still getting ammonia and nitrite

You should be at least using RO/DI water that you can get at any store like walmart, safeway.......or using the the LFS water.

I would do another water change, check the results again. Check some mixed saltwater before you add it to the tank to make sure that is not contributing/test kit bad.

Besides that the tank is young, over feeding in a new tank may cause it as well.

 

town water authority says they RO/DI.. would I be better off to go to the spring and use that water?

 

You'll want your own RO/DI unit. At some point in the water purification the water may indeed be pure-ish at the plant. Now think about all the miles of pipes they travel and the minerals and contaminates that build up or get into the water between there & your house.

 

And if your in a pinch and cant afford your own RO/DI unit go to walmart and get the bottled water with the GREEN LID. That is RO water...Its better than tap Its like .78 cents a gallon

 

Ohh yeah and as far as the API test kit, I have the master saltwater kit and I like it. I have red sea kits for alk and ph on top of that but I like the API. I would highly recommend getting eather a master saltwater kit or a mater reef kit. It is well worth the peace of mind you get testing all your own parameters

 

can I buy a ro/di system and have it hooked up to my tank? Do they make one that just filters your tanks water, so when you add top of tap water it gets filtered? Or does the water have to be filtered before its added?

 

The water has to be filtered as it is coming from the source in your house/apartment. You will not be able to filter the water in a reservoir to the same level of purity as good RO/DI water.

You would not want the RO/DI system hooked up directly to your tank - you have no failsafe that way and you do not want an RO/DI unit running for short bursts to top off the level in your tank - besides - the flow rate is so low that it would take a long time to top off.

You are probably better off using a reservoir for top-off water (assuming you have an ATO system). You can hook up an auto shut off valve to your RO/DI and top-off reservoir - this way you cannot flood your DT with too much freshwater.

 

I had the same thing. I think its caused by just feeding your clowns mysis shrimp. Try mixing it up with some flake food. Thats what I did and havent seen the stringy poop since.

 

The white "poop" is also a sign of possible parasitic infection. Watch your fish close