HELP- Aquarium Newbie with 4 new Fish

Flow is a good thing.

You do not have a sump correct? So you will have to get an hang on the back skimmer.

If you go to the Marinedepot site you can find reviews on just about every product. Like this for example

AquaC Protein Skimmer

Have fun researching, that is one thing about this hobby you can research until the cows come home.

 

I don't even know what a sump is so its good bet we don't have one I am going to check out marinedepot now. Thanks so much Corailline!

 

No discussion needed! If you were to listen to ANYTHING I have to see here its that AquaC Remoras are my favorite HOB skimmer on earth!!! And I have used them all !!

5 ppm nitrate is totally fine and those fish are loving life, but please keep an eye out maybe even test every day for the next 6-10 days??

I just say that because its really good to get an idea of what's going on in your tank.

You went for the PETCO method and that is not your fault!!! Honestly, it's so good you came to find a site like this because I'm sure many people do not and end up with awful tanks !!

So just keep testing the ammonia, if it were me as frequently as I could (2-3 times a day) for at least tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. Then Wednesday if its all the same you are looking a bit better. By this time next week you haven't had a testable ammonia spike, then thank your lucky stars for that because you are most likely in the clear !!!

Keep us posted, and wait on the skimmer because those AquaC products are all different and have three-four options for each one so let is walk you through it

 

Ok, thank you Vizzle1717. I am researching the AquaC's now and may be missing something but they don't seem to have one for my tank size. Are they like the filters in that you can a more powerful one than your tank needs without there being a problem? I will definitely keep testing! Should my water changes be more than 3 gallons?

 

Honestly this is the skimmer I would buy for a fish only tank that was 27 gallon

AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115

If you call MD.com they might be running special on this still if you mention 3reef.com and my site Nano Reef Aquarium on Facebook...I can't promise anything but Daniel does a great job.

And I can't really help on water changes lol!! I don't really do them as strange as that sounds

 

Hob filters are fine, and over sizing the filter is just fine too. I ran 2 emperor 400 filters on my 80g reef and it was successful in my opinion (a little more weekly and bi weekly maintenance).
I have dealt with the petco people before. Mainly when I was a nuebe still and when you learn more which I did mainly through this forum you tend to realize that everything they tell you for the most part they are just pulling out of somewhere I can't say.
But to a answer your question you are fine with the filter you have.
I would definitely check out the other lfs in your area but keep in mind to only take what they say with a grain of salt (no pun) and what I've learned is to do your own research. It's the best way to know for sure.
There are a lot of very smart people on this site with a ton of knowledge. Learn everything you can and love the hobby as I and others do.
Good luck in this hobby and welcome to 3reef.

 

Good advice, and good job looking for advice!

Welcome to 3 Reef!

 

Here's sending you positive karma that you tank will cycle with no harm to your nemos Welcome to 3reef and the hobby

 

Thanks for the well wishes and for all the advice. I have an update and another question of course. So today I went to a local fish store and it was awesome. Much better selection and fish/products and most importantly much more knowledgeable people who really care about my tank. I got 14lbs additional lbs of live rock and some Microbacter 7. They had a skimmer in store but it was twice the price of the one you guys recommended (as Vizzle1717 predicted) so I skipped that and ordered online. When I got home I added the new rock and changed out 3 gallons of the water. That all took place about 3 hours ago. Now, all the fish seem much happier overall and are enjoying exploring the new rock structure in the tank. I just tested the water to be safe and all of the tests looked good except the ammonia. The water stayed almost completely clear in the test tube. The color chart that came with my kit shows 0ppm as being a light yellow color and that is what is showed yesterday when I tested but the water is nowhere near that color now. Its nowhere near any color, just totally clear. Is that normal?

 

Test kits can be really tricky and show incorrect values. Retest tomorrow and see if the value changes.

Congrats on the new acquisitions.