New to this, need some help.

jmbr0828

jmbr0828

Member
Hey all, it's been a while since I tried to keep a reef tank. A.K.A. i got some corals and they died a couple of months afterwards. Since then I have replaced my 55 gal tank due to a crack, and replaced the filter, skimmer, fuge, powerheads, lighting and installed a ro/di unit with an ato system. I believe my turnover rate is correct for a 55gal as I am running a 500gph pond pump in my fuge, a 300gph rena xp2 canister filter, and 1 hydror koralia powerhead, and a maxijet 1500 with the koralia conversion kit. My lighting is a custom 42 LED set up that I just made. See link. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/384635/budget-diy-led
I am running a seaclone 100 skimmer, and two 200W heaters. I've got about 60lb live rock in the tank and am using sand. So far the current fish list is:
1 HUGE maroon clown
1 small yellow tang
1 small Koran angel
2 Dispar Anthias
15 snails
2 Peppermint Shrimp (which I haven't seen since I put them in 4 days ago)
My parameters are:
Salinity or SG 1.022
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
PH 8.2
Calcium 480ppm
Phosphate 0 ppm
Carbonate Hardness 196ppm, which according to the books I have is high (I think)
Here's a couple pics.

I was wondering if I am ok for corals, and If I am, what kind should I start out with? What would you guys add to make this look like one of the sweet reef tanks I see on here.
Please keep in mind that I'm on a budget.
 
dirtysaltwater

dirtysaltwater

New Member
The angel may pick at your corals, you will need to keep it fed well. The yellow tang really needs to be in a 75 gal or larger. matter of fact so will the angel. Xenia will multiply quickly, easy to care for, if your angel doesnt get to it first. A green torch, zoas, candy canes, mushrooms, frog spawn are all good beginning corals. Keep in mind, if you want corals, your fish selection will be limited. It's hit and miss, every system has its own personailty.
 
jmbr0828

jmbr0828

Member
yeah I was thinking I was going to have to get rid of the angel at some point due to size, but I could not resist the colors of that amazing fish. If all goes according to plan, I may be able to upgrade to a bigger tank in a few years. We'll see.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
ur lighting looks pretty yellow. i would bumb the sg up to .023 or even .024. the pepps are small correct? they prob molted and r hiding out give them time. I recently put 2 skunk shrimp in mine but after a while only had one lol. Im begging w/ coral as well and the zoos are doing well as are the mushys. I just got yellow polyps and a kenya tree. The ones dirty listed are good begginer ones as well. Im still learning about light but ur looks yellow imo.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
A few years will be too long for both the tang and the angel. They will probably need more room in a years time at the most.
I'm not an expert though, so hopefully someone with more experience will chime in here.
 
jmbr0828

jmbr0828

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by yannifish http:///forum/thread/384914/new-to-this-need-some-help#post_3374180
A few years will be too long for both the tang and the angel. They will probably need more room in a years time at the most.
I'm not an expert though, so hopefully someone with more experience will chime in here.
Well, I don't have to worry about the koran. I had also bought some dispar anthias about a week ago. Well I went to add some rock and re-aquascape the tank today and put all my fish in a bucket. I put a heater in the bucket to keep the temps good while I did the aquascaping. I had to leavbe for a while to get some su[[lies and came home and the temp in the bucket spiked at 85 degrees. I am very slowly bringing the temp back to normal, and as soon as the temps in the bucket and the tank match I will be putting them back in. So far I lost the anthias and the koran. My big maroon clown (who has always been a trooper) is breathing a little fast, but seems to be ok. Same thing with the tang. I feel like an ass about that. I guess it was just a rookie mistake, and now I have to deal with a wife and two kids who are both sad about the fish dying. I know it sucks, but on the bright side I guess I now have some empty slots in the stocklist. Does anyone have any suggestions for a totally noob reefer on a fish list? Apparently I need some hardy fish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/384914/new-to-this-need-some-help#post_3374072
ur lighting looks pretty yellow. i would bumb the sg up to .023 or even .024. the pepps are small correct? they prob molted and r hiding out give them time. I recently put 2 skunk shrimp in mine but after a while only had one lol. Im begging w/ coral as well and the zoos are doing well as are the mushys. I just got yellow polyps and a kenya tree. The ones dirty listed are good begginer ones as well. Im still learning about light but ur looks yellow imo.
I was going to replace some of the warm whites with some cool whites to help reduce the yellow look. Correct, the peps are pretty small, about 1 inch.
 
jmbr0828

jmbr0828

Member
Update: The tang looks like he is on his way out. The clown isn't looking too hot either. I really hope he makes it, my wife would be devastated if he died.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
I'd be surprised if a short temp spike caused this. What is your temp right now?
What rock did you add? Was it cured? If not you may be having an ammonia spike, do a water change ASAP.
 
jmbr0828

jmbr0828

Member
Yes, rock that I bought was pre-cured. I have been getting rock from this store for years and never had a problem with ammonia spikes afterwards. Plus I used a triple dose of prime as I always do when adding new rock.I know it was the temp spike as I did not have any of the rock in the bucket while I was re-arranging the tank. The tang died, but the clown looks like she is going to pull through! She (as I found out last night) is a trooper. I've had her for 3 and a half years now, and she has toughed it out over all of my "adventures."
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
do u have oxygen getting to ur tank anyway? like a powerhead or output breaking the water? It also helps corals to photosythesis with blue light like actinitics.....do u have any books on saltwater aquariums. I purchased a couple from boarders, in the animal section!
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
See, if I were you I would have dropped the temp back down right away. This could be completely wrong, I've never dealt with temps too high, but it seems to me I'd prefer to stress the fish with a quick drop back to normal levels and have it done than keep stressing it. But like I said, I don't know.
I'm sorry to hear about the tang. Losing a fish is never fun.
Hopefully someone with more experience than me will chime in and offer their ideas.
 
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