New Member needs help!

[billiejean]

Hi Everyone, I have a 55 gallon salt water aquarium that belongs to my brother. I have no clue how to care for it as all my aquariums are fresh water. My brother recently passed away and I need help..I do not want to lose his fish he cherished so much. He has a Porcupine Puffer, snowflake eal, yellow tang in his tank. My question is: what temperature should the tank be kept at? right now it is at 86degrees which feels extremely warm to me; but then again what do I know ... none of my freshwater tanks have heaters..lol :help:
Also, would like to know if anyone can recommend any good books or websites to help me learn what other fish I can keep in this tank and what live rock, coral, reef, etc..is safe for this tank as well. My brother has had this tank for over a year and has had the puffer since the beginning but the others were just added a few weeks ago. The snowflake eel doesn't look like he's doing so well.. but the others are very active and eating just fine...
Thank-you very much for any help ya'll can offer me.
Sincerely, BillieJean
:jumping:

 

[dogstar]

BillieJean, Hi and Im very sorry to hear about your brother.
86F is a little on the high side so if you can run the airconditioner a little lower or aim a fan toward the tank may help lower the temp some. nearer to 80 F is best.
The eel useally are fed with a stick buy putting a piece of maet on the end and ofering ot to it directly.
This site is one of the best to get advice and everyone here is generally nice and want to help. I dont know of any books but am sure someone will post one for you.

 

[airforceb2]

BillieJean,
This is the place to come for advise. I'm surprized nobody has replied to this thread yet...usually people are very quick to help newcomers.
I would say the tank is about full as far as fish go. You can add corals but they require very intense lights. For the temp, it should be down around 70-82 degrees.
A good book to look into is "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. That is the best book I have seen.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask away.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by airforceb2
BillieJean,
A good book to look into is "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. That is the best book I have seen.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask away.
Exactly.
Welcome to the boards. Sorry to here how you came to us.
Grab the book and ask away. Everyone around here will be glad to take care of you!

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by BillieJean
Hi Everyone, I have a 55 gallon salt water aquarium that belongs to my brother. I have no clue how to care for it as all my aquariums are fresh water. My brother recently passed away and I need help..I do not want to lose his fish he cherished so much. He has a Porcupine Puffer, snowflake eal, yellow tang in his tank. My question is: what temperature should the tank be kept at? right now it is at 86degrees which feels extremely warm to me; but then again what do I know ... none of my freshwater tanks have heaters..lol :help:
Also, would like to know if anyone can recommend any good books or websites to help me learn what other fish I can keep in this tank and what live rock, coral, reef, etc..is safe for this tank as well. My brother has had this tank for over a year and has had the puffer since the beginning but the others were just added a few weeks ago. The snowflake eel doesn't look like he's doing so well.. but the others are very active and eating just fine...
Thank-you very much for any help ya'll can offer me.
Sincerely, BillieJean
:jumping:
First I want to say sorry about the loss of your brother. Like the other posts have said, need to lower that temp. The heater may need to be turned down a bit, what temp do you run in your house? Just a reminder, a small yellow tang is fine in that tank right now, but will need a larger tank in the near future, 125+ gallons. Same with the puffer. The snow flake needs hiding places. Need planty of rocks to hide in. You can't really get into corals or reefs with puffer. Really need to read up on what you can and can't have in that tank. Good Luck with you and welcome to the board!

 

[ezee]

BillieJean,
Welcome! I am also fairly new to SW. You may want to do a thorough inventory of what you have for this tank. I have a feeling it will be really helpful to know what resources you have at your disposal and what you will need to obtain. Keep an eye out for smaller things, like test kits and other things. You will also want to find out what equipment is running on the tank (filtration and/or other) and what the configuration looks like (is it just one tank, is there another tank/container anywhere near it for extra water [sump], etc.), in addition to anything else you may be able to find.
If you can't identify something someone on this board will definitely be able to assist, if you have a digicam at hand. The vast majority of people on this board are remarkably accomodating and eager to contribute. Try to ask here first before you ask a pet shop or fish store. IMO, the varied experience and viewpoints on this board far surpass the comments from any one expert. Oh yes, and there are many experts here but they won't claim to be such!
Warmest regards,
Eugene
Fellow Newcomer

 

[exile415]

Welcome to the boards Billiejean. Sorry to hear about your brother, it's very nice of you to care for his aquarium. Hope everything works out great. good luck to you

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by Dogstar
BillieJean, Hi and Im very sorry to hear about your brother.
86F is a little on the high side so if you can run the airconditioner a little lower or aim a fan toward the tank may help lower the temp some. nearer to 80 F is best.
The eel useally are fed with a stick buy putting a piece of maet on the end and ofering ot to it directly.
This site is one of the best to get advice and everyone here is generally nice and want to help. I dont know of any books but am sure someone will post one for you.
Thank-you! The temperature dropped over night... we don't have our furnace on yet and it got quite chilly last night so that may have helped drop the temperature..the heater is the tank is weird... I think I'll buy a different one cause I can't tell what the temperature is set on on the one that is in there now.. but the temp is around 82 this morning.. Also, I do have a feeding stick for the eel but he won't take anything I put in his face.. He hasn't eaten a thing! He really looks bad this morning.

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by airforceb2
BillieJean,
This is the place to come for advise. I'm surprized nobody has replied to this thread yet...usually people are very quick to help newcomers.
I would say the tank is about full as far as fish go. You can add corals but they require very intense lights. For the temp, it should be down around 70-82 degrees.
A good book to look into is "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. That is the best book I have seen.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask away.
Thank-you. I'll definately be gettin that book..
Thanks again
BillieJean

 

[treybomb]

Originally Posted by Mikeyjer
Just a reminder, a small yellow tang is fine in that tank right now, but will need a larger tank in the near future, 125+ gallons.
i disagree with the yellow tang not being able to be in there.. the minimum tank size for them is a 55 ive have seen countless 55 gallons with lots of tangs in there and they seem to be doing fine : ) just my $.02 cents
i know by saying this i will probably get yelled at by some but its just what i have read and saw on this boards

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by Mikeyjer
First I want to say sorry about the loss of your brother. Like the other posts have said, need to lower that temp. The heater may need to be turned down a bit, what temp do you run in your house? Just a reminder, a small yellow tang is fine in that tank right now, but will need a larger tank in the near future, 125+ gallons. Same with the puffer. The snow flake needs hiding places. Need planty of rocks to hide in. You can't really get into corals or reefs with puffer. Really need to read up on what you can and can't have in that tank. Good Luck with you and welcome to the board!

Oh My! I had no idea that these fish would require a bigger tank as they grew! My brother never mentioned that to me at all!! Of Course, I have freshwater mostly goldfish families and when they get too big they are moved to my outside ponds... oh my what have I gotten myself into with this saltwater aquarium.. I'm so overwhelmed but determined to keep these fish especially the puffer..my brother loved him so much. The Puffer is one spoiled fish..he's hand fed and loves to be petted.. hmmm!!!
I don't think the snowflake is gonna make it. He's acting real weird and as I said hasn't eatin' a thing!!
BillieJean

 

[billiejean]

I do have a digicam and will try to get pics today.. Need all the help I can get with this one.
Thank-you all so much for your help and your kind words for the loss of my brother. He was a special man and I will miss him dearly. I've dedicated my time to learn saltwater care in his honor cause he loved this aquarium so very much.
Thank-you again

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by exile415
Welcome to the boards Billiejean. Sorry to hear about your brother, it's very nice of you to care for his aquarium. Hope everything works out great. good luck to you
Thank-you

 

[sweetdawn]

what are you trying to feed the snowflake eel you dont say my snowflake loves silversides he wont touch krill. have you tried offering him different things

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by treybomb
i disagree with the yellow tang not being able to be in there.. the minimum tank size for them is a 55 ive have seen countless 55 gallons with lots of tangs in there and they seem to be doing fine : ) just my $.02 cents
i know by saying this i will probably get yelled at by some but its just what i have read and saw on this boards
I have a magazine here that you can buy saltwater accessories and fish out of.. and in this magazine it shows the tang and snowflake at 50 gallon tanks and the puffer will need a 90 gallon aquarium.. whew! I had no idea!! I guess I best start saving now for a new aquarium.. lol Where I will put it is beyond me. I have 7 aquariums now.. oh my! oh my! Guess I'll have to add on a room. haha

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by sweetdawn
what are you trying to feed the snowflake eel you dont say my snowflake loves silversides he wont touch krill. have you tried offering him different things
No, I haven't tried different things all I have is what my brother gave me.. I guess I just assumed he ate the krill.. Darn me for being so dumb.. I'll get to the pet store right away and find something he likes.. but I'm not sure he's gonna be here when I return.. :-(

 

[treybomb]

hey billie jean i would delete or edit the website out of your post .. your not allowed to post competitors websites on this site.. just a heads up if you keep it on there.. this thread could get locked : )

 

[billiejean]

Originally Posted by treybomb
hey billie jean i would delete or edit the website out of your post .. your not allowed to post competitors websites on this site.. just a heads up if you keep it on there.. this thread could get locked : )
Done!
Thank-you
BillieJean

 

[sweetdawn]

when i first got my snowflake he ate krill then he decided he didnt want it anymore maybe when your brother was feeding him he did he krill try a couple different things dont get the silversides that look white get the ones that are silver looking and look like little fish

 

[danedodger]

Like the others here I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my brother only about a year ago very suddenly so I know how hard it can be.
I care for a snowflake eel that is still tiny enough to take krill by hand (the feeding stick is definitely smarter though, he's missed a few times and bitten me but fortunately he's too tiny to harm me yet, so do as I say and not as I do

because the larger ones can give a VERY nasty bite!). Silversides or any marine food that is in meaty chunks of the right size are good to try! Maybe he's just still very stressed? How long has it been since he's eaten anything? If it hasn't been too long it could be that he just needs to be left alone with the lights off for awhile to cool out (lights off tends to help stressed aquatic critters)?
Speaking of cooling out yep, I second (or is it third? Forth????) everyone's suggestion to bring that temp down. They also need a fairly steady temperature so the fluctuation you describe (warm one day, cool off several degrees, then back up again) is definitely harmful! I heartily advocate the type of heaters I have! I've got two Pro Heat II on my 130 gallon that I bought online that are a dream! The heating unit is fully submersible then there's a little probe you just suction cup to the inside of the tank. They're digital so you just set the temp to the number you want and voila! It takes care of itself! Very simple and reliable!
Did he have a water testing kit? Maybe you could tell us more to help you out like what the water is testing at and what equipment he has on it?
As for books, my favorites for starting anything out is always the Dummies books and they have a Saltwater for Dummies! Lots and lots and loads of good information in easy to understand language!