Can someone help me with starting a saltwater tank

[Beengirl]

How's the cycling going? I just started cycling another tank 3 days ago, so now I'm in same boat as you- the waiting game. I'm starting a 30g FOWLR.

 

[Mike jones]

Sorry I've been Gina hunting its going pretty good I got some new substrate an live rock but I have these little small thing attached to the glass

 

[Beengirl]

Sorry I've been Gina hunting its going pretty good I got some new substrate an live rock but I have these little small thing attached to the glass

You've been hunting girls named "Gina"??!! Yikes!! Well my name's Regina so don't hunt me too!! Lol. I'm assuming you meant "gone" hunting.

Do you have a pic of the small things attached to the glass? Could've been something hitchhiked on your live rock. My 30 gallon just finished cycling-it was short cuz I added media from my 55g filter into the 30g filter. we just added fish today!!! Exciting stuff!!
Have you tested your water at all? If so, what are the levels at?

 

[Beengirl]

Sorry-its late and i didn't see the picture at first!! Lol. Can't really make that picture out too well, kinda blurry. If it looks like tiny white starfish, they're probably asterina starfish. They're harmless, stay pretty small and most people get some at some point. I've had a few. They can replicate fast, but don't hurt anything.

 

[Mike jones]

They kinda look like a starfish or like a soft coral thing but I know it's not a coral im just saying I they look like that

 

[Mike jones]

My tanks actually been up for 5 weeks now czxlxhjlhhl

 

[Beengirl]

My tanks actually been up for 5 weeks now czxlxhjlhhl

Great!! Is cycle done? You have your clown back now? What's up with tank?

 

[Mike jones]

Yeah I think the cycle is done I got my clown back in tester day and got some new substrate and 3 pieces of live rock but something seems to be wrong with my clowns tail but I got a new 30 gal filter and put a plastic bottle with some tissue in it the I change out ever hour that I did to help with the cloudiness from the substrate and hi the heater behind my 3 pieces of live rock

 

[Beengirl]

Yeah, there's definitely something going on with that tail!! I don't know what is is though. If I were you I would post a pic of that in the sick fish section and I'm sure someone can help you figure out what that is. Other than that, the tank's looking good!

 

[Mike jones]

What's your tank look like?

 

[Beengirl]

I used mostly dead rock and seed it with few small pieces from my 55g. Here's my new 30g









And here's my 55g

 

[Mike jones]

Wow that's amazing what would be a good price for live rock I was at a salt water store and they charged me 60 bucks for a rock the same size as the one in my tank and then I went to a petco and bought all those peices of rock in my tanks for only 30 bucks

 

[Beengirl]

Wow that's amazing what would be a good price for live rock I was at a salt water store and they charged me 60 bucks for a rock the same size as the one in my tank and then I went to a petco and bought all those peices of rock in my tanks for only 30 bucks

Most of my LFS charge anywhere from $6-10/lb for live roc, depending on the type of rock. Petco charges by the size of the piece instead of weight, so it is usually cheaper there IME. I don't like all my rock to look exactly the same, so I've purposely bought rock from like 5 or 6 different stores. I have different sizes and shapes and colors. I've bought many from Petco, and it's fine rock and they're live rock too. I know you're very limited on the number of LFS you have to choose from, so the first place you went to might be jacking up prices since there aren't many other places for you to go. Since you have some LR, you could buy some dead rock to go in with it and your LR will seed the dead rock. Dead rock is usually $2/lb or less.

 

[Mike jones]

Dang so it's pretty expensive so was the role that I bought a pretty good deal

 

[Beengirl]

Dang so it's pretty expensive so was the role that I bought a pretty good deal

Yeah, LR is expensive. $60 for a rock isn't unheard of, whether it was good deal or not depends on how much it weighed. But $60 for one rock is expensive. I once got a rock that was 7.6 pounds and it cost $76. For 1 rock-but it was a really cool purple rock with and odd shape and when I put it in tank a certain way, it made a natural overhang. But like I said, I mix up rock from different stores, so I didn't pay $10/lb for all my rock. that is my most expensive rock in my tank.

 

[Mike jones]

Should I certain place I should put my heater right now it begin my live rock but I'm kinda nervous that some fish might get burned

 

[Beengirl]

Sorry took so long to reply I've been working lat 4 days. Most heaters come with a suction cup attachment. I've read that's it's better to put the heater near where the water returns from the filter. That way you're warming the water as it comes in.

 

[Mike jones]

So I went back to my friends house today and bought another clown and he gave me my first coral he called it tree coral he said it super easy to take care of really hard to kill, I put a tk 8,000 in my light fixture the first pics of when I first put it in also it tilted to the side because web I got it it was all bent to the side but I'm trying to get it to stand upright also that live rock that it came on has hair algea on it any way to get rid of that? And new heater hows yours going

 

[Beengirl]

Very cool Mike! Good for you!! Is the tree brown? Purple? Hard to tell in the picture. if you put it in the sand, it wont stand up? If not, next time you're at the store get some crazy glue, the GEL kind with cyanoacrylate as its ingredient. That's safe for aquariums. Then pull out the Rock it's attached to, dry off the area to be glue, put some super glue on it, count to 10, then put the rock on top of another rock in the position you want it to be. Hold it for 15-20 sec and it'll be set. I know the nearest big town is a ways away, so no rush. I could mail you some. I have spares around Haha
have you thought about a new fish? Any ideas what you want? my daughter and I are working on a list for the 30g, since its in her room. So far we have in there:
1 half black dwarf angel that was evicted
from the 55g for eating corals
1 red/white Firefish
1 very small oscellaris clown (who is a
SPAZ BTW)
1 small cleaner shrimp, who is just now
starting to clean my daughter's hand,
so she must be getting comfortable
1 sexy shrimp ( the other died)
3 scarlet reef hermits
3 Nassarius snails
3 astrea snails
1 banded trochus snail
2 cerith snails.


They all seem very happy so far, well except for the sexy shrimp that died. Lol. Took some pics today after PWC and moving rocks around some.







We're thinking of adding a yellowheaded jawfish, yellowfin flasher wrasse and /or citrinus clown goby. Haven't decided. It'll come down to what's available around here. Have yet to see any of these available at our stores, so might be a while.

 

[54seaweed]

1 very small oscellaris clown (who is a
SPAZ BTW)

LMAO
that's a clown for ya

both tanks coming along nice