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Caissss

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Messages
36
Location
Swansea, UK
Hi guys, I have had my marine fish only tank set up about 2 months now and have started to really get into it all! So before I start with my questions I'll tell you a bit about the things I have done so far. To begin with I added 2 clowns to my tank whilst I allowed the bacteria in the water to develop. After 3 weeks I took a sample down to my local LFS to check that I was ready to begin adding some new fish and after getting the all clear, I added a coral beauty and a royal gramma. I have been doing a 10% water change weekly and plan to do this for a few months before moving on to a 20% every fortnight. Anyway I then decided to add 2 cleaner shrimp so when I done my weekly water change I asked my LFS to raise my salt levels so I could add some invertebrate to the tank which I then done. Everything seems to be going just fine apart from a considerate amount of green algae growth in my tank which is becoming a real pain! I gave my filters contents a swill the other day whilst doing my water change to ensure it wasn't also clogged with rubbish! To try and counteract the algae I have just brought some timers for my lights, and have set them to have the white light only on between 8am and 10am for feeding time! I have then put blue and white light on between 4pm and 9pm for general lighting! Then I have put the blue light on between 9pm and 10pm so I can sit and admire my tank for an hour haha! This totals 8 hours a day which I have been told is a decent amount of time! Also in the day there is no direct sunlight onto the tank but there is some light in the room! I'm planning on getting a green mandarin tomorrow and hopefully a blue tang within a month and hopefully a juvenile majestic angel and a juvenile bluefaced angel in a couple of months! (last fish to add)!

Equipment list - 185L tank, tmc v2 powerbox 200 external filter, not sure what the lights are but there's one white and one blue in like glass tubes, UV steraliser, a bog-standard heater! I'm waiting on a artificial reef insert and also planning on getting a protein skimmer in the near future when I have the money! I'll upload a picture when I have my phone back (I dropped it in the swimming pool abroad :( )

Has anyone got any comments on what I am doing or have any tips for me? This is my first marine tank and I am quite proud of my progress so far but am more than willing to take any tips and constructive criticism on board! I have been researching as much as I can and spent hours speaking to fellow aquarists down my LFS!

Many Thanks,

Ryan!
 
Hi Ryan .
If everything seams to be doing well I would suggest take your time when adding any livestock .
I will ask though ,
When I started my 75gal it was highly recommended to do a fish less cycle .
A skimmer suitable for a bigger tank keeping in mind the skimmer has nothing to take out of the water until you have live stock to produce waste .
I have read a lot in the last year about saltwater and reefs and think there is never too much , research as much as possible .
It only makes it easier to understand as you are going ,
 
Is that litres? So about 45g? If so, your future additions are not suitable for such a small tank - check out live aquaria for recommended tank sizes for your intended live stock, its also a good reference for compatibility and feeding. I would recommend buying your own test kits, so you can check your own water. Show us some pics of the set up!
 
Oh and if you plan a mandarin make sure he is eating frozen foods and ask the LFS to feed him - if he doesn't eat then don't buy him. They are notoriously fussy eaters and most only eat live copepods (if you have plenty of live rock you may have a population already) if your tank is new they can eat your copepod population in weeks. I would recommend waiting until your tank matures, in a year or so...
 
It is approximately 185 litres yes! My LFS have all the kits and check the water for free so to save money whenever I go to buy my water for the change I take a sample in with me, it just seems easier and cheaper for the time being. I have been reading and have gathered that your fish will only grow to a size they feel comfortable within the tank, therefore they will not outgrow my tank. Even if they do my LFS will take them back and give me half credit of their value. I have ordered an artificial reef insert and am now just waiting for the arrival of this, that is why my tank is looking so bare! It should be here before long and I will then post new pictures! Pictures show my tank, my filter, UV steraliser! My lights are on timers so they are not on at time of pictures.
 

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That's not true that fish only grow to the size of the tank, they can stop growing in smaller tanks but that means their growth is stunted. I would be cautious of the tangs in a small tank only because they are so prone to disease when stressed. I am not trying to come down on you, it's your tank after all, but these fish are particularly prone to marine ich and when one fish gets it they all do. Can wipe out a tank and loads of money wasted. In other news you tank looks good, if it was me I would want more rock though ;)
 
Yeah I have heard that about tangs but for the time being I think I'm going to take my chances with them! I will be very cautious and keep a close eye on them though! Any tell tale signs of ich? As soon as see anything they will be straight down my LFS for quarantining! Will stunting there growth cause any major issues, I would love a bigger tank but I'm limited due to space! I agree, I totally want a lot more features in the tank such as rock but my finances are limited and I have got n artificial reef in transit so that will liven it up a bit :D When I have that insert in I will then look into adding a regal and a brown tang and eventually when I have a bit of extra money and have allowed time for the tangs to settle, add a juvenile majestic and a juvenile blueface! The reason I want to get a brown tang is that my tank is suffering from algae growth and I'm sick to death of scrapping it all off and have heard the brown tangs will do the job for me!

Thanks for all your help, I love learning new things!

Caissss.
 
The tangs will not like that size of tank and I would recommend you only get what can live in your tank permanently. Add some more rock and your tank will be perfect, by the way when a fish has ich it is covered in white dots and may scratch against objects in the tank. Hope this helps!:) and by the way a stunted fish will die very prematurely and will not be happy while its alive.
 
Adding live rock to your tank is not really for decoration - it is your main source of filtration. It will also help look after your fish by providing them with necessary hiding places. If you can I would definitely invest in some more, it will be so beneficial to your tank. I understand you want the fish that you do, but its good for you to know that they are not going to be happy or healthy. You can certainly spend a lot of money to keep a successful salt tank and its so sad to loose them :( good luck and try and keep 'em fat and healthy.
 
Yeah I have heard that about tangs but for the time being I think I'm going to take my chances with them! I will be very cautious and keep a close eye on them though! Any tell tale signs of ich? As soon as see anything they will be straight down my LFS for quarantining! Will stunting there growth cause any major issues, I would love a bigger tank but I'm limited due to space! I agree, I totally want a lot more features in the tank such as rock but my finances are limited and I have got n artificial reef in transit so that will liven it up a bit :D When I have that insert in I will then look into adding a regal and a brown tang and eventually when I have a bit of extra money and have allowed time for the tangs to settle, add a juvenile majestic and a juvenile blueface! The reason I want to get a brown tang is that my tank is suffering from algae growth and I'm sick to death of scrapping it all off and have heard the brown tangs will do the job for me!

Thanks for all your help, I love learning new things!

Caissss.

A yellow eyed kole tang is smaller tang and amazing at cleaning algae
 
Again, thank you for the replies! This is so difficult for me, I know the fish I want and I know you are all so much more experienced than me in keeping marine tanks! I so want to upgrade my tank already but I can't due to space limitations :'( I know I sound so immature and selfish, although I am taking all your advice and knowledge on board I think with the types of fish I can keep, I am just going to learn the hard way to begin with! I will keep the fish all well fed and am buying them as small as I can get them, as soon as I feel they are to big for my tank they will be going right back to my LFS and new juveniles will be purchased! When my artificial reef insert arrives I will definitely look into adding more live rock to the tank! How much would you say to add, I don't want to cover my tank in the stuff! Also an experienced tank keeper down my LFS told me he has put live rock in his filter and recommended I did the same when my tank begins to mature a bit more! He now has a stunning tank with crystal clear water and has he external filter filled with live rock! What are your takes on this?

Thanks once again!

Caissss
 
Your tank is doomed for failure. The tangs will not live long term. The mandarin will also slowly starve to death. My take is that you should listen to the posters here who are only trying to help.
 
I know they're trying to help and I'm not slating them for that. I am looking into getting smaller tangs, my LFS have said they can order me a mandarin that is already on frozen foods so feeding should not be so difficult. Although I am new to all of this, I am doing my research before I just go doing absolutely anything to my tank! I am making sure my water levels are right and adjusting them accordingly! I am researching and asking questions on topics I feel I need to know more about! I am not just letting the information given to me fly over my head, I am taking it in and am looking for alternative options! What sort of fish would be recommended to me to stock in my sized tank and how many fish? I currently have 2 Percula clowns, a coral beauty, a royal gramma and 2 cleaner shrimp. The green mandarin who is already eating frozen foods is being ordered in for me aswell!

Sorry to seem so stubborn, but I'm sure you know how it is with your first tank haha! Some lessons can only be learnt the hard way although I am trying to avoid that!

Many thanks,

Caissss!
 
The ORA mandarins that come in on frozen foods don't always stay on frozen foods. As a matter of fact, I've seen plenty of threads where people were upset that they didn't.

Ok. I wouldn't keep a tang in a tank your size. If you picked a tiny Kole or Scopus, that would be ok short term, but in a year or so you'd have to find a place for it and catching it may be a pain.
The size of the tank doesn't dictate how many fish in salt water.....the type of fish must be considered as well. Some are open water swimmers while others stay close to the rock bottom, and stay small. the latter are the type you need. The open water swimmers will be stressed in a closed system of that size and immune systems will weaken. Their stress will show up in disease, or parasites like ich.
 
That's handy to know, if I have any problems with my mandarin my LFS have agreed to take him back on half credit, I know I may lose out on some money but I'm more than willing to give it a try. Also, if the fish are open swimmers, I need to look for smaller species? Won't having cleaner shrimps help counter-act parasites on fish? I am planning on having quite a few shrimps, my current understanding is that shrimp bring nothing but benefits to the tank.

Thanks for your advice!

Caissss
 
No. Cleaner shrimp don't really help with parasites. Occasionally you may see them pick on a fish if they feel like it and the fish allows it, but do not count on that.
I don't like shrimp much because they steal the food from my LPS corals when I feed them. To me, they aren't a benefit at all.
 
I don't have corals at the moment and as much as I would love to have them, don't feel ready just yet to have them!
 
Then cleaner shrimp are pretty cool, but again, do not count on them as a miracle elixir to fish parasites. They are not that.

Also consider that most local fish stores are out to sell things. Many do not give the very best advice.
 
Yeah, that thought often crosses my mind but they are such genuine guys in there and know I'll be spending my money in their store regardless anyway on things such as RO water for my changes and all my fish because they were a big help when it came to setting up the tank and did it all free of charge aswell! So that ofter counteracts the doubt! I want a few more cleaner shrimps and a couple of fire shrimp to really lighten up the tank! Them things are wicked!
 
Then cleaner shrimp are pretty cool, but again, do not count on them as a miracle elixir to fish parasites. They are not that.

Also consider that most local fish stores are out to sell things. Many do not give the very best advice.

Sometimes there are people that already know everything they need to know about everything .
I know I have had my tank set up for almost a year ,
I have made a few mistakes and have a lot to learn still but knowing something will die or is doomed for failure would convince me to think of a alternative .
The message I'm getting is this person is asking for help but doesn't think we are right knowing experience means more than some kid a a local fish store getting paid minimum wage as a sales person .
There are many web sites books and literature available and the only thing I can say is read a lot and be patient !
 
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