my new game plan

[jesatfis]

ok looking at wat people said here it goes
90 gal tank by aga 48x18x25
equip
2 magnum 350's
1 emporer 400
1 aqua clear powerhead 901 (2 at latter date)
an airpump with long stone
hood w/ light (what light should i get)
live/aquatic stuff
40 lbs liverock plus more latter
50-100 lps live sand
fish
yellow tiped damsels??---1 week
false peculla clown

[hr]
1 mon
a mandarin goby

[hr]
3 mon
first i will have 40 lbs of live rock and 50(maybe 100) lbs of live sand
i will throw in cycle and aqua +
and a few hermits and glass shrimp
with fish i will start withi guess 9 more or less damsels
i dont know the name but they are all blue with a yellow tailas w
i will also purchase the 55 reef pakage
after 1 week or 2 if all goes well i will get the 2 false perculla and a few inverts like pepermints and a decorator and maybe a cleaner shrimp
coments and add ons ?? what other fish can i put in that are colorfull??
can i put a sailfin as i like it alot?
if i use more fitration more fish right??
-jess

 

[gati]

first, i wouldn't put damsels in, they are mean and a pain to get out of your tank. I would get green chromis's instead.I wouldn't put a mandarin in a tank after just 3 months-not established enough and you'll need more live rock than 40 pounds for them. just want to fyi you

 

[dmc888]

I would go with one wetdry filter instead of 3 filters.
A 125g wetdry size filter should do.
I have a 125 on my 55 and i am very happy with it.
I had an air pump before. It makes a salt creep and clouds up the top glass constantly. I would not run one.
Going to need atleast 2 powerheads.
Lighting would depend if you want keep any coral or anemones. They would recommend MH.
But if its FO I would go with coralife . Some anemones can be kept and some corals i believe. I am very happy with my 260w one.
I would not go with yellowtail damsels. They turn very mean as they get larger. Like most damsels.
Most people i see regret getting them. Unless if its going to be an all damsel tank i would not recommend them.
Could go with a school of green chromis.
I would start with the percs first. They are just as hardy as damsels.
The sailfin requires a 125g or larger. I would not recommend a Tang until the tank has been running for a while.

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by jesatfis
1 aqua clear powerhead 901 (2 at latter date)
an airpump with long stone
I'd use 3 or 4 powerheads in a tank that size. They don't all need to be the size of a 901. You want some current in all parts of the tank (no dead spots), not a hurricane force in one place.
Who recommended an airstone? I agree with dcm888 that it would cause salt creep and buildup on a hood (if you are using one). Just make sure that at least one powerhead it aimed upward and creating ripples on the surface of the water.

 

[snipe]

90 gal tank by aga 48x18x25
(Bigger is better if you can afford it)
equip
2 magnum 350's
1 emporer 400
(I would agree replace all these with a wetdry and a skimmer)
1 aqua clear powerhead 901 (2 at latter date)
(I would say 3 to 4 for this size of tank)
an airpump with long stone
(Airstones cause saltcreep)
hood w/ light (what light should i get)
(It depends if you are doing fish only then normal output "what comes with the tank" will work. SPS corals need metal hallide along with clams and anemones. Soft corals polyps and shrooms only need PC "powercompact" or VHO "Very High Output" lighting.
live/aquatic stuff
40 lbs liverock plus more latter
(In a 90 gallon I would try and get 120+ lbs of live rock)
50-100 lps live sand
(You will probly need around 100+ Lbs for a DSB "deep sand bed")
fish
yellow tiped damsels??---1 week
false peculla clown

[hr]
1 mon
a mandarin goby

[hr]
3 mon
(Fish seem alright but I wouldnt put a manderin in a tank that didnt have 100+ lbs of live rock and a refurgium.)
with fish i will start withi guess 9 more or less damsels
i dont know the name but they are all blue with a yellow tailas w
i will also purchase the 55 reef pakage
(They are called yellow tail damsles and dont cycle your tank with anything except a dead cocktail shrimp)
after 1 week or 2 if all goes well i will get the 2 false perculla and a few inverts like pepermints and a decorator and maybe a cleaner shrimp
(Not until the tank has cycled)
coments and add ons ?? what other fish can i put in that are colorfull??
(If you put 9 damsles "That is alot" then you probly wont be able to add mutch more with the ones you have selected)
can i put a sailfin as i like it alot?
(It depends on what other type of fish you want to have)
if i use more fitration more fish right??
(Not always this isnt freshwater)
As for more info I would suggest researching all fish that I like and then research how many inches of fish you can have 1" of adult fish per 5 gallons. You have alot more research ahead of you.

 

[1journeyman]

As has been said, the Mandarin is still not a wise choice.
Keep reading and searching, hehe. It's a pain sometimes. There are so many beautiful and interesting animals but you just can't have them all in a tank.

 

[lion_crazz]

I agree with everyone, although Snipe hit every subject right on. Your tank still needs some modifications.
Just remember, the more you spend on the beginning (filtration, rock, skimmer, lights, substrate) the less you will spend in compensating for overfeeding, over-stocking, and under-cleaning (all of which will result in casualty).

 

[snipe]

Thanks
lion_crazz
I try my best.
Also on the sail fin tang I dont remember the tank size but I think it is 90 if it isnt (And is more) then of course it wouldnt work in that tank.

 

[jesatfis]

Originally posted by mbrands
I'd use 3 or 4 powerheads in a tank that size. They don't all need to be the size of a 901. You want some current in all parts of the tank (no dead spots), not a hurricane force in one place.
Who recommended an airstone? I agree with dcm888 that it would cause salt creep and buildup on a hood (if you are using one). Just make sure that at least one powerhead it aimed upward and creating ripples on the surface of the water.
the mag 350's also end like a powerhead so id really have 3 powerheads, i just found out today.

 

[jesatfis]

i read that if i wanted to have an angel to go with one and that i can have them in a reef that dosent have alot of stony corals, more specificly the coral buety and the flame (though they would be one of the last aditons0
it says in a book i bought to monitor with corals
also with the live rock i have decided on 100 lbs but only the first 2 weeks haveing 50 lbs
next 2 another 50 and maybe another 50 after that
it only costs me abought 3.95 per lb, its cured , the only reason it is so cheap is cuz i work in a store that carries it so with a 30% discount its pretty cheap
now the mand you think i should wait at lease 6 mounths, how abought a fire goby?
also i cant do a wetdry because im afraid of leaks (lol) its a carpet so if something did happen that would be a disaster.
now the mag 350's are for up to 100 galons and the emporer is also as well as a seaclone, thats over 5 times the nececery filtration
as w2 powerheads(4 if i include the mags)

 

[jesatfis]

Originally posted by Snipe
90 gal tank by aga 48x18x25
(Bigger is better if you can afford it)
equip
2 magnum 350's
1 emporer 400
(I would agree replace all these with a wetdry and a skimmer)
1 aqua clear powerhead 901 (2 at latter date)
(I would say 3 to 4 for this size of tank)
an airpump with long stone
(Airstones cause saltcreep)
hood w/ light (what light should i get)
(It depends if you are doing fish only then normal output "what comes with the tank" will work. SPS corals need metal hallide along with clams and anemones. Soft corals polyps and shrooms only need PC "powercompact" or VHO "Very High Output" lighting.
live/aquatic stuff
40 lbs liverock plus more latter
(In a 90 gallon I would try and get 120+ lbs of live rock)
50-100 lps live sand
(You will probly need around 100+ Lbs for a DSB "deep sand bed")
fish
yellow tiped damsels??---1 week
false peculla clown

[hr]
1 mon
a mandarin goby

[hr]
3 mon
(Fish seem alright but I wouldnt put a manderin in a tank that didnt have 100+ lbs of live rock and a refurgium.)
with fish i will start withi guess 9 more or less damsels
i dont know the name but they are all blue with a yellow tailas w
i will also purchase the 55 reef pakage
(They are called yellow tail damsles and dont cycle your tank with anything except a dead cocktail shrimp)
after 1 week or 2 if all goes well i will get the 2 false perculla and a few inverts like pepermints and a decorator and maybe a cleaner shrimp
(Not until the tank has cycled)
coments and add ons ?? what other fish can i put in that are colorfull??
(If you put 9 damsles "That is alot" then you probly wont be able to add mutch more with the ones you have selected)
can i put a sailfin as i like it alot?
(It depends on what other type of fish you want to have)
if i use more fitration more fish right??
(Not always this isnt freshwater)
As for more info I would suggest researching all fish that I like and then research how many inches of fish you can have 1" of adult fish per 5 gallons. You have alot more research ahead of you.
ok one question a refiguim? what in the world is that? where can i get one

 

[willie_6]

Ugghhh, I am already getting worn out from this hobby. This is the first I have heard about not putting damsels in the tank. Everybody I have talked to and replied to me have said damsels are great starter fish. To be perfectly hones, the three I have-one in particular does seem mean. Just one of those things I wish I would have known sooner. At times I feel like I should study marine fish for 5 years before getting any. Problem is everybody you talk to has a differant take on a topic. I don't know of anything like this, where you want to start a hobby, but first you have to spend years really understanding it before you begin. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I jumped right in this and within 4 hours I had a tank with fish in it. It's just after reading books magazines and talking to people on here I feel just as confused as I started.
Sorry-Had to vent.
On a side note, if my damsels are not behaving around new fish that get introduced, what is the best way to get rid of them?

 

[pohtr]

this is going to sound really dumb, but what are the powerheads? Are they the things at the end of the tube where the water shoots back into the tank? Then if so, do you attach 3 or 4 to the same tube and spread them around?
(I am also setting up a 90) Can you tell I'm a noobie?

 

[lion_crazz]

A refugium is a place where there is a very slow current, and you allow plant growth in order to absorb nitrates. Some people use separate tanks that they plumb into their main system, however, some people like me, run their refugium right in their wet/dry filter. In the one compartment of my wet/dry, I have it covered with chaetomorpha algae, and I have a 60watt power compact light (from Home Depot) running on it in order to encourage growth of the plants (the more the plants grow, the more nitrates they absorb, thus, keeping your tank cleaner and healthier.)
Willie_6, as far as advice, you just need to be able to pick out who knows what they are talking and who is just talking. Get so many opinions and form your own opinion on the matter after getting all those differing opinions. On here, a lot of the opinions are uniform beause they are a lot of highly intelligent people who post on here and have a lot of experience. However, on some of the topics, like how many fish in a tank, you can usually tell who knows what they are talking about by how they are talking. We all make mistakes though, and it's just apart of this hobby. I can probably say that we have all been given bad advice as well. Heck, when I first started my tank, everyone I talked to said live rock was superfluous. Obviously that was false though. Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way, unfortunately.
Powerheads are small pumps that you would use in an aquarium just to move the water around. Just type AquaClear or MaxiJet in a search engine and you can get a picture of what I am talking about it.

 

[willie_6]

Originally posted by pohtr
this is going to sound really dumb, but what are the powerheads? Are they the things at the end of the tube where the water shoots back into the tank? Then if so, do you attach 3 or 4 to the same tube and spread them around?
(I am also setting up a 90) Can you tell I'm a noobie?
You can go to any lfs and they will show them to you. They ar a seperate unit that doesn nothing more than create a current and similate ocean water. They are fairly inexpensive and a must for any tank. For a 90 gal. you probably should have 2.

 

[1journeyman]

Willie:
Don't stress. We're all still learning.
I'd just suggest getting into the habit of reading a lot

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by Willie_6
after reading books
Willie - Out of curiosity, what book recommended starting with damsels?
This can be a frustrating hobby due to the various opinions you will get. The problem is, its not like building a car where there is one right way to do things. For example: you can run a tank without a filter if you have enough LR; you can run a tank without LR at all; some fish that are supposed to be aggressive have a sociable personality and vice versa.
You're doing the right thing by trying to get help, but I'd just suggest doing more research before making any purchases.
Good luck!!

 

[snipe]

As for starting with fish. It isnt a matter of starting and having fish right off the bat. The tank has to cycle and when it cycles the amonia is litterly burning the fishes gills. The nitrites are litterly chocking it of oxygen. And the nitrates "or just plane bad!". If your tank hasnt cycled I wouldnt have anything other than live rock and live sand in that tank.

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by Snipe
If your tank hasnt cycled I wouldnt have anything other than live rock and live sand in that tank.
Agreed, except that you can use a raw shrimp from the grocery to help expedite the cycle.
Sorry, in my post I assumed you meant after the tank cycled.

 

[willie_6]

Originally posted by mbrands
Willie - Out of curiosity, what book recommended starting with damsels?
This can be a frustrating hobby due to the various opinions you will get. The problem is, its not like building a car where there is one right way to do things. For example: you can run a tank without a filter if you have enough LR; you can run a tank without LR at all; some fish that are supposed to be aggressive have a sociable personality and vice versa.
You're doing the right thing by trying to get help, but I'd just suggest doing more research before making any purchases.
Good luck!!
I don't remember the book name, but the author has contributed to many books on fish. The same guy that wrote my book wrote Salt Water Fish for Dummies lol and contributed to the salt water portion of another book that was for Salt and Fresh water fish.
Even my lfs asked me when I brought water in the store for testing, asked me if I would be buying damsels while I was there. Almost as if it were my only choice. The damsel thing really threw me, I have heard it a lot and that is part of my reaction. It seems almost impossible to get an agrement on anything.
It's almost funny, the website suggests you get 10 opinions before you do anything. The funny thing is you will never get 10 people to agree on anything.