Some questions from the newbie....

[orion5221]

Hello all, I am in the process of learning all I can for my saltwater tank.
( I have a 55g, with 20lbs live rock, fluval 403, 2 200watts heater, and a bak-pak protein skimmer, and I am in the early stages of cycling the tank)
My question is about the fresh water dip. I have heard to do this ( with the fresh water being the same ph and temp.) with new fish before entering them in the tank. Just want to make sure that this Will not stress the fish too much. Also should I get a UV sterlizer? Just want to keep my fish ( looking at snowflake eel, some sort of lionfish ( not sure yet), huma trigger).. thanks for all your help!
LA

 

[Anemoneman]

I would skip the FW dip. I don't think it's necessary to put fish through that in a brand new tank. If you are worried about introducing disease, set up a 10 gal quarentine tank.
What kind of substrate are you using (planning on using)? With a deep sand bed and a minimal amt of LR you don't need the fluval except for water circulation and the occasional use of carbon.

Mark

 

[orion5221]

Thanks! I have about 60lbs (4 inches) of coral substrate (sp?) and 20lbs of live sand. Now, another quick question, with adding fish, it is best to add only one fish about every 2 weeks.. correct?? I was going to get a small snowflake first, then a small lion, then a small huma..... do you think a clown fish would be happy in the situation, or just end up being eaten, or to scared to move around???
Thanks in advance, LA

 

[Anemoneman]

I'll address the substrate first. I would suggest either you keep the crushed coral and vacuum it regularly to keep it free of detritus OR remove the CC and use only sand. Purchasing live sand at this point is not worth the money. Any (dry, bagged) reef suitable sand that is added to the tank at this point wil become "live" after a week or two. Since you have just set this tank up, I recommend removing the CC and going with a 4" bed of sand. Don't throw away the crushed coral, it may look good in a flower pot, the rock garden, or used in the winter for traction (the last suggestion from Dr. Ron). The bottom line is, CC is generally considered unsuitable for a reef tank. There is a good chance your's will become a full on reef as you progress in the hobby. Folks rarely stay with a fish only set up unless thay are extremely fond of a particular fish that is not suitable for a reef. If you are going to stay with a FO then the CC is OK but only to a depth of an inch or so to facilitate cleaning and discourage detritus build up.
From your suggested line up of fish, this tank will be an "aggressive setup". Again, CC is fine for that. An eel and lion sound OK. The clown will be fish food. There are others on this board with more experience with aggressive setups so I'll let them chime in.

Mark

 

[Hara]

I have an aggressive tank. The tomato clown was the first fish in. He is still there. The eel came second, as a 6 inch baby, then the sailfin and Naso tang, then an 8 inch adult Lion. Everyone gets along quite nicely.
This is my experience only....others may differ...I will also add that they are exceptionally well-fed, (to the detriment of my water parameters) which may explain why they get along so well....