done cycling, on to stocking =)

iamcrazy

iamcrazy

Member
ok so lots n lots of questions
my tanks been cycling for a little more than 3 weeks now and nitrates are at 0 and ammonia 0. so im ready to start buyin fish and wanted to know if id be able to keep all of these in my tank: 2 true percs, flame angel, lawn mower blenny, yellow watchman goby, a cleaner shrimp, 1 pistol shrimp, 1 peppermit shrimp, maybe an electric flame scallop and possibly an arrow crab.. any suggestions on hermits?? i really like the blue legs and zebras but i heard u cant mix them because they'll kill each other right? and how many different kinds of anenomes is it possible to keep in 1 tank? 2-3 but 3 is really pushing it correct?? i have a 55g with 50lbs of live rock and 60lbs of live sand. oo and i also plan on ordering TEK T-5 VHO lights in a few days. those would be fine for like a rbta and a carpet anenome right? hmm i also found 3 small corals on my live rock that i need an id on.. ill post some pics soon
thanks:happyfish
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member
my advice is to hold off for a few more months...Your fish list looks ok but not sure about the shrimp.. I'd stick with just the cleaner..Get snails instead of hermits. and like always forget the anemones, there not for newbies.
 
sailfin

sailfin

Member
You stated that ammonia and nitrates are zero. You need to make sure the nitrites are zero as well. I somewhat agree with golfish. There is nothing wrong with scarlet hermits. Get some of those and astrea, nassarius and maybe a mexican turbo snails. If you get a fish please only get one for now. Maybe the perc. Let it spatter for a few weeks. Check levels again. Anytime you add a fish you should only add one, especially with a 55g. You don't want to overcome your bioload. Most importantly have fun and enjoy your new tank.
 
iamcrazy

iamcrazy

Member
yea i forgot to add my nitrites were also at 0 too. i know to only add 1 fish at a time, i thikn im gonna add in some inverts and snails first, wait a few days then maybe get the flame angel. and im not really a noob, ive done tons of research, have friends with sw tanks and have a VERY reliable lfs
plus i wont be adding any for at least another month..
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
They feed on very particular particle size foods that are generally difficult to replicate. Most do die within a year of introduction.
A flame angel, IMO, is a terrible choice for the first fish - or an early fish - in the tank. They need well established tanks! I wouldn't trust, personally, any store that would sell a flame angel to a tank that young...should be at least a few months old (prefer at least 6). Snails and hermits are not really going to push the bioload...it is when you add a fish that you start to throw food in for that you really test things. I would start with the clowns which have a better chance in a younger tank.
 
rick58

rick58

Member
I tend to agree with ophiura. If your cycle truely is complete then it was a soft one. I would retest. If it truly is complete you are going to get anther one when you introduce your first fish and this cycle will need to complete before adding anything overly sensitive to nitrites/ammonia. The clown is the best of the fish you listed for this. You still will need to add slowly for a while or you'll be re-stocking regularly.
 
gregm779

gregm779

Member
Although you normally do one fish at a time starting out if you plan on having two perculas in the same tank ever they have to go in at the same time and if they're not already paired make sure that one is larger than the other. Also do the flame angel last they are really big wimps and probably won't make until your tank is a few months old.
 
iamcrazy

iamcrazy

Member
is it possible to make a mated pair out of a true perc and a black true perc?? thats wat i wanted to do eventually.. so instead of adding a clown as my first fish coudl i do a lawn mower blenny?? and i was planning on ordering the flame angel from swf.com
 
clarkiiboi

clarkiiboi

Active Member
You have got some sound advice. I know its hard to slow down, but that is one of the keys to a healthy and thriving tank. Stick to the snails, hermits and a hearty first fish for now. That could be damsels (which I dont recommend in the long run), chromis or clownfish. I agree with what Greg said about the clowns, there are some exceptions I guess. To answer your last questions, I doubt 2 different clowns will become a pair--more likely to attack each other eventually. I dont think a LMB is a good first fish. It will not matter where you get a flame angel from.....trust me, they need a more mature tank!
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
May I ask, and I don't mean to be confrontational, but why mention you have a very reliable LFS and friends in the hobby and then throw in you were getting the flame angel from SWF? Either it is a good choice for a fish, or not, regardless of the store you buy it from. In the LFS, the employee may say you shouldn't do it (I hope). SWF has been kind enough to provide this forum for us to say it is not a good option right now (which most other online stores do not do). Any LFS that says differently, or online store that doesn't provide a discussion forum is, IMO, not very good.
I think buying online is a great option for saving money, but it should not be used as a way to bypass advice. And for sure there are people who do it, just as there are people who shop many LFS just so know one knows exactly what they have - and shouldn't have. I had a customer walk out when I said "no" to something and actually said they would just go somewhere else to buy the fish :( . As if I just didn't want their money! LOL!
I think it is great that you came here to ask for advice beforehand. It definitely proves you are doing your research. Believe me! There are lots of well informed and well intentioned people here who really do want you to have the best chance of success without the failures that they may have experienced! A flame angel is not, after all, a cheap fish :)
 
iamcrazy

iamcrazy

Member
when i said i was buying the flame angel from swf i didnt mean that it would be any different, i meant that i wasnt planning on buying it from my lfs so i didnt ask them anything about flame angels being a first fish. and i realized a while ago it would be a bad idea. sorry for the misunderstanding:nervous: and i know that its not a cheap fish thats basically why in the long run i am going to order him online:)
 
zelfin

zelfin

Member
I may be off subject here but research is definately needed with SW aquariums. I try to learn everything I can as I do things but with this hobby I learned the VERY hard and expensive way that I absolutely had to research things.
Congrats on having much more patience than I did. Now I have however learned patience and my tank is much nicer due to it.
Ophiura has it right. Checking this forum out has saved me a lot of money over the last 1/2 year. I just wish I had found it sooner. Ugghh...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top