new to this and don't know what to do lol

Ok so here's the deal. I inherited a 100 gallon salt water tank after the passing of a friend of a friend. could not take the tank itself do to size and space issues plus enough people to carry so I took enough water to transfer everything to my 36 bowfront. (was a freshwater hours before all this happened lol) very few fish are in (tomato clown fish, clean-up crew, and an unknown I think he is a damsel not sure though) and that is all that is left. after taking my water to be tested I was told it was doing a mini cycle and that my nitrites I believe it was were very high. how can I drop them safely but quickly. also on a very tight budget for this for the time being. another question I have is the light setup I have is currently killing my electric bill they are massive lights. can I use a 24" light or will that not be enough?

 

Get salt water from the aquarium supply store and do a 20% water change. The lights for now fish only your 24 inch should be good for now.

 

Welcome to 3reef,

Do some water changes if possible, make sure to thoroughly mix the salt and match specific gravity as much as possible.

You can buy a relatively cheap product called Prime or another called AmQuel.

You can also start adding some bacteria in a bottle like Microbacter7 to assist in developing the biological filter.

Basically you need to do some water changes.

 

being that I do want to have coral and the whole nine should I get a 6700k or the 10000k for my day light. also will I need to worry about skimmers, sumps, and what not being that it is a nano tank???

 

will using the store bought water be the same as r.o. with salt mixed myself

 

Yeah you can get RO or DI at any Walgreens for Walmart and just mix the salt. You should get a skimmer down the road but do a lot of research on skimmers and lighting system before buying anything.

 

Coralife Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture is what I am looking at again on a very tight budget. tank you guys very much was a little nervous about posting . i'm sure you guys answer this a hundred times. thanks for being understanding.

 

I'm confused... What size tank is it again?

Like the rest of the guys said. Don't be concerned with lighting at the moment. Get some RO/DI water, Marine salt, a hydrometer, and Prime and start doing water changes. Add the prime as directed on the label. Do 10-20% water changes frequently.

Once the water parameters are good you can look into a skimmer, sump and lighting.

Good Luck.

 

Never hesitate to ask.

Makes for a much more enjoyable hobby and a lot less expensive hobby.

I believe the Coralife Aqualife is a fish only or fresh water light. It will work though until you get into corals.

 

the original tank was 100 gallons maybe more had to downsize to a 36 gallon bow front. how likely is it that I have to much light? the current light overhangs the tank about 8 inches either side. could the cycling have anything to do with the rock I added that was not in the tank when I cleared it out?