Day 11 of reef setup

[609tsmith1984]

Hey I have a 75 gal setup with all the bells and whistles..(see profile)...I added 2 clowns and a big cleanup crew today...I have used bio spira as well as stability...everything is living happily and thriving...how do I know when I'm ready to add some corals?

 

[609tsmith1984]

Next move is a mandarin goby in about two days as long as everyone else stays happy (10 damsels, 2 clowns, 10 blue legged hermits, 7 snails, 2 emerald crabs)...

 

[Gboy66]

I really wouldnt add a mandarin next, have you heard of their feeding requirments?

I would add some hardy corals first, but only once your levels are stable. So i'd say in a month

 

[Mrc8858]

More then likely you will starve it... Mandarins are extremely picky eaters and tend to only eat live copepods and can deplete a population in smaller tanks..id give it a few months before buying one

 

[609tsmith1984]

Yea I heard that they eat tons of tiny copopods...I didn't know that they weren't already produced in the tank...so the best bet is to get corals in a while? Obviously they produce the food that the mandarins need to survive? What are the types of corals I should be looking for when I am ready??

 

[NyteGTI]

ok I'll be the first to say it.. you're 11 days in & you have 12 fish and are now talking coral? I'm not trying to be rude/mean here but SLOW DOWN OR YOU'RE GOING TO KILL SOMETHING.
those damsels WILL kill, that's a guarantee with that many in that tank. take some damsels out & return them for store credit. You'll need to get ALOT more rock if you're talking corals(roughly 1.5-2lbs /gallon)

do you have a test kit? what are your parameters?
ammo? nitrite? nitrate? PH? Alk? Calc?
there's a lot involved in a reef setup and you need to do a bit more research before you jump into it.

again please don't take this as harsh, it just needed to be said. We've all made rookie mistakes.

 

[609tsmith1984]

Yea I appreciate the constructive criticism and I know it's a ways out from coral I'm talking about when I do get coral (in about a month) what kinds is best to keep copopods going? I have tested the water bi-daily and also added certain "instant cycling" products...the ammonia is gone now and nitrites were almost gone two days ago... The clowns are thriving as well as everything else..also I have another 50lbs of live rock on its way there is 16.5 lbs in the tank as well as another 10+ lbs in the filters and live mud down there...live sand in the tank as well...

 

[609tsmith1984]

Also what will the damsels kill?...and I put purple algae fragments in about a week ago which is now spawning a brownish algae throughout the sand is that ok????? (I posted a couple pics)

 

[carey]

Yep, 11 days in is not a great time time to add corals. i would wait a month at least to make sure the levels stabilize and are good.

That many fish in such a short time would put a stress on even the most established tank so I would also urge you to slow down. The single most important thing in saltwater is patience. I know it sounds corny but it is so true. It's more important than any piece of equipment. just hang in there and wait a bit. I also dont think so many damsels are a good thing, they are notoriously nasty and in large numbers I bet will gang up on other fish. LOL

As far as pods, they have nothing to do with the corals at all. They develop over time as your tank matures. Thats why you have to wait maybe a year to add a mandarin, if then even. A mandarin can and will eat an entire population of pods in days. They literally hunt all day long for food, without a break, they are constantly on the move. The same holds true for scooter "blennies" so watch out for them as well.

 

[Saratj1]

Damsels will kill other tank mates that are less aggressive than them. Like gobys. Damsels are pretty mean fish. The brown on your sand is probably diatoms and is normal just is a sign your getting torwards the end of your cycle. You don't need to do anything with the diatoms they will go away on their own. I just completely tore my tank apart to get three damsels out that were terrorizing my tank every fish I would put in there the damsels would harrass until it died, so they had to go. They probably don't seem bad now because they are new and haven't claimed your tank as "theirs", but once they do, they won't take kindly to strangers.

 

[609tsmith1984]

Thanks for the input guys and gals...I have since caught all but 4 damsels (2dominoe, 1 purple with yellow tail, 1 tiger stripe)...now those 4 seem to be the most peaceful as well do you all think that I should do away with them as well???

 

[609tsmith1984]

**correction**- only 2 domino damsels remain with the 2 clownfish and the dominoes are significantly smaller than the clowns...should I be ok now? Or remove the dominoes as well?

 

[Mrc8858]

If you could remove them all I would but it isn't a must in a tank that size but keep in mind for the future when you stock a tank the reason so many people will tell you to try and figure it out before you begin is because there is a proper order to add your livestock..you will want to begin the the least aggressive and least territorial first building up to you meanest fish..do it the other way and you'll see a lot more aggression and possible death/disease

 

[609tsmith1984]

Thanks I appreciate it...I could get these last two easily because they don't hang out in any rocks but they honestly were the least problematic of the damsels I think I will let em stick around for now...I'm glad I got this advice now before I added tons of rocks and nooks/crannies with it...the clowns already have moved into a cave the damsels were protecting the last 2 days..I will be sure to do a lot more research before I get my next fish...any suggestions on what would be a good next move?

 

[Mrc8858]

Is there a fish on your "must have" list? Its always easiest imo to build around a certain fish

 

[609tsmith1984]

Cool thanks for the advice..I have been doing a lot of research on reef tanks and am taking into consideration a lot more factors before making decisions on this...I am not even sure what I have in mind for a "must have" fish at this point, but, when I do I will post pictures and keep asking questions I'm sure...thanks again for all the help and pointers if it wasn't for all the advice I dont know where I would be at with all this right now...

 

[Sniperhank]

Start searching around on liveaquaria. This is a great help when trying to find "that fish" or "that coral" that you just have to have.

I might not be of much help with this as I enjoy "nano fish". Might not be what you are looking for since you have a 75, where mine is a 55, but allow me to suggest the fish I just ordered for half price off saltwaterfish.com.
Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Tank Bred Indigo Dottyback, Pseudochromis sankeyi x fridmani

 

[poolguy72]

Why are people here so high and mighty with there advice. I'm sure he researched there are plenty of people who instant cycle there yanks with additives that Do well and there tank thrives. It's a known fact it works don't be jealous, and for the guy who started the thread do you and be happy you know what's best for your tank your tank. And another thing ohhhhh noooo a few damsels are going to die flush them

 

[poolguy72]

The single most important thing in a reef tank setup up is - wait for it - arrogant replies. Seems like you must be arrogant to have a good tank. Why dont you people get over yourselves and just help

 

[Mrc8858]

The single most important thing in a reef tank setup up is - wait for it - arrogant replies. Seems like you must be arrogant to have a good tank. Why dont you people get over yourselves and just help

I don't know where you got that people were being arrogant. The OP asked questions and asked for advice and that's what she got..I may have missed something but I don't see anyone trying to act "high and mighty" just giving the best information they can to make this as easy, fun, and save as much time and money as possible..your new to this site obviously but if you would give it a chance you would realize 99% of the people on here legitimately just want to help but as with everything there will always be that 1%