my little Nemo

angelap · Jul 15, 2003

Posted by pumpkin_52483 on 5/6/2003
well thanks for replying, i would like a fish only tank, it has been set up for and running about 4 weeks or so filter and all it has a fuval 404, and two powerhead 802, on it. sand wise, i have about three inches of sand, and probably about 20-30 lbs of rock for hiding and swimming through. i am staying away from invertabrates, and the live rock. i would like as much color as possible but i also know just as ina painting you have to have some dull color to bring out the bright.
Pumpkin - I was just reading through some of your post and it seem there is a descrepency about the way you say your tank is set up and for how long. I just noticed this and hope you are not trying to start a flame thread. Just though this was interesting, maybe you can clear it up for us.
If I misunderstood your post, I'm sorry, and once again I wish you the best with your tank.
Angela

jrein40806 · Jul 15, 2003

Nobody on here is picking on you . I can almost assure you that there are several lurkers who will read this post,and go ahead and buy clowns right off the bat. You asked for advice and that is what you got. What you decide after that is your business.
I cycled with damsels and looking back it was a mistake. I think cycling with clowns is an even bigger mistake. I started with 8 and wound up with 6. 2 died during the cycle.What a waste.

starfishjackedme · Jul 15, 2003

Bump-
There is no reason to ever cycle a tank with live fish. There are many alternatives mentioned above like LR or raw shrimp that can cycle the tank with no loss of life.

pumpkin_52483 · Jul 15, 2003

ok well thank you for all of the advise, i don't actually remember posting the previous thread. about the tank cycle for 4 weeks, but if i ddid then it is wrong, i have only had the tank set up with water in it since like tuesday. i do realize that levels spike and fall in a tank i do work at petsmart, i work with fish most of my day. i do know what i am talking about there. as for my clown he looks fine, and is eating well. he is also a tankraised,a nd so he has an even better chance; and trust me i would not put him in if i did not think about it first and worry about him and how he is doing. i am not going to put any live rock in my tank bc i have read it is harder to take care of and is more money than i have to spend at one time. bc of the fuval 404 i have chosen not to use live sand bc it can get caught in the filter canister. again thanks for all of the help and comments, i knwo that everyone has their own opinion and way to do things this is just mine.

jenni1979 · Jul 15, 2003

Petsmart doesn't sell saltwater fish do they? Saltwater and freshwater are two totally different things. Just because you know about freshewater fish doesnt mean you know everything about fish. I wish you good luck and just be careful when you add more fish. The clowns are hardier than the others so hopefully if you plan on leaving him in there he will live, and he might. Just a chance I wouldnt take.

pumpkin_52483 · Jul 15, 2003

you are right petsmart does not seel salt water, but that does not mean that i have not had a chemistry class and still knwo what i am talking about, i am compelty on top of this levels, and like i said before he looks good and is eating well, so i believe i will be fine. OTOH i know i have to wait a while to let the tank cycle. i was actually planning on waiting about a month to even think about adding anything else.

regaldragon · Jul 15, 2003

yeah dont take the flames personally pumpkin, I got the same type of flames for having a blue tang. But DO try to glean some useful information from the posts, inbetween anything you feel insulted about, etc. My suggestion is to add some live sand to your substrate, as a layer above the crushed coral. The bacteria will definitely help continue to keep your levels down. Watch for an ammonia spike somewhere in the first month of cycling, get some live rock for little "Nemo" to hide in. I understand that you want a marine tank, but having some live rock is very beneficial to the cycling process. I dont plan on having corals for a very long time, but you will soon find that after you add live rock, there will be a multitude of other neat living organisms for you to be in awe of, like copepods (sp?), tubeworms, and other good things that come with the live rock. Also, the live rock will give your clown a place to establish his territory, and when you add your next fish, just move some of the rock around to different places so it confuses his territory, and then the new fish and he will both establish new territories. I wish you the best of luck, and I would also definitely reccoment going and buying the guide to Marine Fishes at your local LFS...no matter if you have never had a goldfish before, or if you have had reef tanks for 20 years, it is an excellent reference to habits and compatibility of fish for the marine aquarium. Again, good luck!

pumpkin_52483 · Jul 16, 2003

thank you for the info and once again for the vote of confidence. i do have fake corals and some lava rock for him and other fish i want to have eventually to hide and swim through. once again thank you for allof the information and i think i will do just fine.

aileena · Jul 16, 2003

an interesting thread....
what is your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and dKh??? whats your salinity at and how bout that temp???

pumpkin_52483 · Jul 16, 2003

well the temp is at about 76-77 depending on the time of day, bc it is so hot here i do not have a heater on but i do have a fan blowing in the general direction of the filter and tank. my house is also kept at about 78 degrees. the salt level is at about 1.023-24 somewher in the middle. the PH is sitting at 8.2, nitrates are at about 40 so a little high i guess, and nitrites are a .03 so i know that they are getting high also.

fishy88 · Jul 16, 2003

sounds like your going good on the cycle.

pumpkin_52483 · Jul 16, 2003

thanks, i think so also. i m sure that some people in here may not think so with perculas, but what can ya do.

ophiura · Jul 17, 2003

Originally posted by pumpkin_52483
nitrates are at about 40 so a little high i guess, and nitrites are a .03 so i know that they are getting high also.
What about ammonia? Those are mighty high nitrates in a tank that is only set up with one small fish for only a short period of time?!? Just wondering, but I would be a touch concerned myself! Of course, this would mean the tank cycled with one fish in about a week....nitrates go up as nitrites come down....which is also unusual without LR, but a bit more on schedule if the tank has been set up 4 weeks or so. Did you ever see an ammonia spike and how high was it? How much were you feeding the fish, and did you ever see food hit the bottom of the tank?
Otherwise, though not my ideal, it is fine to cycle with a clownfish....but it may very well not survive. It is simply another school of thought and is effective. I would prefer to push the tank hard with shrimp...give the biofilter a 'worst case scenario' to avoid potentially recyling the tank every time a fish is added. With a fish that you want to keep, you may tend to not push the cycle very hard, and this could lead to trouble down the road (especially without LR).

doxboi · Jul 17, 2003

Why does this guy sound so irritated? If he did not want any opinions why did he ask or even post anything? I figure just post something and take in multiple opinions and try something on your own. Get mad, no, not everyone does things the same. Some people take chances and some don't. So what, don't get all offended. Be cool don't get all crazy. Posting is to get opinions and advice, they are not putting you down, relax. If you do not like the answers the don't post.

gregvabch · Jul 17, 2003

it's all about pride man! I KNOW I"M DOING IT RIGHT! just wanted to see what everybody else thinks........just in case i'm not.

doxboi · Jul 17, 2003

Think for a minute now. You said you just wanted see what people thought but when they told you what they thought you got all offensive. I work at a Pet whatever and my friend has been doing this for, who cares how long. If you were just seeing what others thought then calm down, don't explain your self, just take in what they say and if ti something you don't like ignor it.
"Pride comes before destruction"

firefishspike · Jul 17, 2003

actually really bad things happen before destruction.........like a bomb or something

marvida · Jul 18, 2003

You might want to think hard about using "lava rock" depending on its chemical makeup volcanic rock isn't the best thing for a saltwater tank. Just my opinion.

sinner's girl · Jul 18, 2003

"i am not going to put any live rock in my tank bc i have read it is harder to take care of "
that's up to you, but fyi, lr is not hard to take care of. just stick it in the tank. it helps your tank...
where did you hear lr is hard to take care of? it's just rock, you don't have to feed it or clean or do anything to it.
good luck

worldchanger · Jul 18, 2003

In this Hobby Patience is most definitly a virtue!

my little Nemo

Member

Member

starfishjackedme

Guest

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Member

Member

sinner's girl

Guest

Member