New to saltwater advice (pics inside)

[20vturbo]

cool thanks for the help!

since there it seems to just take up space without the sponge in it can I remove this somehow?

http://www.stewartphotographics.com/fish.jpg

 

[Devilishturtles]

Hmm, you might be able to remove it... Depends on how it's constructed. It might be more of a pain than anything...

I used to have HIGH nitrate issues like you, but added a skimmer and did really frequent water changes and it helped a lot.

 

[20vturbo]

OK things just got more difficult I am going to be "holding" my dads 95 gallon tank for an undisclosed amount of time (maybe years, or hopefully forever!) while they move to Houston! Since we are talking a long time frame and possibly forever, I was wondering about lighting and the skimmer. From reading here it looks like my best bet is to make the reef tank the 40 gallon and just a fish/lr tank the 95 gallon due to the tallness of the 95 gallon. I took out the CC that was in the tank and replaced it with what was recommended earlier. I was wondering if i should keep the magnum pump or not, and what else I would need for the big 95 gallon? I was thinking a HOB skimmer for the 95 and a sump for the 40? Thanks again for the help! its been VERY helpful! The fish say thanks too

 

[Devilishturtles]

Are those pictures of the 95 gallon, or the 40 gallon? If you are keeping the 90 gallon forever...you could use the 40 gallon as the sump... just an option.

But you are probably right. You have MUCH more fish options with a 90 gallon as opposed to a 40 gallon. So I'd make the 40 gallon reef, 90 gallon FOWLR if you wish.

I'd also chuck the Magnum, or just use it as water flow and take the media out.

HTH

 

[20vturbo]

thanks! yeah thats the 90 gallon, the 40 is on the first page. When my dad brings them I will have 2 10 gallons, 1 20 gallon, and 1 40 gallon. Should I make a sump for the 90 gallon too even if I can't afford the lighting for the coral? what would be the benefit's?

 

[20vturbo]

Can I put these fish together?
there are two tiny damsels in the 40gal, the black one and a blue one with yellow tail

and 4 of these big blue ones in the 95 gallon. The pics are almost accurate to size, will these big guys eat/pick on the tiny ones?

 

[melosu58]

Damsels usually cause problems later on down the road as they harass your other fish you`ll add to the tank and they are usually are hard to catch later on also. My recommendation is to leave the damsel be and fill your tank with more suitable fish that will not be so harrassing. But that is JMO.

 

[20vturbo]

Damsels usually cause problems later on down the road as they harass your other fish you`ll add to the tank and they are usually are hard to catch later on also. My recommendation is to leave the damsel be and fill your tank with more suitable fish that will not be so harrassing. But that is JMO.

Yeah thats why I want to put them all into one tank so I can have a tank for more suitable fish. I can't get rid of them b/c they are my dads (I am fish sitting for a long while) so I was just wondering if I could put the small ones with the big ones without having the tiny guys get killed?

 

[roka64]

Damsels are damsels. Those blue devils will, most likely terrorize any new unagressives fish. I think the domino ones are pretty nasty too.

 

[20vturbo]

so can I put the damsels together to free up my other tank?

 

[roka64]

I imagine if you add them all at the same time you might be ok. Unless you are putting them all on the 40, that might make for some cramped quaters. You could probably put the yellow tail in the larger tank (mine tend to be less agressive than my other ones).

 

[20vturbo]

the way it is now there are four of the blue damsels and a yellow tang in the 95 gallon and the smaller domino and blue (with yellow fin) damsel in the 40 gallon. I would like to move them all to the 95 gallon until I can get better water setup for the 40 gallon. (the hair alge is going crazy)

 

[roka64]

I imagine you might be able to get away with them all in the 95, just keep an eye on them for the first few days. The damsels in the 95 probably have their territories staked out.

+++EDIT+++
That flake food is notorious for phosphates. How often do you feed and is that all you are feeding?
On that 95G (the pic at the top of the page, right?), with that depth and cover, you might have pH problems. What is your pH?

 

[20vturbo]

I feed them twice a day with the flake food, and once with frozen brine shrimp on the weekend. I haven't checked my dads tank yet, I will do that tonight. What should I be feeding?

 

[roka64]

Variety is best. I would also cut back to feeding everyother day. I feed mine that way. I feed frozen soaked in garlic extreme, selcon and zoe. I throw in flakes every once and a while. Feeding twice a day is probablt one of the reason you have an algae bloom.

 

[20vturbo]

Wow never even thought of that! Do you get the food from a LFS or can I get it online?

 

[roka64]

I actually pay the extra money at the LFS. I believe the frozen, bought online, may charge extra for shipping, but I could be wrong. You could also make your own, from fresh unseasoned seafood from your local grocery store. Get a variety and put it in a blender, freeze, thaw and soak in the products I previously stated. I soak my food at least 20 mins, but no more than 30 mins.

 

[20vturbo]

you can just use regular people food?! are there any other threads about what to feed the fish? how offen do you feed them that stuff?

 

[roka64]

Yes, you can use raw unseasoned seafood. I haven't done it, but hopefully some one that has can tell you what they used. I believe Hara might do her own, or at least used to.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Hara has posted on here a few times her "Blender Mush Recipe". I'm sure she won't mind if I share it.

* Bender Mush Recipe-by Hara
When making the blender mush, use the whole creature...unpeeled shrimp, ungutted fish, all the parts of the squid...everything. My mush is made of squid, cod, scallops, shrimp, crab, whatever is seafood and is on sale. I then add nori (seaweed) some garlic oil and zoe (vitamins). Blend it all up, put it in ziplock bags, lay it out flat so that the mush is very thin. Then when it is frozen, you can just break off pieces. Some flake food can be added to thicken the mush if it's to thin and Selcon can be used in place of Zoe. When feeding, remember a little goes a long way.

Edit: We posted at the same time Scott!