Questions from someone who is very inexperienced

[corcoadam]

I have a couple questions that I hope won't get people on here biting my head off but will get people to explain things to me. I acquired a 40 gal aquarium from a friend of mine and he said it was set up for salt water fish but didn't give me much else to go on. I purchased the acquarium gravel from wal mart because I didn't know that sand or anything was available. I also have like 40 lbs of live rock. Is this ok? I have a light but it's not very powerful. Do I leave it on all the time or turn it off at night? All I have in there right now is a condi anemone and a clownfish. The clown however doesn't seem to have any interest in the anemone. Is this normal?
Thanks for any help.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Corcoadam
I have a couple questions that I hope won't get people on here biting my head off but will get people to explain things to me. I acquired a 40 gal aquarium from a friend of mine and he said it was set up for salt water fish but didn't give me much else to go on. I purchased the acquarium gravel from wal mart because I didn't know that sand or anything was available. I also have like 40 lbs of live rock. Is this ok? I have a light but it's not very powerful. Do I leave it on all the time or turn it off at night? All I have in there right now is a condi anemone and a clownfish. The clown however doesn't seem to have any interest in the anemone. Is this normal?
Thanks for any help.
Welcome to swf.com you have some to the right place!!!!
Anemones need light. A regular light strip is not going to be enough. Gravel is not a good choice for marine life. Sand is MUCH better and often needed for salt fish. They are right from the ocean, so the best way to make them as comfortable as possible is to replicate the ocean as closely as we can. Please post any and all questions/ concerns that you may have!

 

[fishmamma]

Welcome! The biggest favor you can do yourself is to go out and purchase a basics guide to setting up a saltwater tank. This is a great site to use as well and most importantly, try to find a good LFS to walk you through it all. An option to start would be to trade in that anemone and keep your current lighting system until you are more educated....what you want may totally change since this hobby is quite addictive.

Good luck to you, don't be afraid to ask questions- we all started somewhere.

 

[windmill]

I agree with sepulation. I guess I could say sepulation is right.
Anemones do need a lot of light. Regular fluorescent wont ever cut it, and T5 and Power Compact fluorescent you'll need lots of to keep it healthy. The best bet is Metal Halide but that's out of reach to most. I'd suggest increasing the light output immediately or get rid of the anemone, it's not likely to last very long under it's current lights.
Gravel is not a good choice for marine life. Sand is MUCH better and often needed for salt fish. They are right from the ocean, so the best way to make them as comfortable as possible is to replicate the ocean as closely as we can.
Exactly! The best marine aquariums look like they are a sample of what you would find snorkeling/scuba diving in the ocean. I, personally, don't like and would never ever put in any artificial stuff like sunken ships, porcelain pirates or signs, or bubble activated toys. Same with the gravel, none of that hot pink sh!t. I use live sand as substrate and a mix of live rock and aragonite base rock as decorations. This is not only natural, but good for the environment too as live sand and rock is a filtering medium in itself.

 

[watson3]

You also need to read up on the people that post to your question..On one hand they will say a condi is the easiest, lowest light and then they may tell you to get rid of it..Do you like it..Does it seem to be doing ok

 

[dave flood]

Your doing fine, gravel is ok. Ive had it in my 30 for 7 yrs. now. Id get a better lite and put it on a timer,slowley add more time everyday up to 12 hrs?

 

[gmidd]

I'm new to the SWF world also and the best advice I could give is read these forums religiously, while most people here don't judge and have tons of great advice and experience, do your research. One thing I've seen from post is people rushing to get their tank set up and then experiencing headache and/or giving up. I've had my 30gal for over a month and yet to set it up because I want to get the right equipment and go with Live Rock and Live Sand and it cost money to do it right.
As for the Clown and Anenomes. You'll need the right light for the Anenome or it will die. Also with the Anenomes, not all clowns will except any anenome. I read one forum memeber went through 3 before their clown made its home. Some recommend to buy them as a pair but I've yet to find a site or store that sells them. Good luck

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by Dave Flood
Your doing fine, gravel is ok. Ive had it in my 30 for 7 yrs. now. Id get a better lite and put it on a timer,slowley add more time everyday up to 12 hrs?
You really can't say that not knowing what gravel he purchased. Freshwater colored gravel, for instance, has been known to "bleed" in a saltwater tank.
Do yourself a huge favor and purchase a good book (there are some rather bad books out there...) on SW tanks like this book
You'll get a lot of opinions here. The best thing you can do is educate yourself so that you can weed through the good/bad advice.
I agree with several other posters... that anemone is probaly on it's way out. Anemones are one of the most light intensive invert sprecies.
Welcome to the boards! Read, research, and ask questions. You'll learn a lot.

 

[michaeltx]

on the gravel another problem is that its neutral and large which means that it will trap detrous and other food material between the rocks and can cause some bad readings. some else is that it is harder for micro fauna to colonize it because of the size and shape of it....
I would have to 2nd 3rd or what ever the anemone they really need an established tank and good lighting to thrive not just survive.
Mike