fairly new tank (a couple of questions)

[paul23bulz@aol.com]

my tank cycle is over and i have just added a percula clown and coral beauty. I have a small film type residue on top of the tank water? anyone know what that might be? I do have a skimmer and biological filter. 2nd ? if anyone else has these fish how do you feed them IE. flakes in the morning and and formula I & II at night? Thanks guys.. one more thing i just got back from Cancun and went snorkeling on the Original Snorkeling Adventure wow awesome fish and reefs!! thanks

 

[musipilot]

The percula is a good choice...you may have trouble with the coral beauty unless he eats prepared food right away, pay careful attention to that! They usually prefer a well established tank with lots of live rock to graze. Anyway...about the slime..is it a thin film at the top? This is usually a sign of poor gas exchange, meaning the surface of the water is not being agitated enough. If you have some powerheads, be sure one of them is pointed towards the surface and making some healthy ripples up there. This will probably do away with the layer of slime. If they tank is long, it may be helpful to do this at both ends. Good luck@!

 

[fishy all the time]

Hi, I had a problem with the film on the surface of my water too. My LFS suggested I install a spray bar accross the top of the tank. It works really well. In fact I only need one power head in my 55 gallon tank. To make a spray bar you need to buy a big pump...I have a CA 2200. That was the only big pump my LSF sold..but you also could us a RIO pump. Then I just bought some white PVC piping..3/4 inch in diameter. You will need a a cap for the end of the piece you will be using. You might need a couple of angle pieces to make it fit how you like it. You can find all of these little parts right there in the PVC section of your local hardware store. First I installed the pump at the surface of my tank. The piping itself sits about 4 inches under the surface of the water and all the way across the back wall of the tank. Next I measured how long of a piece of piping I would need. I drilled holes in the piping evey inch all the way down the piece. I hooked it up to the pump and turned it on. I had to play with the angle that the water was spraying on the surface. Now I have no more film and I have lots of water circulation in the tank. HTH

 

[clarkiiboi]

I have a coral beauty and it took 4-5 days before it actually ate, now mine eats frozen brine, greens, and I have another sort of greens mixture, I feed a mixture of these in the AM and PM, and it picks at the LR at times. HTH

 

[demosthenes]

Fishy All The Time, you mentioned you used a CA2200 because that's the only big pump your LFS carried, but you also suggested a Rio, which I highly advise against. A MagDrive pump would be much better. I've been told by everyone in the world to stay away from Rio's. In fact, there was previously a post in the Equipment Forum griping about them. It was titled something like, "Rio Pumps Suck!". So, from that, I would stay away from them.
PS I don't recall reading anyone defending the Rio, meaning the title sums it up.