Livestock Suggestions

Pete H. · Nov 17, 2011

Hey Everyone,
So, I have a few dollars and I am looking to add a bit to my tank. Still being new to the saltwater world, I thought some advice would be great as to where to head next with fish, coral, and inverts.
I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank. Currently
stocked with ~90lbs of live rock, 4-5 in crushed coral base bed, a few
corals (waving hand, kenya tree, toadstool leathers, yellow polyps, and
some mushrooms), 3 small damsels, 1 large yellow-striped maroon
clownfish, and 1 large yellow tang, one large brittle starfish, and
several hermits and snails. No fancy setups yet. I run 2 marineland
Emperor 280 biowheel filters, a bakpak protein skimmer, generic
submersible heater, and a Current Nova Extreme T5HO Fixture.
I am looking for fairly hardy species to I can keep learning without crashing the tank. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif Any suggestions of what to buy, where to buy, or even if you have something for sale that you think would fit let me know!
Thanks!
P.S. my wife said I cannot spend too much so cost effective/inexpensive options are what I am looking for.

xroads · Nov 17, 2011

There are a lot of really cool fish that arent too expensive.

A couple small wrasses would be a good addition

a mate for your clownfish

flame angel has a ton of color & fairly coral safe

Banggais are awesome if you can find some tank raised ones

Pete H. · Nov 17, 2011

How do you go about finding a mate for a clownfish?

1. How do you know the gender?
2. Does the age matter? (My clownfish is probably full grown, between 5-6 inches in length)

Sponge · Nov 17, 2011

How long has the tank been running/cycled? What are you showing with your nitrate, phosphate, calcium, alk and mag? I don't think that I would add any fish at this juncture but if your params are okay and stable, you could add more corals. Are you using carbon? What is the flow in the tank, ie, powerheads? Zoanthids, and palys can add alot of color cheap ;-0) If you can provide a little more info, we could help better....

Pete H. · Nov 18, 2011

The tank has been running for roughly 3 months and hos been cycled for roughly 2 months. It currently is running 2 separate power heads along with the flow from the 2 filters and the skimmer. I don't know the gpm on the flow because the power heads I got used. However, the water movement is plenty to keep the waving hands moving back and forth and there is no direct current on them.

My parameters are as follows:

pH - 8.0
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - < 10 ppm
Calcium - 520 ppm
Phosphate - 0.25 ppm
dkH - 8 to 9

Let me know if I forgot anything.

Sponge · Nov 18, 2011

Okay Pete, the calcium is very high. The nitrates and phosphates are right on the edge of going over the suggested values which would impact coral wellness. This could be caused by several things... Because the system is so new, I wouldn't suggest adding anything right now. The pH is good and the dkH is a little high. What is the Mag running? Are you dosing anything? What salt are you using? Do you run a skimmer? What test kits are you using? What are you feeding the fish?

Corals like stability so you want to focus on getting your water params in line and staying there. Take things "slow" because it will save you a lot of headaches and heartache. Do you QT your livestock?

Pete H. · Nov 19, 2011

I am not sure what the magnesium is running at. I don't have a test for that. I was dosing calcium because I was told it was good for the coralline algae. However, I made the mistake of following the beginner dosing instructions on the back. I went and got a reef test kit to check how well the calcium levels were. I stopped dosing like the bottle said and am waiting for the levels to go down to the low 400s. It was around 570 when I first checked. I do also have magnesium, strontium, etc coral supplements but less then the calcium. Since I don't have much coral, I was only going to add a fraction of the recommended amounts based on the calcium. I use a coralife marine salt mix because it was recommended by the local pet store. I do run a skimmer. It is a bak-pak 2 60 gal skimmer. I also use both the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Reef Master Test Kit and the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit. It provides me with the test info I posted above. As for fish food, I have seaweed/algae sheets for the tang, I have hi protein marine formula pellets for the damsels and clown. I also have some frozen brine shrimp for the clown and damsels. I feed the algae sheets 3 - 4 times a week. I feed the pellets daily and the frozen brine shrimp goes in 2 times a week. As for a quarantine, I have a 10 gallon for that. It has only the basics but worked for when I brought my first fish home.

Let me know if I need to post more info. Thanks for all the help so far.

beckerj3 · Nov 19, 2011

Pete - based on the corals listed, and the few softies you just got from me - you don't have corals that are going to have a large calcium requirement at this time. Forget adding the supplement until the calcium level drops. That could be a long time. Your calcium level will probably drop more from your water changes (as the calcium will be less than the 500+ you have got it raised to), than from consumption by the corals. Some people with only softies don't need to supplement calcium & alkalinity at all - or if so, only in very small amts.
You probably won't need to supplement magnesium either.

Pete H. · Nov 19, 2011

Thanks! I had stopped supplementing say a month ago but was uncertain if I needed to add more of the magnesium etc. it is good to know more definitively from someone with experience. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

Sponge · Nov 19, 2011

As Jeanette says, you won't need to supplement for a long time. The WC's will bring the calcium, etc back in line. Coralline does need calcium, etc but will grow with what's
available through your salt mix. You will want to target the CA, etc levels at about NSW levels.

A good guide for now is to not dose or add anything to the DT that you cannot test. With the low bioload of coral that you have now, supplementing for trace elements should not be needed. Doing 10% weekly water changes will replenish any depletions of CA, Alk, Mg, etc. Again, only dose what you can test.
Are you rinsing the shrimp before adding them to the tank? If not, do so as they can increase the nitrates. The bac-pac skimmer is having difficulty managing the organics because it's rated about the same as the tank. Most tanks need a higher rated skimmer than the tanks volume. That doesn't mean that you need to buy a different skimmer but recognize that it's underrated /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gifAs an example, my skimmer is rated for 250g but my total water volume is around 140-150g.
My best guidance at this time is to focus on the basics like water chemistry and stability. Learn as much as you can right now. What you will probably find is that everyone has their opinions and it is your job to determine what is best for your tank and its inhabitants because all tanks are different. What works for one tank doesn't mean it will work for yours. And remember, LFS's are there to make money and often will recommend that you buy this or that but they don't know your tank, skill level, etc. so don't assume they are giving you good advice/guidance.
Happy reefing Pete!! /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Pete H. · Nov 20, 2011

Fantastic. Thanks so much for your help! I appreciate all the advice.

Sponge · Nov 20, 2011

Happy to help. You'll do just fine Pete ;-0)

Pete H. · Dec 3, 2011

Ok. So, I am working on focusing on the water chemistry. I want to try and get organized and in a routine.

Had a few questions.

1. What is recommended for "ideal" water parameters for a reef tank?
2. How often should the lights be run? and does it need to be the same time frame everyday i.e. always from x to y during the day?
3. How often does the chemistry need to be checked and what are typical fluctuations?
4. What warning signs should I look for that my change in chemistry might give me?

Hope the questions are not too stupid.

Thanks!

Sponge · Dec 3, 2011

There are no stupid questions Pete, except mine! LOL Here's some params but recognize "ideal" is "stability" ;-0) Salinity 1.023-1.026 with most people running 1.025/1.026. PH 7.8-8.5 with trying to keep it between 8.1-8.3 Calcium at 380-450ppm with 420ppm a good level (at some point you may want to go higher depending on your coral load...more later on this). Alkalinity at 7-11 with 8 a good level. Magnesium 1250-1350ppm with 1280ppm good. Strontium, Boron, Iron, Iodine/iodide aren't important at this time...slow and steady when you're a newbie ;-0) Phosphate

Pete H. · Dec 4, 2011

Wow. A lot of info to go over. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/wink.gif

So far, I think my parameters are in spec. I take it the tank should be in the upper 70s temp wise?

Also, looks like I need to get a timer for my lights. lol. So I can get it on a better schedule. I was running about 12ish hours a day but the local pet store recommended between 6-8 hours to curb algae. I was not sure if this was to be permanent or not. I did get a few additional snails to help with the algae that I had earlier.

I have been testing the parameters 2x a week. Wanted to know if that was enough. Sounds like I am in line right now. I currently have the marineland biowheel filters on the back of the tank. So, I have the typical carbon filter in there. (Reminds me, I should probably change the filter out.) The biowheel has an additional slot for another filter media to add. I don't actually have any GFO (Granular Ferric Oxide) in the tank. I was told by the local fish store that I would be better off running a second carbon filter in that slot instead. They mentioned watching the phosphates and if they don't get too high, then keeping the filters that way. If I start to see a peak in the phosphates, then they mentioned the GFO. Should I consider getting the GFO anyway? Maybe that is why I have algae on the live rock still ... The algae has been in check for the most part, really just on the live rock.

You just need to spend time watching the behavior of your fish and corals and it will eventually get to where you know something isn't quite right or it's great! ;-0)
Click to expand...

Good to know. lol. Cause I am constantly watching my fish. (A bit paranoid that any brush by a rock is a fish itching off ich, etc.) Looking forward to being able to just look at the tank and "know" for the most part how the tank is doing. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

So far, I have been using Coralife salt for my tank. I bought a large stock of it to tide me over for a while. (I suppose, I should always use the same salt for my tank every time huh?) I have some of the supplements but it looks like don't need them yet. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

I have been starting to read up. (This site has been a wonderful start.) I recently got:

"Marine Aquarium Handbook: Beginner to Breeder" Martin Moe. Jr. 1992
"The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook" George Blasiola. 2000
"Saltwater Aquarium 2nd Edition" Gregory Skomal. 2006

Some times more info then I know what to do with. lol. As for the sponsors. I have not been on other forums. However, I know have several others bookmarked. Including all the ones you mentioned. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

As for the membership, I am planning on it. Probably need to wait till the beginning of the next year. Wife says we are a bit tight on the budget. So after Christmas, hopefully I can convince her to let me join. hehe.

Thanks again for all that help!

Sponge · Dec 4, 2011

Yes, temp upper 70's like 78 is good. During the winter, some people run their tank hotter in case of a power outage...like 80 degrees. A simple timer for the lights is good ;-0) What kind of algae is in the tank?...hair, diatoms, etc... As I stated earlier, algae can becaused by several variables. Knowing what it is, gives an indication of why it's there and what step(s) to take. Reducing the photoperiod can help with some algae, reducing phosphates/nitrates/silica..., adding snails/CUC, or a combination of approaches can help with an algae problem. Reducing your photoperiod because of algae would be only a temporary thing;-0)

GFO or a resin product like Purigen(can be regenerated) wouldn't be a bad idea for the phosphates so they don't go higher and even drop ;-) I wouldn't test for CA, Alk or Mag weekly at this point. You know your CA is high, your pH is good which is a good indicator that the Alk is at a good level , Mag isn't being used at a fast rate...the weekly 10% WC's should keep the tank fine with the corals you currently have. I would test weekly for nitrates and phosphates though. How are you determining when to change the carbon? Are you getting a film algae on the tank walls?

As long as your water quality is good, the fish aren't stressed and you are feeding good quality foods (lots of fish oil and some garlic), your fish shouldn't get ich...of course practice a good QT regime before introducing anything in to the DT;=-0)

Using the same salt is a good idea because every salt has different elements and amounts but you can change salt. Use what you have and then if you want to change, you can. Reading is good but buying books really isn't necessary( I do but that's me) as there are libraries and of course info online. J Sprung, S Fellman,s. Michael...just some of the well recognized authors/reefers. When it comes to water chemistry, my fave is Randy Holmes-Farley ;-0)

Maybe you'll get a few $'s for Xmas and then use it to become a member. You could attend the Xmas party then and meet other members as well as get a discount on admission to the FragFests (Spring & Fall)! You're welcome and there are others here that will help you too !!

Pete H. · Dec 5, 2011

Not sure what the algae is. Pretty sure not diatoms. Seems kind of like a hard algae. It does not come off the glass easily and it seems stuck hard to the rock. See picks:

Maybe I need to just add a few new snails to the tank to help with some of it. I will probably go get some GFO or Purigen to help with the phosphates. (I am afraid a bit of the algae is from small nitrates from the tap water used for making salt water. Seem to have nitrates between 0.05 and 0.1 after the water change.) I might have to invest in an R/O system some time. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif
As for the carbon. I don't know if I have a way to change the carbon. I was thinking it was between 1-2 months. Just followed the direction.
If I am around, I want to make it to the Xmas party. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif

MJB Tanks · Dec 5, 2011

Ro/di is definitely in order! I used an Aquarium Pharmeceuticals Tap Water Filter to get me by until I made the investment. It seemed to work well for me. If you are interested I'll dig it out of the garage and u can have it. It's ready for a new cartridge which is about 20-25 at most retailers.

http://www.marinedepot.com/reverse-osmosis_aquarium_pharmaceuticals-ap.html

Pete H. · Dec 6, 2011

Cool. That would be great. PM sent.

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