Dilemma about Damsels.

[silverado61]

Well I did it. I finally listened to all the posts and advice on here ( particularly from one of you who shall remain unnamed so your hat will continue to fit. You know who you are.

) and changed my Crushed Coral out for Live Sand. My 36g tank was a month old and I had 3 Damsels in the tank at the time. First, I removed the ornament, the rocks ( Real rock, not coral rock. ), a 10lb piece of Live Rock ( coral ) and the Macroalgae ( Chaetomorph ). Then I turned everything off, powerfilter, powerhead and the heater. Then I drained 2/3 of the water, being careful not to raise any sediment and saved the water because it was stable. Then I removed the Damsels and put them into a 2g tank ( That was fun...... NOT. ). I know it's too small for 3 of them, but they're only an inch long so I figured a few days won't hurt them. Then drained the rest of the water out of the tank. This water I tossed and mixed "new water" to replace it ( I always use RO water from my local Walmart ). Oh, and I say "New water" instead of "fresh water" to avoid confusion.
Then I removed all the crushed coral. Next I placed the ornament back in and arranged 20lbs of dead rock ( Coral, I'm leaving the real rocks out this time for good ) and installed the Live Sand into the tank. Then I filled 2/3 of the tank with the water I saved and put the Live Rock and Macroalgae in the water and finished filling the tank with the new water. Then I turned everything back on, changed one filter ( There are 2 in my powerfilter ) and installed a second powerhead for a total of 1100GPH.
The tank has cleared and the tests are still within good range. I know, I was amazed too. I'm still going to let the tank cycle for a week and test it again.
My questions are:
1- Did I do the change over correctly?
2- How many and what types of fish will thrive in a 36g tank?
3- Last but not least, what do I do with the "damn"sels? And I say that with love for the little buggers. If I put them back into the tank, I'll never get them back out and I only used them to help cycle the tank. Anybody looking to adopt?
Thanks for all your advice and help. These forums are an awesome way to learn about and get help on Marine Fish tanks. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures here I'll up load all my photos.
I welcome any and all replies. Good or bad. I want to do things right and the only way to do that is for all of you to be honest with me. "JUST RIP THAT BANDAID OFF!!!" You are my

's

 

[flower]

Hi,
You can cycle your tank with a chunk of raw shrimp, pour ammonia or ghost feed. You can get a jug of pour ammonia in the laundry isle at the supermarket...1/4 cup should do it. some decorative macroalgae will also help keep the water pristine. Check out Golf Coast Ecosystems.
See if the LFS will take the little demons off your hands.
It really isn't a matter of "how many" (never over stock) when you have a SW tank, it's more a matter of what goes with what, so they don't kill each other off. Oh, and get you some moonlights so you can enjoy the night life in the tank...it's a whole new world after lights out in there.
Possible fish stock list:
1 Dwarf angelfish (add it last)
1 Royal gramma or orchid dottyback (one or the other, not both, they will fight)
2 Blackray shrimp gobies
2 to 3 peppermint shrimps
1 Brittle (not green) or serpent star
2 feather duster fanworms

Now is the time to set up your quarantine tank, a 10g with a HOB filter and an airline to move the water...a piece of PVC pipe or a resin decorative piece. Attach the airline tube to the bottom of it with a rubberband. Put 1 fish in at a time...leave it in quarantine for at least 4 weeks...if it's healthy, add it to the display and then put another critter in the QT and continue that sequence until the tank is stocked.
I personally never quarantined inverts, so the fan worms, starfish and shrimp can go in as soon as the tank is cycled. To be certain the tank is 100% cycled, I always waited one week more after I got 0 readings on ammonia and nitrites. I would do a small water change if the first cycle is really over, then add the first critter. Add snails as the algae develops so your CUC has something to eat.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Sounds like you did pretty good. I'm glad you took the real rocks out of the tank. Rocks out of the yard definitely won't work in the long run.
Let the tank cycle and do a small water change (about 5g) every week or so until your tank is cycled - it just helps keep ammonia low enough so it keeps what is on your live rock alive.
A 10g is a pretty good little quarantine tank. Remember that the more fish you put into a small tank, the more fish waste and leftover fish food you will have. However, if this is a fish only with live rock tank, and your goal is simply to keep marine fish alive - then you can stock the tank as you see fit, as long as there isn't conflicts, as Flower has stated. If you get into reef keeping, go slow and easy and keep in mind that some fish will eat corals and are not compatible in a reef tank.
There are many fairy wrasses out there that are well suited for smaller tanks, who can add a lot of color and movement to a fish only system. They jump though, so you might want to put an egg crate top on the tank to be sure the little buggers stay put.
Other then that, I hope that you continue to share your success and failures with us.