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[reefmaster]

welcome dude

 

[artoledo]

last night i was looking for my starfish and he was under a rock. i pulled him out and he was flacid. so i left him in the middle of the tank. This morning he was still in the same place. so i took it upon myself to assume he was dead. what could it possibly be that killed him. Maybe when they took him out of the tank at my LFS he was exposed to air? i dont know. You just might be right melosu. he had some gooey brown stuff under him. any idea what this might be? also, my xenia looks like its getting bigger. and the snails are still reeking havoc in my tank. lol

 

[austinsdad]

That's a pretty sensitive star for such a new tank IMO.

I'm also on the "shorten the lighting" bandwagon.

Welcome to AA by the way!!!

Also, you plan on adding more fish? If so, best of luck with those (sometimes - no often) nasty damsels. They may stress newcomers out - regardless of the size of'm.

What kinda damsels BTW, since some are meaner than others.

Guessing you cycled with them. May consider replacing them. I'd vote gettng them out and replacing them with a mated pair of clowns. My 2 cents...

 

[artoledo]

That's a pretty sensitive star for such a new tank IMO.

I'm also on the "shorten the lighting" bandwagon.

Welcome to AA by the way!!!

Also, you plan on adding more fish? If so, best of luck with those (sometimes - no often) nasty damsels. They may stress newcomers out - regardless of the size of'm.

What kinda damsels BTW, since some are meaner than others.

Guessing you cycled with them. May consider replacing them. I'd vote gettng them out and replacing them with a mated pair of clowns. My 2 cents...

I have 2 damsels that are black and white and 1 that is blue with a yellow tail. i also have a bluebanded goby but he is in his own world. i will take the damsels out this weekend and replace them with something a little nicer. i would like to add a nice coral or something to get my tank to look a little nicer. i was thinking of a bubble coral and zoopolyps? im sorry i sound like a noob, but i am. lol

 

[austinsdad]

I don't know much about lights, but I'm feeling a bubble coral might not work with what you have.

Try a few mushrooms for starters. Still a really new/young tank. I'd wait a bit and find out more about your lights before you start spending on coral.

im sorry i sound like a noob, but i am. lol

Aploogies for being a noob are not allowed at this site!!!!!

 

[artoledo]

thanks

 

[artoledo]

Id vote gettng them out and replacing them with a mated pair of clowns. My 2 cents...

Why a mated pair? Why not just any 2 clowns?

 

[austinsdad]

Much more fun to have two of'm like each other and hang out together. Otherwise, you may have agression issues if different kinds or same sex of the same kind. You can try to get a larger and much smaller clown of the same species (percula, occellaris, etc) and they'll figure it out as far as who the dominant one is much easier.

Have you thought about/mapped out your total population yet? What kinds of fish do you unltimately see in your tank when you finish stocking?

 

[artoledo]

Well i havent because i just finished adding the rest of my rock last night. I feel really happy where i am at and i am just waiting for my UV sterilizer to come in this afternoon to make my water clearer. Also, i know i want a powder blue tang in my tank, and my wife wants clown fish. I want something that is going to be happy with inverts. i would like to add some cleaner shrimp but i dont know exactly what i want in my tank.

 

[austinsdad]

100 lbs of rock so far and more coming. I'd recommend about 30 hermit crabs for the existing 100 lbs of rock. Sally Lightfoots are kool too I guess, but I've never had'm. Go the scarlet reef (red) hermits. They are my favorite, but I keep a variety in my tank. A few electric blue, a bunch of teeny 50 cents hermits for the smaller rock crevices, etc. I update'm about twice a year maybe because some will disappear (natural causes, eaten by others, etc).

The turbos will poop, but after a while, you may not even notice it any more.

The powder blue tang is not an easy tang to care for, so I wouldn't recommend him until months down the road after your tank is REALLY stable. Some refer to them as one of the ick magnets. VERY pretty though, I agree. I did the purple instead.

As far as your fish choices, check out blennies, clowns, and other gobies. Reef safe wrasses also.

and my wife wants clown fish.

See? There ya go. It's decided - return the damsels and get a pair of (farm bred if possible) percula or occellaris clowns. Farm bred seem to be a lot more friendly and hardy IMO. Some of the other types (skunks, yellow or white striped maroon) may get very big and territorial and cause problems down the road I believe.

 

[artoledo]

Im going to my LFS to pick up some RO water today, so i might as well pick up some crabs. my wife wanted to get the damsels out this morning but my LFS doesnt open till 10. i dont want to stress out the fish, so i will take them out this weekend. Also, i have been meaning to post some pics of my tank. i have my camera but my wife has the cord, :x . Either way, i will post them up before the days end. Last night i added 40lbs of rock, so i am about 130- 140lbs and my tank is a little cloudy. I wanted to add some more coral to the tank. What do you suggest?

 

[austinsdad]

I'd check the ammonia and nitrates. Ammonia in case any of the new rock had any die-off. Even still with the existing 100 lbs, you shouldn't have a problem. I'd still check the water.

Last water change? Maybe time for another.

No more rock needed IMO. Coral additions down the road will add a bit more anyway.

Gonna have a REAL hard tiome catching those fish with all that rock in there BTW. My guess is you'll have to remove 80% to catch'm. Good luck.

Tank cloudy too? I'd concentrate on moving the rocks and catching the fish. Assuming you'll add more when you do (the clowns maybe??), I'd do a water change after moving all that rock and wait for a few days or a week to add anything else. Try a few mushrooms first. Afterwards, try a leather (kenya tree is pretty hardy and easy).

 

[artoledo]

The damsels come to the glass of the tank when im going to feed them, so i will entice them with food and catch them with the net. it shouldnt be that bad. will the UV Sterilizer clear up the water as well?

 

[Ziggy953]

I'm coming into this thread a bit late but thought I would get a refresher...how long has this tank been set up? If you are still adding large amounts of LR I would not suggest adding coral right now. Even with cured LR that comes from a local LFS is still going to have a certain amount of die off due to time out of the water and that can effect your tank. I think my tank was nearly 6 months old before I put any coral in it.

I agree with getting the devils I mean damsels out of the tank! Austinsdad is right you will have to remove most if not all the rock to get those little turkeys out. Been there and done that!

The algae you are seeing is most likely diatoms and they will come and go through the life of your tank. Not to worry that is a sign of cycle...

 

[artoledo]

Well, i have had the tank running for about 2 months now. i went to a new LFS nearby and they were selling me a pair of black and white clowns for a really good price that i couldnt possibly pass up on. i will buy them this weekend. Also, i am going to be doing my water changes with RO water. What are the advantages of doing it with RO water versus regular salt water from my LFS?

 

[Ziggy953]

RO water is Fresh water that is 99%+ pure. No nasty stuff in it. So if you have RO water you are still going to need to mix it with a salt mix to get SW. I would not buy water from an LFS because I don't know how they mixed it or how old the filters are on their RO/DI unit. I have too much invested in my tank to trust someone else for that task. Also you should top off your tank with RO water and not tap or SW. There will be a certain amount of evaporation and only the water leaves not the salt.

2 months is not very long in the world of a reef tank. Becareful of adding a lot to a new tank as your biological filter may not be able to keep up with the demand! After you add the clowns I would not add anymore fish or inverts for at least a month. Your tank really needs to mature a bit. I definately would not add any more coral to the tank for at least a month and 2 would be better. Coral does not forgive as easily as fish can/do.

 

[artoledo]

Yeah im going to get 10 gallons of RO water this afternoon. my filter is doing a great job. my water levels are right where they need to be at. My hardness is a little high at 17. Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia all at 0. Calcium at 450. Everything is wonderful. Salinity is at 1.024. i think i have great water quality.

By the way, My UV sterilizer just came in!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

 

[austinsdad]

I agree with holding still for a bit after you change the fish and add rock. I know it's very hard to be patient - this stuff is exciting. I've been there, Added stuff too fast and had problems. Easier said than done, but try. Move the rock if you have to. Switch the fish. Do the water change, and sit still for a few weeks.

I know it'll be hard, but it'll pay off, believe me.

 

[artoledo]

i am not in a hurry either. i have been very patient. i added some hermit crabs today. 10 to be exact.