New Here, New to the Saltwater scene

[jenny_rs]

Hello everyone, i just started cycling my first saltwater fish-only with live rock 10 gal tank. everything is going smoothly so far, all my levels are normal, i was told to add a raw shrimp to kick start my cycle and i just noticed and increase in my ammonia. I noticed just today though that i have some green algae (dots) on my tank glass. i am assuming that is from my previous freshwater setup, and i was just wondering if anyone knew if it's any danger to my aquarium? also, once my cycle is complete, i was thinking of getting a damselfish (fiji blue devil) or a percual clownfish. i'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions towards what fish i should consider getting? i dont plan on getting a larger tank until i get my own place to live, so i know i have to take that into consideration. which is one reason why i was interested in getting a damselfish as they can be more agressive and i won't be able to have more than one or two tank mates. any suggestions for this newbie? :help:

 

[isistius]

CONGRATS ON JOINING THE BOARDS. THIS IS A WONDERFUL PLACE FOR BEGINNERS AS WELL AS OLD-TIMERS. :cheer:
AS FAR AS CYCLING - THERE ARE GOD KNOWS HOW MANY THREADS ON HERE. HOWEVER, TO SUM IT UP, MANY PEOPLE ON HERE (INCLUDING MYSELF) HAVE USED SHRIMP TO JUMP START IT. YOU WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN AMMONIA, FOLLOWED BY IN INCREASE IN NITRITES, FOLLOWED BY AN INCREASE IN NITRATES. WHEN YOUR NITRATES HAVE HIT 0, YOU ARE FINISHED CYCLING.
JUST A NOTE ABOUT LR (LIVE ROCK). THE GENERAL RULE OF THUMB IS 1-2 LBS PER GALLON OF WATER. FOR YOU, 10-20 LBS IN YOUR TANK. YES IT'S EXPENSIVE, BUT IT WILL BE YOUR MAIN SOURCE OF FILTRATION. IT'S EASIER TO PUT IT ALL IN NOW, AND CURE IT, THEN TO CURE MORE AND ADD IT LATER.
NOW FOR THE FISH-
THAT'S ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. MOST PEOPLE WILL SAY 1 INCH OF FISH TO 3 GAL OR EVEN 5 GAL (FOR THE NEWBIE) OF WATER. WITH A 10 GAL TANK, THAT DOESN'T LEAVE YOU WITH MUCH ROOM FOR FISH. HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO SUFFER. THERE ARE PLENTY OF LITTLE ONES THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL. MOST PEOPLE WILL STAY AWAY FROM DAMSELS BECAUSE, AS YOU STATED, THEY CAN BE VERY AGGRESSIVE. SOME CLOWNS CAN GROW TO 5 OR 6 INCHES. JUST DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY, AND ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS, EVEN IF YOU THINK IT'S STUPID. YOU WILL ONLY BENEFIT FROM THE ANSWERS.
BEST OF LUCK, AND AGAIN, WELCOME TO THE BOARDS
:jumping:

 

[ginarox]

will if your experiencing algae, you will need to get you some snails. i am new to saltwater aquarium too, i have a 125 gallon aquarium and i am loving it, i just have a question about if saltwaterfish.com is a good place to buy some of my fish,or coral , or etc... this guy that has helped me set my aquarium up he comes out once a month to clean, and also he will bring me some live stock, but he is very expensive, and i am beginning to think he is over charging me, cause i get on this web site and notice the price difference which is a lot ..... so if any one could help i sure would appreciate it...thanks ....ginarox

 

[gatorwpb]

Only your ammonia and nitrites need to be at zero, your nitrates just need to be less than 20ppm. Then your cycle is complete.
I used the shrimp method as well.
As to buying livestock on this website, while I dont have any fish yet, I plan on getting them through here, as Ive heard great things about the quality of the fish and the shipping.