Brand new to this - are these fish OK?

[karenm]

I'm brand new - as in I just set up my tank on Friday (40 gal tall tank). I've looked all over the net and visited a couple local stores, and all the info I get is conflicting. The previous owner of my tank had a SW tank, however I changed the landscape. I was going to go cichlid, but worked up enough nerve to finally go SW.
I bought playground sand (when I thought I was going FW) and new rocks. My first mistake, I know. But how do I rectify it? Yesterday I added some of the bottled live bacteria. Today I fed the tank like I would if there were fish in it. When do I add the salt?
Also, I'd liked to get some opinions on what I'd like to have: small yellow tail damsels, at least 1 yellow tang, at least 1 clownfish, 1 starfish, snails, and possibly some anemone or coral later on. Is this too much for my small tank?

 

[ric maniac]

hi! welcome to the addiction.
you can add the salt now. and you need to cycle the tank untill your nitrites and amonia have spiked and gone down to zero and you should probably get some live rock. for fish i would say no tang! not in that size of a tank. tangs need a 125+ gallon tank. dont get the damsel they are the most horrible little buggers ever. everything sounds good for inverts except the starfish,just wait a while till your tank is established to get on of these. and NO anemone in a new tank less than a year old. they also require very high lighting. and for coral later on i would say colt coral,mushrooms, buble coral and zooanthids. always do research on what you are about to get so you know you arent making mistake. if you have any more questions post em or shoot me an e-mail at aquari_nut@hotmail.com

 

[rbaldino]

I would agree that your tank is much to small for a tang, but you really shouldn't have a problem with a yellowtail damsel. They're less aggresive than most damsels, and if you add him after the more docile fish you should be okay. The one I have now gets along with pretty much everything.

 

[seasalt101]

yeah what he said...tobin

 

[karenm]

Wow, OK. No tang. I'm going for exotic and colorful. Can you suggest a good "grouping" that will all get along?

 

[ric maniac]

i dont know much about damsels so sry for my mistake =p but i would try maybe 3 or 4 green chromis perhaps?

 

[thud]

You should have added the salt and waited 24 hours before adding the bacteria.
You most likely used Bio Spira or Turbostart.
and there are many opinions on the play sand, did you at least rinse it very well?
You seem to be rushing your tank which will mean failure unfortunately.

 

[nicetry]

Karen
You've been given some good advice thus far. At this point, get the salinity to where it should be. Not sure what kind of rocks you added but I would not suggest using them unless you know what type they are. Some can be detrimental in a saltwater system. Live rock (natural reef rock harvested from the ocean or cultured for the trade) is a much better and safer bet, and will provide good biological filtration. Can you post what equipment you have so far; lights, filtration, heater (watts and mfgr), skimmer (if you have one), powerheads, etc... How much sand did you add and how deep is the sand bed?
Thinking of a fish list is fun, but be very patient at this point and simply allow the tank to cycle on it's own. Live rock will help the process. Please don't give in to the theory of adding live fish to cycle the system. It's unecessary.
For a tank your size, bear in mind it's a small system and not a lot of lateral swimming room. A few small colorful fish will work well and give you lots of enjoyment.
Some options; a pair of clowns, a royal gramma or blackcap basslet, yellow watchman goby, purple firefish. This would give you a neat, friendly little community.
Other choices would be a small flasher wrasse, as cherub angel (only after the tank has been running for several months) pajama or banggai cardinal, chromis.
Some of the nicest tank are smaller systems. You can really take in all the activity and color, which is sometimes lost in a bigger tank.

 

[ric maniac]

yes, please post your equipment

 

[karenm]

I've got one double power filter (can't find a brand) and one larger Whisper. I don't know whether it helped or hurt but I didn't change the cartridges, I just used the ones that were in there. They're pretty clean, though, so I don't know that I accomploished anything.
The hood is Eclipse, and the bulbs are flourescent. Can't find a wattage.
what's the best test kit? And if I'm "ghost feed", when should I expect the spike?
Your fish suggestions sound good. I'd like to find a good mix of slow and relaxed, plus active.

 

[karenm]

I forgot the rocks - he gave me one large "holey" rock (about 15lbs), and I bought some smaller generic rocks with black spots (about 3 golf-ball sized rocks), an 8" piece of either slate or red clay, and four 4" pieces of what looks like dried up white sponges.

 

[karenm]

I can't find a brand on the heater. I added 40lbs of sand. It's about 2 - 2.5" deep.

 

[thud]

Originally Posted by KarenM
I can't find a brand on the heater. I added 40lbs of sand. It's about 2 - 2.5" deep.

You'll want some live rock.
Your rocks should be porous.

 

[karenm]

How much live rock, and how much should I expect to pay per lb? How do you feel about ordering over the net?

 

[rbaldino]

Some interesting, colorful fish would include tomato and percula clowns, any of the psuedochromis species, green reef chromis, yellowtail and four stripe damsels, firefish and other gobies. Not all of these will work well together, though. It's best to come up with a list, determine which ones will work together, and then figure out an order to add them.

 

[dahlia]

Here's my opinion on this....
First off you DO NOT have to have at least a 125 g tank to have a yellow tang that's one of the craziest things I've heard thus far in this hobby. At least a 75 yes....
Next you would be surprised to see how many fish actually do get along when housed together contrary to other peoples opinions.
Here's what I suggest, it worked for me excellently...
Do your research (very important)
use common sense (also important)
and it's ALL pretty much trial and error, just everyone has thier OWN opinions and of course THIERS is always right....again, not neccasarily.
As far as a yellowtail damsel, was my first fish ever, I've had it about 2 years now and it gets along with everything in my tank and always has, including a yellow tang.
So figure out what works for YOU and your fish, and stick with it.
No two people do it the same just like no two fish are the same.

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Dahlia
Here's my opinion on this....
First off you DO NOT have to have at least a 125 g tank to have a yellow tang that's one of the craziest things I've heard thus far in this hobby. At least a 75 yes....
Next you would be surprised to see how many fish actually do get along when housed together contrary to other peoples opinions.
Here's what I suggest, it worked for me excellently...
Do your research (very important)
use common sense (also important)
and it's ALL pretty much trial and error, just everyone has thier OWN opinions and of course THIERS is always right....again, not neccasarily.
As far as a yellowtail damsel, was my first fish ever, I've had it about 2 years now and it gets along with everything in my tank and always has, including a yellow tang.
So figure out what works for YOU and your fish, and stick with it.
No two people do it the same just like no two fish are the same.
I agree entirely. I've done things for years (like keep two different clown species together, or have damsels that aren't killers) that most people seem to think is impossible. There's always an exception to the rule.

 

[nigerbang]

Just because it works for 1 out of 100 you shouldnt really tell people that it can be done with out a problem....yes sometimes it will work..Most the time it wont though..

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by NigerBang
Just because it works for 1 out of 100 you shouldnt really tell people that it can be done with out a problem....yes sometimes it will work..Most the time it wont though..
And just because it hasn't worked in your (or someone else's) experience doesn't mean it can't be done. I only say this because I get tired of all the people who say you shouldn't have any damsels, because I know a lot of people who keep damsels without any problems. It's not fair to the fish, and it's not fair to the people who might like to have damsels. I often wonder how many of the damsel haters out there have actually ever had damsels.

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by KarenM
How much live rock, and how much should I expect to pay per lb? How do you feel about ordering over the net?
You should aim for at least 1 pound per gallon. Since live rock varies in density, you may fill your tank up with less, or it might take a lot more. How much you pay often depends on how much your buy, since fish stores usually give discounts over a certain poundage. Average though is usually about $7-8 per pound. Personally, I don't like buying over the net because I like to see what I'm getting, but that's up to you.