Planning a reef tank ?'s

[Rutrag]

A good quarantine should be at least a week. The object is to ensure you're not introducing any pathogens (especially parasites) into your display that will affect your established fish. Ich is the most common and most troublesome and cannot be effectively treated in a tank with corals.

 

[jwalsh]

A good quarantine should be at least a week. The object is to ensure you're not introducing any pathogens (especially parasites) into your display that will affect your established fish. Ich is the most common and most troublesome and cannot be effectively treated in a tank with corals.

There acually is a product that you can treat ich in an entire tank with no adverse effects. Its called marine max. My lfs carries it and I have used it before it boosts the fish immune systems while killing the ich. It is both invert and coral safe. You can also use it as a preventitive for Michael and other disease as well

 

[mr_X]

Marine Max does not kill ich. It's a pro biotic immune booster. it has nothing in it to kill the parasites.
Aquarium Water Conditioners & Quality: Marine-Max Water Conditioner

 

[jwalsh]

Well for not killing it, it sure works well.

 

[Bearchumjs]

A good quarantine should be at least a week. The object is to ensure you're not introducing any pathogens (especially parasites) into your display that will affect your established fish. Ich is the most common and most troublesome and cannot be effectively treated in a tank with corals.

How do you do your qt tank?

 

[Rutrag]

The simplest way is to use a tank with a power filter, no substrate, and some PVC for hiding spots and a heater. As far as cycling goes, just pull some media from the filter in your display tank or keep a sponge filter or foam block in your sump. When you need to QT your new guys, just drop the foam into the power filter. (If the new fish show signs of disease, do NOT put the foam or sponge back into your main tank or sump. Just throw it out.)

Keep new fish in quarantine for at least a week (longer is better). If they come down with something, you treat it in QT and don't make your established fish sick. You also don't have to worry about killing your inverts with meds. Also, catching a fish out of a display tank is often near impossible. The sponge / foam is to minimize cycle time on the QT by transferring some beneficial bacteria over.

 

[Bearchumjs]

The simplest way is to use a tank with a power filter, no substrate, and some PVC for hiding spots and a heater.

that makes sense and sounds pretty easy.

Do corals need to be qt'd or can they go straight in the DT?

If I had a sump I guess having a small peice of extra live rock would be good too and I could put that in the qt as well as the sponge? And an appropriate sized power filter would have enough flow for the qt tank?

 

[Bearchumjs]

I'm getting a little impatient and I know that setting up a 55 gallon is going to cost alot...

I know bigger is better for newbs because mistakes are more easily forgiven, but I was thinking about doing a 10 gallon with a couple clowns a snail or two and a shrimp or two. No corals. Then when I get the big tank I will already have all the stuff I need for a qt tank. So.... What do you guys think? Should I give it a try? Also, I know clowns need around 20gals min. But if I got them when they are very small I'd be able to move them to the 55 gallon when they get bigger. I really really want to get a saltwater aquarium going, and now that my 5 gal betta tank is cycled I am getting itchy feet to start something new.... :worried:

 

[EriksFish315]

I like your idea but you would be better off with a 30 gallon for the clowns just because a fish is small doesn't mean it wouldn't enjoy a nice amount of room to swim and be fishy.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I like your idea but you would be better off with a 30 gallon for the clowns just because a fish is small doesn't mean it wouldn't enjoy a nice amount of room to swim and be fishy.

Is there any fish suitable for a 10 gal that Isn't going to just sit on the bottom?

 

[Bearchumjs]

I like your idea but you would be better off with a 30 gallon for the clowns just because a fish is small doesn't mean it wouldn't enjoy a nice amount of room to swim and be fishy.

I know what you mean though. It's why I have my betta in a 5 gal instead of the 1/2 gallon bowl that I used to have.

 

[mr_X]

Nano Fish

 

[Bearchumjs]

Nano Fish

Thank you for the link!

 

[Rutrag]

that makes sense and sounds pretty easy.

Do corals need to be qt'd or can they go straight in the DT?

If I had a sump I guess having a small peice of extra live rock would be good too and I could put that in the qt as well as the sponge? And an appropriate sized power filter would have enough flow for the qt tank?

If you used a piece of live rock from your sump, it would seed the QT with bacteria, BUT if you had to treat in the QT, I would not put it back into the display's water for fear or contamination from the meds or the disease you were fighting. Live rock tends to be more expensive than foam blocks.

 

[Bearchumjs]

If you used a piece of live rock from your sump, it would seed the QT with bacteria, BUT if you had to treat in the QT, I would not put it back into the display's water for fear or contamination from the meds or the disease you were fighting. Live rock tends to be more expensive than foam blocks.

Gotcha! That makes tons of sense!

 

[Bearchumjs]

Would this work for a 10gal fowlr? I'd upgrade the lights later on when I get a few corals. It's on Craigslist for $20. Tank and lighted hood. Is that a decent deal?

It won't let me post a picture. It looks pretty basic. Tank with a hood and light that you would expect to see on any freshwater setup. That's be ok to start with right?

 

[Ibrahim]

Would this work for a 10gal fowlr? I'd upgrade the lights later on when I get a few corals. It's on Craigslist for $20. Tank and lighted hood. Is that a decent deal?

It won't let me post a picture. It looks pretty basic. Tank with a hood and light that you would expect to see on any freshwater setup. That's be ok to start with right?

Yep. Go for it. In a 10g you could fit 2-3 fish. As long as they are under 3" grown.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Yep. Go for it. In a 10g you could fit 2-3 fish. As long as they are under 3" grown.

Could I do 3 orange lined cardinal fish a shrimp or hermit, some snails and a clown goby?

 

[Bearchumjs]

You can get timers much cheaper than 5 bucks at walmart. BUT, here is the link to the LEDs Mr X is using that I was talking about. If he says that his SPS are growing and showing great color under them, its def true.

Aquarium Coral Reef Tank black Blue LED Grow Light 120W | eBay

Do you happen to know what the dimensions are? Length and width?

 

[jwalsh]

Yep. Go for it. In a 10g you could fit 2-3 fish. As long as they are under 3" grown.

No way can you put 3 3" fish in a 10g. I can only put 4 3" fish in my 29g maybe 1 or 2 fish that grow up to 1-2" the smaller the better. You don't want to over load the bio load in the tank. It will just cause tons of issues and you will have to change water constantly