hondotech
New Member
Hello all,
Recently new to the saltwater fish hobby and had a couple of questions.
--History to date--
My tank (55 gal) had been running for approx. 2 months with nothing but live sand (approx. 50 lbs) and 10lbs. (approx) of live rock. All the water tests showed everything normal.
So I took the plunge and picked up 5 damsels as starter fish. My acclimation steps weren't nearly up to par as suggested here on the site ( I floated em for 20 minutes, then dropped the fish into the tank, the transport water went down the drain). I never turned on the lights until I actually had fish in the tank.
Within a few days of the damsels being in the tank, I was overrun with a reddish-brown algae, which Im guessing came from the lights being on 12 hours a day.
After the damsels had been in the tank 2 weeks I replaced them yesterday with a yellow tang, a goatfish, a blue angelfish, a fire shrimp, a peppermint shrimp, emerald crab, and 2 snails.
That was actually done on 4/1/05.
The local fish store said the algae would go away if I left the lights off for 4-5 days and nothing I just purchased would mind living in the dark that long.
--Questions--
1. After skimming this site for a couple of hours I am under the impression I should have 1-1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water. Is this a mandatory thing? Is it possible to add live rock to a system once the fish are in? Are there any alternatives?
2. According to swf.com, everything I have (with the exception of the angel) is a algae eater. Am I in trouble here?
3. The goatfish is incompatible with the shrimp? Local store said it was fine, swf.com says its not.
4. What is the purpose of the water cycling? How often and what % should be done? Not real clear on the steps involved. Do I just mix up some saltwater and toss it in once the old is removed? Does the new water need to "age" any?
5. When I first setup the tank my gravity was off the charts, I ended up pulling at least 15 gallons out to get the gravity to normal levels. I still have that water sitting in a covered but not airtight tub next to the tank. Is that water any good for anything or need to be tossed?
6. I have some frozen brine shrimp I was feeding to the damsels, should I just be dropping enough for the angel at this point because of question #2 above?
7. I believe I have some button polyps growing on the live rock. Good thing or bad thing?
-- Comments --
The tank is actually at my place of work, I wanted to create a conversation piece and something for the kiddos to look at while the parents spend their $$ =). I want to get as much variety (color and shape) as the system will allow (going for the ooh-aah factor). Was looking at adding a batfish and starfish after a couple of weeks.
Any thoughts or comments would be most appreciated.
Recently new to the saltwater fish hobby and had a couple of questions.
--History to date--
My tank (55 gal) had been running for approx. 2 months with nothing but live sand (approx. 50 lbs) and 10lbs. (approx) of live rock. All the water tests showed everything normal.
So I took the plunge and picked up 5 damsels as starter fish. My acclimation steps weren't nearly up to par as suggested here on the site ( I floated em for 20 minutes, then dropped the fish into the tank, the transport water went down the drain). I never turned on the lights until I actually had fish in the tank.
Within a few days of the damsels being in the tank, I was overrun with a reddish-brown algae, which Im guessing came from the lights being on 12 hours a day.
After the damsels had been in the tank 2 weeks I replaced them yesterday with a yellow tang, a goatfish, a blue angelfish, a fire shrimp, a peppermint shrimp, emerald crab, and 2 snails.
That was actually done on 4/1/05.
The local fish store said the algae would go away if I left the lights off for 4-5 days and nothing I just purchased would mind living in the dark that long.
--Questions--
1. After skimming this site for a couple of hours I am under the impression I should have 1-1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water. Is this a mandatory thing? Is it possible to add live rock to a system once the fish are in? Are there any alternatives?
2. According to swf.com, everything I have (with the exception of the angel) is a algae eater. Am I in trouble here?
3. The goatfish is incompatible with the shrimp? Local store said it was fine, swf.com says its not.
4. What is the purpose of the water cycling? How often and what % should be done? Not real clear on the steps involved. Do I just mix up some saltwater and toss it in once the old is removed? Does the new water need to "age" any?
5. When I first setup the tank my gravity was off the charts, I ended up pulling at least 15 gallons out to get the gravity to normal levels. I still have that water sitting in a covered but not airtight tub next to the tank. Is that water any good for anything or need to be tossed?
6. I have some frozen brine shrimp I was feeding to the damsels, should I just be dropping enough for the angel at this point because of question #2 above?
7. I believe I have some button polyps growing on the live rock. Good thing or bad thing?
-- Comments --
The tank is actually at my place of work, I wanted to create a conversation piece and something for the kiddos to look at while the parents spend their $$ =). I want to get as much variety (color and shape) as the system will allow (going for the ooh-aah factor). Was looking at adding a batfish and starfish after a couple of weeks.
Any thoughts or comments would be most appreciated.
