Taking my clown back

[matman]

I posted yesterday about my Clownfish acting weird, and was surprised to hear how bad it was to have a fish in while cycling.

Clearly I'm new at this. But i'm obsessed, and REALLY want to learn all i can.

I think i will take my clown back tomorrow. Now, if my tank has been running for about a week, how much longer should i wait before adding fish? My problem is that i'm VERY impatient. HAHA.

Also, that lady at my LFS said that Clowns are good for cycling...sheesh, it stinks being a newbie!

[youronlysin]

She probably has a slight disregard for fish as she has so many of them go through her store. Your doing the right thing. It can take a while to cycle a tank, a month or more in some cases, but I know it can be different with saltwater tanks too...it doesnt look like your liverock has much, if any, life on it so it might take a while. I'd recommend getting a test kit and checking your water parameters...thats the only way youll know when the tank is cycled. The lfs can do that for you too, but its still a good idea to own a test kit. I replied to your other post about why your lfs told you that your water was just fine. Some ofthe saltwater gurus here will have better ideas as to how long it might take for your tank to cycle, but my guess is a few weeks unless your liverock has plenty of life on it. You should try the raw shrimp trick...it works.

[matman]

Ok, will do....i'm so glad i joined this forum. Thanks for your help!

Also, I'm getting an apartment in September, and I want to put a bigger tank in. What size would you reccomend, as far as being able to hold a good number of fish?

[Thumper]

As far as the size of tank, well thats more up to your pocket book because the bigger you go the more it costs however the larger you go the easier it will be to keep the water stable and keep the critters happy. In sw bigger is better.

[quarryshark]

Also, that lady at my LFS said that Clowns are good for cycling...

Terrible advise!! I would consider checking out a few more LFS's if they are giving you this kind of advice.
Your tank is cycled when your ammonia and nitrate reaches zero and stays that way for at least a week. I would then start by adding a few snails and hermits for a few days (after the cycle is complete) to see how they do before adding any fish or more delicate inverts. If you don't already have them, I would get some test kits to monitor your water quality and trust your own testing to determine if you system is ready for livestock.
Also you should consider setting up a qt tank and placing any new fish in this qt for a period of 4 weeks for observation before adding them to your display tank. Its a great place to find any diseases or parasites before placing them in your main and infecting your system with any of these ailments. It is much easier treating them for ailments in a qt setting than having to later remove them from the display to do the same treatment.
Plus qt gives a fish a quiet time to get used to captive life and gives you an opportunity to wean them on to the foods that you choose for them. Basically a settling in period and a chance to screen them for diseases.
Just a thought.

[Thumper]

Quarryshark said it well again,

[matman]

Well....being a newbie, i have to ask how to set up a qt

[quarryshark]

Hey!! Welcome to the forum fellow buckeye!!
I now see that you have a nano after reading some other post, so this may sound a little strange to you.
A qt is basically a small tank with just SW, a heater, bare bottom (no substrate) and a trickle filter or PH. You can add some PVC for the fish to hide in, but the point is to keep it simple and void of any porous material in case you need to treat with any meds. Here is a picture of one of my 10 gallon qt tanks.
also here is a good article with additional info.
HTH
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showqu...q=2&fldAuto=17

[matman]

Is that something that is crucial to have? If I were to not have one is that still ok?

Also, i know this is a stupid question, but will my live rock eventually start growing things?

[quarryshark]

Is that something that is crucial to have?

IMO very crucial. A while ago I lost half of my fish to a parasite because I did not use qt. Fish come out of the ocean with parasites and such that they would normally be able to fend off in an open setting such as the ocean. In a closed system such as out aquariums these things can (and do) become a huge problem in a hurry. With the use of qt, you can catch these things before you get them into your prized display tank and cause a huge problem. I know that a nano is easier to deal with, but these things can still be troublesome.

will my live rock eventually start growing things?

What kind of rock and where from?

[matman]

Oh man....i have Ponphei(sp?) and Tonga? I believe, im not sure where from...haha, i bought them at a Jacks Aquarium and Pets...ha

[quarryshark]

Nice rock, I'm sure in time you will start seeing some pretty cool stuff.

[youronlysin]

Yeah..with good water you'll see all kinds of stuff grow over time.

[LuxorCaw]

Since youre new to the hobby matman I would suggest going to Byerly's in Grandview. They give great advice and the SW fish seem to be cheaper and in better condition than either Jacks or Aquarium Adventure. I wouldnt trust half the people at Aquarium Adventure, but the Byerly guys are great, very well informed and no BS.

[PumaKrieg]

NEVER USE FISH FOR CYCLING, live rock is used for that. Even though clownfish are the easiest of fish to keep ( in the damsel family ) you should wait at least 2 weeks b4 buying any fish and constantly check ph. Just trying to help.