fish keep dying lots of nitrate

Get a good skimmer. Try not to overfeed.
Big waterchanges will bring down nitrates, but they will go back up without the skimmer and by feeding the tank like you have been. It's also hard for a tank to balance with such massive changes.

Crushed coral takes a little more maintenance than sand. When doing water changes, use a gravel vac/siphon and hit say 40% or so of you crushed coral with it. Don't do every nook and cranny.

This will remove the crap that is collecting in the crushed coral.

If I were you....

I would start thinking about swapping out the crushed coral with aragonite sand. Do this in stages so you don't kill everything by turning their world upside down.
Do a search on this, plenty of threads on how to do so. This is a pain, but it will make your life easier down the road as sand seems better at reducing nitrates.

Adding more live rock will help like you thought. If you get 1 - 2 lbs. per gallon, you can think about reducing the number of bio-balls you have. This may help reduce nitrates.

Get a good skimmer. Remoras and Turboflotors are great for the under $200 club. Over $200 and there are a million options like EuroReef, Precision Marine, etc..

I'd also do smaller water changes, say once a week for a while until things mellow out.

If you don't have a reverse osmosis filter for your tap water, I highly recommend one. As this will cut out a lot of nonsense from point A, your water source.

Don't add any livestock until quite a while after your tank settles down.

 

Ditto...Ditto on both posts

 

[quote author=jasandjojosdad link=board=Fish;num=1083037255;start=0#5 date=04/30/04 at 20:53:23]Thanks for all of the info everyone. I only have a shrimp, brittle star and snowflake eel. [/quote]

Just a question if I may?

Are you target feeding the eel, or just broadcast feeding?

John

 

I feed the eel with a feeder stick. He takes it with no problems. I am definatley going to get some more live rock and add it slowly. Maybe 10-20pnds every 2 weeks or so. . The Wet/Dri is full of bio balls so maybe I will remove some when I do my next water change. I have also read to clean the bio balls when you do water changes. 1/4 of them each time and just swish them around in the old water. Is there any truth to that? I have a cheap skimmer but it hangs off of the tank. Someone gave it to me and it is a pain in the butt. I have to adjust it constantly so I took it down. Now I am going to put it back and let you all know if it makes a difference. If so then I will buy a better one. You guys are GREAT!!!!!

 

A feeder stick it good, I was just a bit concerned that you might be broadcast feeding


As mentioned above you may be better off removing bio balls after adding some more rock. If you do this over an extended period it should work. Together with some water changes too of course.

John

 

Did John just say water change?

 

just a quick something that may help. After you have removed all your bioballs. you could put Live Rock in there place. As long as they are submerged 100% under water. This will help beef up your LR and still allow you to aquascape your tank so it doesn't look like a wall of rock.

Just a thought.

J

 

[quote author=jasandjojosdad link=board=Fish;num=1083037255;start=0#13 date=05/03/04 at 20:57:31]I have also read to clean the bio balls when you do water changes. 1/4 of them each time and just swish them around in the old water. Is there any truth to that?[/quote]

I don't see much good coming from that. You really shouldn't mess with the bio-balls unless you are removing them. You don't want a sterile environment in there. 1/4 at a time isn't huge, but I don't see the need. Sounds like someone who is really anal.

I've owned and maintained many wet/drys and if the ball look that nasty, you are doing something wrong to begin with.

 

[quote author=Nautilus link=board=Fish;num=1083037255;start=15#15 date=05/04/04 at 03:42:52]Did John just say water change?   [/quote]

[smiley=biggrinbounce.gif]  [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]  Listen here me old mate, I only ever said you shouldn't need to do [glow=red,2,300]regular[/glow] water changes   ;D

John

 

[quote author=JohnO link=board=Fish;num=1083037255;start=15#18 date=05/04/04 at 15:42:39]

[smiley=biggrinbounce.gif]  [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]  Listen here me old mate, I only ever said you shouldn't need to do [glow=red,2,300]regular[/glow] water changes   ;D

John
[/quote]

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