Some questions about cycling my tank

[Doc]

don't plan on adding anything to the tank for about another 2 weeks. Waiting is the worst part. when you do, put in a cleaning crew first before shrimp. They should probably wait for another month after your cleaning crew is up and going. you can add corals after your cleaining crew has been up for about 2 weeks and doing well with good water parameters,

-Dr Marco :sfish::sfish::sfish:

 

[hotimportknight]

I made it home, I had to stop back there and look at the cute little clownfish again, and I picked up 7 more lbs of figi rock, i think that brings me up to about 32-35 lbs now... Also the lady recommended some bacteria culture stuff that you add 1/8th of a teaspoon per 25 gallons to help the tank build its bio cycle up... it was only 3 bucks so i got it, thought I would get confirmation on here before I go adding it though that its a good idea, sound alright? its "Biozyme" for saltwater aquariums, "living nitrifying bacteria and Enzymes" - for new or estab lished saltwater aquariums - helps boost your aquarium's essential biological process - breaks down organic build up. Should I go and add 1/4 a tsp?

 

[Bifferwine]

I have used Biozyme in my tank before -- I really like the stuff. It should help speed up your cycle.

 

[hotimportknight]

Alright good deal, thanks again! and i escaped from buying any fish, god it was hard though... those clowns were so adorable... and that little moray eel... are eels good pets? I know they are escape prone and all, but are they aggressive or only towards littler fish? This little eel was only like 4 inches long, but im not sure, how big do they get?

 

[Bifferwine]

Eels will usually eat anything they can fit in their mouths, so smaller fish, shrimp, crabs, etc. They get pretty big, like several feet long. People usually keep them in their own tanks, not with other animals. But some people do keep them in reef tanks, you just have to be careful what other animals you have in there.

 

[hotimportknight]

Where do you recommend getting a cleaning crew? anywhere I can order just that stuff online with out paying crazy amounts for shipping? My LFS doesnt have anything at all for cleaning... which kinda confuses me but what do i know... I think he has a few zebra striped snails or something like that. What do you guys recommend to clean my 50 gal tank?

 

[winyfrog]

I kept a snowflake eel in my reef for a while, then decided that I wanted the smaller fish and shrimp so he moved out. I trained him to eat from a net so it was easy to remove him when the time came.

 

[hotimportknight]

I think thats what the eel was that I saw, a little snowflake moray eel if that exists? do those really get that large?

 

[Bifferwine]

eTropicals.com - Live fish, corals, inverts, plants, live rock & sand has free shipping for cleaner crew packages that you build yourself. They also have good pre-built packages, as does Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums.

 

[hotimportknight]

Most of the cleaning crews I saw for sale online seemed incredibly large for what Im thinking... A lot contained like 20 turbo snails, 20 some other snails, and a bunch of other stuff recommended for a 50 gallon tank

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah you do need large cleaner crews. That's pretty standard. I think I have around 250 snails in my 240.

 

[Bifferwine]

Oh and don't forget, don't add your cleaner crew until your tank is done cycling (ammonia and nitrite = 0) or else they will just die.

 

[winyfrog]

I think thats what the eel was that I saw, a little snowflake moray eel if that exists? do those really get that large?

Mine reached about 3 foot after 8 years, one day I came home and he was on the floor :( poor eel boy.

I have seen them up to 6 foot in aquariums before.

 

[hotimportknight]

Like this prebuilt one, has 60 hermits, and 50 snails... that seems like a LOT to me...

 

[hotimportknight]

Seems to me that with 60 hermit crabs and 50 snails this tank would be damn near covered...

 

[Bifferwine]

It is a lot. But that's what it will take to keep a tank your size clean. You can always order a smaller cleaner crew, and if they are getting the job done, fine, and if not, order some more.

 

[Doc]

you can have an eel in your reef tank if you want. But there are limited kinds to have. I have had success in the past with whited-eyed morays, they get about 2 feet long and don't both fish much larger than silversides. I had it in with a school of damsels and it never ate them. I currently have a white-eyed moray eel with a Niger triggerfish, Blue Ring angelfish, flame angelfish, ornate wrasse, one-spot foxface and maroon clown in a tank with lps, BTA, leathers, and a bunch of cleaner shrimp. These eels are good eaters and do liked to be cleaned by shrimp (add them first).

The other eel worth putting in a reef tank is a zebra moray. I had one of them as well, but it was 4 ft long and never came out. he is a slow eater and that is why it will not eat your other fish. they need to be fed by feeder stick.

The main reason people don't add them to the reef tank is 1) they usually snack on fish you want to keep and 2) once they are in, they are a pain in the butt to get out.

-Dr Marco :sfish::sfish:

 

[Doc]

plan for one critter per gallon of tank for a cleaning crew. Put in WAY more snails than crabs. If you get crabs, go for the blue legged crabs. They don't usually get big enough to eat your snails.

-Dr Marco :sfish::sfish:

 

[hotimportknight]

Alright thanks again guys, I gotta head out and meet up with my mom for supper and be patient for my tank to hurry up and cycle, ill be back on later to sit around and read all the posts I can, I also bought a book today on keeping saltwater aquariums, so I can read that and keep myself occupied in the meantime. later!

 

[Bifferwine]

Have a good night -- what book did you get?