finestbeast
Reefing newb
that seems to be the case...im learning an entirely new world of fish here...now I know why poeple are so intiminated by salt...its nothing like fresh water.
Finally added my first fish...
- Thread starter finestbeast
- Start date
kbuser92
Breeder
No, shrimp and anemones, crabs, snails, etc...do not count. If you had a 1,000 gallon tank and 10,000 small invertebrates and a dozen anemones, that may be worth about 1 fish.
Anemones do, however, need very stable tanks. They won't tolerate wide swings in parameters, they need high quality lighting (which you can andsshould buy now, it's cheaper than buying a new fixture later on) and overall mature tanks. Usually the cutoff for this is around the year mark and that also gives new folks like yourself time to establish a routine and learn more about what's going on.
Corals, on the other hand can be added as soon as your tank is cycled. There are 4 categories: Softies (Zoas, leathers, polyps, etc...) that are not very demanding. Then there's LPS, or large-polyp stony corals (Acans, Favites, brains, torch, Duncan's, etc...) that demand a little more light and flow, feedings are optional and you have to watch Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium intake. The last photosynthetic group is SPS, or small-polyp stony. These are the Montipora, Acropora, Hydnophora, Stylophora, etc... species. They need high flow and high quality lighting to survive. They wil also use more Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity.
Anemones do, however, need very stable tanks. They won't tolerate wide swings in parameters, they need high quality lighting (which you can andsshould buy now, it's cheaper than buying a new fixture later on) and overall mature tanks. Usually the cutoff for this is around the year mark and that also gives new folks like yourself time to establish a routine and learn more about what's going on.
Corals, on the other hand can be added as soon as your tank is cycled. There are 4 categories: Softies (Zoas, leathers, polyps, etc...) that are not very demanding. Then there's LPS, or large-polyp stony corals (Acans, Favites, brains, torch, Duncan's, etc...) that demand a little more light and flow, feedings are optional and you have to watch Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium intake. The last photosynthetic group is SPS, or small-polyp stony. These are the Montipora, Acropora, Hydnophora, Stylophora, etc... species. They need high flow and high quality lighting to survive. They wil also use more Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity.
kbuser92
Breeder
And the last would be NPS, or non-photosynthetic. They have to be fed and are usually considered expert because feeding can ruin your water quality if you're not careful.
dont realy on every thing we tell you, use your on judgement as well. listen to your tank. she will tell you a lot. you have enough rock in there when you are happy with the way it looks, leaving enough room for fish to swim and water to move of course. if there is something wrong in there it wont look right, livestock will be acting funny etc. shrimp are great and yes they add to your bioload but not nearly as much as fish but i think you would be ok. you want to have a nice mix. a shrimp, a couple snails, a hermit crab or two, maybe a serpent star, all these little critters add interest, stir up the sand and eat trapped food. just make sure that the fish you have dont think all the other critters are on the menu. read a lot, ask questions and evaluate what you learn. research any thing new you want to add to make sure it compatable with your current stock. something you try in your tank might work for you in your system but not in my setup, or vice versa. a lot of us have large systems. you can do stuff in a big system that you just can't in a small system. just because my yellowtails are ok doesn't mean yours is going to be. if you were to add 3 then thats all the fish you are going to have. and these are mild mannered damsels. most are way worse. i get away with 3 because my tank is 7 ft long and 265 gal. my tank is actually overstocked with fish. i probably have 40 fish in there, most of them small but i get away with it because of the size and my maintenance schedule. you can't do that. you can excede the maintinence but you dont have the size. your tank would be great for some of the small timid little wrasses or gobies. yellowhead jawfish would be great in there too. in my tank they just dissapear. also it depends on the people you listen to. there is people that know what their doing and people that think they know what they are doing. there is a difference. some dont do water changes. or very rarely. i dont care what people tell you or what you read. in my experience the best thing you can do for your tank and to give yourself the best chance of success is to do regular water changes using the best quality fresh water you can get. for most of us that is r/o. listen, ask questions, think for yourself and most important really look at your tank, watch its development and see how its doing.
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Greenman
Reefing newb
I have 3 damsels in my 55 gallon and the only reason I still have them is because i cannot catch them.. ONE DAY they will be anemone food, they are the bane of my tank. Mean little buggers.
Aquarian
Reef pro
Have you tried a fish trap?
Aquarian
Reef pro
Take a plastic water bottle cut the top half off just past the taper in the bottle turn the top half over and insert it into the bottom half drop in some food and some rubble rock and put it in your tank the fish will go in and while it's trying to find its way out remove the trap from your tank. It's a .05 cent trap. Pics to fallow......
Aquarian
Reef pro
finestbeast
Reefing newb
You guys are pretty funnny. My damsel is doing great and is eating just fine. I did my first 10% water change today and it appears successful (tested the water 3 hrs after and all levels were consistant). In 5 days from now (my next day off) Im going to add a large live rock with goodies attached and my nemos...Im hesitant with coral because I heard theyre tough and I think I already have alot on my plate...if I do add coral it probably wouldnt be for a month or two just to make sure im doing everything right.
thats exactly right. take your time don't be in a hurry. you would be reasonably safe with zoas, mushrooms, xenia, or the so called colt corals. you could set up a real nice display with a pile of rocks at one end with some zoas and mushrooms on it and a nice waving zenia or colt in the other. sometimes your clowns will adopt those corals because of the waving tenticles. also the corals i listed are good corals to learn on. they are a little more forgiving if you water is not perfect and the lighting doesn't have to be as intense. they like some water flow thought but you don't have to blast them off the rocks
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how do you get a tang in there? i need to catch a bristletooth
Aquarian
Reef pro
How big is the tang?
A larger bottle for larger fish, but you have to add holes for smaller fish to be able to swim out.
he is about 6 maybe 7 inches tip to tip. he is an excellent grazer, doesn't eat anything he's not supposed to but he likes to chase my blennies. he's a striated bristletooth. i would like to swap him out for a kole. little smaller and a little more colorful. the kole probably wouldnt get any bigger then this guy is now and he's only half grown.
bronson
Reefing newb
Ive got that stanley knife!:D
