Beginner need help!!!!

[furrymurray]

Do water changes until the ammonia and nitrite is zero and then test daily. If the ammonia and nitrite goes up again repeat the process. Ammonia is very dangerous to fish and can kill them quickly

 

[Thirt]

Yes ik do you think I should get rid of my 4 dammels or my puffer...I know eventually ill need to get rid of him but right now I'm saying

 

[furrymurray]

I think you need to get rid of some of them. Probably about half of what you have. When you see these awesome tanks with tons of fish in, you should also know that these tanks have a lot of expensive equipment and maintainance to keep the tank clean and the fish alive. The puffers tangs and trigger will outgrow your tank quickly. So either get rid of them now or later. Puffers need about 180 gallon tank and most triggers do too. So the choice is yours. But if you want to keep the fish alive for now it will take a lot of work and money

 

[Airgoose2222]

I realize that you want all of this cool stuff (fish, crabs, etc.), but you really need to research online about saltwater aquariums. I don't know if your friend has a saltwater tank, but he isn't helping you out so far. I'm sure he means well, but he may not have the knowledge needed for saltwater. I worked in a pet store years ago and had freshwater tanks. Back then, I simply assumed I could treat a salt tank like fresh and didn't really know the first thing about the importance if maintenance, equipment, water testing, etc. I didn't have to do much to a freshwater tank, and they did fine. Then I got a salt tank. Talk about change. Algae problems, fish dying, wasted money everywhere I turned, and provided a horrible habitat for the fish. It took a while (and the invention of the Internet) before I truly felt like I knew what I was doing. Good luck to you and hope you start reading about saltwater tanks and the environment each fish you'd like to purchase needs.

 

[TheTodd]

Wow...its already been pointed out, but almost all those fish are a bad idea for that small a tank. The puffer, Tangs, Foxface, Trigger are never going to thrive in a tank that small. That would be pushing it in a larger tank.

Friend, or not, you are being given terrible advice by the LFS. If you can't afford a skimmer, then how will you be able to afford a tank upgrade? You are looking at least a 120 gallon to hold some of those fish, larger for others. Odds are they won't make it to a larger size in the current conditions.

 

[bill302]

I agree with everyone research before you buy...A lot of times if I want a fish or coral i'll have my lfs hold it until I get home and research it to see if its safe for my setup....never trust you lfs they want to make a sale...I wasted $210 on lighting trusting my lfs....never again....a skimmer is very important I would not add fish till I get a good one mine is a reef octopus and I researched for a week before I bought one...the fish stated in the threads above do not need to be together or in a 55 gal. tank. I hope you know the foxface has poisonous spines so be careful.....you have to research a lot of fish and corals can make you sick or even kill you....Puffer fish have poisonous toxins too.. read this link..blowfish

 

[TangoTank]

Where are you approx in FL? You don't have to give exact location. FL is awesome for aquarium stores, you've gotta have another to get your advice from. AND rock is sooooo easy to find on beaches, you just gotta cure it & I'm no expert, but you need a lot more as the other posters have said--heck, I need more too! And I was gonna say... CRAIGSLIST, whatev you need for equipment, check out there AND Goodwill, thrift stores, etc. Humane Society/animal rescue thrift stores are hotbeds for aquarium stuff. Call me the thrifty aquarium person!! Good luck man!!

 

[Bectan01]

I agree with all the advice given so far - you definitely need much more rock to assist with your filtration and if it was me I would ditch the canister altogether unless you are cleaning it every couple of days. Invest in a skimmer for sure. The puffer would have eaten your crab and he will eat the others too along with all the snails. Return the tangs even if you think they are small now they will not survive in your tank long term. I also have a 55g and there are plenty of other fishes that will thrive in your tank for now you need to be testing your water daily and doing some PWC to bring those levels back in check...

 

[Thirt]

I got rid of my puffer because he kept going after my clown..I basically swap him for a flame angel which you only need a minimum 50gal tank for. And listen I understand my tangs and trigger are gonna get bigger and a lot bigger there gonna grow according to the size of the tank and conditions and things like that..and I'm a little tight on money now! To get a skimmer not few months from now or even a year that's when I'm gonna upgrade to a bigger tank a least double the size so I can keep those fish and I bought more rock today to help it out a bit from here on out it's just LR and food ill need to buy and a little maintenance..I have done I research on all my fish I know the tanks they need and the environment

 

[AquaRick]

Contrary to popular belief, fish do not grow to the size of your tank surroundings. I'd return the large fish now before they stress out and kill all your livestock.

If you don't have $ to spare for a skimmer, all the more reason to keep smaller fish and only a few fish. This will allow you to keep parameters in check by simple water changes.

.... just trying to save you more $$$ in the long run.

 

[Thirt]

I plan on getting rid of my dammels soon and I'm on the hunt of a cheap skimmer for my tank

 

[TangoTank]

I plan on getting rid of my dammels soon and I'm on the hunt of a cheap skimmer for my tank

I paid $100 total for my 75 gal tank, stand, coralife light, sump, protein skimmer, live rock, sand and stock. I was looking at Craigslist last night... TONS of equipment there! Good luck!! Maybe even check w/ aquarium store for used equipment that they may not advertise.


Haven't finished smoothing out the background yet.

 

[Budda619]

Check on craiglist everyday. You will get lucky. You can also you tube a diy skimmer. You just need a water pump, air pump, and a wood stone to create fine bubbles. We are strapped for cash so dont feel bad cause you cant afford a skimmer. Ebay has skimmers as well

 

[TheTodd]

The issue that I see is that even if you buy a tank "at least double", you are still at around 90 gallons. That would finally work for the Foxface (needs 75g min) and Flame Angel (Dwarf Angels need 75g+, not 40g), but your Tangs need a six foot tank for proper swimming area. They will be stressed with less, which opens fish (especially Tangs) up to stuff like Ich. Porcupine Puffers need minimum 180g, your Clown Trigger will need 300g (they get over a foot long).

If this tank is kept as-is, it's kind of a game to see what happens first...Trigger goes ballistic and takes out tankmates (damsels could very well do the same) or fish come down with disease due to stress and/or tank crashes due to improper filtration.

 

[Airgoose2222]

If you want a cheap protein skimmer, you can just build one. I don't know how to repost a thread, but you can check out my build in my profile or DIY section. I built a 5 foot skimmer under $60 including the pump. It has pretty good detail in how to do it, but if you have questions, feel free to ask. It works great for my tank and can be modified for whatever size tank you want it for.

 

[Kristy3693]

The issue that I see is that even if you buy a tank "at least double", you are still at around 90 gallons. That would finally work for the Foxface (needs 75g min) and Flame Angel (Dwarf Angels need 75g+, not 40g), but your Tangs need a six foot tank for proper swimming area. They will be stressed with less, which opens fish (especially Tangs) up to stuff like Ich. Porcupine Puffers need minimum 180g, your Clown Trigger will need 300g (they get over a foot long).

If this tank is kept as-is, it's kind of a game to see what happens first...Trigger goes ballistic and takes out tankmates (damsels could very well do the same) or fish come down with disease due to stress and/or tank crashes due to improper filtration.

All this is true. (and I think your trigger ate your crab). I am not sure why your friend would sell you those fish, also your puffer can end up releasing toxins into your water. Do lots of research so you can make the best choices for you and your pets.