29gl new build tank.

[Boolay1978]

Just seen a star fish come out of a rock in the dark, it's white and small, so excited! Lol

 

[Boolay1978]

So what is the best CUC for a 29gl tank?

 

[carey]

In my 29g cube I have about 5 hermits, 5 astraa(sp) snails, one turbo snail, 1 emerald crab and about 20 narsissus snails (way too many but I love them!).

I also have 3 peppermints and a cleaner shrimp. They all get along great. i didn't add all of them at once either, I added them over several months as the tank matured so there'd be enough food for them all.

 

[Boolay1978]

Have u got some corals and fish in there too?

 

[carey]

LOL yeah I do. I'm actually way overstocked but I am working on an upgrade, a 60g rimless cube, got about half of what I need so far.

I have 2 b&w clowns, a yellow wathcman goby, a citron goby, a firefish and two dragonets, a scooter and a mandarin. LOL

Don't follow by my example please! hehehe...

 

[Boolay1978]

Ok so here to update so far got 3 red hermit crabs 2 blue hermit crabs and 2 turbo snails the only thing I still can't get to live are my cleaner shrimp no matter how I introduce them.....

 

[mr_X]

How have you been introducing them so far?

 

[Boolay1978]

My lfs gave me a plastic floating tub that has a valve at the bottom which slowly lets the tank water in. They are fine in there and then after an hour with the water mixing and I tip them into the tank they die with in a few min. All levels seem ok.

 

[mr_X]

Well, that apparatus doesn't seem to be working properly. Just get a piece of airline tubing and tie a knot in it, then sit the shrimp on the floor in a container of the water they came in. Start a siphon, and tighten the knot so water barely drips in.
If you do this and they still die there is definitely something wrong with your water.

 

[rebelyeller89]

Well first don't pour in the water. Try to get as little of outside water into your tank as possible. And you're trying to put in cleaner shrimp? I put in a peppermint today, and he did fine. If you're doing a slow acclimation I really don't know why they would be dying. How many shrimp have you tried?

 

[Boolay1978]

These were the third set of two at a time. Will get my levels tested again tomorrow, crabs and snails doing really well.

 

[leftyfish]

A different option...Ask your LFS what there SG is and if you are not using a QT then slowly make your tank match theirs within .001, if using a QT it will be easier and you don't have to mess with your tank parameters, even if you can set up a bucket for the shrimp with an air stone and a heater it would help.

Then make the bucket the same SG as the LFS, float bag 15 min closed to match temperature, check the SG just to make sure it is the same as you made it in the bucket, then simply put them in the bucket. Then over a period of a few days make the bucket water match your tanks SG, when it matches and they are fine and temps are the same just put them in the tank.

This is a successful method for when things are shipped because ammonia builds up in the bag and becomes toxic when the bag is opened-->increase O2-->increase pH-->ammonia becomes more toxic.

When I got my fire red cleaner I didn't know this method, instead I drip acclimated him for 3 hours because my water was so far off from LFS. He did fine. I did this other method with all my fish, corals, snails and shrimp to move them to a holding tank and everyone did fine. It was a lot less stressful on them (and me)then if I had drop acclimated everyone.

 

[Boolay1978]

What should my salt level be, it's at 1.024

 

[rebelyeller89]

Between 1.21 and 1.24 for FOWLR, and between 1.24 and 1.26 for reef.

 

[Boolay1978]

They told me it was too low for the shrimp and that was why they died?

 

[rebelyeller89]

Umm. I don't think that's right. Live aquaria shows 1.23-1.25 for their shrimp. I don't think that's the problem.

 

[carey]

I keep my tanks at 1.0255, as close to 1.026 as i can get. I have shrimp and corals and they do just fine. natural sea water is 1.026 I believe so I keep it like that.

 

[Boolay1978]

Just got home and the top of water looks like this? Any ideas? Got a skimmer and filters

 

[joy13]

Is your skimmer skimming? Do you have any surface movement at all?

 

[Boolay1978]

There is some bits at the bottom of the skimmer container. Also got one of the arms that pushes the water from the pump facing upwards. Got the skimmer set up correctly I think.