invest in an aquarium chiller (which are quite expensive to buy and run). Does the tank have a hood and if so are there any PC fans built in?


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

REST IN PEACE ? I WISH I COULD NOW THAT IVE BECOME A CHRONIC INSOMNIAC :yikes:

Well to be honest , they didnt take that much time educating me and I raced ahead as a result after being told it was ok . A bit of sales comes first in that I think

The amonium was very high , hot day and nitetes were high also .

Today because of all the dead coral and toxins i didd a one third part water change added more filter start and also loads of amonium solution to bring it down to normal level . The nitrate is still to high but will reduce in a few days as i add more filter start i assume. ph OK calcium not sure yet .

Is there anything you can buy besides the amonium to remedy PH Calcium Nitrate problems, either high or low .

The tank looks healthy today and dammage seems minimulised now , corals are looking brighter - whats left anyway, The polyps are looking vert strong and healthy .

The chilers ive been told need to be placed in a different room but if i did that the heat is higher in the other rooms . My flat is very hot , people take all their cloths off when they visit which is a bit unsociable really. :drool:

The fan doesnt seem enough but it has been usually hot hasnt it .

Ill be keeping a close watch for a while . still some coral hasnt opened yet so , this will be the conditions are not quite right yet . I dont think its too dangerous at the moment although I could be wrong - just an incling

I have to be carefull with money now to after the enourmous outlay but it seems once you start it never ends . Ill have to work harder for a while to keep up. :sad:

My tank is this one but grey http://www.urmstonaquatics.com/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=riverreef94L

Has fans but the additional fan was needed - Its big enough for me as it turns out .


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## Guest (Jun 16, 2009)

SteveLawrence said:


> REST IN PEACE ? I WISH I COULD NOW THAT IVE BECOME A CHRONIC INSOMNIAC :yikes:
> 
> Well to be honest , they didnt take that much time educating me and I raced ahead as a result after being told it was ok . A bit of sales comes first in that I think
> 
> ...


Sorry about the R.I.P in my signature, it's to do with the recent death of a forum member.

What are you using for filtration? I wouldn't bother with the ammonia remover, this won't remove the ammonia completely and it will only place a 'mask' over it.

The best thing that you can do at the moment is strip the tank down and start from scratch, keep testing the water and wait before adding anything. Out of curiosity are you using reverse osmosis water?

There are two main types of aquarium chillers, refrigerative chillers which work in a similar fashion to everyday household fridges and evaporative chillers, which use a fan. Both are generally very expensive to purchase however evaporative chillers are usually more economical in comparison with their counterparts. The size of chiller required will depend on the size of the tank and by how much the temperature needs to be reduced.


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## Rhiannan (Jun 16, 2009)

Hi there

I'm afraid you seem to have been given bad advice by the sales people 
There shouldn't be anything at all in a fish tank of only 3 days old, they need time to cycle so the good bacteria can establish. 

With my marine tank, we left it a good few weeks before we put anything in at all. Then we got live rock and sand and added that, then wait another few weeks, then add some critters such as hermits, snails etc. Then finally after it had matured for about 3 months, we added our first fish.

It is a very long process and with a nano tank (which is what we have too) you really can't have many fish at all. Best to have only 2 or 3, then the problem is getting the fish mix right. Certain fish will not get on well in a nano so you are restricted.

What else do you have in your tank just now? I think it is best to have nothing in your tank (well, obviously water lol) for the first few weeks then you can look at getting the rock etc.

Temperature is something we have a problem with too, the lights on the nano heat the water up so much we do not even have our heater on. Even then the temp is slightly too high. We bought a nano off the internet thinking we got a bargain at £80, but it turned out that all the equipment that came with the nano was cheap quality and much of it had to be replaced. The fan broke after not too long and we have to get that fixed.

Money wise, it certainly is a pit. We have spent hundreds and hundreds on it and it still does not look the way we imagined. Unfortunately nanos are so delicate they are hard to maintain, it is easier to have a huge tank as the water is so much more stable and easy to manage.

As the member above me has mentioned, you must use RO water for marine tanks and mix up your salt water using that. It is normally advised that you leave the salt water over night before adding it, not just mix up the salt in the water and add it straight away.

Have you kept tropicals before?

Anyway, I'm not meaning to be doom and gloom! It is a great hobby and with some guidance I'm sure your nano will be looking fab in a few months time :thumbsup: 

thanks
Rhiannan


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

if i keep adding the filter start will this help, ???

Obviously i dont want to throw out £500 worth of rock and coral . Your right the ammonium remover dosent work well at all , the tank is also high in nitrite . 

Its had half salt water change and also RO top ups due to evaporation. 

Its been a nightmare so far . The shrips are dying I think because they are so still and when you orod them they dont move and the crabs are very still also , The sea weed is turning paler green . Ive been taking all the dead stuff out as i see it dying . But yep I feel i have been advised wrong which I didnt epect from Oasis. 

Maybe it will just go through its course of damage and eventually stabilise.

If all corals die it will be about £300 worth of dammage but as long as the rock doesent dye I can stand it but only at a pinch . I have resigned myself to the fact this is likely, although the worm i found will probably be the last to go and not the first . 

I only found out today that one of the pumps wasnt working which is now fixed 

But needless to say I am not very happy and intend to tread very lighlty from here on . I guess anyone with a marine tank has had some expensive catasrophies in the learning curb but one i would not have taken had i have known . 

Never trust a salesman .


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## Rhiannan (Jun 16, 2009)

Most of your corals and critters may well die, if they don't they will endure some pretty painful and unpleasent environments for a little while, it would be better to try and take them back to the shop and ask for your money back. Then once your tank is cycled properly and ammonia is zero you can think about going back to get a couple to add. But I would not add anything else to this tank for 3 months.

The rock will be alright, it may well die off and re-culture but that's ok, just takes a little longer. Live rock should smell fresh like the sea and not nasty smelly. Yours will probably go smelly which means there is die off on the rock, but it will re-culture in time.

Filter start is not going to create miracles and you will still need to culture the tank before you add anything. 

I am very shocked that an aquarium shop would sell you a brand new tank and a heap of stock the very first day!! 

A marine tank is something which takes alot of research, alot of time and money too. 

I wouldn't worry about doing any water changes at this stage, there will be high ammonia and nitrate, this is the cycle the tank must go through. Doing water changes will lengthen the process if anything.

If I was in your position I'd be asking some serious questions to the shop!

I hope your remaining corals pull through ok. What is the SG in your tank?
Thanks
Rhiannan


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

Thats whats happening toomorrow and hopefully getting a credit note and starting again . Thats pretty much what Jonathan said from The Splash! . Nice bloke but hes the one who looks after your tanks when you go away for any lenght of time and helps with problems in manchester , you have to give him keys obviously but £30 he will charge for sorting evrything out and thats good because i dont loose everything.

You live and learn we hope. But I never make the same mistakes twice .

This will give time for all the unexpected criters to com out also so i can shed the take of harmfull beasts also without massive headaces.

Cant believe they didi that ???

Patience is a virtue, pitty I dont have any . :thumbsup:

Will have to have now 

Wish me well from here on .

This forums is magic for fish keepers and highly needed - Fools rush in but I can still hide behind my glasses for a while and hide behind posts in the streets to prevent anybody recognising me. 

HEY LOOK - THATS THE FISH TANK DISASTER MAN - THE INVERTERBRATE, CORAL MURDERER Boooooo


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## Rhiannan (Jun 16, 2009)

Haha, don't worry, you were given bad advice and didn't do enough research, you certainly are not the first person to do this and won't be last I suspect!

Just think how great it will be in a few months time when you can post up pictures of your newly flourishing tank 

It's good that you are getting some help and good luck with that credit note! 

Rhiannan


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

Well He came around to fix the tak stirped it right back New water took out loads of stuff , The tank looks pathetic and the ammonium is back up high tonight . 

I am not cut out for this . Too much stress and losses .The proffesionals cant even fix it :crying:


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

The solution given the fact the flat is just to warm and all the water evaporates at half an inch a day which means running backwards and forwards for water is to go tropical and I could be happy with moss balls, siamese fighting fish, yellow cat fish, red claw crab shrimps, snails maybe and whatever else can fit into a 97 litter tank . Less hassle, easier to maintain and less likly hood of unforseen disaters . I think you reallt need to be a expert bed sitter with marine tanks. Tropical seems more practical and less expensive

Its a good solution because the heat in my flat is too uncontrolable. A shame but then I dont want to be running to the aqaurium every 5 mins anyway which is all i seem to be doing and can expect to do with the marine tank.

I think it will still look good and then I can SLEEP again .

Oasis said the will just change all the live stock over so its not a complete loss , But I would think carfully if anyone was considering a marine tank because you really are tied to it both finacially and pysically . Ill leave that for the rich kids i think.


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## Rhiannan (Jun 16, 2009)

A marine tank should be thought carefully about and plenty of reseach and reading done before anyone buys one. Once you have the right equipment they are easy enough to keep on top off.

A tropical is eaiser but there is still maintanence required so I suggest you do some reading up on how to keep an aquarium before you run out and buy this one. You don't want to be putting fish in there after a few days and killing them, you need to buy some basics before you even put fish in a tank, like test kits etc. This eay you can moniter your water and watch as the cycle takes place.

A Tropical tank will need to cycle too, you won't be able to put any fish in there for a good month. 

If you plan to have crabs, then you must have a fitted hood and drip tray, with no gaps! They will escape, and trust me, they will out the smallest of holes and one evening you'll be sitting watching telly and a crab will run accross your living room carpet !


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## SteveLawrence (May 4, 2009)

Well my tank will suit tropical as well but its the only option . It depends on whether the tropical fish and invertabrates can be mixed but it is only 97 litter which means i may get away with some that need 100 litter tank . 

Dont like guppies and tetras but the siamese and yellow cat fish and the brighter coloured fish I like . 

Yes the tank has a lid but i love the crabs 

The marine set up is evaporating 1 inch a day so you can why its going to be a difficult task with the heat in my place . I didnt do anything wrong apparently and the tank was just cooked by the heat. With the tropical i can just ad tap water but this time I will be moving very slowly forward 

I have to have fish that can stand higher tempretures also


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