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Mike jones
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Well I'm just worried cause sometimes we go on vacation for 2-3 weeks
Can someone help me with starting a saltwater tank
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nikki_kaiser
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Oh wow! Hmmm...well, I know you can't go that long and not feed your fish. I've never gone more than two weeks without cleaning my tank so I'm not sure on this one! I do know that your skimmer will help you with pulling pollutants and nasty stuff from your tank. This is probably a good question for someone else because I've never been gone that long.
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Mike jones
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Well I usually have friends feed them I only have a few friends that are in to fish keeping but there all freshwater people
reading through this long tread
ok lets see
Dotty backs will rule the tank as they are extremely territorial and a 20 gal is to small for a dotty back
the myth on damsels being mean nasty killers is false
if added last they will be the most mellow fish in your tank
a perfect 20 gal would be maybe a clown (20 gal x 2 clowns No), 2 or 3 damsels and a dart fish and yes a small clean up crew anything else would be over crowding
on a 20 gal you really don't need a sump
if your using a filter from a 75 gal place a small piece of cheato in it use that as your sump works just fine IMO
as for a skimmer if its only 20 gal it's not really a necessity
as long as you do routine water changes
but you could use a cheap one like the instant Ocean sea clone it's not the best skimmer but there under a $100. and if you keep it dialed in it will work just fine
leaving a tank unattended is common for me 2 weeks max
as long as you take proper precautions adding lots of macro algeas into tank like Gracillaria and Caulerpa or cheato along with tons pods and other feeders like mysiss shrimp your fish will be well fed your fish will also graze the macros if they get hungry how you think they survive the wild and you can do a water change when you return and start back with your regular routine
the macros will help keep params in check till you return
as you can see from the pict I'm a true believer in macros
ok lets see
Dotty backs will rule the tank as they are extremely territorial and a 20 gal is to small for a dotty back
the myth on damsels being mean nasty killers is false
if added last they will be the most mellow fish in your tank
a perfect 20 gal would be maybe a clown (20 gal x 2 clowns No), 2 or 3 damsels and a dart fish and yes a small clean up crew anything else would be over crowding
on a 20 gal you really don't need a sump
if your using a filter from a 75 gal place a small piece of cheato in it use that as your sump works just fine IMO
as for a skimmer if its only 20 gal it's not really a necessity
as long as you do routine water changes
but you could use a cheap one like the instant Ocean sea clone it's not the best skimmer but there under a $100. and if you keep it dialed in it will work just fine
leaving a tank unattended is common for me 2 weeks max
as long as you take proper precautions adding lots of macro algeas into tank like Gracillaria and Caulerpa or cheato along with tons pods and other feeders like mysiss shrimp your fish will be well fed your fish will also graze the macros if they get hungry how you think they survive the wild and you can do a water change when you return and start back with your regular routine
the macros will help keep params in check till you return
as you can see from the pict I'm a true believer in macros
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Mike jones
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54seaweed said:reading through this long tread
ok lets see
Dotty backs will rule the tank as they are extremely territorial and a 20 gal is to small for a dotty back
the myth on damsels being mean nasty killers is false
if added last they will be the most mellow fish in your tank
on a 20 gal you really don't need a sump
if your using a filter from a 75 gal place a small piece of cheato in it use that as your sump works just fine IMO
as for a skimmer if its only 20 gal it's not really a necessity
as long as you do routine water changes
but you could use a cheap one like the instant Ocean sea clone it's not the best skimmer but there under a $100. and if you keep it dialed in it will work just fine
leaving a tank unattended is common for me 2 weeks max
as long as you take proper precautions adding lots of macro algeas into tank like Gracillaria and Caulerpa or cheato along with tons pods and other feeders like mysiss shrimp your fish will be well fed your fish will also graze the macros if they get hungry how you think they survive the wild and you can do a water change when you return and start back with your regular routine
the macros will help keep params in check till you return
as you can see from the pict I'm a true believer in macros
It's a 30 gal
nikki_kaiser
Aquarium Advice FINatic
He eventually would like to get into corals. A sump would be beneficial however it is by no means a requirement.
I know there are lots of people who probably don't use a protein skimmer especially on smaller tanks. I personally believe that protein skimmers are extremely beneficial. I know mine is. As far a s damsels go, been there...done that...I've added them last and eventually mine were aggressive but depending on what fish you have that is also based on opinion and I'm sure it's different for some. Everyone one here has different experiences so it's good to listen to all perspectives.
You could always premix your water (I'm sure you do anyway) and ask your friends who have fish to do a water change for you. They wouldn't necessarily need to clean the tank like you would but just siphon the bottom some and add back what you've mixed.
I know there are lots of people who probably don't use a protein skimmer especially on smaller tanks. I personally believe that protein skimmers are extremely beneficial. I know mine is. As far a s damsels go, been there...done that...I've added them last and eventually mine were aggressive but depending on what fish you have that is also based on opinion and I'm sure it's different for some. Everyone one here has different experiences so it's good to listen to all perspectives.
You could always premix your water (I'm sure you do anyway) and ask your friends who have fish to do a water change for you. They wouldn't necessarily need to clean the tank like you would but just siphon the bottom some and add back what you've mixed.
30 gal you can still slip by with no skimmer as long as you do water changes routinely or even just a cheap one like I said above
#1 rule never let anyone touch your tank unless they know what they are doing!!!!
bad things can and will happen , it's to big of a investment to have someone mess it up causing the tank to crash
if he has a big enough hang on back filter filled with macros it would serve as a sump
I had more issues with my dotty back that I finally traded him in
than I do with damsels just keep them schooled in 3/4s one of each species no 2 alike
my cardinals never came out of hiding with the dotty back in the tank
now there all over the place
they don't fear the damsels as they did the dotty back and if they get feisty my clown puts them in check fast
he is KING of the tank and he lets them all know it
everyone's happy and get along great
#1 rule never let anyone touch your tank unless they know what they are doing!!!!
bad things can and will happen , it's to big of a investment to have someone mess it up causing the tank to crash
if he has a big enough hang on back filter filled with macros it would serve as a sump
I had more issues with my dotty back that I finally traded him in
than I do with damsels just keep them schooled in 3/4s one of each species no 2 alike
my cardinals never came out of hiding with the dotty back in the tank
now there all over the place
they don't fear the damsels as they did the dotty back and if they get feisty my clown puts them in check fast
he is KING of the tank and he lets them all know it
everyone's happy and get along great
nikki_kaiser
Aquarium Advice FINatic
LOL! Do you have a tomato clown? Now those clowns don't care who's who...they are like that as well!
nikki_kaiser
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Haha! Thats cool! He's "boss"!
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Mike jones
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I probably shouldn't did this but a few days ago a guy that took my 55 gal off my hand is starting up a saltwater store an gave me some substrate and he was telling me all about saltwater and told me that I could add a clown fish 1-2 day after so I went ahead and he gave me one for about 10 bucks and he's been in my tank about a week and doing really great eating a tone but I do t plan on gettin anymore tell I get a skimmer for sump
nikki_kaiser
Aquarium Advice FINatic
This is very true. People have gotten away from using damsels to cycle as it stresses them and can kill them. First your ammonia levels go up and ammonia is toxic. Then the bacteria present breaks it down to nitrite. Nitrite can be just as toxic as ammonia and it can also kill him. Finally it's converted to nitrates. If he starts breathing fast and lays on the bottom, it means he's really
Struggling so watch him closely.
Struggling so watch him closely.
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Mike jones
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He seems to be doing pretty good like the first day he was at the top corner and I didnt know if he was gonna make it but not he's all over the tank and eating pretty good
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Mike jones
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How long does it take for the tank to usually cycle
My 55g took 3 weeks, and thats pretty typical, no matter what the size of the tank. You're gonna need to do a lot of partial water changes if you want the clown to live through it. The fish would be better off if your friend could house him one of his tanks for a couple weeks til your tank's ready.
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Mike jones
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Alright yeah I'll go ahead and take him back tomorrow I thought when you guys meant cycle like let the water mix I didn't know it went threw toxic stages of developing
Im glad you're taking him back to the store. (but only temporarily!!) Thats best, IMO. You can be reunited with him after your tank cycles.
Yeah, the cycle is brutal for a fish to live through. The ammomia burns their gills and scales, and that can get infected, which can kill the fish. Then the ammonia gets turned into nitrite, which decreases the amount of oxygen they get and they will gasp for air at top of tank or lay on bottom gasping. They can suffocate and die from that. Then finally the nitrite is converted to nitrate, which if you keep below 40, won't kill the fish. (although below 20 is much better, cuz high nitrates will encourage algae growth) when ammonia and nitrites are 0 and you have nitrates, your tank is cycled. Then you do a partial water change and add your pretty little clown!! this will take about 3-4 weeks. The waiting sux, but then you get your funny clown friend!! And he will be with you for years to come.
Yeah, the cycle is brutal for a fish to live through. The ammomia burns their gills and scales, and that can get infected, which can kill the fish. Then the ammonia gets turned into nitrite, which decreases the amount of oxygen they get and they will gasp for air at top of tank or lay on bottom gasping. They can suffocate and die from that. Then finally the nitrite is converted to nitrate, which if you keep below 40, won't kill the fish. (although below 20 is much better, cuz high nitrates will encourage algae growth) when ammonia and nitrites are 0 and you have nitrates, your tank is cycled. Then you do a partial water change and add your pretty little clown!!
this will take about 3-4 weeks. The waiting sux, but then you get your funny clown friend!! And he will be with you for years to come.
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Mike jones
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When should the ammonia spike start he's been in there for a about a week I hope he didn't go threw all that suffering?
The ammonia started to accumulate, unfortunately, as soon as he was put in because he will urinate and poo and there isn't enough beneficial bacteria yet to consume the ammonia. If its been a week, there's probably a good amount of ammonia in there now. He's probably somewhat uncomfortable cuz ammonia burns. There are old school types who think that cycling with a fish in there is fine, and they use "hardy" and "starter" fish for that. The hardy ones might make it, the starter ones are cheap to replace after they die. The fish don't usually make it, sometimes they do.
The newer school of thought is to spare the fish that treatment and use an ammonia source, like a dead raw shrimp tied in a bag or knee-high pantyhose as ammonia source. You can also use fish food flakes, they'll break down and become ammonia. There's also janitorial grade liquid ammonia that can be added to tank, but gotta make sure if you shake the bottle, there's no bubbles in bottle. If there are, there's surfactants in it and can't use it in aquarium. Raw shrimp is common, just let it rot In there, but it'll stink. just know that you'll have to add some kind of ammonia source everyday. That's why raw shrimp is easy, just toss it in and leave it, no daily dosing. But make sure you put it in knee high panty hose, tied off so that when you want to remove it, u don't have to fish out bunch of little prices of rotten shrimp.
I would just get him to your friends tank ASAP in the AM. Good luck!!
The newer school of thought is to spare the fish that treatment and use an ammonia source, like a dead raw shrimp tied in a bag or knee-high pantyhose as ammonia source. You can also use fish food flakes, they'll break down and become ammonia. There's also janitorial grade liquid ammonia that can be added to tank, but gotta make sure if you shake the bottle, there's no bubbles in bottle. If there are, there's surfactants in it and can't use it in aquarium. Raw shrimp is common, just let it rot In there, but it'll stink.
just know that you'll have to add some kind of ammonia source everyday. That's why raw shrimp is easy, just toss it in and leave it, no daily dosing. But make sure you put it in knee high panty hose, tied off so that when you want to remove it, u don't have to fish out bunch of little prices of rotten shrimp. I would just get him to your friends tank ASAP in the AM. Good luck!!
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