My 55 gal...questions?

[kelly4687]

Okay- I have a few questions about my 55 gal tank.
Here is what I have in the tank:
2 clown fish
1 lawnmower blenny
1 diamond goby
1 Narrow lined baby puffer ( he is my baby

)
1 emerald crab
3-4 little scarlet crabs
about 2 little snails
xenia
kenya tree
---My birthday is tomorrow and everyone got me giftcards for fish, lol. What else should I add? I need more of a clean up crew, don't I??
1. why am I getting dust like algae on my live rock?
2. There is green slime every day on my glass, I clean it off and it comes back. It is not thick or dark, but it's there. My levels are fine too!
3. How should I feed my fish? I have the marine pellets- then I also have frozen krill and live brine shrimp for my puffer....even though the clowns love the live shrimp. How many times a day should I feed my fish?
4. My puffer eats like a little champ, as you can tell, I LOVE him. It seems like when the food starts sinking to the bottom, he forgets it is down there...what if he is not eating enough??? How can I make the food stay floated for him?
5. I love my diamond goby and I think it is adorable that he loves the sand as much as he does....but he is making my tank a mess. I think the little tunnels he is building are cute, but what if my live rock falls and kills him?

 

[eric b 125]

happy birthday! LFS gift cards are great, arent they? first thing i would do, is get a smorgasboard of snails. they'll help keep everything clean. what kind of flow do you have in your tank? you might want to pick up a powerhead or two. as far as your diamond goby is concerned: it can cause your rock to fall and kill him or worse (break your tank). i think the best way around this is to put eggcrate down on a bare bottom tank, then stack the first layer of LR, put the sand in, and then stack the rocks firmly on top. you dont really need the egg crate, i think it just helps hold everything in place. the goby can't knock over what it can't get under!

 

[eric b 125]

oh yeah, i feed my fish 3 small feedings a day, since i feed them 3 different kinds of food. i wouldnt worry about the puffer not eating enough. unless it gives you reason to be concerned. if it gets hungry enough, it will just grub out on your inverts!

 

[kelly4687]

Thanks!!!
I have another question- how long should my lights be on?? I have a timer but I haven't set it up yet. I have been turning them on around 2, 2:30- the room they are in is always bright, then off around 11:30. 12am.
Oh- I have two powerheads in there. I also have an intake rack?? It is a tube that has holes in it and pours water from my tank, through the rack, back into my tank.
I am going to grab some snails tomorrow morning

Okay about the egg crate- how could I ever do that now? My whole tank has been set up and running since december!