A few questions :-)

M

mitch24

Guest
Hey guys

I am pretty new at marine fish keeping, and I found this site to be a great help. But, I do have a million questions, and I don't trust the people in the fish stores, because everyone tells me something different

I apologize for asking so many questions in one post

I have a 75 gallon tank, with 2 Fluval 404 filters and a 15 watt UV Sterilizer. Is that enough? Should I put on a protein skimmer?
How does changing the water every so often, help the tank. I thought the reason we cycled the tank was to remove all the bad stuff from fresh water... So, doesnt putting more fresh water into the tank negate the cycle? I know you are supposed to, I just cant figure out why...
I have a yellow tang in there, and I read that they like lettuce
Does that mean I can just chop up pieces of store bought lettuce, and throw it into the tank?
I feed my fish a lot of frozen Brine Shrimp, but I heard they like live food more...
The only thing is, Im afraid of parasites from live food... Is this a legitimate concern, and should I stick with the frozen food, or is it safe to feed them live shrimp every so often?
How many fish can you keep in a 75 gallon tank? I like to keep it under-populated, because I feel it's safer... I only have 4 or 5 at any given time
Should I put more in?
I have a million more questions, but I dont want to piss anyone off my first time here

Thank you so much in advance, if you can help me out

-Mitch
 
bicolorgod

bicolorgod

Member
Well Mitch, Protein skimmers would be great, but if you cannot get one, don't worry about it now.
Frozen food is something I don't feed my fish, because I dont really like live food in my tank. (creepy)
For a 75 gallon, you can fit about.. 9-10 fish of medium size, maybe more. Just be careful which ones...
And about the lettuce, yes, you can do this, but things like Romaine lettuce have next to nothing when it comes to vitamins and minerals.
-Scott
[This message has been edited by BiColorGod (edited 06-12-2000).]
 
bobsingh1

bobsingh1

Member
I would highly recommend a good protein skimmer (venturi style). When you see the kind of stuff it spits out, you will be glad. You already have a UV which is great.
Water changes are done to remove nitrates from your tank. When your tank cycles, ammonia is converted into nitrites and then nitrates. Ammonia and nitrite in any quantity is harmful for fish but fish can tolerate nitrates up to a certain level (40 ppm) If you have a nitrate removal system, you rarely need to change water.
Judging from your post, I think you are asking if its ok to change 100% of water every time. NO... don't ever do that when your tank gets established which will take about 45 to 60 days. Doing a 20% change once every two to three weeks is enough after the tank is established just to keep nitrates in check. And when you change water, don't just dump in freshwater in exchange of saltwater. You have to prepare you water by adding appropriate amount of salt until salinity is 1.019 and ph is 8.2. Use distilled or RO water instead of tap water.
As for the number of fish, don't go above 9 medium or small size.
 
B

bots44

Guest

Originally posted by Mitch24:
Hey guys

I am pretty new at marine fish keeping, and I found this site to be a great help. But, I do have a million questions, and I don't trust the people in the fish stores, because everyone tells me something different

I apologize for asking so many questions in one post

I have a 75 gallon tank, with 2 Fluval 404 filters and a 15 watt UV Sterilizer. Is that enough? Should I put on a protein skimmer?
How does changing the water every so often, help the tank. I thought the reason we cycled the tank was to remove all the bad stuff from fresh water... So, doesnt putting more fresh water into the tank negate the cycle? I know you are supposed to, I just cant figure out why...
I have a yellow tang in there, and I read that they like lettuce
Does that mean I can just chop up pieces of store bought lettuce, and throw it into the tank?
I feed my fish a lot of frozen Brine Shrimp, but I heard they like live food more...
The only thing is, Im afraid of parasites from live food... Is this a legitimate concern, and should I stick with the frozen food, or is it safe to feed them live shrimp every so often?
How many fish can you keep in a 75 gallon tank? I like to keep it under-populated, because I feel it's safer... I only have 4 or 5 at any given time
Should I put more in?
I have a million more questions, but I dont want to piss anyone off my first time here

Thank you so much in advance, if you can help me out

-Mitch
mitch i highly recommened u buy a wet dry filter. yes they are a lot of money but well worth it. you need a wet dry filter. i have a wet/dry with 2 330 marineland filters.
 
kris

kris

Member
A skimmer would be great, but not neccessary as long as you are keeping moderately hardy fish.
We cycle to build beneficial bacteria which converts ammo and nitrites into nitrates which is less toxic than the 1st two but no good none the less. Soooo-we have to change the water to remove these nitrates.
I use the freeze dried marine algae for my veggie eaters, and a VARIETY of frozen stuff. Live isn't needed for most species.
I also underpopulate, pick your centerpiece and build from there, making sure everyone has a home (hiding spot) and is getting their share of food, and no major fighting is happening. any of these are signs your tank is full.
Good Luck
 
jimm

jimm

Member
I agree with all that was said above, but would like to add one thing about the lettuce.
Son't just chop up some lettuce and throw it in the tank. It will end up in the filter adn pollute the water.
Get a lettuce clip at your LFS to hold it.
 
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