New Tank Setup...55G

[jaketuff]

Aright...


I have a Hydor Nano Skimmer / Aquatop CF300 Canister Filter / Whisper 3 (a true classic!) HOB Filter

Stocked with 2 Ocellaris Clowns, 1 Goby, 1 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Bubble Anemone, 1 Sebae Anemone, 3 Hermits, and 3 Nassarius Snails.

Thinking of adding a Yellow Tang, and an Angel Fish to finish of the stock...

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[snakeblitz33]

1. What is your lighting? and your lighting schedule?

2. Adding a tang depends on how small it is and if you plan to upgrade when it outgrows the tank.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaketuff http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532369
Aright...


I have a Hydor Nano Skimmer / Aquatop CF300 Canister Filter / Whisper 3 (a true classic!) HOB Filter

Stocked with 2 Ocellaris Clowns, 1 Goby, 1 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Bubble Anemone, 1 Sebae Anemone, 3 Hermits, and 3 Nassarius Snails.

Thinking of adding a Yellow Tang, and an Angel Fish to finish of the stock...

Thoughts?

Thanks.


Hi,

Welcome to the site!

A yellow tang doesn't belong in a tank less then 6 foot long, they are territorial and get really mean when they don't have their space. Rehoming a fish is a huge pain in the butt. Rehoming stresses the fish and all the other tank critters. Often you have to totally dismantle the rock work to get to the fish, moving rock that has been sitting for a while may disturb the sand around it, releasing toxins that could kill everything in the tank, so it's no small undertaking. Do yourself and the fish a favor and only stock fish that can live out their lives in your tank size, unless like snake said, you plan to upgrade the tank to something larger. I say that because if you plan to upgrade, it won't matter because you have to dismantle the tank anyway.

The dwarf angel fish is well suited for a 55g and they are beautiful very active swimmers. A Lemonpeel dwarf angel fish (personal favorite) will give you the cool yellow color without all the drama a yellow tang would cause. As a bonus the lemonpeel will also eat any hair algae before it gets a foot hold. The only draw back of a dwarf angel fish, is that you can only have one per tank...so be it a Lemonpeel, bicolor, flame or coral beauty...make sure to choose the one you like best.

 

[jaketuff]

Thanks guys...
I had figured the Tang to be more passive, but can appreciate the limitations of the tank size.
I also had thought of Angels. There are no dwarf Tangs that would cohabit well?
...lighting... I have Fluval LEDs across entire tank. I am going to have a timer on it for 8 hours.... 2pm to 10pm. Overkill?
Thanks for the support!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaketuff http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532372
Thanks guys...
I had figured the Tang to be more passive, but can appreciate the limitations of the tank size.
I also had thought of Angels. There are no dwarf Tangs that would cohabit well?
...lighting... I have Fluval LEDs across entire tank. I am going to have a timer on it for 8 hours.... 2pm to 10pm. Overkill?
Thanks for the support!


Hi,

With fish only and no corals, you can have the lights on all you want or keep them off most of the time. The light is for you to enjoy your fish, they don't really care...the ambient light from the room is enough to keep them happy.

A 55g tank is pretty small to try much of anything. A 75g would allow you to have a Kole yellow eyed tang, or a foxface rabbit fish.

 

[jaketuff]

WOW....

Checked my Parameters tonight....


PH is 7.8
Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 5.0
Nitrate 5.0

HIGH! Yet, Fish and Anemone are doing very well. I water changed 10% tonight. Will test Friday night.

Question... My Hydor Nano... It sits like this...


It is below the water surface on the intake. It cleaned it tonight and found some decent (green skimmate) and most of the Copepods I had dropped in to feed a RIP Scooter Blenny.

This sucker is not ideally picking up water right? I am not getting any microbubbles to the tank from it, it has been skimming. But it looks like it is too low, it cannot magnetize properly to anchor beyond the top plastic lip of the tank bracket. Am I wasting my time with it?

THANKS!

 

[flower]

Hi,

Welcome to the site....nitrites at 5.0 are deadly to sea life, so either you have old tests, or doing them wrong, there is no way your anemone is doing "very well". Didn't you cycle this tank before adding life? Something is very, very wrong.

 

[jaketuff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532496
Hi,

Welcome to the site....nitrites at 5.0 are deadly to sea life, so either you have old tests, or doing them wrong, there is no way your anemone is doing "very well". Didn't you cycle this tank before adding life? Something is very, very wrong.

Yeeeap... "cycled."

Don't think the test is way off... its the kit by API. But the anemones are sound, eating and seeking the light.... I think the ammonia maybe from regurged shrimp I had fed the anemone that rotted under their feet. 2 pinky tip size pieces. I guess this will kick up more good bacteria eventually. I have limited feeding to the clowns, and to the anemones. Waiting to see spike reduction.

No point in ammo-locking .... waiting for it to work out and nitrite it up in the next spike. The fish are bright, swimming smoothly and vigorously. No wallowing and no respiratory challenges... YET.

Keeping an eye out daily.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaketuff http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532541

Yeeeap... "cycled."

Don't think the test is way off... its the kit by API. But the anemones are sound, eating and seeking the light.... I think the ammonia maybe from regurged shrimp I had fed the anemone that rotted under their feet. 2 pinky tip size pieces. I guess this will kick up more good bacteria eventually. I have limited feeding to the clowns, and to the anemones. Waiting to see spike reduction.

No point in ammo-locking .... waiting for it to work out and nitrite it up in the next spike. The fish are bright, swimming smoothly and vigorously. No wallowing and no respiratory challenges... YET.

Keeping an eye out daily.

Hi,

API tests are no longer reliable, and if it says you have 5.0 nitrites, and you anemone is still alive...yours is no good....I don't care if it's brand spanking new.

 

[jaketuff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532543

Hi,

API tests are no longer reliable, and if it says you have 5.0 nitrites, and you anemone is still alive...yours is no good....I don't care if it's brand spanking new.

Yep... I have two Anemone flourishing right now... they are not breeding or anything like that but they are colorful and active.... What refractometer is best?

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532543

Hi,

API tests are no longer reliable, and if it says you have 5.0 nitrites, and you anemone is still alive...yours is no good....I don't care if it's brand spanking new.

I don't think Nitrites are harmful to Anemone until you get over 100ppm.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532580

I don't think Nitrites are harmful to Anemone until you get over 100ppm.

Another new lesson....I thought nitrites were deadly to all sea life. So again I learn something new, but riddle me this Batman, doesn't nitrites at 5.0 affect fish? If it doesn't, then why when we cycle a tank do we wait until nitrites and ammonia drop to 0?

These are not snooty questions, I honestly want to understand.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532586

Another new lesson....I thought nitrites were deadly to all sea life. So again I learn something new, but riddle me this Batman, doesn't nitrites at 5.0 affect fish? If it doesn't, then why when we cycle a tank do we wait until nitrites and ammonia drop to 0?

These are not snooty questions, I honestly want to understand.

No, Nitrites @ 5ppm will not affect fish in a saltwater system anymore than 5ppm of Nitrate. That would be deadly in a freshwater system with no salinity. In a saltwater system you can think of Nitrite as smog. If it gets really high (>20ppm) it can get uncomfortable for our animals and perhaps dangerous for sick fish. I don't think Nitrite can climb to deadly levels in our systems without pouring it in directly.

Ammonia on the other hand is very toxic. Levels above 0.5ppm are dangerous to many reef organisms, especially if PH is high.

Personally, I see no reason to test Nitrite levels unless trying to diagnose a problem. Nitrite above 0.0ppm indicates the biologic filtration is not functioning properly.

 

[2quills]

That ammonia test looks dangerously high to me. Maybe it's just my eyes.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532589

No, Nitrites @ 5ppm will not affect fish in a saltwater system anymore than 5ppm of Nitrate. That would be deadly in a freshwater system with no salinity. In a saltwater system you can think of Nitrite as smog. If it gets really high (>20ppm) it can get uncomfortable for our animals and perhaps dangerous for sick fish. I don't think Nitrite can climb to deadly levels in our systems without pouring it in directly.

Ammonia on the other hand is very toxic. Levels above 0.5ppm are dangerous to many reef organisms, especially if PH is high.

Personally, I see no reason to test Nitrite levels unless trying to diagnose a problem. Nitrite above 0.0ppm indicates the biologic filtration is not functioning properly.

So then if we are cycling a tank for the first time...once ammonia drops to 0 it is okay to add that first fish....good to know, (or did I misunderstand something). I have been keeping fish since my teen years, doing SW only about 14 years now, I guess the freshwater rules on nitrite no longer applies. I have gone into panic mode for some folks when they tell me they have nitrites showing on tests. Thanks

 

[bang guy]

I'm a bit more conservative on adding fish after a cycle. I like to test the bacteria populations by adding food to see if ammonia rises. I think one of the biggest mistakes these days is being in such a hurry. A cycled tank with ammonia at zero isn't necessarily mature enough or stable enough to add a fish.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532592
That ammonia test looks dangerously high to me. Maybe it's just my eyes.

That's the thing that made me doubt the test results...all the numbers are horrible and OP says the anemone and fish are doing great.

Remember when everyone got together and helped with getting me a sump...it was because my nitrates were reading super off the chart high, and yet my shrimp was healthy and happy...I had used my canister system for at least 11 years without a hitch, and everyone kept insisting it was a nitrate factory. Some folks suggested that maybe the shrimp adapted to the high nitrates and could survive. Acrylic51 decided to build me a sump and everyone pitched in with ideas....

Turned out that API test kits were just off, I had purchased another one thinking my first kit was just old, and got the same reading.... Used a friends new API kit, and it read the same. BTLDreef kept insisting the API kit was off. I couldn't believe that 3 kits could be bad...so I purchased an Aquaripure nitrate filter, had the new sump system up and running, and still the nitrates were super high. So I began doing DAILY 5g water changes on my 90g....the nitrates would drop to 10 and by next morning it was back up to 80+....talk about hassle, keeping that much premixed saltwater handy in my tiny house. FINALLY I listened to BTLDreef, and purchased a Seachem multi kit...nitrates were 0.1 and ever since, I now only use seachem kits, and have macroalgae, my nitrates and phosphate readings are a perfect 0, and has been for the last 2 years.

API used to be top of the line test kits, I swore by them and told everyone to get them....I don't know what they did to change it, but they are no longer reliable. At least not the nitrate test for certain, and ammonia at 1.0 with a few thriving anemones...no way is that test kit right, or the OP isn't doing the test correctly, which I highly doubt.

 

[jaketuff]

Well... The only answer is that the API Test is way off...

The ammonia is not exaggerated too much, it is a slightly lighter green color than the pic. But nonetheless seemingly WAAAAAAY high for the Tank to have survivors and thrivers. (KOW!)

I order the SeaChem Test Kit to cross check and hope it displays the Ammonia drop that we would consider obvious with solid fish and anemones.

We'll see!

Pics of the tank right now... (Curing more Live Rock for a future add) Hoping all goes well!!!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532594
I'm a bit more conservative on adding fish after a cycle. I like to test the bacteria populations by adding food to see if ammonia rises. I think one of the biggest mistakes these days is being in such a hurry. A cycled tank with ammonia at zero isn't necessarily mature enough or stable enough to add a fish.

That's why I always recommend an extra week of ghost feeding, just to be on the safe side. I also like to recommend the use of a quarantine tank, it not only protects the display from parasites and disease, but it also adds the time buffer between adding fish too fast to a new system. I'm just so surprised to learn that nitrites are not deadly to SW critters, if anyone but you said it, I would have my doubts. I love this hobby, it just never grows old, there is always something new to learn.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaketuff http:///t/396445/new-tank-setup-55g#post_3532621
Well... The only answer is that the API Test is way off...

The ammonia is not exaggerated too much, it is a slightly lighter green color than the pic. But nonetheless seemingly WAAAAAAY high for the Tank to have survivors and thrivers. (KOW!)

I order the SeaChem Test Kit to cross check and hope it displays the Ammonia drop that we would consider obvious with solid fish and anemones.

We'll see!

Pics of the tank right now... (Curing more Live Rock for a future add) Hoping all goes well!!!



I'm glad to hear you are planning on more rock. Pictures are always hard to tell...but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to repeat this.

Rock must be on the bottom glass, not built on shifting sand. Move the sand to one side, then place the rock where you want it, then push the sand back around the rock. Also make absolutely sure the rock work is good and stable, not just balanced on top of each other. The live rock has little crevices and natural notches, by gently twisting and turning the rock you can get them to "lock" into each other so they won't topple.

Many saltwater critters dig, including the CUC, so it's very important that the rocks are on the bottom glass where the digging won't cause a rock slide, which could crush your critters or break the tank.