When and what fish should I add?

[makofury]

Well I put in the live sand and all my rocks and what not in my tank. My salinity is at 1.020, my pH is at 8.4, my nitrites and ammonia are at 0, what can I or should I add now? I really don't like the thought of putting damsels in because i don't want to deal with taking them out later. I have the nature's ocean live sand which says it's "instant cycling" but I don't know if I should risk it or not, so what fish should I get? The fish that I would ideally like in my tank are: Raccon Butterfly, Flame Angel, Harlequin Tusk, and maybe something small like a royal gramma or a blenny. I know that none of these fish are terribly delicate but are they safe to add?
Thanks.
MakoFury
[ August 13, 2001: Message edited by: MakoFury ]

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says......
Not a chance that you could keep a Harlequin Tusk in a 65 gallon tank. Just not possible with their size and how active they can be. It would be too small for him to do well. The Angel sounds like a good bet but of course they need a mature tank as does the Butterfly. Usually 6 months or more. And they are prone to get diseases so they( the Butterfly) needs perfect water quality as does the Angel. They can't really be considered for a beginner. Royal Grammas tend to be prone to diseases also, so it is necessary to have perfect water conditions or it will get ick and it spreads to other fish. Trust me it happens a lot, it happened to me. You might want to consider a Black-cap Basslet though. Mine is very healthy and poses no problem to any other fish. And he even gets along with my new Swissguard Basslet. Blennies such as Scooter Blennies need a mature tank with a good copepod colony. But I would call them Scooter Dragonets as they are practically an ugly form of Manderin. Algea Blennies are always cool and hardy and pretty entertaining at that. You might want to start with a Clown.

 

[makofury]

Well, is there any "fun" fish that I could put into the tank initially? Like a puffer or trigger? I really don't want damsels but I want something that can be interesting and easy to catch later on when I do put in nicer fish.

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says......
Well, let's see here. I'm really assuming that you are new to this hobby. And thats good to ask questions before doing anything. You see, when you say "fun fish" you're just telling me that you are more concerned at being entertained by the fish rather than concerned about it's well-being. My first bit of advice is for you to go and start reading up on fish. It doesn't sound like you have studied your fish well. You first stated that you wanted a Butterfly , Angel, and Blenny. Triggers and Puffers would devour a Blenny and pick on the other 2. I think you should start with easy fish. From seeing other people fail I would recommend you just stick with easy fish for now. This is nothing like freshwater where anything goes. You either do it right or you just don't do it. It's as simple as that. Start with a peaceful tank with easy-going fish and work your way up. I can assure you that you will enjoy any fish you get. And you don't have to get Damsels. Get a Clown, they're awesome.

 

[grouperhead]

im in definate agreement w/ lionfish on this. good starter fish include clowns, gobies(neons are great), some dwarf angels such as cb and flame (wait a little while though), psuedochromis, grammas(lionfish, i have never seen a sick gramma, i thought they were hardy?), wrasses such as 6 line. if you really want a butterfly, i would suggest a black pyramid as they are very hardy and easy to keep. bo

 

[makofury]

Actually, I ask a lot of the questions for reaffirmation, I've actually been doing this for quite a while now and I know about compatibility and everything, im not a beginner but im no expert. I ask all these questions because I want other people's input and what they think, not because I am completely clueless. I've had my share of damsels, im sick of em, never had a clownfish so I think i'll try one of those.
MakoFury

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says......
Glad to hear you are interested in the cllown. They are well worth the money. In the future you may want to try a Swissguard Basslet too. Coolest little fish I've ever had. I got a Swissguard Basslet, a Foxface, and a Yellow Head Jawfish today. I would also recommend the Jawfish in the future. I never really recommend Butterflies, although, it most certainly can be done, they just have a disposition of being too hard to keep. Also, sorry for mistaking you as a newbie. I was juust wondering after you mentioned a Harlequin Tusk in a 65 gallon tank. And, Grouperhead, you have never heard of sick Grammas? Surprising. They are said to be hardy which they are, but they get ick very easily. Especially when temperatures fluctuate too often.

 

[makofury]

It's ok, I just had HORRIBLE luck with this tank, man, I thought that with a 65 gallon I could keep a lot of the fish that I wanted to, I guess not. Yeah, the tank is being re-setup so it's basically like its new, the nature's ocean live sand says "instant cycling" but I dunno if I'm gonna trust that unless my LFS wants to refund me money lost from fish because of a nitrite/ammonia spike. I just want to throw a few fish in to test the waters out...I've always really liked the common clownfish, what kinda tankmates could I keep with him? I guess im looking for just 3 maybe 4 fish. Thanks for all the advice guys!
MakoFury