Menagerie expansion...

[kholt]

Hello all. I have been reading and reading and reading... HOLY COW there is a lot to know!
I am a very dedicated pet owner. I have 4 INSIDE dogs... a 7 year old Alaskan Malamute (Jolbie), a 7 year old Akita (Riley), a 1 1/2 year old black Lab (Alex), and a 6 month old yellow Lab (Kane)... all of which I raised from 9-10 wks. of age. I also have an 8 year old Congo African Grey Parrot (Nico) which I hand raised from 2 wks. of age. I can tell you whatever you need to know about dogs and birds, but fish are another story!
I have been absolutely in awe of fish my entire life. I could literally sit for hours and watch fish play and interact with one another. It is very soothing for me. I especially like to watch a clown with its anemone host. They crack me up!
I have plans to purchase a salt water system in the near future, and was hoping that I could get some input on the type of fish that would be suitable for a first timer. As I said before, I am very intersted in clowns (Clark's and Perculas) and anemones. I also absolutely love Tangs, Triggers and Gobies. I have a few books on marine life, marine fish etc. I have been reading up, but am in NO WAY educated enough to make the right decision at this point. I visited my pet store which specializes in fish, both freshwater and salt. The guy that I spoke with "seemed" very knowledgable, but then again... how would I know? He told me about cycling my tank. He said that it would take 4-8 weeks to do so, but also mentioned something about sand that could cut that time down considerably. He suggested starting with damsels to help with the cycling as well. I think that I talked with him close to 2 hours, and I'm still lost!
I realize what an undertaking salt water systems are, and I am prepared to devote much attention to my fish. Could someone please tell me what size tank, setup (no abb. please... I need full descriptions lol), and fish would be best for this first timer? I hate to start too small and then have to start over with a larger system so I'm thinking somewhere in the middle would be good. I have the money to do this right, but I can't get too crazy. LOL
I would appreciate any and all suggestions!
Thank you.
Kelly

 

[ilove2ride]

If you haven't done so already, I would read the New Marine Aquarium by Micheal Paletta. It's really simple and easy to understand, and was my first useful book. This book tells you EXACTLY what is needed. It also has recommedations for set ups with fish combos with different sizes of tanks.
Clownfish are very easy to keep, but anemones typically are harder. If you wish to keep them, you will need to do a lot of research and get some good lighting for them. So, if you get an anemone, make sure you have your tank set up for awhile first and that you have some experience. They often live a 100 years in the wild, but unfortuneately, it is predicted that 90% of anemones die within the first 6 months in aquariums.
Good Luck!

 

[kholt]

Thank you guys for your suggestions.
Sammy...
I definitely want the following:
A Red Serpent Star and/or Blue Linkia (if compatible), a Blue Maxima Clam, either a Haddoni or Carpet anemone, a couple of Clark's clownfish, a Scott's Fairy Wrasse, a Tang of some sort, a shrimp goby of some sort, and a Picasso Trigger. I understand that this will take time, but those are things that I am definitely interested in. I would also like some shrimp, snails and a Purple Lobster... lol I'm crazy!
Ultimately... what size tank would I need to house all of these creatures? I promise that I'm not one of those that will rush out and buy everything at once... if I killed something because of my stupidity... I would need the men in white coats to come and get me! Please help.
Thanks so much.
Kelly

 

[mightyoxjuice]

You may want to think twice about the picasso trigger. When they get big enough it would make short work of a shrimp.

 

[snakes'n'fish]

You could probally house those all in a 75. Depending on the type of tang. The maxima is going to need a real strong light source , probally metal halides would work the best, maybe vho's but i am not real familar with them.
The picasso trigger could make short work of about everything named. It looks like you are getting a good set for a community tank. Aggessive & community fish don't mix well (they don't play well with each other ).
The carpet anemone are one of my personal fav's, but they are very sensitive to water conditions. You may consider a long tenacle as a starter , they tend to be hardier.
But that looks like a good start to work towards.
Good luck , and welcome to the addiction !!

 

[tangtang]

Welcome aboard Kelly!
A good choice to make early on would be whether you want a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) or a reef tank. The reef tank would focus more on corals and critters with a few reef friendly fish while the fish only would focus on the fish. These two options break down even further. With the fish you can go with aggressives or community and with the reef, depending upon the lighting you choose, you can go with low light corals or ones requiring more light -- like your clam choice.
Once you've made those distinctions you can pick and choose based upon compatibility (i.e., the Picasso/Humahuma trigger is not reef friendly and an anemoni may require better more stable water conditions than what might be available with fish that are big eaters (read this as big poopers!). <smile>
Again welcome aboard! I'm sure you'll love it here. I sure do! As you already know, you are way ahead of the game anytime you research before you purchase. The folks here are great! Most are very knowledgable and eager to help. As with real life the opinions sometimes differ; but, here you can see the positions supported and make your own decisions.
Happy "fishing" to you!
Linda

 

[kholt]

Thank you all again for you input! You guys are lifesavers!
Linda...
I have been leaning more toward the reef tank after viewing some pictures and reading some posts. You just can't get past their beauty! I am more interested in the "critters" as someone said. I do love the fish, but I think that just a few reef friendly will suffice. As for the trigger... maybe I could go with a bluechin or crosshatch trigger instead of the Picasso. What do you think? I read that they are reef safe for the most part. I have been reading a bit about the lighting needed to sustain anemone, corals and of course, the Blue maxima. Confusing stuff, but like I said... Rome wasn't built in a day! These are things that I can work toward.
Here is what I have so far. I need the following to get going:
Tank
Tank setup (still completely confused about this, but I think that my guy at the LFS can help me here)
Live sand
Live rock
Test kits
JOURNAL
and eventually a cycle fish such as a damsel...
Am I on the right track? Please say yes... I've read so much the past few days that my eyes are beginning to cross!
Thanks again everyone.
Kelly

 

[pfunk]

sounds like you are on the right track and going about it the RIGHT way. Remember to take your time and be patient. Its hard sometimes, I am still trying to practice what i preach, but in the long run your tank and its inhabitants will thank you.

 

[kholt]

Thanks Pfunk. I've already accepted the fact that it won't happen over night... Usually, I'm one of those people who sees something and has to have it RIGHT NOW! Fortunately, I am such an animal lover that I would never do anything to place any animal in danger... not purposely anyway. I'm still doing my reading, and I'm going to visit my LFS again this evening to do some more investigation. I also want to make sure that their fish are healthy, and maybe even get to watch a feeding.
Thanks again for all of your input. If something comes to mind down the road... please post me. I'm open for all suggestions!
Kelly

 

[tangtang]

Hi Kelly!
I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression! <smile> I too am learning!!! I am a newbie just like you. <smile> I started in September and by the end of December I had a total of 4 tanks (1 FO and 3 wannabe reefs).
I started with a FO prior to finding this board. Back when I didn't know what options were available and thought my LFS would properly direct me. (Dummy that I was! I shopped the tank only and since they were the cheapest...) Things I'd have done differently had I taken the time to research like you?
Glass instead of acrylic tank - my preference - my scratches! LS and LR in the FO instead of crushed coral substrate and wet/dry bio ball system and UV sterilizer... I would have plumbed the tank differently. I'd have better utilized the space under my tank (plumbing all over the place!) and made sure that all three of my duck bills were connected to the return! eee! I hired a professional!
I definitely could have been told that a 5'6" woman would have difficulty working in a 180 gallon SHOW/Tall tank sitting on a 36" base with a 10" top opening canopy!!! <smile> You should see me! I need to be on a small step ladder, perfectly centered, in order to open the canopy lid and lock it into place! Rearrange rocks? Not if I don't have to! I use a reacher to carry and place heavy rocks. Reachers are great; but, "theys" not hands! <smile>
Don't get me wrong, with this board and my new, better LFS, I can now actually make many of the changes above myself; but, I've spent a lot on the equipment and it's been easier and more satisfying to keep adding tanks!
Back to your set up: I've heard that the blue jaw triggers are not aggressive and if you've read that they are reef friendly, you're set!!! Sorry, I don't know anything about the cross hatch. I've got a small collection of triggers in my FO. <smile> Shhh... don't tell! This is one of those hotly debated subjects... More than one trigger is too many for some while others have done well... Anyway, I have a humahuma, niger, eyeliner, clown and undulated. They are all small and I realize that I will need to separate them as they grow hopefully only due to size and not fighting! I've got my eye on a wall in my house that would house another, larger tank just fine! <smile> Careful... This is contagious!
Yes, I do think you are on the right track with your list! As far as lights: I went shopping for 4+ watts per gallon and came back with one 250 watt metal halide HQI (connects at both ends) and a 55 watt blue/anttic? power compact. My LFS owner (the LFS with pricer tanks) is convinced that the new German technology is so much more advanced than the old metal halide bulbs that the watts per gallons measurement doesn't apply. He swears that I will get high light clams to thrive at the bottom of my tank. He said if they didn't, he'd give me a clam. What he thinks I'd be able to do with it I don't know!!! <smile>
The lighting is on my 100 gallon 30x30x24. It's a pretty cool tank! <smile> It's cycling now so I cannot endorse the lights yet; but, what he said did make a lot of sense. He talked about the coverage area which in my case, since the tank is square and not rectangular, I can get away with one mountable pendant, and on and on about the intense light pressure? Well, the jury is still out on this one! <smile> My small reefs each have 3.6 watts per gallon and are only for soft corals and other medium light "thangs". Still have a hard time calling plants looking things animals! <wink>
You might want to plan extra room and plumbing for a refugium further down the road. I am definitely working up my courage to start one!! I'm getting a small hang on one from a guy here that happens to live close by. I'll begin on one of my small wannabes then move up to the big one! <smile> Also, check out all the DIY stuff here and on other websites. If you have a mind to, you can make your own skimmer, refugium, pod farm...
I've also used damsels to cycle. (Many here think it is cruel.) I didn't know any better with the FO and now I am waiting for a domino/bully to be eaten! Sorry, he's a real punk! I used green chromis and tangerine damsels in my second little reef. I want to grow the green chromis and add them to the FO later to school with the ones I have in there. I'll probably leave the tangerines in the reef. I don't want any damsels in my 100 gallon so I am cycling with LR and LS only. I also did this with my first reef. That and the grocery store piece of shrimp are other options available to you.
Sorry so long! I'm just so very excited for you!!! I think with a reef tank it's easier doing the time. There is so much to look at on the LR alone! I have a magnifying glass and stand before my tanks in awe daily!!! I think I'm more excited about hichhikers than anything I've purchased! Keep us posted!
Linda