I have alot of saltwater related questions..

[jesse!]

Hey so I have started my first saltwater tank about 5 months ago now and I have a few questions that need answering. If you know anything on the subjects can you please let me know. Every post is much appreciated.
For better understanding I have a 30 gallon tank, 4.5 watt's of lighting per gallon, 55 gallon canister filter, 30 lbs. of Tonga liverock, 20 lbs. of crushed coral, and one perc.
1) Could I have 2 Perc's, 2 six-line wrasse, and a yellow watchman Goby in my 30 gallon and they could live with enough space? if so could I had more?
2) What's recommended watts/per gallon for having corals?
3) What do you recommend for a reef clean up crew?
4) What are some nice beginner corals?
5) How many months do you consider for your tank to be established?
THANKS! MORE TO COME

 

[usirchchris]

Originally Posted by JESSE!
http:///forum/post/2930757
1) Could I have 2 Perc's, 2 yellow tailed Damsel's, and a Mandarin Goby in my 30 gallon and they could live with enough space? if so could I had more?
2) What's recommended watts/per gallon for having corals?
3) What do you recommend for a reef clean up crew?
4) What are some nice beginner corals?
5) How many months do you consider for your tank to be established?
6) Yellow-tailed Damsel owners!!! are they worth it?
THANKS! MORE TO COME

I will give my opinions..mind you I do not, nor have I ever, had a reef tank. I have only had FOWLR's.
Question 1...the clowns and gobie should be fine...you will get mixed reviews in regards to the damsels who are generally extremely territorial/aggressive...given the size of your tank, this could definitely be an issue, due to limited space.
Question 2....watts per gallon does not really apply as a rule of thumb any longer...depends more on lumens I believe, but a reefer would have to elaborate for you.
Question 3...clean up crews...no definite science to it. I would suggest either choosing hermits or snails. I would not mix the two as IME my hermits eat my snails. Between the two I would go with snails. How many?...start small, and adjust accordingly if you are having problems with uneaten food or algae. Different snails perform different jobs...depending on your needs buy more. I think it is better to start small and add, rather than starting with an army that dwindles due to lack of food.
Question 4...mushrooms

Question 5....at least 6 months
Question 6...I love damsels. They are inexpensive, colorful, and very active. Problem is they are typically very aggressive and may well limit what you might add to the tank in the future once they are established.
Hope this helps a little, and hopefully someone with a reef tank will add some insight. Welcome to the boards

 

[markus0909]

Originally Posted by JESSE!
http:///forum/post/2930757
Hey so I have started my first saltwater tank about 5 months ago now and I have a few questions that need answering. If you know anything on the subjects can you please let me know. Every post is much appreciated.
For better understanding I have a 30 gallon tank, 4.5 watt's of lighting per gallon, 55 gallon canister filter, 30 lbs. of Tonga liverock, 20 lbs. of crushed coral, and one perc.
1) Could I have 2 Perc's, 2 yellow tailed Damsel's, and a Mandarin Goby in my 30 gallon and they could live with enough space? if so could I had more?
2) What's recommended watts/per gallon for having corals?
3) What do you recommend for a reef clean up crew?
4) What are some nice beginner corals?
5) How many months do you consider for your tank to be established?
6) Yellow-tailed Damsel owners!!! are they worth it?
THANKS! MORE TO COME

1) clowns and gobies are great together; Dansels, I would def. say no. They are a great fish only or good with all other fish being much larger than themselves. It sounds like you are going reef, so don't get a fish you may regret and have to get out of your tank. It is NOT FUN

Mandarin's only eat LIVE copopods that you will not have for a year or so, and even at that point most Mandarins's can eat a couple hundred a day and will eat them faster then they can reproduce. Then the mandarin dies!
2) depends on which corals. you would need to double your lights at least for lower light corals.
3) ditto Mr. Kastansa
4) xenia, kenya tree, some mushrooms
5) It's at least 6 mos. But it's all about the TEST results. You need to do reagular testing and this will tell you when you are ready.
Hope this helps. Just remember, keep asking questions and learning as much as possible. Otherwise you will loose a lot of money and kill a lot animals.
Reefing is an intense hobby for the serious only. If you are successful it will bring you great enjoyment.
Good Luck

 

[markus0909]

Also,
Damsels are a good fish to cycle your tank with. They are very hardy. Just remember to not fill your tank up with much rock and such so that you can catch them and return them to the LFS once your tank is cycyled and trade them in for good "reef fish".

 

[reefer75]

Not to be rude, but don't listen to this. It is a terrible idea to use any live fish as to start a cycle. You can speed up cycles gy using a raw uncooked piece of shrimp, or ghost feedings. Never use live fish during cycles.
Originally Posted by markus0909
http:///forum/post/2930792
Also,
Damsels are a good fish to cycle your tank with. They are very hardy. Just remember to not fill your tank up with much rock and such so that you can catch them and return them to the LFS once your tank is cycyled and trade them in for good "reef fish".

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by markus0909
http:///forum/post/2930792
Also,
Damsels are a good fish to cycle your tank with. They are very hardy. Just remember to not fill your tank up with much rock and such so that you can catch them and return them to the LFS once your tank is cycyled and trade them in for good "reef fish".
I'm sorry but I will have to disagree with this. Damsels should not be used to cycle a tank as that is unnecessary and inhumane. I am not an animal rights activist, but an animal welfarist and I feel that this should not be done as it has no advantages and as it can harm the fish.
1) I agree that when you have the desire to own corals and make a reef (

), damsels aren't a lot of fun to have to get rid of. I know that they are cool and cheap, but I wouldn't get any.
2) Such a good question...so hard to answer. It all depends on what type of corals you want to keep. If you just want mushrooms and some other soft corals, you could probably be fine with 60 to 120 watts of pc lighting. If you want to kick it up to something greater (I would

) then you should go with t5 lighting. If you get enough watts and individually reflected bulbs, you could keep lps, some sps, and maybe even some types of anemones (not recommended...imo, you should try corals first for a taste). I wouldn't recommend metal halides for a beginner on such a small tank...you would probably need a chiller and they are really pricy. Just research it some more. I remember how incredibly overwhelming lighting was in the beginning, but it really isn't all that complicated.
3) Yes, I have hermits and snails and I am prepared for them to clash, but for now everything is fine. I have scarlet reef, so it may be a while. I too recommend some snails. The two best ime are cerith and nassarius. Turbos are great, but they tend to be so heavy that they move rockwork in smaller tanks.
4) Soft corals are great for beginners. I would recommend discosoma as I always do. I think this coral is great. It is super hardy and very good at expressing how it likes your tank ime.
5) +1 on 6mo or longer

It isn't ALL about test results though. For example I have cyano and my test results are beautiful...but for the most part, your test results will be important.
6) I've never owned damsels...I never really liked them too much and since they have a rep for being mean little beasts, I just figured I'd leave them alone. Note that once they are in there, it is going to be nearly impossible to get them out.
I hope this was somewhat helpful. I liked this thread, any other question? Just ask away

 

[shyfish]

Hi,
Personaly I never buy a fish I don't intend to keep. What I did was set up my tank with lots of LR. I had the lights on, filters and power heads going. No skimmer, it was all set up but no collection cup.
I waited almost a month. Little living things started growing on my rock. I remember being sooo excited. Then I purchased a two little clown fish. Nothing ever "spiked", and nothing ever died.
I tested my water all the time and nothing "cycled" I waited another month and then started getting some corals.
Over the years, as I needed critters to balance things I bought them. For example I didn't buy a lawnmower blenny until I had algea everywhere. I found out lawnmowers like to eat the stuff. Now I have a xclean tank and a fat happy blenny.
My sand looked "dirty" I found out about sand sifting gobies. The saga continues.
My water is so stable I get bored testing. Problems are seldom, when a problem presents itself, and it alway does eventualy...I stay on top of it until a problem is fixed. Never let things get out of control because of neglect.
Patients is the key to success. so my advice.. Set up your tank w/ lots of live rock, and wait. When little critters start growing on your rock, a little fishy can live in the tank.
IMHO Putting dead shrimp in a tank to make it cycle is a working short cut, but YUCK, Putting a fish at risk to die?? Just be patient.

 

[try2wryte]

I got tired of waiting for my Tank to cycle so I went with the dead shrimp method, after being advised to get damsels. I did Buy 5 damsels after my tank cycle, I now only have two.
FYI My damsels are mean. But they've calmed since I got the little Puffer...gee I wonder why?

 

[jesse!]

Thanks, Everyone all your information was much appreciated.
-Jesse

 

[oceansidefish]

Hey so I have started my first saltwater tank about 5 months ago now and I have a few questions that need answering. If you know anything on the subjects can you please let me know. Every post is much appreciated.
For better understanding I have a 30 gallon tank, 4.5 watt's of lighting per gallon, 55 gallon canister filter, 30 lbs. of Tonga liverock, 20 lbs. of crushed coral, and one perc.
1) Could I have 2 Perc's, 2 yellow tailed Damsel's, and a Mandarin Goby in my 30 gallon and they could live with enough space? if so could I had more? A mandarin goby or any of the other dragonet species will not live long in that small of a tank. IMHO they need about 75g and a tank that is at least a year old with a substantial pod population. I would not go with damsels. I would however recommend the 2 perc and you could also go with a yellow watchman goby, and a firefish. There are lots of combinations
2) What's recommended watts/per gallon for having corals?Depends on what kind of lights they are and what corals you want to keep.
3) What do you recommend for a reef clean up crew?I personally use snails and 2 hermits in my 120. I am not the biggest fan of hermits. I also have an emerald shrimp and a couple of cleaner shrimp. One cleaner shrimp in your tank should be fine
4) What are some nice beginner corals?Zoos any of the leathers and mushrooms.
5) How many months do you consider for your tank to be established? I would say at least 6 months for basic corals. 1 year for everything else
6) Yellow-tailed Damsel owners!!! are they worth it?NO

 

[gypsana]

I really wanted a Mandarin Goby. It is the reason I started saltwater. But now I am not going to. Reason being is that their survival rate in a tank is slim to none, especially if you do not have a refugium. I love this fish so much I would hate to watch it starve to death. If you are dead set on having one research this site on people's experiences with them. Not very good IMO.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/2931315
I really wanted a Mandarin Goby. It is the reason I started saltwater. But now I am not going to. Reason being is that their survival rate in a tank is slim to none, especially if you do not have a refugium. I love this fish so much I would hate to watch it starve to death. If you are dead set on having one research this site on people's experiences with them. Not very good IMO.
Some people have a lot of luck with them. I was reading through a thread and someone on here (can't remember who...Spanko maybe

) has had one for two years in a 75 with no problems. Of course this person knew what they were doing and had a lot of experience. I hope one day you'll get to keep one and have it live for a long time

 

[gypsana]

Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/2931348
Some people have a lot of luck with them. I was reading through a thread and someone on here (can't remember who...Spanko maybe

) has had one for two years in a 75 with no problems. Of course this person knew what they were doing and had a lot of experience. I hope one day you'll get to keep one and have it live for a long time

I do not really consider two years a long time for a fish to live. My clown is just reached her full adult stage and that took almost two years. I get too attached to my pets for them to die quickly.
JESSE!is going to need more LR, a refugium, and be ready to dose pods all the time to even think about it IMO.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/2931377
I do not really consider two years a long time for a fish to live. My clown is just reached her full adult stage and that took almost two years. I get too attached to my pets for them to die quickly.
JESSE!is going to need more LR, a refugium, and be ready to dose pods all the time to even think about it IMO.
I agree that it is not a good idea especially for a new hobbyist lacking experience. The fish is still alive and if it's been alive for 2 years, it is probably not starving to death...at least that was my point. It can be done, it's just not easy.

 

[shyfish]

Originally Posted by Try2wryte
http:///forum/post/2930944
I got tired of waiting for my Tank to cycle so I went with the dead shrimp method, after being advised to get damsels. I did Buy 5 damsels after my tank cycle, I now only have two.
FYI My damsels are mean. But they've calmed since I got the little Puffer...gee I wonder why?
Hi,
You made my day. I like puffers, now I know why

 

[jesse!]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[the_hadleys]

This is a great thread!! I too wanted a mandarin but have been warned off them. ( Wouldn't want to kill one though, so it's for the better.
I was curious if anyone here could tell me where our numbers should be for all the different chemicals, etc. We'd like something we can compare our tests results to so we know we're on the right track.
We've only had our tank up for about two and a half weeks and have a cleaning crew (two hermits, three turbos, and two cleaner shrimp) going but the algae is out of control. We were told that our tank had cycled by the LFS - they tested our water - and that all was well so we were a little taken aback by the algae. Recomendations? Full water change? More cleaners?
It's a 34gal Red Sea Max with 35-40lbs of LR. Protein skimmer is running.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by The_Hadleys
http:///forum/post/2931803
This is a great thread!! I too wanted a mandarin but have been warned off them. ( Wouldn't want to kill one though, so it's for the better.
I was curious if anyone here could tell me where our numbers should be for all the different chemicals, etc. We'd like something we can compare our tests results to so we know we're on the right track.
We've only had our tank up for about two and a half weeks and have a cleaning crew (two hermits, three turbos, and two cleaner shrimp) going but the algae is out of control. We were told that our tank had cycled by the LFS - they tested our water - and that all was well so we were a little taken aback by the algae. Recomendations? Full water change? More cleaners?
It's a 34gal Red Sea Max with 35-40lbs of LR. Protein skimmer is running.
More water changes sounds good. Don't do a full water change though! It sounds like the algae is why your levels are in range. The algae is consuming the phosphates and nitrates. Removing it and doing water changes should help a lot. For a reef shoot for...No ammonia, nitrite, and little to no nitrate is what you're looking for. 400-500 calcium, 8-12 alkalinity, pH 8.2-8.4 Phosphates-0. SG for salt should be 1.026 or 35ppt. Everyone's views will be slightly different on where the levels should be.
Oh, and nice profile picture btw.

 

[the_hadleys]

Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/2931824
Oh, and nice profile picture btw.

Thanks, that's London our little shelter baby. She loves her some sunshine.
Thanks too for the parameter info. We'll definitely clean some of it up and change some water. XcrossingfingersX Glad to know it's not a death knoll...

 

[maryg]

Originally Posted by JESSE!
http:///forum/post/2930757
Hey so I have started my first saltwater tank about 5 months ago now and I have a few questions that need answering. If you know anything on the subjects can you please let me know. Every post is much appreciated.
For better understanding I have a 30 gallon tank, 4.5 watt's of lighting per gallon, 55 gallon canister filter, 30 lbs. of Tonga liverock, 20 lbs. of crushed coral, and one perc.
1) Could I have 2 Perc's, 2 six-line wrasse, and a yellow watchman Goby in my 30 gallon and they could live with enough space? if so could I had more?
2) What's recommended watts/per gallon for having corals?
3) What do you recommend for a reef clean up crew?
4) What are some nice beginner corals?
5) How many months do you consider for your tank to be established?
THANKS! MORE TO COME

The 2 percs will be fine with the goby. I wouldn't recommend putting 2 wrasses in there unless you want to start placing bets to see who will win the fight. Some nice beginner corals are Xenia, zoos, mushrooms, and leathers. You can get lots of color in your tank. Ditch the crushed coral and get some aragonite. You will thank yourself in the end.