Im a newbie..and need help...REAL bad

[txstatecat]

HeLp!! :help: me and my boyfriend just purchased a 45 Gal odyssea tank; and we currently have 3 damsels in it; and we are taking our water to our lfs next week to make sure the 'cycle' is completed..and i really want to buy a clown fish and blue tang (nemo and dory!); but i was wondering if its okay to get the two at the same time; and should i get rid of the damsels? also...i came home tonight and my tank was super cloudy for some reason; maybe the fish stirred up some of the sand while they were chasing each other around; and my water level has gone down like 3 cm since i filled it about a week and a half ago...is that normal? any help would be GREATLY appreciated...thanks!

 

[iiinadav]

Before you go any further, how long have the damsels been in the tank? There a possiblity that your tank has cycled and is ready for another fish. I guess you can send the damsels back to the store if you really don't want them, but it would be better if you kept them. Adding a Clownfish to your tank is fine. Adding the Blue Tang is a big, I mean BIG mistake. I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but 45 gallons is way to small for a Blue Tang. A Blue Tang will only stress itself in that tank and probably develop ick before you know it. I started my first tank out with 3 damsels, then added a true perc clownfish. After you added the clown you can explorer other fish options.

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by txstatecat
HeLp!! :help: me and my boyfriend just purchased a 45 Gal odyssea tank; and we currently have 3 damsels in it; and we are taking our water to our lfs next week to make sure the 'cycle' is completed..and i really want to buy a clown fish and blue tang (nemo and dory!); but i was wondering if its okay to get the two at the same time; and should i get rid of the damsels? also...i came home tonight and my tank was super cloudy for some reason; maybe the fish stirred up some of the sand while they were chasing each other around; and my water level has gone down like 3 cm since i filled it about a week and a half ago...is that normal? any help would be GREATLY appreciated...thanks!
First of all, shouldn't cycle with damsels!!! Cycling can be done with raw shrimp, uncured live rock, etc. Don't get a Blue Tang, very susceptible to ich plus you have a small tank. You need a large tank of 125+ during it's adult stage. With the water level dropping down is normal, it's caused by evaporation, just fill it back up with fresh top off water(Reverse Osmosis). You should take your water in to your LFS for a test tomorrow instead of next week. :happyfish

 

[devilboy]

first off welcome to the forums.
saltwater hobby is very time consuming and must be patient. as for you adding both fish together... well i guess u can. BUT (Dori) blue hippo tangs can get up to 14" long. hence in my opinion a 45g is way to small for this type of fish.
about your evaporation question yes, this is normal, you will lose water out of your tank but the salt will stay behind hence making the salinity higher, so to compensate i suggest you do daily top offs of ro/di water into your tank to keep the tank at the correct level, which in turn will keep your salinity also stable.... HTH

 

[txstatecat]

aww im sad...no dory...oh well; so i have 3 damsels...and i've had them since the 18th of dec.; so my next question is; my boyfriend has his sights set on a lion fish...but im scared of the poison factor; anybody have any experience with them; and would u suggest it?

 

[xfishf0odx]

if you want to get a lion, the poison thing really is no big deal. just remember the simple rule of keep your hand away from the dorsal fins. if you ever get stung it is like a nasty bee sting, but probably won't kill you (just hurt like heck). i have had a volitan lion in one of my tanks for 2 yrs now and he is still one of my favorites to watch. not sure if you want to go as big as a volitan in a 45 gal, a dwarf or a fu manchu might be better for you.

 

[jjlittle]

Your tank is to small for tangs and dont buy one for it would die they need at least 100 gal or more. As for the lion fish would say only a dawrf only

 

[txstatecat]

cool thanks for the info...so im goin to the lfs today when i get off at 5, and im gonna buy my first real fish besides the damsels...any suggestions on a first fish...or is it okay for me to introduce more than one fish at a time...?

 

[jcrim]

Originally Posted by txstatecat
HeLp!! :help: me and my boyfriend just purchased a 45 Gal odyssea tank; and we currently have 3 damsels in it; and we are taking our water to our lfs next week to make sure the 'cycle' is completed..and i really want to buy a clown fish and blue tang (nemo and dory!); but i was wondering if its okay to get the two at the same time; and should i get rid of the damsels? also...i came home tonight and my tank was super cloudy for some reason; maybe the fish stirred up some of the sand while they were chasing each other around; and my water level has gone down like 3 cm since i filled it about a week and a half ago...is that normal? any help would be GREATLY appreciated...thanks!
Didn't you say yesterday that you were going to the lfs next week? If you're going to buy a fish today, definitely take some water to be tested. In my opinion, your cycle will not be done in 1 1/2 weeks.

 

[txstatecat]

ya well above someone suggested i take some of my water down to get tested to make sure everything is ok..and by chance if the 'cycle' is completed i am goin to purchase a fish..sorry for the confusion...

 

[wax32]

Instead of buying a fish, buy some test kits! You will need them. Get a nice kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. WHile you are there, buy a book called The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. It will be money well spent and save you a lot of grief from killing fish that don't need to die. Welcome to your new addiction!

 

[pasafire]

 

[froznfinn]

 

[daninct]

 

[pasafire]

 

[criketnest]

 

[txstatecat]

Okay so i have news. Me and my bf visited several different LFS around San Antonio and Austin; and we FINALLY found a reliable one 'Austin Aquariums". So that was a relief. We have also purchased about 30 lbs of LR and a protein skimmer. We got our water tested and 'the cycle' is almost finished; we also decided we wanted to have corals; but im sure that will take MONTHS to get our tank ready for that. We purchased the protein skimmer to start something called the 'berlin' method ( i think) we are goin to remove our regular filter; and our LR and protein skimmer will act as a filtration system...anyone opinions on this..? and yes; i have given up on Dory; but we plan on upgrading to a 100+ gal tank sometime in august when we move; so i will one day have my dory and nemo...haha! thanks for all the posts guys!!!
KaT

 

[xfishf0odx]

you are going to remove your regular filter?? it normally helps to have additional filtration besides just a protein skimmer and live rock. like canister filters, wet/dry sumps, or refugiums.

 

[rockies]

Sounds like you are getting some good advice from your LFS, but you should still be careful. I agree with xfishf0odx that additional filtration helps so I wouldn't rip any out just yet.
Strictly speaking the Berlin Method calls for a bare bottom with no substrate. In recent years many have advocated a Deap Sand Bed (DSB) in order to help with Nitrate processing. It has to be deep enough in order to get the chemical processing right. Search these forums for help on DSB's versus Bare Bottom tanks.
It will definitely take months (maybe a couple of years) before you are ready for Corals. First you have to develop the personal discipline to maintain the tank the right way, then you have to purchase all the right equipment (biggest tank you can afford, improved lighting, super-good filtration), then the animals. Since water quality, movement and filtration needs to be better to support corals it helps to be really successful with Fish/Invertebrates first, then slowly move on to Corals. Frankly I thought I'd be on to corals by now, but after two years I'm still having too much fun with fish.

 

[txstatecat]

well we have a wet/dry protein skimmer...maybe the same as a wet/dry sump? sorry im not very informed on this stuff; my boyfriend went out and bought it one day and set it all up; so is a wet/dry protien skimmer the same as a wet/dry sump?