FOTM - Mandarinfish

sommergurl

sommergurl

Member
Can do better than that.. I found what I have in Aquarium USA magazine, I thought I saw it in there.
I have a Current Power Compact light. It has the fans to cool the lights and the bulbs are exactly as described in the ad from Marine Depot. It was around 250.00.
Okay here is a question for you,, Why am I still adding Stability (which is what the LFS recommended) every 10 days- 12 capfuls, to a tank that was set up with live sand and live rock and they use salt water to fill it? Doesn't it seem like it's redundant at this point?
 
sommergurl

sommergurl

Member
Ihave been using the water that they sell me at the LFS to top off the tank. I assume it's RO water but then you know what they say about when youa ssume. lol
I noticed the algae took off, I mean grew like crazy when I started using the Core Vital. I have also started to see my LR turning purple which, coprrect me if I am wrong, is a good algae and thus a good thing.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Originally Posted by sommergurl
Okay here is a question for you,, Why am I still adding Stability (which is what the LFS recommended) every 10 days- 12 capfuls, to a tank that was set up with live sand and live rock and they use salt water to fill it? Doesn't it seem like it's redundant at this point?
When you say you're adding 'stability' what is it you're adding? I am unsure what you're talking about here.
Also yes, purple algae covering your rocks sounds like coraline.. which is a good thing cause its purty =c)
 
sommergurl

sommergurl

Member
It is this stuff in a white bottle, 15.99 a bottle to give new tanks "stability". It is actually called "Stability".
 
speg

speg

Active Member
As long as things do not look too stressed it would be very wise to start lowering it slowly by just putting more RO water in the tank. Its not crazy high yet.. but its gettin close ;)
Also a good investment that'll help you in the long run is a refractometer. Way more accurate than a hydrometer.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Originally Posted by sommergurl
It is this stuff in a white bottle, 15.99 a bottle to give new tanks "stability". It is actually called "Stability".
I'd assume then that it is some sort of 'bacteria in a bottle' product to cycle your tank. How long have you been cycling your tank?
 
sommergurl

sommergurl

Member
We have had it two months and I put this thing in 12 capfuls a day for 10 days then every 10 days add 122 capfuls since then. I just added the clown fish two weeks ago and the blenny and the shrimp and snail last week. The hermit and, oh yeah, an emerald crab, was in the LR.
So I am thinking it is done cycling when all the levels were good and the LFS said it was okay to add the clowns and sold me them. They didn;t have any sort of clean up crew and haven;t had good shrimp or a blenny or evne a snail for gee whiz, for awhile so I bought them at a FS about an hour from here.
The salinity thing has me peeved though. I will take responsibility was being way too trusting (or dumb- maybe its a blonde thing) of my LFS and not checking some things out beforehand. But once is too much so I am double checking everything I am told.
After he does a water change tomorrow I am going to have him check the salinity while he is here and tell me how to fix it becuase I am not sure one water change is gonna do the trick.
Can you literally take a pitcher and pour out the salt water and pur in the RO water?
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Yeah you can take out some water and pour some in. Just do not do TOO much too quickly. You can get away with dropping the salinity like by .002 or .003 safely every few hours, but I wouldnt do it much more than that at one time. Fish can be removed from salinity at faster rates than introduced into higher salinity.
If that bottle is what I thought it was (cycle enhancer) and you've had the rocks/sand in there for 2 months.. i'd say you'd be well out of your cycle by now.. and maybe the LFS just wants to keep selling you that product?
 
sommergurl

sommergurl

Member
THAT"S WHAT I THINK TOO!
Okay, if he doesn;t come by tomorrow , I am doing it myself
Thank you
I senmt my email address to this site to send to you.. not to bug you or anything ( well maybe a little - LOL) but this posting abck and forth is not as easy as email would be
THANK YOU!!!!!
 
meekel454

meekel454

Member
I currentlly have ( at best guess a female ) green spotted dragnet in my 30 gal tank. I've had her for roughly 18 months and looks great. been keeping a variety of salt water fish over the last 7 years in various tanks. and this is my favorite. this particular tank has 35 ibs of liverock 30 ibs of argonite. 130 watts of lighting (65 white/ 65 actinic) cbr2 protein skimmer fluvel 404 filter. mated pair of clowns ( which over the last 6 years never took home in a anemoe, they prefer a cornor of the tank) and an algea bleeny quite ugly but fun to watch. also there are numerous crabs snails 2 very large hermit crabs and a yellow spotted brittle star who loves to be hand fed.
I've never have had a problem with the dragnet never seen it sick the back glass i never clean. although the snails try. i have seen on ocasion if a cube of frozen myosis shrimp get caught in the filter and the star hasn't retrive it yet the dragnet will pick at it. i also do not have any corals. i will say this is a mature tank set up for 7 years, the first fish i ever got was my clown which is 7 years maybe a lil older depdning on age when purchased, her mate is about 4 years now.
Anyway good luck with dragnets i spend a lotta time just watching her. After i move and get my 125 set back up and running i may try to introduce a male. her of course being moved to the 125.
 
fishmamma

fishmamma

Active Member
Has anyone had any experience using the 'pods in a jar' that are available now? I have wondered how often your pod population would need to be boosted using this method if one chose to add a mandarin to their tank. :notsure:
 
killergoby

killergoby

Member
Originally Posted by sommergurl
Ihave been using the water that they sell me at the LFS to top off the tank. I assume it's RO water but then you know what they say about when youa ssume. lol
I noticed the algae took off, I mean grew like crazy when I started using the Core Vital. I have also started to see my LR turning purple which, coprrect me if I am wrong, is a good algae and thus a good thing.
Coral Vital by Kent has too many by-products in it and promotes nuicance algae. I had the same problem w/ my tank so I switched over to B-Ionic.
 
theappe

theappe

Member
Originally Posted by sommergurl
Very beneficial Speg. Thanks!!
Made me realize that I could not support a mandarin and don't need to buy one. Thoughg my LFS told me otherwise.

yeah my lfs told me I can keep one in my 30g but I guess not. i dont think I have enough pods.
 
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