Hey went to the LFS finally and got some fish, have some questions

lionstorm

lionstorm

Member
Alrighty I bought 2 red legged crabs and 3 damsels, one blue yellow tailed damsel, one striped damsel (black and white unsure of name since the parentals picked it out) and a big eyed yellow damsel who is cute as a button and keeps playing peek a boo in the live rock :D
Alright now these three are just being used to 'cycle' the tank, which is in quotes because it may not need to cycle, i just want to have some cheapy fish before i put a lionfish in there and also this way i can get used to checking levels and so on.
Question 1: i have a sea urchin that came with the live rock and everything and he just sits on the front of the glass with some of his arms sticking out of the water, is this normal? He moves back and forth a lot on the front of the glass.
Question 2: how long should i wait with the three damsels in the tank before i move onto getting a lionfish, obviously ill be taking the damsels back to the LFS but the tank currently had 2/3rds of its natural already cycled water before we loaded it up and took it home and now its filled up with a 1/3rd new batch of water and I am waiting to see if another cycle will start, how long would be safe to wait?
Question 3: The crab that came with the tank and all the live rock is pretty big, not enormous but good sized, should I worry about him possibly catching one of the damsels?
Thanks for your help guys.
 
logan15

logan15

Active Member
The damsels will be hard to get!!!:mad: Trust Me I had to dissemble all of my live rock if you cant get them out the lion will eventually eat them lol I would wait 2-3 weeks after your tank has fully cycled I mean:
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
ph 8.0-8.3
the hermits I wouldnt worry about
The sea urchin should be fine he is just looking for algae probaly not fo sure though
What are your tank specs??
Hope I helped,
Logan
 
benrock

benrock

Member
I agree with Logan on the Damsels. If you want them out; it's a challenge. I still have two from my cycling and have decided they are in there forever. The cycle can take from two weeks to a month; it all depends on the tank. You'll see your NH3 go way up and then it will drop and your Nitrites will go up, as they fall your nitrates will go up. Nitrates are the least toxic to fish. AS logan said make sure your Ammonia and Nitrites are 0 before adding a Lionfish. They are delicate and won't tolerate high lvls.
What do you mean your tank may not need to cycle? How long have you had the tank setup?
 
lionstorm

lionstorm

Member
it may not need to cycle because i got the tank from a woman who had it up and running for a LONG time and was taking pretty good care of it. We moved it, we couldnt save all the water but we saved 2/3rds of her original, already cycled water, and then added 1/3 of our own. Thats why I'm waiting to see if it starts another cycle, and thats bad news about the damsels because you're right, they do love the live rock and i have to have at least 75 or more pounds of it in there, ill never get them out :(
 
benrock

benrock

Member
actually I think I read a post on here a while back that you can buy or make a fish trap. That would probably be easier than having to move your live rock. I figured that you moved some water or something by the way you phrased that "cycle". Only time will tell if you have another spike. Best of luck.
 
sea goblin

sea goblin

Member
Its not your water that you have to worry about being cycled..it is good that you got most of the water that was in there, but what really counts is that the sand and live rock that is in the tank didnt die off. The sand and rock is what the bacteria colonize that are going to be breaking down the ammonia and nitrogen. Did you transfer every thing over in like a few hours, or days? did you rinse off the sand or rocks? If you left the rocks and sand alone and got them right back into the tank after the move then you should be ok, but if you rinsed them...then you might have to wait it out and let the tank recycle. Its a good choice though to do as you are and "test" with the damsels.
Good luck with the set up and let us know how it all turns out.
Sea Goblin
 
coorsxman

coorsxman

Member
1. no idea
2. dont be in a hurry setting up your tank, the longer you have those dansels in there the better, how much LR you have, i would wait for a mo. or two before you put a lion in there.
3. the crab wont screw with the danzal they will eat mostly off the botton, the left overs, the danzels are way to fast,
 
lionstorm

lionstorm

Member
Re: Sea Goblin
We drained the tank, saved most of the water, put the live rock in a box with damp newspapers, and transported the tank home and then refilled it and put the rock in. We didnt rinse anything so the bacteria you spoke of should all be in tact. The live rock was out of the water for no longer than two hours. The tank was filled after 2 hours.
Re: coorsxman
Good to know with the crab thanks :) theres a man who works at my LFS who doesnt speak english and when i was asking him about buying a very large red legged crab for $10 when i was buying the damsels he kept saying "crab eat fish" so i was a little worried :(
 
sea goblin

sea goblin

Member
It sounds like you should be set to go, but it doenst hurt to wait...just monitor the water for a week or two and see if it changes at all.
good luck, It should be really nice when you do get your lion...I want to get some when i have a bigger tank.
Sea Goblin
 
krunk

krunk

Member
WEll if you want a alright wy too get them out, heres how i got two ones out. Feed them, and net them - thats all i did(plus i have god like skills with the net :D) And no, they were not lazy ones , very fast and quick moving.
 
lionstorm

lionstorm

Member
Re Sea Goblin: I'm glad we didnt wash the rocks/sand at the bottom, and trust me Ill be plenty patient when it comes to adding the lionfish. it will take me a long time to get one i want because after the water is ready i still have to window shop for a week (after i find the right one) to make sure it isnt sick and then quarantine and so much work ahead, not to mention catching the damsels isnt going to be any small task, i will miss them when they are gone though, especially that big eyed territorial yellow one
Re KrUnK: thank you for the advice when it comes time to catch them i will try that.
 
krunk

krunk

Member
np, but you kinda have too have a strategy too get them, like guessing where they are going too go. I just got lucky with mine...
 
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