Really Need Help!!!!

I really wish that I came to this forum earlier, but i am afraid that i have made some huge mistakes! First i will explain my setup:
29 gallon Aqueon starter kit
submersible heater
30 Lbs of live sand
6 Lbs of live rock (I KNOW I KNOW)

I know i can already be picked apart, but it gets worse. :-[ I listened to the LFS lady and ended up buying 2 clownfish like three days later because she said it would start my tank cycling. but wait, it gets even worse. after about halfway through week 3, once my diatoms began to die, and before any other green algae began to grow, I bought a clean up crew. 6 hermit crabs and 4 turbo snails.
Now a week later the snails and the hermit crabs have eaten everything in the tank and now my live rock and my sand-bed look like a brand new bathtub. They have completely cleaned everything off of the live rock and i'm afraid that they will starve to death.
I dont even know where to start fixing my problem. I know I need at least 30 more pounds of live rock, I know I need powerheads, I know I need better lighting, I know i could use a skimmer, I know i could use a refugium. My question is, where do I start and shat should be my priority?

 

It's not that bad.

Did the clown fish survive the cycle so far?

If you got the rock from your LFS you brought a lot of nitrobacter with it and had no die off so that's a plus. You unwittingly gave the nitrogen cycle a jump start. I'd focus on adding at least 20 lbs. more of rock. You can include dry rock too into that amount at this point to save on costs. I'd start there and make sure your tank is completely cycled before moving to the next item/issue.

The hermits will find enough to eat when you feed your fish.

 

Get some crab pellets (or other sinking pellet food) for the hermits. What kind of snails? My turbos will eat dried sheet algae, but my cerith snails won't touch it.

Then get a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at the very least. Also a refractometer to measure salinity/specific gravity for your water changes (you're going to have to do a lot of them with critters in a cycling tank). I'd also get some Amquel because you're going to get ammonia spikes with a couple of fish and little rock.

More live rock is going to be a must so that you have more surface area for the bacteria you need to process the ammonia.

Sorry, I don't know what an Aqueon starter kit is, so I don't know if you have any kind of water movement or filtration. Light can be last, before you start getting corals.

Oh, and when your LFS lady gives you advice, think it over for a day (as in, ask here or somewhere first LOL) before taking any action!

Edit: Yeah, I knew you had fish, you can skip the pellets for the crabs if enough food hits the bottom. Dunno what I was thinking LOL.

 

Sounds like a sweet setup. I started with the 25g version of that.

the surface of the rock is the main place in a tank where the bacteria (that processes all the bad stuff) live. You need at least 3 or 4 times that amount at least. I would start there and add some dry rock to the tank. Run carbon in the filter and make sure to keep up on your water changes.

Keep an eye on your cuc especially the turbos. They eat a lot so you may end up having to feed them.

 

Hey, welcome to 3reef,

It can be fixed, things are really not that bad. I have seen and heard things much worse.

Start with getting the basic parameters like ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, specific gravity if possible.

An image of the tank would help as well.

You may loose a snail or two, but maybe not. The hermits will eat fish food, so they are fine.

I would start with a power head, water parameters, and more rock either dry base rock or FULLY cured live rock.

You came to the right place, it will get better.

 

Welcome to 3reef and just sit back and take a deep breath. We've all made mistakes and as long as you learn from it it's not too bad. You've come to a good place where people are friendly and willing to help if you ask for it. The fact that you seem concerned and want to try to make things right is the right attitude for sure. Like others have said already....not too bad, and not too hard to fix. Just go slow and let the tank evolve at it's own pace.

 

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I'm with everyone else. Doesnt really seem all that bad. As others mentioned just add some more rock, dry rock is acceptable at this point and is a cheaper alternative.

Get a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Test your water and post the results here in this thread, that will help everyone give you some further information.

The clownfish are basically a type of damsel fish, and will probably be ok during the cycle. Although some basic water changes are going to be in order for their well being.

The clean up crew (CUC) eating all of the stuff off of the rocks isnt horrible. They may of eaten the algae and growth off of the outside, but the bacteria that is INSIDE of the rock pores cannot be eaten by the clean up crew, and that is what you are concerned about.

Welcome to 3reef and definitely post some pics of your tank!

 

My clowns were like this when I got them from the LFS. I think they had only ever had pellets. I just kept providing them with Mysis and Brine shrimp and they eventually learned to eat it.

 

The clownfish are doing fine. They wont eat the frozen food that i give them, they will only eat flakes. Thanks for the pellet idea. I will be buying some tomorrow