Help what to do; To restart or move forward.

[LucyPark]

I am having thoughts of restarting my 50g recycling process. It's been a week now, Ammonia is zero; Nitrite is 2ppm; nitrate is 160ppm. I have doubts with my supplies, it all came from Cartimar; Queen skimmer, Fish (8dead; 2 survived), 6 corals, Live rocks and NSW. I am not happy with the skimmer, the fish keeps on dying, the corals are withering, The SG is 1.015.

I am concern that Nitrate will not eventually fall off, because of the stuff I bought from Cartimar. I'd been reading around, the crushed coral is a nitrate factory (?) "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." I have a cannister no sump. I am not sure cannister also can go wrong.

The plan here is FOWLR na lang, The Reef tank is not for me. It's OK to toss the skimmer (I want to buy the RO), I can go sump, I can dump the crushed corals and have live sands, I am regretful of the water in my tank, I am under the impression that the cycle has started.

So, should I restart with saltmix? and do the cycle again?
Should I leave the crushed corals alone? (I am definitely grabbing that RO; and go with the sump)

I would appreciate any advice; My wife already notice I am having some deep thoughts.
btw, I pulled out the LR, to sun dry; sabi kasi nung tindero itcha ko lang daw sa aqurium.

[juliusgiron]

Another victim!

If i was in your case, I'll get a sump first then have my LRs cured in a separate dark container with NSW for 1-2 weeks. Have my fishes and corals adopted by peeps here with a stable or matured tank. Then I'll restart the process again by washing off my sand with water have it dried but covered with plastic or cloth. After drying ill place it in my tank again and cycle it with NSW for 1-2 months better if longer and check the parameters weekly or better daily. Then i think you can add your skimmer (you can still use your existing skimmer but if you're decided to go with RO much better just make sure it's rated more than your total water volume (DT+Sump for better performance) Then if parameters are already good gradually change it with purified water + saltmix of your choice (check the sponsor ads)

*plan your sump (baka hinde kasya yung bibilin mong skimmer na RO sa sump so much better kung bumili ka muna ng skimmer mo before you ourchase or plan your sump or pwede naman get the dimensions of the skimmer you'll be buying) better din na alamin mo na yung ilalagay mong filters and other stuff like Macros (chaeto,mangroves etc.) that will also need lighting. reactors, filter medias, return pump etc.

*check the member tanks also baka may makuhang idea in creating your tank

I was once a victim of impulse buying and uber excellent sales talk of carti peeps then i found RP lalo na si Marty haha. Yang inputs ko kulang pa yan wait for the other peeps to give inputs in your dilemma

Goodluck chief!

[pclear]

Everybody starts off from a random cartimar visit no worries.

Ive given up saltmix, i use saltwater from the sea. Where are you located? theres a place in paranaque where they can sell you natural seawater. Problem is bring your own container and vehicle.

Scrub off your live rock with a new sponge.
The course sand you can clean them up using the water you have now in your tank... Discard the water afterwards

Cycle again with natural seawater... It works wonders! You can introduce some small crabs or snails after a few days... Fish after you've fully cycled.

Id advise against getting a sump (now) ... Many people can manage a sumpless tank very well. Get a sump once you've established your tank and decide to be really serious in the hobby.

[seth]

Have the remaining fishes and corals adopted, then let everything run its course. You may clean the rocks and do WCs as well, you may also just let it be. Whichever is most convenient. The key here is time.

Do what is most practical for you. Just remember not to overstock. And don't put in fishes that will get too big for the tank.

The canister filter could work, sure. But it still is better to have a larger total water volume. A canister filter can become fouled in just a matter of hours if a power outage occur. No need for fancy equipments as long as you keep everything in check.

[LucyPark]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciated it very much. You guys are right, I will take it slow this time.

@ pclear; you are right. no one woke up one morning and decided to go Reef tanks and dreamt of reefphilippines.com. Cartimar provides marketing for everybody. Yung nga lang sana it's more regulated, para di naman masayadong rip off.
I am here in Sto. Tomas Batangas, kaya it's a road trip going to manila to shop for equips and supplies. Thanks man.

@seth; I'd read a lot of your posts man. they are legendary; high five my friend.

Thanks to all. ciao..

[seth]

Sure hope the "legendary" posts give more help than hassles hahaha!

Anyway, I guess now would be the time for you to plan everything for your restart. It would be wise to have a contingency plan for possible issues that may/will arise as well, like algae outbreaks, long power outages or equipment failures.