Quote:
Originally Posted by
shawnriv http:///t/396836/new-hobbyist-question-aqua-scaping#post_3535659
Hey All,
This is my first post and I'm an amateur saltwater tank hobbyist. My mother owns a 48 gallon saltwater tank and was assembled four weeks ago with all the proper equipment recommended by the pet store. As of now we own two clownfish and I'll be purchasing her a yellow tang and a sea anemone for Christmas. Everything has been going very well but my mother is looking for the tank to become a little more colorful and fuller. Right now there is four medium size pieces of dry rock in the tank. Unfortunately we are not interested in live rock because it's very expensive ($8.99/lbs at my local store). Does anyone recommend any other alternative ways to fill the tank and add color. I have posted a picture of our tank. Thank you for responses in advanced.
Hi,
Welcome to the site! First rule...Never ask the fish store for advice on anything...Not equipment, not fish, not supplements...go into the store knowing what you want or need.
WHOA!!! You are going way too fast. First off, you have to have the tank cycle, time means nothing...have you done your tests? You need lab type not strips. In a 48g the couple of clowns are doing the cycling for you, but you need to wait for the good bacteria to populate and you need lots of rock to have enough surface area for them to build on...if you add another fish, it will spell disaster, and they all die.
So do a water test first to determine if you have ammonia or nitrite, both should be reading 0. You should have a quarantine tank set up, and that's where you add the new fish...wait 4 weeks before putting it into the display. With saltwater tanks, you can't put medicine into the display, so the best thing is to not introduce disease or parasites in the first place. Otherwise if the fish gets a parasite such as ich...you have to remove every fish from the display to a hospital tank to treat with medicine or hypo....and leave the display empty for 8 weeks for the parasite to die off without a host. That can all be avoided by using a quarantine for all new arrivals.
Next issue is the desire for an anemone, those critters need a very well established tank. Wait 6 months to a year for the tank to mature. Next...A 48g tank is too small for any tang. I know it sounds like a big tank, but it's really very small. The yellow tang needs at least a 75g tank, and all the others go up from there.
You need your rock to go midway up the tank...you can mix dried and live rock, but you do need live rock. A background will really make the tank look it's best. Remove the glass thermometer, if a fish hits it, it may break sending poison into the system...get the stick on the side of the tank type. You need at least 2 power heads, the wave is the life of the ocean, and your SW tank. There is less oxygen in SW then in fresh, so it's important to make sure the surface water in the tank is really moving...make it look like it's boiling.
For color you can add macroalgae, it's good for your tank because it keep the tank water pristine, and it will help with keeping the ammonia and nitrite levels away. It absorbs phosphates and nitrates to live, and when you remove the new growth (all plants grow) called harvesting, you are removing the phosphates and nitrates from the system.
I personally use decorations along with the rock, so there is plenty of surface area for the good bacteria to grow on. I just think it looks better then just rock.
