New to saltwater. Need answers!

ladylinn

Member
live rock???????

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New to this hobby and forum.Please need answers.Is it necassary to have live rock for fish only tank? Currently cycling 144 half circle tank with some real and fake corals and plastic decorations couple of damsels and clown fish. Will the fish I eventually get do well without the live rock and what can I use to substitude some fish grazing habits?

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:notsure:
 

fish1031

Active Member
i would get some... but fish can live without
it really helps though
what did you attach your corals to?
 

beatlesfan

Member
First take the fish and corals back to the store. There are easier way to cycle that don't torture/kill fish and corals. Second TAKE THE CORALS BACK. you need expert experiance and good lighting. Third With liverock and coral it's not a fish onlytank lol. Not flaming im just stating the facts
 

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by Beatlesfan
First take the fish and corals back to the store. There are easier way to cycle that don't torture/kill fish and corals. Second TAKE THE CORALS BACK. you need expert experiance and good lighting. Third With liverock and coral it's not a fish onlytank lol. Not flaming im just stating the facts
Take it easy on him, he may have good lighting, we don't know, not all corals require expert care, and the presence of live rock does not disqualify it as a fish-only tank. I agree though that he shouldn't have any livestock in the system until his cycle has completed.
 

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by ladylinn
New to this hobby and forum.Please need answers.Is it necassary to have live rock for fish only tank? Currently cycling 144 half circle tank with some real and fake corals and plastic decorations couple of damsels and clown fish. Will the fish I eventually get do well without the live rock and what can I use to substitude some fish grazing habits?
While it's not necessary to have live rock, it certainly helps, as the live rock provides a breeding ground for biological bacterial that perform some, most, or all of your biological filtration depending on how your filtration is set up and how much rock you have. A good compromise for a FOWLR system is to use "base rock," which is just plain rock sold dry. It will populate with the algae that grazing fish such as tangs need in no time.
You need to remove your corals, clown fish, and preferably your damsels. Damsels are an old fashioned way of cycling a tank, and are not the preferred way as it's hard on the damsels to go through it. Read up on some of the sticky threads in the archive, they should give you all the background you need to get started. It's not likely that your corals will survive the cycle at all, and not likely that the clownfish's gills will not be burned by the ammonia spike.
You may want to check out a book called the Conciencious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. It'll be the most well spent 30 bucks you'll even spend.
 

taz_12777

Member
First, welcome to the boards, its a great place to learn and to get help when needed. Second how long have you had the tank set up, if it has not been long then you will put the fish through unneeded stress and possible kill them before your tank cycles. Adding LR will also help your tank cycle, provide hiding spaces for your fish and give you a place to add your live corals when the time comes.
 

mandarin w

Member
I checked out your picture of your tank, and I have never seen colored dead coral. I am not saying it isn't. just never seen. Which lead me to a few questions.
Is the coral real coral skeletons that have been dyed? If they have been dyed, then you should make sure that it is safe for a saltwater tank. They may leach chemicals into your tank that will be harmful to the fish.
Secondly check the coral skeletons for sharp edges. That is to bad part about using coral skeletons in the tank. The edges and points are usally pretty sharp. When a fish swims by it, it can scratch the fish. Which could lead to problems for the fish. and even the tank. If you want the look of corals without having to put live corals in your tank, that is fine. They make some super nice looking plastic type once. They look awesome. The guy at my LFS(local fish store) will put them in with the real live corals the show them just how good they do look. I have even fallen for a few of these.
I am sorry that a few have harped on you. But their point is vailed. You must have gotten some bad info from your fish store about putting fish in your tank so soon. But in reality it is no different that taken a puppy and putting it in a closed off garage with the car running. The poisons and toxins that will build up in a cycling tank, can kill the fish. That is the purpose of the live rock. The live rock houses the good bacteria that will eventually take care of the bad bacteria. That is what the cycle is for. Please take the fish out and back to the store, or to a friends tank if it is already cycled. Once your tank is ready. Then you can slowly add them back.
We are just trying to save your fish, you the money you paid for them and the fustration of fish dying in your tank and you don't understand why.
Meanwhile, while your tank is cycleing, read as much as you can here. Use the search button the research all you can. If you don't understand something, just ask, we are more the happy to help you understand.
Again, Welcome to the site.
 

craig7220

Member
Well said Mandarin... I would seriously consider adding live rock. Like already said, it will help with your cycle and fish like it if you give them places to hide. Also you will need some test kits to measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels so that you know when the cycle is complete and it is safe to begin to slowly add livestock. Patience is the key in this hobby. And ask questions, there are many many people on this site that have years of experience and very willing to help with your new hobby.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
Looks like those "corals" are artificial decorations, not even dead skeletons. There is nothing wrong with that except that with a little time they will be covered in algae and not very attractive any more. Marine aquariums offer a lot of different options for a beautiful, natural looking system. Find a fish store with good reef systems and you'll see what I mean. That reminds me of my first system when I just didn't know better.
Look through the photo forum here for some very nice examples.
 

watson3

Active Member
Originally Posted by Beatlesfan
First take the fish and corals back to the store. There are easier way to cycle that don't torture/kill fish and corals. Second TAKE THE CORALS BACK. you need expert experiance and good lighting. Third With liverock and coral it's not a fish onlytank lol. Not flaming im just stating the facts
Very poor advice..It happens
 
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