Fish tank not doing to well

That would make a great poem.

 

For this group you will need to go into great detail about your setup.

1. How long has it been setup?
2. How big is your tank?
3. Are you running reactors?
4. What kind of fish do you have?
5. What are your water parameters (tests) telling you?
6. What kid of filter do you have?
7. What do you feed your fish? Did they used to eat?

 

Hmmm. I would guess and this is a guess that your water is not great if you say it looks dirty and you haven't tested.

Perhaps you could remove the filter and clean it real good.

I don't have any experience with a biocube. Maybe some biocube owners could speak up.

 

In such a small tank I would say only having been set up for 3 months, water quality is going to deteriorate pretty quickly, especially if housing/trying to feed multiple fish. Mine (I also have a BC14) is several years old and I still do weekly water changes. I dont have a filter on mine exactly; just chaeto, chemipure, and a floss pad in the back. One thought is the temperature the past few weeks, i've noticed my tank running a bit on the high side, even with fans blowing on it and the lid open. Not sure if that would cause fish to not have an appetite?

 

How often you doing water changes and how big? I am going to guess you are not using a skimmer and if that is the case a tank that size is going to require large and frequent water changes. Before you do anything more I would get your water tested too see where you stand. do not accept them saying your test all turned out fine or this or this is high you want actual numbers. keep in mind when it comes to small tanks the smallest of param fluctuation can have major effects on the entire system.

 

These are questions you need to answer "ilikegirls" before we can really pinpoint whats going on with your tank. This is not an answer "what are your parameters (tests) telling you" your answer "yea I've tested the water" isn't going to help us help you one bit bro

 

How often do you do water changes?

 

For a young kid learning your doing just fine! Just keep asking questions, reading up on what you have in your tank and keep an eye on what things you do that seem to make your fish and corals "happy". Those things can sometimes come in very handy. Down the road when you get everything settled and looking go I've got some decent frags you can have to add to your tank...just for color

 

Oops, I didn't know he was a youngin.. Yes, in a small tank water changes are essential. Good luck, and happy Reefing, buddy

 

a nem died in your tank?? and you left it?????? that can lead to a lot of bad "stuff" in your water. your lucky everything is still alive!

also get in the habit of testing your water, would you really risk the chance of everything dying because you simple didnt take the 5 mins it take to test? Also water changes, they can be your savior. get in the habit of testing the wate, and seeing if you need weekly or bi-weekly water changes.

make sure you are not feeding too much.
feed every other day (if you can resist)
soak the frozen food in RODI water to thaw then discard the water before adding to the tank, there is a lot of phosphates, nitrates, etc that should not be in your tank.

finicky eater can be enticed by soaking the food in garlic, also can help boost their immunities.

 

I keep hearing garlic, and yes it can be used to help encourage finicky eaters but I would not suggest using all that frequently as some studies have shown it can cause kidney failure in fish.

 

that is very interesting to hear. encouraging fish is the route i was shooting for, but i had no knowledge of any long term side affects. do you have any links or sources i can read into this further?

 

hang in there and get religious with your partial water changes.

 

Tip for doing waterchanges in a BC14: cut the top off a gallon milk jug (leaving the handle attached) and clean it out. Being careful of your rocks and coral, dip a full jug out of the tank, then dip a jug out of your prepared water bucket back into the tank. If you do this once a week, its usually sufficient. If you are feeding heavily, you may need to do it twice a week. I think this is a perfect volume, you don't even need to turn of your pumps. Make sure when adding water back in to return it to the same water level, otherwise you are essentially changing the net amount of salt in the tank and your salinity can wander