Tanks only been up 2 weeks

trillyen

Member
My tanks only been up for about 2 weeks but im soon wanting to add a blue face angel, and i was wondering if you have to have perfect water for them???
im gonna get a 3 inch one for the 129.99.
just wondering how long i should wait until i add him???
 

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
a lot longer than 2 weeks.
Do you have any test Kits? If so have you been testing your water? What are your readings right now? You need to wait until you have a spike in your amomonia and nitirites and trates do water changes and just wait til everything is down to 0. Could take a few months? I dont know muhc about that fish but hopefully someone will chime in. Jyst be patient and read around on these forms about cycling your tank
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Slow way down! The large angels need a large mature tank. You didn't say what size tank you have, but a blue face will grow quite large. It should be kept in a tank that is at least 6 months old (a year old is better yet) with plenty of well-populated lr arranged to give it lots of shelter and caves. Blue faced angels graze all day, so need full growth on the rock in order to thrive. I would make it the last fish planned for my tank, and, depending on the tank size, add other fish first.
 

nicetry

Active Member
You've been given good advice. Angels are fish that do best in very well established tanks, and as GeriDoc said, 6 months is not too long to wait. New set-ups are prone to fluctuations and this can quickly cause a fish like this to go south. You also want to have a large amount of live rock for grazing and shelter. Blue face angels are pretty shy and will head for cover if even remotely startled. They are an expensive fish for sure, and gorgeous. Don't risk it by rushing into the purchase. Over the first few months, add your hardier fish first and let them settle in. This will allow your tank time to mature and stabilze.
 

trillyen

Member
i have a 125, and a 75 gallon soon to be reef tank! and yes i just tested my water to night, and the only spike i seem to be getting in my 125 is nitrites and everything else is good!!,
but my zebra damsel died in my 125 today that had been in there for about a week my nitrites were really high though that might have did it!!
my nitrites and trates were high in my 75 but my chromis seemed to be doing fine, i hope all is as well as it seems
i also used about 3 or 4 gallons in each tank of nutri-sea water or something like that!!
will that help my tank cycle any faster, or is there any thing else i can do to get the show on the road a little quicker besides live sand???
thanks ahead of time
and i have indeed disapointedly taken your advice and decided to wait on my fish for a while but i would like to get something to swim around in there i could maybe keep that wont establish dominance, but im not beyond waiting.
besides im thinking of getting some clowns for my 75, and maybe a hippo tang, and hope fully that will tie me over!!
 

earlybird

Active Member
You need to wait until your nitrites and ammonia are at Zero. The chromis is alive b/c it is a hardy fish. Can't speed up the cycle. The beneficial denitrifying bacteria does not live in the water column but in rocks, sand, and any sponge filter so the nutri-sea water will not aide in establishing this bacteria.
 

trillyen

Member
thanks ill remember that, but how is it gonna cycle with no do-do from the fish, and no food being fed to the fish!!!
 

nick76

Active Member
Originally Posted by trillyen
thanks ill remember that, but how is it gonna cycle with no do-do from the fish, and no food being fed to the fish!!!
Like said, anything that produces ammonia well start the cycle, Live Rock and Live sand is all you need. There's no reason to sacrifice damsels anymore.
 
S

surfinusa

Guest
the tank has to be at least 6-8 months old or the angelfish will die from new tank syndrome but start what other fish are you planning :thinking:
 

amysdude

New Member
I have a 42 Gal. w/25 lbs of LR, I heard about Nature's Ocean Live Sand and started up my tank with it. Going on 4 weeks, I have 2 Chromis, 18 assorted Hermits, 2 Sally Lightfoots, 2 Emerald Crabs, 5 Peppermint Shrimp, 10 Turbo Snails, and 5 Cerith Snails. My Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates are all at 0 (Zero). You may want to look into the different Live Sands at your LFS. Do some research and find you will work for your set up.
 

mie

Active Member
Just because a fish may be hardy and can tolerate poor water conditions does not mean that they like it
 
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