suggestions?

[HoCkEyGmC]

OH! LOL. i dont have 3. i have one CBB, a Coral Beauty, and a Sweeper Goby. sorry for the misunderstanding.

not posotive but im pretty sure he meant 3 fish, not copper banded butterflys.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

yah, except this tank has bled me dry financially. and my paycheck was only $79.33, so im tapped for a couple of weeks.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

well, i went back and read my previous posts, and i did say something that sounded alot like i had 3 CBB's in the tank. im not sure what he meant, but i think that 3 fish in a 23 gal would'nt be too much. just what ive been told/what ive seen around town.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

im maxing out my nitrates in my 28g reef with 3 small fish. a clown, a firefish, and a diamond goby. reefs are delicate. be careful.
Good luck!

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

mah nitrates are at 20ppm
ammonia is 0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Ph 8.0
i dont have a refractometer/hydrometer to check the salinity, but how does all that sound? within reasonable ranges?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

nitrates are at the max reccomended amount. 20ppm is the cutoff. you want to do a pwc if it goes over that. my reef only has 3 fish but is over 20ppm. (i need new filter media).
HTH

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

alright. ill test again tomorrow, after the clowns have been in there a while, then see what its at.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

if it is over 20, what should i do? take a fish back? water change?

does coral affect the nitrates and other parameters? do they produce waste like other fish or just recycle it?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

It's no biggie if ur over. Just do a pwc to get them down. If you do expirence problems with nitrates try some purigen.

 

[Erok7620]

how do you check your salinity without a refractometer or a hydrometer?

 

[Innovator]

Taste it? lol. Seriously, you need to purchase a refractometer.

 

[melosu58]

Ok that sounds better. I thought you was saying you had three CBB`s. I think you did the right thing taking it back. Yes the mushrooms should be OK. Mushrooms are a wonderful thing.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

i dont have a refractometer/hydrometer to check the salinity...

If you're on a budget, you should spend money wisely. And the wisest thing to do before adding ANY corals is to get a refractometer. $50 one-time investment. Without being able to measure your salinity, you could be just flushing money down the toilet by adding coral. Even the "easy" ones, depending on your salinity.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

Ok that sounds better. I thought you was saying you had three CBB`s. I think you did the right thing taking it back. Yes the mushrooms should be OK. Mushrooms are a wonderful thing.

is there a specific kind you would reccomend?

well, the thing is, refractometers around here are about 90-100 dollars.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

Saltwater Aquarium Salinity & Specific Gravity Testing: Portable Refractometer
there ya go!

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

ok, salinity is at 1.025 and calcium lvl is 400.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

i got 3 mushrooms and a feather duster. all 3 were only $5....i couldnt resist. 1/3 of what they normally charge. is that too much?

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

i just saw this guy, and im freaking out. you think adding one of these would overload the tank?

 

[Innovator]

Duncans? Nope, should be fine.

 

[C4t4StRoPhIc]

with 3 mushrooms and a feather duster? awesome!

welp, here they are. i dunno what kind they are, but they are mushrooms...that much i know...

2 of these guys