Help: Just starting out

[dolphin124]

Hi everyone. i am just starting out with salt water fish. i know very little. but i have been doing a lot of reading so far. what are the best kinds of fish i should start out with. which ones can i put together n which ones i cant. Do you have any luck w/ anenomies? what about live rock? please help. :happyfish

 

[bemaniac]

I'm also just starting out. I'll be getting a 55 gal tank, and was wondering what fish/rock to cycle the tank with if I eventually want a good variety of different fish in the tank.

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by dolphin124
Hi everyone. i am just starting out with salt water fish. i know very little. but i have been doing a lot of reading so far. what are the best kinds of fish i should start out with. which ones can i put together n which ones i cant. Do you have any luck w/ anenomies? what about live rock? please help. :happyfish

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by bemaniac
I'm also just starting out. I'll be getting a 55 gal tank, and was wondering what fish/rock to cycle the tank with if I eventually want a good variety of different fish in the tank.
cycle with LR do not use fish please... throw in a raw shrimp to start the cycle .. then test everyday for ammonia... once ammonia is peaked test everyother day until all levels are 0

 

[bemaniac]

Originally Posted by coachKLM
cycle with LR do not use fish please... throw in a raw shrimp to start the cycle .. then test everyday for ammonia... once ammonia is peaked test everyother day until all levels are 0
Thank you!
Also, when the tank is cycled, what's a good fish to start with if my end goal is to have a large variety of fish that get along together?

 

[dolphin124]

what type of filtration, lighting, heat? how often should i put fresh water in my tank? how much? for the bottom of the tank would u be better with sand or gravel?

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by bemaniac
Thank you!
Also, when the tank is cycled, what's a good fish to start with if my end goal is to have a large variety of fish that get along together?
could you make your own thread so i dont get confused at the questions.. pls, thx
a 55 will limit your fish capacity... look for a dwarf angel ,clowns ,damsels(?), blennies, gobies.

 

[bemaniac]

Originally Posted by coachKLM
what sized tank and filtration?
I actually haven't bought any of that stuff yet.
The tank is a 55 gal acrylic.

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by dolphin124
what type of filtration, lighting, heat? how often should i put fresh water in my tank? how much? for the bottom of the tank would u be better with sand or gravel?

ok..., lets clear this thread up...
what size display tank ?
Do you want corals?
Fresh water is only added when evaporation has increased(everyday)
Sand, Gravel(CC) , BB
those are your choices in order of tank maintenance requirements.
whith an aggresive tank alot of people go wit BB or CC
with reef tank sand
docile tank sand
depends on what kind of fish you want to keep.

 

[dolphin124]

i have a 55 gal fish tank. and yes i would like to get coral....i dont have any yet though. can i just add the coral to my tank, or doo i have to let it sit in another tank before i add it? will it kill my fish if i just put it in with my fish? right now i have 2 Percula Clownfish, 3 domino damsels, a Scooter Blenny, and 3 blue damsels. i also have 2 scarlet hermit crabs. i would like to get a Green Mandarin Dragonet and a Yellow Tang. will all of these fish get along? what do you suggest? will all of these fish enjoy the company of coral?

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by dolphin124
i have a 55 gal fish tank. and yes i would like to get coral....i dont have any yet though. can i just add the coral to my tank, or doo i have to let it sit in another tank before i add it? will it kill my fish if i just put it in with my fish? right now i have 2 Percula Clownfish, 3 domino damsels, a Scooter Blenny, and 3 blue damsels. i also have 2 scarlet hermit crabs. i would like to get a Green Mandarin Dragonet and a Yellow Tang. will all of these fish get along? what do you suggest? will all of these fish enjoy the company of coral?
ok... we need to knowwhat filter system your running... cannister?, Sump?
what skimmer are you running?
new errors as seen with present setup..... Domino damsels are the most aggresive of the damsel family they are best kept alone S.O.T.
..scooter blennies and manderine dragonett have same feeding tendencies..live copopods...hard to get to eat fish food(brine mysis, flake,.) 7 out of 10 starve to death the other 3 are munching in tanks with a well supplied LR (100lbs) foundation and/or refugium.
tang will stress in small tanks <75g , increased chance for disease and destruction of tank livestock
your damsels(all) will become increasinglt aggresive and stressfull to the other fish.... but now that there in thier you may (will) have a hard time getting them out..
JMO...

 

[philgmiami]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DONT GET INTO THIS HOBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared: ..ITS ALOT OF WORK

,LOL..ITS ALOT OF TIME AND MONEY

.. BUT I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! ***)

 

[dolphin124]

my tank came as "Reef safe." so it came with the basic filtrations. and it has a skimmer. not sure what kind though off the top of my head. would it be smart if i set up another tank for my damsels or just get rid of them? I mean they are a good starter fish but i want to beable to put plenty of different kinds of species in my tank. are clowns good fish to put with almost anything? I also heard you can make fresh water mollies into salt water fish. would my other fish get along with them? I plan on moving within the next month and a half. how do i transport my fish? will this be stressful on the fish? should i put them all in seperate bags? is coral easy to grow? i would like to get into corals.

 

[coachklm]

Originally Posted by dolphin124
my tank came as "Reef safe." so it came with the basic filtrations. and it has a skimmer. not sure what kind though off the top of my head. would it be smart if i set up another tank for my damsels or just get rid of them? I mean they are a good starter fish but i want to beable to put plenty of different kinds of species in my tank. are clowns good fish to put with almost anything? I also heard you can make fresh water mollies into salt water fish. would my other fish get along with them? I plan on moving within the next month and a half. how do i transport my fish? will this be stressful on the fish? should i put them all in seperate bags? is coral easy to grow? i would like to get into corals.
reef ready.?
if your moving in a month just wait..... when you do you can keep the damsels or take them to the a LFS for a store credit... (dont tell them you cycled with them..) depending how far your moving depends on transportation of equipement ...
i have moved several times short and long and have not lost a fish. what is your favorite fish? this will tell me your future plans for the tank.
corals can be easy some are more difficult...
i would think if money is an issue you may want to start the tank as a Fis only,then a Fish only with Live Rock then move to corals

 

[dolphin124]

i am only moving like 20 minutes away. reef ready....meaning all the filtrations are on the bottom, everything gets pumped up to the tank from the bottom....no filters or heaters behind your tank.its a carbon filter. a skimmer, and heater. i also do have an air pump on the bottom of the tank though just to have some more movement in the water. my favorite fish is the yellow tang. also i like the dogfaced puffer. but i do not plan on getting one of those for a while. because i heard you cannot put him with any fish like the ones i have. i am not sure if that is true or not. i also like anyfish that you can put almost anything with b/c then it lets your tank have a variety of color. what can i do about alge?

 

[coachklm]

20 min is nothing.. except a good time to get rid of damsels... save the tank for last movement.
a yellow tang is a pretty universal fish so you can have a docile environment with coral aesthetics.
make sure you have good lighting... my lighting consists of a home made retrofit and donated items (developement 135g thread) ,t5ho are good to use Metal Halides are good aslso but not nesassary immediatly. simple pc lights will work until your ready to do corals..
and THe FIRST RULE BEFORE BUYING FISH.....
ASK HERE ABOUT THE FISH

 

[ryanhayes9]

well from wha i understand the tank below it is called a sump.
if u want to get a tang well need to know how big the tank is

 

[dolphin124]

awsome! now if i were to buy coral what kind of lighting do you suggest? how much does the lighting and coral usually run? where can i find good coral? what is the best to start out with for a beginner?

 

[dolphin124]

if i were to buy a dogface puffer would it be ok to put them in with my other fish? or would he kill them?

 

[ryanhayes9]

the lighing depends. i still need to know how big the tank is. i went with base lights for mine and will upgrade later.
dogface depends on what fish u put with it. it will think small fish are food. also it might pick at snails