5 more questions????????????

[fishsticks]

i had my fishes for 3 days now, around this time my damsel died my tester....
but my 2 clowns and my new damsel seem to be doing well..

1) i drop in a 1/4 of a mysis-shrimp cube my lil damsel is like super freaky he eats huge pieces and hes soooo tiny but my clowns eat a couple if any unlike the dansel thats a beast. are they still not comfortable? or should i try other frozens also? they didnt eat any pellets can someone tell what other frozen food they love for i can spoil them with different foods.

2) i only have a ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, hydrometer, ph test kit....
what else is important to test for??

3) and i just started doin water changes with fresh R/O water i fill up a 5gallon jug and i mix in my own salt get my salinity to 1.023. and i add in 1/3 cap of purple up.. am i doin it right?

4)i also removed my bio balls that my water drops into people kept telling me they will ruin my nitrates later.. some1 told me to put some kind of crushed live rock or it had a weird name but i dont remember. any1 know?

5) i have an oceanic biocube, and they make a 29gallon protein skimmer that sits in my dry/wet filter area in the back of my tank right befor it drops into the are where my bio balls used to be, so i ask should i get it???

by the way you all been great help i love this SITE!!!! THANK YOU ALL!

 

[yote]

1) i drop in a 1/4 of a mysis-shrimp cube my lil damsel is like super freaky he eats huge pieces and hes soooo tiny but my clowns eat a couple if any unlike the dansel thats a beast. are they still not comfortable? or should i try other frozens also? they didnt eat any pellets can someone tell what other frozen food they love for i can spoil them with different foods.Emerald Entree is good.So is krill.

2) i only have a ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, hydrometer, ph test kit....
what else is important to test for??Once you start with corals,them you'll want to test for calcium and magnesium at least.

3) and i just started doin water changes with fresh R/O water i fill up a 5gallon jug and i mix in my own salt get my salinity to 1.023. and i add in 1/3 cap of purple up.. am i doin it right? For the most part.I like to let my water mix at least for 24 hours.And the purple up,IMHO,is just a waste of money.But either way,your supposed to add it right to your tank.

4)i also removed my bio balls that my water drops into people kept telling me they will ruin my nitrates later.. some1 told me to put some kind of crushed live rock or it had a weird name but i dont remember. any1 know?You can use live rock rubble in place of the bio-balls,but the rubble needs to be submerged in the water.

5) i have an oceanic biocube, and they make a 29gallon protein skimmer that sits in my dry/wet filter area in the back of my tank right befor it drops into the are where my bio balls used to be, so i ask should i get it???I have never used one of the skimmers so I cant say weather or not they are worth the money.

 

[Piggy]

1. My clowns will eat any frozen food I put in the tank. I've been giving mine mysis shrimp,krill,and emerald entree.

2. As for test kits I would get a calcium and alkalinity.

3. As for water changes I would put a powerhead in the water before you add it. Also make it the day before. I usually add my purple up in the sump. If you don't have one it's ok to mix with top off water or water changes depends on how often you add it.

4. Live rock rubble

5. Are you using a skimmer? If not getting one is a good idea.

 

[reeffreak]

1)I feed my fish and clowns included-mysis,Rod's Food,Prime Reef by Ocean Nutrition,cyclopeeze and a ton of algae base foods which isn't all that important with your fish list.

2)Akalinity in addition to what you listed.Add calcium at least if a reef system is in your future.

3)Do not add Purple Up to the make-up water.Add it to the display/sump/filter when the lights are out and where it can disperse the fastest.I saw no difference in using or not using that product.

4)Rock rubble-buy a live rock or better yet base live rock.Use a hammer to break it up and place where the bioball chamber.They won't be much different than BB if you don't submerge the rubble as Yote mentioned.

5)I'm not familiar with that skimmer.Any skimmer is better than none,IMO.

 

[Bifferwine]

Clowns and damsels are not picky eaters and will usually eat whatever you put in the tank. Stick to frozen foods as pellets and flakes can lead to algae problems. I use a variety of frozen foods, but lately have been primarily using Rod's Food because it contains such a variety of stuff. Other than that, I feed mysis, krill, Emerald Entree, Marine Cuisine, cyclopeeze, plankton, bloodworms, tubifex worms, brine shrimp... I have a whole shelf full of different foods.