Questions regarding decorations, Snails, and my fish, etc

[crono_vivi]

Here's some more questions:

1. How much on average are synthetic corals? No pieces to huge or too small(I will be buying a 38G). Just wondering generally how much, because that's what I plan on getting. Also, after you have your tank for a while, is it possible for your Synthetic corals to turn into Live Rock?

2. Do you have to directly feed Snails? Or do they just feed themselves? What would be a good number for a 38G? I was thinking maybe 3 or 4.

3. Is there any negatives with using fake plants? And is there any bad things that come from using scene paper to cover the back of your tank? Or is that not suggested?

4. About the fishies I plan to get...So far I KNOW I will have a pair of Percula Clowns, a Orange-spotted Goby, and a Royal Gramma. What 5th fish would you suggest with the other ones I plan to get? Keep in mind, I won't have any LR.

5. About the clowns that I plan to have. Will they become a mated pair automatically? I plan to put a pair in as my first fish. Will they become a couple over time or right away? When they do become a pair, will they swim together and share shelter spaces?


Sorry about the barrage of questions, but I'm trying to decide my tank layout ahead of time, so I know what I want.

 

[blorkiemom]

Well, I know a couple . . .

1. Will fake coral become live rock? No--not if you're talking about the plastic stuff. LR is LR because it's porous; the live stuff can live not just on the surface of the rock but throughout it. Plastic stuff will grow some algae but that's about it. (Someone can give you a much more precise answer than that, I'm sure! But I think that's the gist.)

3. AFAIK, there's nothing wrong with using fake plants, though I'd stay away from the cloth ones as they fray. It's more of an aesthetic choice; from what I can tell most SW keepers prefer a more natural look. They will get nasty looking from algae, though, and you'll have to clean them.

People either paint the backs of the tanks or use paper--the black or dark blue is most common. Again, for looks most stay away from printed scenes.

5. I know a teeny bit about clowns--I would do some research before buying. If you buy juveniles, the larger one will eventually become a female and they will pair up. But there are some tricks to it--like if you get two girls by accident they will usually fight to the death--so look into the species you're interested in before jumping in. Mine have been together for 8 weeks or so. It took them 3 weeks to start the bickering phase that starts the pairing up process; they are not yet a pair though I think they are well on their way. Here's a thread to help:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215098

HTH!

 

[blorkiemom]

BTW, base rock (the same kind of rock as LR but minus the live stuff) will eventually become LR in the sense that it will serve as biological filtration, esp. if you seed it with a little "real" LR. It won't have the bio-diversity of gathered or aquacultured LR, though. (This may be debatable?) So if you are avoiding LR for the $, dry base rock might be just the thing for you.

 

[Corty]

Can help with some..

2. My snails seem to feed themselves, but if there's some dried food, etc clipped to the side with a food clip, they will gorge themselves on it, leaving behind snail poo in almost the exact size and shape of the stuff I put in. It's kind of disturbing, especially that they seem to get to it before the Tang does. I guess you could supplement the stuff they eat off the glass and decor with some clippable foods, if you think they aren't getting enough.

3. I don't use scene paper because it makes it look more like I put in a window into the sea.. I prefer the "Hey, I put some fish in my living room" look. I think that's just because it's a little surreal. Lots of people use it, or paint the back wall of the tank, mostly because it destresses the fish and helps them orient themselves in the aquarium, but also to hide wires, etc. Fake plants aren't going to put any oxygen into the water like live plants, and aren't an additional food source for your fish. Otherwise, nothing wrong with them. I use them myself.

4. I would suggest LR.

 

[crono_vivi]

Thanks for the replies. Can you use the same plants in both freshwater and saltwater?

Yeah, the main reason I wasn't too keen on getting LR is because of the huge cost(I'm barely going to make it $ wise w/o LR), and also because of the fact that this will be my first aquarium, and I'd rather wait to get LR when I get more experienced in monitoring water quality, interpreting fish behavior, changing water, feeding, and all the things that beginners learn first. So, how much Cheaper is Base Rock? I would consider buying if it's a lot cheaper. Would base rock with algae be able to sustain a Dwarf Flame Angel(considering he would be the last fish I'd add, which would probably 5-6 months down the road)? I really wanted an Angelfish, but I after I learned they needed LR to graze on, I started to think about other fish.

And about the Clowns, I thought they could change sex? So over time, which ever one grew bigger(I was planning on buying a very small pair) would turn female? I'll check that thread.

EDIT: Ah, I did not know that they couldn't change back to male after female. I'll be sure to try and get one of the juvenile's bigger than the other. Thanks for saving a possible future headache!


Thanks for the help everyone!