Yay!!!My mom said yes!!!Uh oh i need HELP!!!please help.

fishygurl

fishygurl

Active Member
OK my mom finally said yes i could get a saltwater aquarium
after i researched it for 3+ years now but now i need help.
We just bought a 72 GALLON aquarium with a stand hood and
everything else but now i need to know
how much live sand to put in.( I already got sand, i just need live sand now.
i heard your not supposed to put all live sand)
i also need to know if all my fish will go together all the research ive done
said that they would all pretty much go together.
MY FISH!!!!!!! (that i want)
2 Soloman Clownfish
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Mandarin Dragonet
1 Marine Betta
1 Blue Hippo Tang
1 Yellow/Canary Wrasse
I Also want to know if that will all fit if i calculated right that would be 21 inches of fish
And i was wondering if i could get an Angel, and or Damsels Maybe a ..........
Flame Angel and or some
Yellow-Tailed Blue Damsels
Would all these fish go good with... 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Live rock, and some mushroom polyps, and some sponges???
Please tell me what you think
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
You need to wait a year to add the dragonet, all they eat are copepods so your tank has to be really established. You also have to have 100 lbs of LR to support a dragonet. I'm not sure if a 72 gallon is big enough for a hippo tang.What kind of lighting do you have for the mushrooms?
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Welcome to the boards!
A great book to get for fish compatability/habitat needs is Michael's "Pocket guide to Marine Fishes"
Watch your bioload. What kind of filtration are you going to have?
That Tang will get way too big.
Mandarins need lot's of live rock and are hard to feed.
Damsels get very aggressive and territorial.
 
cain420

cain420

Active Member
MINIMUM requirements for a hippo tang are 75 gallons from what i read.. and i believe that does not take into account for live rock, as it takes up a large portion. those fish love to swim, and when they get bigger they will be stressed and die as a result.
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
Originally Posted by cain420
MINIMUM requirements for a hippo tang are 75 gallons from what i read.. and i believe that does not take into account for live rock, as it takes up a large portion. those fish love to swim, and when they get bigger they will be stressed and die as a result.

 
danedodger

danedodger

Member
Welcome to the boards!! And yaaay another addict...oops ummm I mean HOBBYIST :joy:
It's good you've been doing your research!! That's a big part of this obsession, research and patience!!
1 - you absolutely can use all livesand but some of us just can't afford that! If you use regular sand and add some livesand on top of it the bacteria and such in the livesand will populate the regular sand so that's definitely a good way to go too. If you aren't going to have something that needs deep sand (tunnellers, burrow builders, etc.) you can go with about 2-3 inches of sand and be fine.
2 - Some things to watch/prepare for/be aware of:
You'd have to watch that dottyback to make sure he didn't decide to pick on the dragonet. The dragonet is a fairly slow, sedintary, shy fish and can be a target to several other kinds of fish that may bully him.
Both the dragonet and the betta can be hard to handle as far as feeding goes and the betta could be a problem with those shrimp. I wouldn't consider either the dragonet or betta to be "beginner's fish" so, just my advice, at least hold off on those two until you're more used to keeping your tank and some easier fish.
While mushrooms don't need the upgraded lighting that some other corals do they DO seem to flourish better with at least some upgrade to lighting.
 
S

sarah fair

Guest
I myself have not had much succsess with the yellow tailed blue damsels..they get sick real easy and its easy to bring a sick one home..but the dominos for me have been good..but thats just me
 
fishygurl

fishygurl

Active Member
how much live sand do i need??? i already have a bucket full of sand (thats good for the aquarium) its filled up to the top of a normal sized bucket i think it holds 5 gal. not sure maybe 10??? just so u can get a rough idea of how much i already have. so ide like to know how much live sand i will have to buy?
 
mikersof

mikersof

Member
Originally Posted by FishyGurl
how much live sand do i need??? i already have a bucket full of sand (thats good for the aquarium) its filled up to the top of a normal sized bucket i think it holds 5 gal. not sure maybe 10??? just so u can get a rough idea of how much i already have. so ide like to know how much live sand i will have to buy?
Greetings Fishygurl,
I, too, am brand new to saltwater. I just today placed my first order for fish after 6 weeks of watching water then water and sand then water, sand and live rock. now, i have an 80 bowfront with 210# LR and DSB, a 29 with 65# of LR and DSB and a 10 QT tank ready. Fish i hope will be here friday!! YEAH!!!! ***)
Here's a pretty cool sand calculator....
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ory=0&x=5&y=14
See what you think!
Best wishes with the new tank!!! PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE!!!!!
james =)
 
enyates

enyates

Member
mom said you can get a tank after you research for 3 years???.... is this the beginning of your 3 years??
 
jonny bolt

jonny bolt

Member
Congrats on the new tank
How much sand do you already have? I also have a 72g bowfront, and I used the 40 pounds of my live sand from my old 38g, then bought a 30 pound bag of aragamax, and another 10 pound bag some other fine white sand. Thats about 80 pounds, and should be a good start for ya. My sandbed ranges anywhere from 2-4.5". Good rule of thumb to start with, have alteast one pound of sand for every gallon. I personally wouldnt use under about 80 pounds in the 72g.
Some more advice, before rushing into figuring out your "stocking list" for all the fish you want, get some LR and cycle your tank. Once its cycled, get a Clownfish to start. But make sure you have all the necessary testing kits and tools for testing water parameters first. There's really no sense in having a big "Fish Wish List" if you start off on the wrong foot and your water parameters are never correct.
Once your over that hump, remember to add aggressive fish last. Example: If you get an Angel, and it is in the tank for weeks and completely acclimated, then try to add say, a Wrasse, you may have some problems. I would be willing to bet you 20 bux the Angel would blast tha Wrasse out of any live rock you have setup, and more than likely stress the fish to death.
Good luck!!!
 
yimmy

yimmy

Active Member
I'm 15 and got a 95 for xmas. What kind of filtration do you have, (sump,skimmer and all that). The tang would be fine for a bit but you'd have to give it up. For your fish list you want to put in the hardier and docile fish 1st. For my tank this is what I'm doing so you can get an idea...
2 tank raised ocellaris clowns
royal gramma
Lawnmower Blenny
LNbuttefly ( this should usually go in later, it's docile but is a picky eater, my fish store steered me wrong but I got mine to eat mysis and prepared foods)
Blue Spotted Jawfish
Flame angel
maybe a yellow eyed tang.
I have a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) I only have the clowns,gramma,blenny,and buttefly now. usually i should add that after the jawfish. Thats a general idea of the speciees and the order you would want to look at.
Another thing is just remember this isn't the cheapest hobby, I coughed up 2500 originally and with all the fish water for top offs and everything i'm looking at another 500. I also figured it costs me 10$ a week for water and food. Good Luck
Jimmy
 
mikersof

mikersof

Member
Originally Posted by Jonny Bolt
Once its cycled, get a Clownfish to start.
Wonderful advice. I was thinking chromis-- then thinking of a yellow-tail blue damsel--- and with advice from a bunch on the boards went with my first choice in fish-- clowns!
OH OH OH! maybe here friday! I'M TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP!
james =)
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
as others have stated welcome to the addiction/hobby.as for your list of fish I think damsels is a good start although alot people dont like them.most of the species you have listed are best for a well established tank id say 6-8 mo matured at minimum
2 Soloman Clownfish
1 Orchid Dottyback<>canary wrasse: not a great mix .dottys are very agressive and territorial and can not be easily mixed with like species(may or may not work)
1 Mandarin Dragonet after astablished a yr
1 Marine Betta
1 Blue Hippo Tang
1 Yellow/Canary Wrasse<> dottybacks+ shrimp or small crabs = lunch just dont spend alot on shrimp
as far as angels go id go with a pigmy type angel something that wont out grow your tank or be to stressed in it.
 
fishygurl

fishygurl

Active Member
ok my new list
2 soloman clownfish
1 yellow/canary wrasse
1 blue hippo tang
1 orchid dottyback
1 mandarin dragonet
^ id'e add these in order like this, would that be okay(and its over a long time i wouldnt just get em all. probabally a year- a year and a half before i have em all)
2 cleaner shrimp
6-12 blue legged hermits
live rock
live sand
^ id'e add these at the beggining
mushroom polyps
a sponge or two
a christmas tree rock
^i'de add these after a while
will all this be okay and pretty much get along and not kill each other???
 
morales67

morales67

Member
Originally Posted by Yimmy
I'm 15 and got a 95 for xmas. What kind of filtration do you have, (sump,skimmer and all that). The tang would be fine for a bit but you'd have to give it up. For your fish list you want to put in the hardier and docile fish 1st. For my tank this is what I'm doing so you can get an idea...
2 tank raised ocellaris clowns
royal gramma
Lawnmower Blenny
LNbuttefly ( this should usually go in later, it's docile but is a picky eater, my fish store steered me wrong but I got mine to eat mysis and prepared foods)
Blue Spotted Jawfish
Flame angel
maybe a yellow eyed tang.
I have a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) I only have the clowns,gramma,blenny,and buttefly now. usually i should add that after the jawfish. Thats a general idea of the speciees and the order you would want to look at.
Another thing is just remember this isn't the cheapest hobby, I coughed up 2500 originally and with all the fish water for top offs and everything i'm looking at another 500. I also figured it costs me 10$ a week for water and food. Good Luck
Jimmy
todays my b-day!, im turnig 15 too! but i got my 55 gal as an early b-day present a couple of weeks ago
i havent even set it up cuz i dont have a stand yet
and i still am not sure how to use it ( fowlr, fish only atc)
also im still learning a lot of things that i didnt know before
 
morales67

morales67

Member
Originally Posted by FishyGurl
ok my new list
2 soloman clownfish
1 yellow/canary wrasse
1 blue hippo tang
1 orchid dottyback
1 mandarin dragonet
^ id'e add these in order like this, would that be okay(and its over a long time i wouldnt just get em all. probabally a year- a year and a half before i have em all)
2 cleaner shrimp
6-12 blue legged hermits
live rock
live sand
^ id'e add these at the beggining
mushroom polyps
a sponge or two
a christmas tree rock
^i'de add these after a while
will all this be okay and pretty much get along and not kill each other???
ide wait on the blue tang
tangs are not very good starting fish, especially this tang
 
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