HELP!!! NEW SPS NEED ID's

[bwilson]

Well I have made the classic decision of all new dumb hobbiest. I have spent just over 5000.00 on stuff watched rocks and then finally went to buy stuff to put it in! My problem is that I dont know anything about my stuff that I put in!!!! So yell at me if you must but I have been doing that all night! However I need some better help identifing them. Here we go.
Put Into Tank:
1 open green brain
1 FL Green Saddle Anonome
1 Green Hammer
1 Branching Hammer
2 Black Saddle Clowns
2 false Clowns
So here is the problem. I am giving the descriptions that were written on the bags I have found some of the items in my books but others to no avail!!! The fish are ok however if I have the others right the hammers should be placed in the sand?
And I cant find anything about that Anonome anywhere. Anyone know other names so I can look them up?
I will call the LSF but have to wait until they open which is in another 4hrs.
My main reason for asking is placement and feeding. Should I put them in the sand? What type of flow will they like?
THanks,

BW

 

[oceana]

well you may be ok however mixing the clowns is not a very good idea.
since you added them all at the same time you may be ok. its a risk.
the hammers can go where ever you want. med flow with good light
the anemone also need good lighting and will go where ever it wants, most of the time it will chose a place you DONT want
the brain should go on the sand bed
how long has your tank been up?? if its less then around 6 months to a year the anomone is a goner in most cases anyhow. so dont stress over where you want it to live. chances are it wont be there for long.
BTW you do not have any SPS listed there.
all of those are LPS

 

[bwilson]

Ok so the hammers dont have to go in the sand? I was reading about the branch and they said id did well in the sand?
As for the anemone I have put him on the rocks? Can he get down to the sand or shoud I move him there?
Thanks,
BW

 

[oceana]

the anemone like said above can go anywhere it wants. if it does not lke where you put it. it will move simple as that.
and yes the hammers can and do do well in the sand but they do not have to be placed there.
how long has your tank been up ??

 

[bwilson]

Tank has been up just over a week I have tested every day and I never cycled! My readings are as follows.
Calcium = 450
Gravity 1.024 / 34
PH 8.2
Amm 0
Rate 0
Rite 0
BW

 

[fishmamma]

Are you even serious???????????????????????? You just added 4 fish and corals to an uncycled tank????????????? Take it all back today or you will kill it all with a HUGE ammonia and nitrite spike. How long has your rock been inthe tank and how much do you have? Was it cured or not? If you have seen no spike whatsoever it is yet to come. The clowns could hanle a very small ammonia spike but probably not what is in store for them, and definatly not from the amount of stock you have in there now. Hopefully someone else will chime in here- I do not think I am over reacting- I really think you will have a lot of dead animals if you leave them to ride out a huge cycle.

 

[oceana]

sad sad sad
sorry to say but if you continue down this road you are bound to fail at this hobby
why spend all that cash on a nice set up just to do things in a hurry and fail??
you should be waiting ATLEAST 6 week before even thinking about adding anything.
and it sure as heck should not be corals. one hardy fish or two and then wait anotehr month or so after you are sure things are doing well. NOTHING and i mean NOTHING in this hobby comes quickly. your best bet is to take EVERYTHING back to yoru LFS and try to get a credit or your money back.
and then find another LFS because your is there to do nothing but take your money and could care less if you enjoy the hobby or not. i know this because they sold you all of that livestock. the VERY FIRST thing a good LFS will ask you about is your tank. IE: size/age/type/lighting.
in one week i am not surrprised at all you did not cycle. it can take that long for it to even start. and there is no way it started and finished all in one week.
READ READ READ and when your done with that READ SOME MORE> never go into a store without knowing exactly why you are going there.
if you see somthign you just ahve to have but dont know anything about then simply go home research it and come back if it is still somthign you feel is right for you. never take your LFS word for it.

 

[bwilson]

I have over 250 lbs of live rock precured hand picked! I have good purple alge all over the rocks. I have over a 3in sand bed of live sand.
I have tested every day and nothing just steady and good. Alge is growing and life is good I will let you know however I would have thought that I would see an Amm spike a bit with added fish however after 12 hrs nothing.
I do have the folowing and I am pumping over 2,000gph.
150gal Glass Tank
30gal Sump
20Gal Fuge
Two T4’s for the return. 1225GPH - 3FT
Aqua C EV-200 (---- Used) with mag 12 pump
Arctica 1/3hp chiller with mag 7 pump.
800W Titanium Heater.
250lbs Live Cured Rock
160lbs Live Sand (about 3 inches)
Lights Hamilton Two VHOs and Three MH 14,000K
Tanks Goals: SPS with safe Fish.

 

[oceana]

your set up is very nice. its your timing thats not.
your talking about everything in terms of hours. nothign in this hobby happens in a few hours. things take month even years
your cycle will not be as big or even as long as starting fresh but you will stil have a cycle. you will really be doing yourself a favor if you look at those rocks for another few weeks.
spending all the cash in the world will nto help you have a nice tank. taking things slow and doing lots of research will go a LONG way in this hobby

 

[bwilson]

As for the LFS they have sold me everything so Ill wait a few weeks and if you all are correct then the The Southern California Marine Aquarium Society is suggesting the wrong LFS.
BW

 

[fishmamma]

Are you sure they are aware you have not cycled yet? Many good LFS will do a water check and give you an OK to add stock if nitrite and ammonia are at zero which yours may have done not realizing you have not gone through a cycle yet. If they did suggest all that you purchased knowing there has been no waiting or cycling period your society would love to know I am sure since they just advised you to add some sensitive livestock to a brand new tank. The amount of live rock you added alone will cause a small cycle. It takes 2-4 weeks for this short cycle to peak and diminish. Again, if you insist on keeping some stock return everyhting but one pair of clowns. Even with all your rock that tank probably will not handle the waste of all those animals and you will have a big mess on your hands.

 

[bwilson]

I did not test my tank for the first two days. However I took water to the LFS and they said it was ok. They said I could add any corals that i wanted and that the clowns were fine? They said I could add as many corals as I want. I was scepitical of this so I didnt buy the farm yet Im going to go to another LFS today and get another opinion.
BW

 

[birdy]

With that much cured LR and LS you may not have a problem. Keep some water ready for a water change on hand and DO NOT add any more fish for at least 2wks.
Adding several corals will not effect the bioload.
We either need a picture or a very detailed description of your anemone to ID it.

 

[fishmamma]

But would the some of those corals tolerate a small cycle if/when it occurs??
-Hope you get some good advice at this other LFS. I will be interested to hear what they have to say. It is so hard to find a trusted LFS. I have gotten a lot of bad info from them and learned some lessons the hard way thus my lack of trust.

 

[symon]

I have to agree, Your LFS is just selling you stuff , they seem to not care about your happiness! Find a new LFS, you where recomended one that just has lots of stuff, recomendation not based on thier love of the hobby!
I was handed and established tank, And i still waited 2 months to put anything in it, I sure Wish you all the luck in the world!
Sounds like you have a real nice setup going, and would hate to see you get discouraged!

 

[bwilson]

Thank you all for your help and answers. My corals Hammers and anemone and brain have acclimated nicely they have all opened up infact most look bigger than when I purchased them. I will hate to see something die and for that reason I will not add anything more. As for the money side I dont care very much. I just dont want to kill stuff thats what I care about. I tested my water again and its the same.
I will keep you all informed.
BW

 

[puffer32]

And your tests will remain 0 until it starts to cycle! And thats when your stuff will start to die!!! You say you didn't test the first few days, don't even think it cycled that fasr! No way! And i am assuming the lfs that sold you the stuff thought your tank was cycled

He really should have asked you if your tank was cycled yet, maybe he figured it was, not sure what he figured, maybe you told him it was cycled, since you thought it was? Not all lfs ask you much, i was in one today and he only asked me what lighting i had when i purchased some coral.
I really think you should take everything back and ask the lfs to hold them until you are done your cycle, thats the least he can do! Good luck, your tank soulnds very nice

 

[mbrands]

Originally Posted by puffer32
And your tests will remain 0 until it starts to cycle! And thats when your stuff will start to die!!! You say you didn't test the first few days, don't even think it cycled that fasr! No way!

I'm going to take a different stance and disagree with the above quote and other postings in the thread. While it was on a much smaller scale, I started a nano tank with (cured, obviously) live rock and water from my 55. I tested for a few days and a cycle never happened. The nano has been up for about 6 months now with zero fatalities. I think that you have so much live rock and live sand you won't likely see much, if any, of a cycle.
I don't think that 2,000 gph is very much water movement for a tank that size though. From what I've read, 15-20 times the tank volume should be turned over per hour for a reef tank. That is easily reached with a few powerheads, which also prevent "dead spots".
I would agree with Birdy that corals have essentially no bioload and could be added in large volume . . . if your budget allows it. I would recommend adding only a few at a time since your tank is so new and you are just learning proper husbandry (maintaining constant pH, salinity, temperature, etc).
Keep and eye on those clowns. In a large tank like yours they might be ok, but over time they might start to fight.
Good luck and welcome to the hobby!

 

[bwilson]

So you think I should add more flow? I can if you all think that its needed. I dont know my flow exactly but I have two pumps that say 1225gph - 3ft. They are about 4ft. I am running 1.5in plumming for the return and there is 1 90 on each return. Any Idea how to calculate my exact flow?
Thanks again for all your input.
(I have never done anything that once learned I did not want to do again better. This will be a very fun hobby and its given me and my wife something to talk about again! I dont care how much it costs when you have a 1 and 2 year old and can find something to talk with your wife every night about its priceless!)
BW

 

[mbrands]

I don't know that you need to know your exact flow. To be honest, most filters' flow rates are calculated without media, so they are inaccurate anyway. If you want to get into reefkeeping most of the corals I've found do best in at least a moderate flow. With a tank that size you might consider using several powerheads and a wavemaker to create a more ocean-like flow in the tank.