My clownfish died just after a day

I decided to take another chance of starting a marine tank so I had a 15g tank and gave it a go. As for water, sand and rocks, I picked up from the sea. I have a 100w heater which I think should be good to heat the tank. The room temperature is 68ºF and an internal filter with carbon and biomedia.

 

The 100w heater will be plenty to heat that 15 gallon imo. As far as the water, sand, and rocks go from the sea, I believe those will be okay? I'm not too sure about taking those directly out of the sea and using them in the tank but hopefully someone else more experienced can chime in. Take it slow though this time and get a test kit for sure to be safe and that will tell you when the tank is done cycling if that is even going to happen this time since everything was taken from the sea. If there is a cycle it might be small one. Please don't rush it though this time and don't give up either. This hobby requires a lot of learning and time but is also very rewarding.

 

Don't give up Dexter! I am new to the Marine side of the hobby too, and its tough I will admit. I think one of the most used sentences I have seen as I look over all of the questions others have asked is "There are more people who have killed more fish, than they have kept". I don't know who said it first but it's definitely what keeps me going. Because I know someone was once in my shoes, getting their tank set up and had if not the same, but similar challenges. So if they can do it we can too!


What I recommend it to read read read read and do lots more reading! Especially if you don't have anyone nearby who has a tank you can learn from personally. I would especially ask reefers who have a nano cube tank since you're starting small. They will have useful tips from their own experience! Other than that I know how you feel, my clown just passed and I cant find out why. But fish help you learn especially the ones that pass on, because you look for the warnings in your other fish and see them sooner. So you would be able to apply what you've learned to save the others or even better yet prevent it

 

It used to be common practice to collect water, rocks, sand, critters, etc. directly from Mother Nature before artificial sea salt and marine LFSes became commonplace. Aside from the legal standpoint (which depends on your area), the problem today is the potential for introducing parasites, phosphates, nitrates, industrial and agricultural chemicals and waste, and a host of other organic and non-organic pollutants into your tank. While some folks still collect their own natural sea water, they're usually more experienced aquarists who know that it's safe in their area.

 

Thanks for all your help. What temperature should I keep it? My filter is turning 115gph which have a turnover of almost 8 times but there seems not much water agitation at the top. Also my water is not crystal clear. I added some new carbon and it helped a bit it's been running for 12 hours but could be because of the sand and rocks.

 

Somewhere between 78 - 82 is fine. Mine is set at 79. Natural reefs are actually much warmer, but you run into dissolved oxygen content issues with higher temps in a little glass box.

You should add a small powerhead to increase flow. At present, you only have roughly 7x turnover; I would suggest increasing to at least 20x (300gph). If you plan to keep corals (other than mushrooms and polyps), you'll need to go higher, still; most SPS tanks run at 50x (750gph) or greater.

 

I have a 211gph powerhead and for now it seems to do the job well. I aimed it at the surface.

 

115+211=326 total gph, or just under 22x turnover. Again, that's fine for mushrooms and polyps. Some soft and LPS corals would do ok with that, as well.

 

Tank update after one month

My tank update after one month. I added some snails and a crab and a local Mediterranean sea goby.

 

Well good for you. Nice!

Still patience is your friend in this hobby.