30g Reef after 1 week

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chimmike

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
56
Location
Parrish, FL
Well, here's my 30g reef after 1 week.
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
10-20ppm nitrates
Salinity 1.024

30# cured LR
40# live sand
1 Ocellaris clown
1 Spotted Mandarin
1 Green Chromis
5 turbo snails
1 tonga conch
3 small blue hermits
1 medium red hermit

Pics- lots of background light, no tripod, automatic settings on nikon d50. (still no idea how to use this cam, any suggestions?)

Sorry some are blurry.

Future: 10g fuge w/ separate sump, lawnmower blenny, maybe black ocellaris clown, more snails, more LR rubble

I know the aquascaping isn't that good, sorry.
 

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You have only had this tank sat up for 1 week? That is to soon to have any livestock in the tank, it has not even cycled. 2nd your nitrates are to high.

How did you cycle your tank?

Please do the livestock a favor and take them back to the store and cycle your tank properly.

I don't aim to sound mean but you will end up loosing every living thing in the tank.
 
my LFS has looked at my water and they agree that it's fine for livestock now. There was a brief cycle, the LR was fully cured when I bought it, there was no trace of ammonia at any time, and the nitrates are within safe levels...I'll be doing a partial water change here in the next few days too.
 
That mandarin may give you some problems. Most of them only eat pods off your rocks. In a tank that hasn't been set up for very long there won't be a large enough pod population to feed him. You will probably have to buy pods to support him. I've heard you need a bigger tank in order to have a population that won't eventually become depleted.
 
Your beneficial bacteria are still babies and may not be able to digest the amount of waste that is produced by your fish. There will most likely be another cycle of ammonia make sure you are watching for that and testing your parameters every couple days. Patience is the key to success (Rome wasn't built in a day) take your time and plan things out you may have some dead livestock. The cycling process usually takes 6-8 weeks. I wish you luck and welcome you to the hobby. I really like your rocks and the tank looks great and so does your stocking list I only wish you would have cycled the tank first for a while longer any way your tank your dollar good luck and look forward to see how it progresses as time goes on.


Just to add I researched the mandarin for a while I thought of putting one in my 46g tank but decided against it because I wasn't confident I could supply the pod population If you wish long term success with your mandarin you may consider buying some pods and a lot of them
 
I'll definitely be buying pods :) I had that much planned already. And I'll be populating the pods in my 'fuge when it's set up too, hoping they go through the sump to the main tank.

I'm watching the chems and have no problems doing water changes when the need arises :) After all, this isn't a set it and forget it hobby!
 
I'm sure you might be giving a dirty look to those who may be reminding you about the cycling issue. BUT!! You do what you have to do. I recommend just keep very diligent on the PWC's and please keep your parameters in check. If you continue to do that you should be fine with not many problems. The aquascaping looks good actually. Its a young tank so it always looks a bit empty. Nevertheless just make sure to keep up on its needs and keep us posted!
 
My family is from Syracuse :)

yeah, I'm constantly checking everything, making sure the fish aren't stressed, etc. That's the fun in it for me. Gives me something to tinker with.
 
haha, small world, eh?

I'm not going to lie. That is always the excitement for me as well in the beginning to keep up on everything. Then after awhile I get bored with a perfectly established tank and then I have to buy a new one...lol.
 
There was a brief cycle, the LR was fully cured when I bought it,

Chimmike, again I am sorry if I sounded to harsh, but if you would have posted that your LR was fully cured when you had bought it in your 1st post, I would not have went off like that. OH by the way I do like the aquascaping.
 
There was a brief cycle, the LR was fully cured when I bought it,

Chimmike, again I am sorry if I sounded to harsh, but if you would have posted that your LR was fully cured when you had bought it in your 1st post, I would not have went off like that. OH by the way I do like the aquascaping.

no problem, it's understandable. I've been reading a lot on reefcentral and here :hat:
 
Please return the mandarin unless you know it is eating frozen food. Unless you add a 75 gallon sump with another 90 pounds of LR (slight exageration) you will not be able to maintain the pod population. It is suggested that a mandarin not be added till a tank is mature (8 months or more) so the pod population can grow,a nd that's in a 75 or larger. If you can afford a $20.00 of pods every day then go for it. If not please don't starve this fish to death. Save that $20 every day, and in a year you can buy a 125 with everything needed to maintain it, and stock it.

Also, please drop the sailfin blenny. I know from personal experience that they need a lot algea to survive and will starve once it's gone.
 
I don't know about pessimist but he is just letting you know that the mandarins will eat a lot of pods and its going to be really expensive to keep him fed because you have to buy the pods live from your LFS and it will add up fast. They are a somewhat difficult fish to keep as it is. I feel for you though. I really like those fish and i can't have one cuz my tank is to small. Not trying to be mean or anything, he is just trying to warn you so you know what your up against.
 
the one we got from the LFS is approx 1" long. He's small. We'll be buying pods, but he also seems to be eating the frozen food we've put in.
 
he's been in the tank 3 days now, completely unstressed and appears to have made himself at home instantly.

I'm keeping a close eye on him just to see if his attitude changes too.

I've got some sort of coral growing, but I have no idea what it is. I put a question on the "what is it" area
 
I get the odd feeling you're the pessimist on the board? :D

No offense though :)
None taken and I'm not being pessimistic. I've just read too many "Why did my mandarin die after 2 months in my 30 gallon tank' posts to not advise against it, UNLESS you have seen it eat frozen or other prepared food.

Yours is apparently eating frozen food so you may be lucky. I have also heard of some that stopped eating prepared foods too.

By the time you notice the sunken belly it's usually to late. You can not appreciate how many pods this fish eats in a day unless you have one. They are constantly foraging the rocks for pods. I have a 185# of LR and another 15# of LR rubble plus a pod pile. Yes I have a lot of pods in my tank and my mandarin has been doing well for a couple of years now.
 
I agree with Cmor. Being the "pessimist on the board" saves lives and a lot of stress. Fish are not like dogs and cats or other animals we can really touch. Sometimes, I feel our SW friends don't get the respect they need (a simple flush of the toilet as opposed to a gravemarker in the back yard is a huge difference, to some). A lot of the advice given (especially if a lot of folks say it) can and are based on experience or a lot of reading.
 
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