new tank first fish

shawnmonrrt

shawnmonrrt

New Member
Hi my name is shawn and i just set up a 55gal tank about 2 weeks ago
. Last week i put in snals, crabs, clams, brittle starfish ect... I'm ready t o add fish according to one of satlwater placed here in town. what is a good species of fis to start with
. i want to get a mandarin but don't think i should start with one til i'm sure the tank is ready. any one have any suggestions??
 
fishntx

fishntx

Member
well first of all do you trust you lfs, because that is not enough time to cycle unless you took you sand rocks and water from an established tank. as far as fish you need to decide what kind of tank you want, reef, fowlr, agressive. then decide from that what fish are suitable for your tank size. and remeber always reserch it will save you time and money. good luck in this hobby
 
lovecraft

lovecraft

Member
R u sure it's cycled? 2 weeks seems like an awfully short time. It was 6 weeks before I even added snails. What are your tank parameters? Did you use some type of store bought cycling stuff?
 
shawnmonrrt

shawnmonrrt

New Member
the live rock 50 lbs, sand can't remember how much, the water, powerhead and everything else was purchased and setup by a local saltwater fish shop they seemed to know what they were talking about. we too a sample in to be tested they said all was ok. its a 55gal tank 48" long 24" wide abi=out 20" deep
 
demonic

demonic

Member
The tank specs that you just gave described a 100 gal tank. You might want to re-check those specs....
 
shawnmonrrt

shawnmonrrt

New Member
Guess i need to learn how to read when i buy aquariums
, it is a 100gal tank. i am usually smater than that, i appreciate your patience and your help. the 10 scarlett hermet, 10 blueleg hermits, 10 nassarius, 2 brittle, 1 coral banded shrimp, 3 emeralds 20 turbos, and 2 cleaner clams seem to be do quite well at this time. since the tank is twice the size i originally thought will i need nor inverts?? thanks
 
jcarroll

jcarroll

Member
If I were you I would buy a test kit and test for ammonia, which should be zero, nitrites which should also be zero, ph, and nitrates which don't have to be zero, but the lower the number the better. Then, if ammonia and nitrites are at 0, you could think about adding your first fish. I know that fish stores seem to be knowledgeable, but they're ultimately there to make money, so they're going to say "yeah, sure you can add some fish". I waited for my tank to cycle for about 4 weeks, then fed the tank with some flake food for another week to make sure my ammonia level didn't spike. If it doesn't spike, then it's safe to add cleanup crew. At that point I added my cleanup crew and I didn't add anything else for another couple of weeks. I've had my tank set up for a year now and haven't lost a fish. It's better to just do things slowly. Otherwise, you could end up wasting a lot of money due to deaths.
 
hawkfish900

hawkfish900

New Member
I would not add any more inverts right now. Do you have live rock in the tank? And as for the first fish maybe Blue/Green Reef Chromis. You do not want to get a fish that will eat you tiny hermit crabs.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Don't trust that they say it is OK...get test kits and KNOW what the parameters are at all times. You will save some money long term. I would be suspicious of any stocking at that rate.
Many such outfits, will, by the way, strongly discourage you doing your own research and trying to slow down...because with everything you learn, you are costing them some money.
 
shawnmonrrt

shawnmonrrt

New Member
thanks for all the great input?? i have 50lbs live rock and sand. here is a silly question, are there different test kits for fresh and salt water tanks. I have 4 fresh water tanks but dont't know if the test kits will work for salt water.
 
demonic

demonic

Member
Yes there are different test kits. I like the seachem marine basic test kits, great for a FOWLR tank. Another thing to understand is if you put a fish in the tank and the parameters are off then its harmful to the fish and its gonna suffer.
 
ben5bauer

ben5bauer

New Member
I think that the fish place in you're town is just trying to make some quick cash. I'd wait at least 2 more weeks and until u have some strong bio activity in ur tank and test you're tank to make sure all of you're levels are at the right places
 
msez2u

msez2u

Member
No mandrian for atleast 6 months. You are better off waiting for a yr. Make sure you have more then enough to substain him they are very delicate eaters
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Re: Test Kits. You can check the mfg web site (or retail sites) and they will tell you fresh or salt. I don't hear this often; but testing media needs to be fresh; if you've had the kits a while, or got them second-hand, then dump them and get a good basic set of testing kits-search this forum for opinions.
 
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