remember inherited reef tank... need help stocking
Ben
was given a 125 reef tank. Anyway for those that do... it was not as bad
off as I had thought, the spec grav was 1.026 and there was a couple sea
cucumbers alive and well and a neon dottyback. so I moved the tank rinsed
the sand, rinsed the live rock mixed up 100% new seawater and umm let her
rip. The pump was broken but remembered my pond pump that was stored in
the garage so I used that one. The tank is up and running well for about 6
days now with no evidence of any cycling at all (no nitrite or ammonia). I
am thinking that will not get any true cycle.
I am starting to think about stocking I will probably stock one new major
animal per week. I definately want corals, and anemome or two, and some
cool fish. however there seems like a million things to worry about when
putting a new animal in. Reef safe fish, aggressive fish, different kinds
of fish. I just want to find a method to the madness. And I don't want to
spend good $$ on a coral only to wake up the next day and have it eaten by a
fish. Anyone have any suggestions of where to start and what to start with?
And why does it seem like the coolest looking fish are also either not reef
safe or fair poorly in captivity. What's the deal with angelfish reef safe
or no? I have heard both ways.
One fish that I DEFINATELY would like to keep is the mandarin fish but I
know that I will have to wait a while before I can do that... but it is
possible right.
I am not a beginner to aquaria and have five at my house including breeding
FW angels, discus and supply the lfs with all kinds of plants from my plant
tanks. This isn't to brag but jsut to say that I am no stranger to this
love of labor and I know about keeping difficult species (discus). I am new
to SW which seems to be half as much work as my discus but TWICE as much
planning and setup. I don't care I LOVE THE TANK!! I just don't want to
make any costly mistakes. soooooo where do I start? thanks in advance for
any advice.
Marc Levenson
So you got that tank finally? Way to go. Sounds like everything went well.
Now, put on the brakes. <grin> Seriously, just give it a few more weeks before
you add anything at all. Just let it run, keep an eye on your LR to see what
cool things you might have in there. Look at it at night with a flashlight.
You'll see all kinds of nifty critters popping out to look for food or better
homes.
Patience is a tough thing. Let this tank run for a month, testing your water
weekly to see what's going on.
I'm a little bit concerned about "I rinsed the sand" because you may have washed
away beneficial bacteria and detrivores. Another reason to let the tank sit, to
let that population re-grow.
In the meantime, you can post about all the fish you want to get, so we can help
you figure out what is a good choice and what may be a problem. And if you
follow your system of adding one pet a week, that gives us 6 days to discuss the
next addtion in advance. :)
I have a Blue Angel. The larger angels nip at corals. Mine does. The "dwarf"
angels are safer, overall.
Potters, Flame, Coral Beauty.... all very pretty.
You can definitely get a Mandarin, but you need to wait until your tank is
really well established again. On a new tank, I'd wait at least 6 months and
have 75lbs of LR. Your tank was established, so I'd suggest you wait 3 to 4
months. Do you believe you have 125 lbs of LR now?
Wrasses are reef safe. The Six Line Wrasse is very popular, the Leopard Wrasse
is known for eating flatworms, the Yellow Coris Wrasse can be a jumper but love
to sleep *in* the sand bed (I have one that has been happy for a long time in my
29g).
Clownfish are great choices. Try to plan what type of anemone you want to buy,
and find the matching clownfish in advance. Perculas don't take to every type
of anemone. Ask Rita. Oh Rita, are you still reading here?
Avoid damsels if you can. They are very territorial and later when you want to
get rid of them, they are hard to catch.
Butterfly fish are beautiful, but they do eat featherdusters, so keep that in
mind.
Lionfish, Panthers, etc are voracious eaters, eating a whole fish in a single
bite. The Lion is poisonous and you can be stung. Most people that have one
give it plenty of room, even holding a net at one end to keep it over there
while they clean the other side of the tank. We had some when I was young, and
they are beautiful and fun to observe during feedings, but I don't have one now.
Want to avoid costly mistakes? Post your questions first and give us time to
respond.
In the meantime, just drop in a little flake food in your tank every other day
for now.
Marc
Ben wrote:
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matt waters
purchase a new fish, bring it home and put it in your main tank. Keep it in
the quarantine tank for a few weeks, make sure it is healthy and is not
going to bring disease into your main tank. It may cost a bit now but down
the road you will save hundreds of $$.
"Marc Levenson" <me...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:3E45565A...@swbell.net...
Fire Guy
can remove a lot of the beneficial animals present.
for reef-safe fish, stay away from butterfly's and the larger angels.
some of the pygmy angels can be considered safe, such as the flame angel
and coral beauty. you might not want to be too certain that your tank
won't cycle when you add new fish since you said you rinsed the sand and
rock. as for your major fish, wait until you're sure the tank is running
well, otherwise you could be flushing $$$ down the toilet.
the mandarin is a fish that can be difficult if the correct food in't
present, namely amphipods and copepods.
by the way, some saltwater fish can make discus look like beginner fish.
the majority of anemones are difficult to keep in captivity for one
reason or another. the Condylactis anemones are the easiest but
clownfish rarely bond with them. also, lighting is probably the biggest
factor when you're considering corals. most of the really nice species
like a lots of light. up to 4-5 watts per gallon if i remember right.
since i've just finished a small reference book for you i'd recommend
that you find some good books on marine fish besides this. and check
with your local fish store, they're usually fairly knowledgable.
hope this helps.
--
50 gal, 120W actinic and daylight, 25 lbs LR, 1 flame angel, 1 coral beauty angel, 2 false percula clowns, 1 yellow-tailed damsel, 1 blue devil, leather toadstool, 2 anemones, zooanthids, mushroom corals, xenia
avatar's a buddy from Australia
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