New Aquarium

[Chad C.]

Hey all, im kinda confused with starting attempt at my salt water tank and need some advice to see if I'm doing something wrong.

I have a 65 gallon salt water tank, all my parameters seem fine, my salinity is in the correct range and my tank has been cycling for four weeks. Heres where my problem comes in.
On Sunday, I ended up buying two six-line wrasses as I have heard they are a good hardy fish for a semi aggressive set up. The first day they kept to my rocks and I was assuming they were just trying to hide due to a new place for them. The second day they were still hiding in the wrongs, but seemed to have cobwebs around them(I researched and found out it's due to them being stressed). Today, the third day, I get home from work and they are both dead. I am trying to figure out if the wrasses are just a difficult fish to begin with, or if there is some other factor to their deaths. If they are a more difficult first fish, if there are any recommendations for a good semi-aggressive hardy fish, that will be compatible with an eel in the long run.

 

[jay0705]

Never mix wrasse. A few exceptions. How did u acclimate them?

 

[lmforbis]

And 2 of the same kind, with a couple exceptions, Won't work in a small tank like yours.

 

[Chad C.]

I acclimated them using the float method. So if the wrasse aren't a good starter Fish for the tank what would be? I've heard damsels but I know they will have a compatability issue with the eel eventually.

 

[flower]

Hello, welcome to the site...

Exactly how did you cycle the tank? Just letting the tank run for 4 weeks won't do a thing, you have to introduce ammonia to get things rolling along. Ghost feed the invisible fish for a few weeks, or add a chunk of raw shrimp...never a live fish.

Time means nothing, only tests will tell you when the tank has cycled.

So just in case you don't know: You get an ammonia spike, WAIT until that drops to 0, then you will see nitrites spike, keep waiting...until that drops to 0, THEN when you see 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and you see only nitrates...do a small water change to lower the nitrates, and the tank has gone through it's first cycle. Then you can add ONE fish, just one. The tank has to balance out again to be able to handle the extra poop from the new addition. You should be putting new fish into quarantine for 4 weeks. Not only will that help to prevent diseases or parasites from going into the display, but it will help you pace how fast you add critters. Too many, too fast is the #1 cause of failure.

 

[Chad C.]

I cycled the tank by just having it up and running ( I know, dumb idea) but it worked with freshwater. I was hoping a same result and became big headed due to my early success with my freshwater tank. The ghost feedings are something I started tonight to make sure I've got the cycle rolling more now. I had thought that adding a few hardy fish helps move the cycle quicker though?

 

[jay0705]

Ha ha sw is nothing like fw. Cured live rock will cycle a tank w time. You don't say what u have in the tank tho. Rock, sand, ect? . You need to test your water, to see if it has cycled. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.

 

[flower]

Hi,

The ONLY thing freshwater tanks and SW have in common...is that they both are fish tanks that hold water. SW is a whole new world. You CAN cycle a tank with fish, but you shouldn't, first because it's painful for the fish, and second because what you add to your tank dictates what you can add later. Most of those "hardy" fish, such as the damsels, are so dang mean that it will kill anything you add less timid than themselves. It limits your choices of fish.

To be honest, a freshwater tank will not cycle either without some kind of ammonia to kick start it. Just up and running will not cycle a fish tank of any sort.

 

[Kristin1234]

Yup. What they said.

 

[Chad C.]

I have dead rock and argonite sand in my tank. I'm going to give it a little while and wait till my levels are exact before adding any fish, but what would be a good hardy option that will not have problems down the line with an eel? Clown Fish would be victimized and it seems that damsels would be too aggressive towards my other selections

 

[lmforbis]

Depends on the eel.
I had a snowflake moray for about a year. I didn't bother any fish, not their natural food, but would have gone for shrimp or crabs had I had any. I hand fed him whole krill. I kept him with a blue damsel and a clarkii clown. Keep them well fed and they shouldn't bother any active fish. That was my experience it could be different for others.

 

[Chad C.]

Ok thanks. My wife is pretty set on the eel and I myself want a lionfish. The compatability charts I've read pretty much eliminated most Fish with an eel, but a snowflake eel is what we're after eel wise as well.

 

[lmforbis]

every situation is different it may or may not work out. Make sure you get a smaller species of lionfish, some get huge. I'd think smaller fish would be at more risk from the lion fish than the eel. I have heard anything that can fit in its mouth is at risk. There may be little else you can put into such a small tank with those two.

 

[jay0705]

Eel's are intresting fish. First they are escape artists!!!!! This is not an understatement. Mixing fish is basically as mentioned above. I would never say it will never touch your fish. Generally if well fed it will leave them alone. No crustaceans tho. Now I have a dwarf lion w a yellow tail damsel, maroon clown, spotted mandarin, Valentine puffer, and a tang. No issues at all. Larger lions tho will eat small fish tho. In a 65 you could try your eel, dwarf lion, large maroon clown, and maybe a kole tang. Just an idea

 

[geridoc]

I have dead rock and argonite sand in my tank. I'm going to give it a little while and wait till my levels are exact before adding any fish, but what would be a good hardy option that will not have problems down the line with an eel? Clown Fish would be victimized and it seems that damsels would be too aggressive towards my other selections

So, no live rock? If that is so, then I would have left the dead wrasses in the tank - as they decayed they would have fed the cycle. As you currently describe the situation in your tank, it will never be ready for fish, ever. You must cycle the tank using any of the methods described by others in this thread. simply waiting will not work. The death of your wrasses, however, doesn't sound like a nitrogen toxicity problem since in a 65 gallon tank it would probably take some time to reach toxic ammonia levels. What is the specific gravity of your water vs. the specific gravity of the tank they came from. I ask because it sounds more like an acclimation problem than toxicity. Once the tank is properly cycled (and your quarantine tank, too) jay0705's suggestion sounds good, and you could begin with a kole tang. Wait a few weeks at the least, then the lion, then finally the eel. While waiting for the eel pretend you are a prisoner in the tank and look for ways to escape. this would include openings in the lid, overflows and tubes, etc. Figure out how to seal each and every possible exit because the eel will figure them out, too, and go carpet surfing. Good luck! and keep asking questions.

 

[Chad C.]

Yea, I'm planning on keeping this tank with very few species. I like the fish selection you laid out for me jay. I do have a question on Fish shipping however. I work from 10 am till 6pm each day and usually am on the road at 8 30am, so I would miss FedEx completely. Is it alright if the fish is in the box that whole time? I don't really trust my neighbors to help me out so to speak and my wife is working at about the same time. I have 50 lbs of dead rock, if I add live rock do I need any special lighting or other supplies? I'm not planning on going with a reef tank on this one

 

[BanditMan15]

Have any light at all?

 

[Chad C.]

Yes I have the standard bulbs that came with the lights. Nothing special, which is why I'm wondering if live rock really does need better lighting or its fine with whatever

 

[flower]

Yea, I'm planning on keeping this tank with very few species. I like the fish selection you laid out for me jay. I do have a question on Fish shipping however. I work from 10 am till 6pm each day and usually am on the road at 8 30am, so I would miss FedEx completely. Is it alright if the fish is in the box that whole time? I don't really trust my neighbors to help me out so to speak and my wife is working at about the same time. I have 50 lbs of dead rock, if I add live rock do I need any special lighting or other supplies? I'm not planning on going with a reef tank on this one

Hi,

T5HO lighting looks much better than the regular FW lights. SW fish have dazzling colors, and you want to use lighting that really makes them pop. Live rock gets coralline algae (pretty colors growing on the rock). It looks better under T5s too. Neither NEEDS the extra light, but it just looks better and T5s are not expensive.

As for ordering fish, in the summer, the heat is dangerous, and in the winter the cold would be... they would be fine in the bag for the few extra hours. Temperature is the problem, because whatever heat or cold packs were in the packages won't hold up for the extra time, maybe a neighbor could bring the package indoors for you.

 

[bang guy]

Check the FedEx facility hours. You might be able to swing by there on your way home. Mine is 50 miles out of my way so I never use that option but I believe they will hold a package at the facility if you request it and it's listed in the delivery instructions.