Please Help Me Get Over The Reef Hump...

[TheChad]

Originally Posted by cmor1701d

I remove the pvc hiding place from the QT and then use 2 nets or my plastic fish catcher. Very little time is spent chasing any fish.

Also, are you acclimating the fish to the main tank before adding it, or are you just catching and releasing into the main tank?

I've tried both ways, and had same results.

Originally Posted by lando

Diet does not look too bad. More Spirulina algae would be a good thing for tangs. I would chalk this up to less then great stocking choices and move on. Keep running your questions past the folks here.

I do not understand why LFS carry fish they pretty much know will not survive in home aquariums. I understand they are in business to make money, but how much money will you make when your customers give up because everything keeps dieing!


What would be a good choice for my tank? I really don't want another small fish. All the fish I have now are small, and the tank looks empty.

-TheChad

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by TheChad

I do not understand why LFS carry fish they pretty much know will not survive in home aquariums. I understand they are in business to make money, but how much money will you make when your customers give up because everything keeps dieing!

The fish they stock in a LFS will survive assuming they go into an appropriate environment... well except for maybe the Mandarins. Not saying that fish won't die for strange reasons before making it out of the QT - just that stores aren't knowingly selling stuff they think will die anyway.

But for the most part, they stock big fish because people have big tanks. Many stores will quiz you about your tank if you're buying a fish that's particularly challenging to keep - they don't want the fish to die as much as you do. And of course, many fish stores couldn't really give a rip and know that if the one you're buying dies, you'll be back for another. And if you give up, then that's that many more fish they sold.

What would be a good choice for my tank? I really don't want another small fish. All the fish I have now are small, and the tank looks empty.

Sorry... but with a 55g, you're limited if you want to keep your water quality good and keep the stress on your fish down. You're really going to be looking for trouble if you put a tang in there. Your fish may be small now, but those clowns will get fat and bigger in no time!

[cmor1701d]

What would be a good choice for my tank? I really don't want another small fish. All the fish I have now are small, and the tank looks empty.

I think you're looking at this from the wrong side of the problem. The cure you seek is a larger tank. Get a 125 or larger, and then you can have some of the bigger fish.
The 55 will make a great sump.

Barring that perhaps some Banggai Cardinalfish (low bio load). The website lists recommended minimum tank size for all the fish and they have a fish compatibility chart.

[dianeww]

How about 3-4 blue-green chromis? They're not "big fish" but they school really nicely, giving a bigger appearance. Also low bioload.

[dianeww]

How about 3-4 blue-green chromis? They're not "big fish" but they school really nicely, giving a bigger appearance. Also low bioload.

[TheChad]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

.. Your fish may be small now, but those clowns will get fat and bigger in no time!

The clowns are 2 years old, In my tank, They were small when I bought them, they are still only about 1"- 1-1/4". So I wouldn't call that "no time"


**UPDATE** When I typed my tank specs, I wasn't really thinking. I origionally purchased 55lbs of LR, but forgot that I bought another 30-50lbs from a guy who took his tank down. So I really have about 80-100lbs of LR, and 80lbs of LS. If that makes any difference?

As for Bio Load, I seriously doubt I am any where near what the tank can handle, I could not do a PWC for 2 months, and still show little to no nitrate.

-TheChad

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by TheChad

The clowns are 2 years old, In my tank, They were small when I bought them, they are still only about 1"- 1-1/4". So I wouldn't call that "no time"

1" long for 2 years? Hmm... guess I was just assuming most clowns grew like mine. Shoot... mine was 1" long when I bought him a year ago and I thought he was small then!

I don't think anyone is suggesting that you're at your limit on bioload - just that if you put a big fish in there, you're probably going to overshoot the capacity of your tank, ignoring the fact that most of the tangs/etc want a minimum 75g for "running room". I've got 1 clown, 1 cardinal, 3 chromis and a tiny clown goby in my 46g. I consider that I'm maxed out (maybe even pushing it a bit), even though my water parameters are perfect. Sometimes, it's more to do with territory and space than water parameters.

In the end, you'll do what you want - but as cmor commented, it really sounds like a bigger tank is really what you need/want.

[TheChad]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

1" long for 2 years? Hmm... guess I was just assuming most clowns grew like mine. Shoot... mine was 1" long when I bought him a year ago and I thought he was small then!

I don't think anyone is suggesting that you're at your limit on bioload - just that if you put a big fish in there, you're probably going to overshoot the capacity of your tank, ignoring the fact that most of the tangs/etc want a minimum 75g for "running room". I've got 1 clown, 1 cardinal, 3 chromis and a tiny clown goby in my 46g. I consider that I'm maxed out (maybe even pushing it a bit), even though my water parameters are perfect. Sometimes, it's more to do with territory and space than water parameters.

In the end, you'll do what you want - but as cmor commented, it really sounds like a bigger tank is really what you need/want.

I got my clowns when they were about 1/2".

I would love a bigger in-wall tank, which is my next project when I build a home. But in my current home, the 55g I is about as big as you could even think of putting in the living room. Its a small house.

-TheChad

[cmor1701d]

If you don't like the cardinals how about dianeww's idea of a small school of blue-green chromis?

IMO you want to find a fish that maxes out in the 3" - 5" range. Check out liveaquaria.com, marinedepotlive.com, etc. They have the specs on max size of the fish and recommended minimum tank size.

[lando]

I like the idea of a school of chromis. Otherwise, a yellow-eye kole tang would fit in a 55. There are some other great options as well...a sixline wrasse and royal gramma come to mind. I love mine. They add color and movement to the tank. You do not need anything too big to have an active tank.