Updates on new SW tank

jacknjill

Active Member
you put it in now. you can leave it in till it rots away completely, or take it out once the cycles kicks off. the shrimp is the same as using damsels, but better because you arent torturing something alive in acid water.
 

woodymdt

Member
Di,
That looks like a beautiful tank in the making. I wish that I could take as much credit as you gave me in your post, but I was just the newbie who was asking questions, and people like Arkey and JacknJill and others were kind enough to help me work through getting my tank setup.
I'm still quite the newbie, but I'm learning as we go along. If it weren't for the gracious assistance of these and others on here, I would probably still be scared to death of SWA and just be keeping freshwater tanks.
Keep up the great work, listen to these veterans, and keep us updated on your tanks progress!!
 

woodymdt

Member
I forgot to mention that the Mrs. and I went to a local LFS this evening and got 4.5 more lb of LR...that moves us up to around 47 pounds, still well under limits, but these two pieces were very nice, and helped me gain a couple more "levels" for when the corals and anemones come.
Oh, and the peppermint shrimp LOVE the two new pieces. They were scuttering around my hand and the rock while I was making a place for them.
I'll take new "full tank pictures" tomorrow after church.
:jumping:
 

divingdi

Member
Thanks, JacknJill -- that makes perfect sense. I'll get a shrimp tomorrow and get the cycle underway. You "veterans" are wonderful in sharing your knowledge!
And Woody, thanks for the kind words. I'll definitely keep the forum updated on the progress of my tank. Just remember -- you may be a newbie, but you're doing the research, practicing patience, and asking a lot of questions, which makes you a great resource too!
Btw, I told my husband the "George & Gracie" story tonight over dinner, and he loved it!
 

a0b915

Member
Woody,
Just wanted to thank you and the rest of the veteran crew for this very informative thread. I am a newbie as well with a 58 gallon aquarium. I got off easy because the tank was given to me and was already established when I got it. The tank had been neglected for a while, so there was a little work to get the chemistry back to normal.
Sorry for the rambling.
I was wondering how often you see your peppermint shrimp. I bought two from the LFS four days ago, drip acclimated them for two hours and put them in the tank. I have only seen one of them twice. I haven't seen any remains anywhere or found there hiding spots.
JD
 

maeistero

Active Member
shrimpers stay hidden alot. keep an eye out and they'll pop out about an hour before bedtime. or you can sneak up and turn on a flashlight.
:scared:
 

woodymdt

Member
They do stay out of plain view quite a bit. Our Fire Shrimp hasn't come out from under a rock for a couple days, but he's just enjoying where he is, moving around under that rock.
The Peppers, they are a little more curious than the fire is...they come right to the edge of a rock that is close to the tank front...so we have a pretty good view of them.
 

jacknjill

Active Member
peppermint shrimp are nocturnal. i hardly ever see mine except one time when i was moving a rock and i think i destroyed his house :rolleyes: anyways, he ran for cover. lol. i sometimes see him at night with a flashlight but he runs back into the rocks. if you want a "fun" shrimp, get a cleaner shrimp or 2. they do well in pairs and are hilarious
 

divingdi

Member
Fire shrimp are very high on my list for my reef-in-the-making. (I finally figured out that it is a nano, but I still like this thread! Thanks, everyone, for all the wonderful info.)
After seeing what some of you and some of the nano folks have done with aquascaping, I realized mine needed some serious rethinking. Here's the latest arrangement, which has both more visual interest (I hope) and better flow for critters. The only place where LR touches glass is one small spot on the left side. All comments/suggestions are welcome.
 

woodymdt

Member
I think it looks fantastic!! One problem I had when I was setting up my LR, was I didn't want to cover any of it because a vast majority of it was so pretty...and I wanted to look at ALL of it..hehe.
Finally I had to bite the bullet and lay some pieces on top of other pieces, but I think it's working out ok so far.
:jumping:
 

divingdi

Member
Thanks. My original thought was to create a "backdrop" of LR along the back side of the aquarium. Then after seeing what you and others were doing, I realized it looked pretty boring.
Headed out to buy a cocktail shrimp!
Question: Am I supposed to turn OFF the protein skimmer for a few days to speed up the cycle?
...some of this seems so "backwards" from my freshwater experience...
 

jacknjill

Active Member
good luck on the shrimp. when you go and ask for just 1 shrimp, they are gonna think you are crazy lol.
about the protein skimmer, you can leave it on to kinda break it in. but its not gonna really pull anything out for a while. its your choice
 

divingdi

Member
Yeah, I've been wondering what the folks at the seafood counter are gonna say!
Thanks for the info. -- I have it on, and would like to leave it running, just to break it in and help everything settle down.
I'll report in on my marketing adventures later! :joy:
 

woodymdt

Member

Originally posted by DivingDi
Yeah, I've been wondering what the folks at the seafood counter are gonna say!
Thanks for the info. -- I have it on, and would like to leave it running, just to break it in and help everything settle down.
I'll report in on my marketing adventures later! :joy:

If it's anything like mine and others it'll go something like...
You: "I'd like one raw shrimp please?"
Counter person: "One pound??"
You: "No, one individual shrimp."
Counter person: "What, are you on a diet?"
etc. and so on........
:hilarious :hilarious :hilarious
 

divingdi

Member
Well, the shrimp is in. Given the size of my tank, I got a really small one -- and the tail was already gone!
The conversation at the market was pretty funny:
Me: I'd like one of those small shrimp, please.
Him: No problem!
[Then it registers]
...uh -- one SHRIMP?
Me: Yes.
Him: You're sure??
Me: Yup.
Him: Just one.
Me: Yup.
Him: OK...
[handing me a bag with one lonely shrimp in it]
On the house. Have a nice day!
 

woodymdt

Member
ON THE HOUSE???:mad:
Well that's just not fair! You should have to pay the 0.42 cents I had to pay at least..hehehe.
But then I'm sure I don't have your looks, so being on the house was probably a compliment!! hehehe..
Sounds good...keep us updated on how things are going.
 

divingdi

Member
ROTFL!

I think he was just too confused to charge me -- it probably wouldn't even register on his scale!
:happy:
 
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