55 gallon newbie - Fish and Live Rock

[55newb]

Hey guys just an into, My name is Chris ive been into the fish thing for about 8 years now and have finally decided to go saltwater. Something Ive always wanted to do just never had the money. I would a 55g tank from a friend with a cascade 1200 canister filter, a heater from a local fish store, i also have a UV sterilizer that im waiting to plug in till my tank cycles. the tank has been running for about a week and a half now. i have 3 yellow tail damsels, a Yellow Tang, a Lionfish, a Dragon Wrasse and two star fish.
Here's some pics

 

[acrylic51]

Welcome to the boards!!!!!!

That's a nice size bio load already for a new tank......How is the lion eating so far? I'd recommend 2 things real quick....Good test kits and be prepared to do a water change if needed, and improving your filtration on the system.....

 

[btldreef]

Welcome to the boards.
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news and please don't think I'm trying to "flame" you or beat on you, but you have really put a huge stress on your tank by adding so many fish so soon. The brown algae looking stuff (diatoms) is a clear indicator that your tank is very new, not a good idea for a dragon wrasse, which also can not stay in a 55 long term as they do grow very large. As it grows, it will eat your starfish.
As for the starfish: Starfish need very stable, established tanks. Sandsifting starfish (the one on the left in your picture) need a large sand bed or they'll starve. They also deplete the sand of beneficial critters, I would return this and the other one.
Lionfish: it's going to eat your damsels
Damsels: mean little fish.
I highly recommend reading through the new hobbyist threads here and doing a lot of research before going further with this tank so that you can get the best experience out of the hobby. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but we're all hear to help, so ask as many questions as you want.

 

[55newb]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383306/55-gallon-newbie-fish-and-live-rock#post_3351761
Welcome to the boards.
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news and please don't think I'm trying to "flame" you or beat on you, but you have really put a huge stress on your tank by adding so many fish so soon. The brown algae looking stuff (diatoms) is a clear indicator that your tank is very new, not a good idea for a dragon wrasse, which also can not stay in a 55 long term as they do grow very large. As it grows, it will eat your starfish.
As for the starfish: Starfish need very stable, established tanks. Sandsifting starfish (the one on the left in your picture) need a large sand bed or they'll starve. They also deplete the sand of beneficial critters, I would return this and the other one.
Lionfish: it's going to eat your damsels
Damsels: mean little fish.
I highly recommend reading through the new hobbyist threads here and doing a lot of research before going further with this tank so that you can get the best experience out of the hobby. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but we're all hear to help, so ask as many questions as you want.
The lion fish is to small to eat the damsels right now, they were ment to help with the tank cycle. they will be given to a friend after the tank has established.
The guys at the fish store said that those two starfish were ok in a new tank. I have a little over 4 inchs of sand in the back of the tank and about 2-3 in the front of the tank.
The brown on the bottom of my tank has almost gone away. I only have small light patches now.
I got help from one of my friends who has been doin saltwater tanks for a while now and he was helping me with the fish selection. I take it he was wrong?

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 55newb http:///forum/thread/383306/55-gallon-newbie-fish-and-live-rock#post_3352277
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/383306/55-gallon-newbie-fish-and-live-rock#post_3351761
Welcome to the boards.
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news and please don't think I'm trying to "flame" you or beat on you, but you have really put a huge stress on your tank by adding so many fish so soon. The brown algae looking stuff (diatoms) is a clear indicator that your tank is very new, not a good idea for a dragon wrasse, which also can not stay in a 55 long term as they do grow very large. As it grows, it will eat your starfish.
As for the starfish: Starfish need very stable, established tanks. Sandsifting starfish (the one on the left in your picture) need a large sand bed or they'll starve. They also deplete the sand of beneficial critters, I would return this and the other one.
Lionfish: it's going to eat your damsels
Damsels: mean little fish.
I highly recommend reading through the new hobbyist threads here and doing a lot of research before going further with this tank so that you can get the best experience out of the hobby. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but we're all hear to help, so ask as many questions as you want.
The lion fish is to small to eat the damsels right now, they were ment to help with the tank cycle. they will be given to a friend after the tank has established. Damsels shouldn't really be used to cycle, but that's a whole different discussion.
The guys at the fish store said that those two starfish were ok in a new tank. I have a little over 4 inchs of sand in the back of the tank and about 2-3 in the front of the tank. Not at all. NO starfish belong in a new tank. Sand sifting starfish are almost never a good idea unless you have more than a 200G tank and plan on re-seeding your sand often. It sounds like you are going to a store that just wants to make money and sell you things.
The brown on the bottom of my tank has almost gone away. I only have small light patches now.
I got help from one of my friends who has been doin saltwater tanks for a while now and he was helping me with the fish selection. I take it he was wrong? Yes.