Advice for newbie

littlegolfertn · 01/06/2010, 03:12 PM

Is there anything you would like to share that will help me with my new hobby? I'll give a little info about my tank. It's 90g saltwater with Eheim 2215 filter that has surface skimmer on the intake side. I would guess that I have between 150-200 lbs of live rock and 80lbs of sand, 40lbs being live sand. Heating is with a Rena Smartheater and I have 2 Hydor 4's at opposite ends of tank. I haven't had any major issues yet, but I'm sure they are coming. I put in 3 damsels last Thursday & surprisingly all are still living. I also have a bumblebee snail that hitchhiked on some live rock from the LFS.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Chiefsurfer · 01/06/2010, 03:20 PM

To Reef Central

How long was the tank and everything set up before you added fish? 150-200 lbs of LR sure is a lot. Not that it's bad, but that's a lot. If you intend to keep lps and sps corals, you will probably need more flow thatn those 2 koralias. The rena heaters apparently have filters in them?(just saw this on another thread a few days ago) Those filters will need to be cleaned fairly regularly. Unless the eheim and skimmer are one unit, you can probably do away with the filter. I'd also return those damsels. Unless you are doing a fairly aggressive tank, those damsels can get prtetty nasty, and will bully most peaceful community tank inhabitants.

What are all your water parameters, and what do you expect to do with the tank?

briangsxr1000 · 01/06/2010, 03:50 PM

agreed get rid of the damsels.....

tahoe61 · 01/06/2010, 03:53 PM

Get ride of the damsels, they will only cause you problems down the line and if you are cycling your tank you do not need them. And Congrats on the new set up

Seths Dad · 01/06/2010, 04:33 PM

Thats 4 no's for the damsels. Sit back and watch your rock grow for a while....in other words go slow.

dudley moray · 01/06/2010, 05:39 PM

2 koralia 4's should be fine i have 1 and my sps are fine !
cycling with damsels is not very responsible but who am i to judge
the same result can be accomplished with a piece of shrimp or some flake food
get a good protein skimmer bigger than you think you need
the canister can be used to run carbon and also makes a good mechanical filter but keep it well maintained but above all research everything you plan on keeping before you buy it
patience is a virtue!!
oh yeah stay away from hawkfishes they suck !!!

210reefer · 01/06/2010, 05:39 PM

I am one of the few who likes damsels apparently. I have had them in many tanks over the years and the yellow tail, blue and stripped seem to be less aggressive than dominos and a couple others. Of cousre clowns and chromis are in the same family and almost as hardy and for most a better alternative. I would also loose the filter and get a good skimmer. The rock will provide the filtration and the skimmer will remove the undisolved organic waste, add oxygen to the water and help with water clarity.

mmedeiros2 · 01/06/2010, 05:40 PM

There is plenty to learn from on this site. Everyone is very helpfull. Read as much as you can of Q & A's of poeples problems. Here is a link with some good info.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=239848
Search and you can find pretty much anything you need. After reading for some time, you will then be able to ask more specific questions.

01/06/2010, 03:12 PM	#1
littlegolfertn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 17	Advice for newbie Is there anything you would like to share that will help me with my new hobby? I'll give a little info about my tank. It's 90g saltwater with Eheim 2215 filter that has surface skimmer on the intake side. I would guess that I have between 150-200 lbs of live rock and 80lbs of sand, 40lbs being live sand. Heating is with a Rena Smartheater and I have 2 Hydor 4's at opposite ends of tank. I haven't had any major issues yet, but I'm sure they are coming. I put in 3 damsels last Thursday & surprisingly all are still living. I also have a bumblebee snail that hitchhiked on some live rock from the LFS. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

01/06/2010, 03:53 PM	#4
tahoe61 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: On the state line Posts: 730	Damsels Bad Get ride of the damsels, they will only cause you problems down the line and if you are cycling your tank you do not need them. And Congrats on the new set up

01/06/2010, 05:39 PM	#6
dudley moray sisternofuselessknowledge Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: orillia ontario Posts: 795	2 koralia 4's should be fine i have 1 and my sps are fine ! cycling with damsels is not very responsible but who am i to judge the same result can be accomplished with a piece of shrimp or some flake food get a good protein skimmer bigger than you think you need the canister can be used to run carbon and also makes a good mechanical filter but keep it well maintained but above all research everything you plan on keeping before you buy it patience is a virtue!! oh yeah stay away from hawkfishes they suck !!! __________________ We urge hobbyists to develop a good 'BS' detector that will allow you to question information presented to you without any experimental evidence to support it. chris Current Tank Info: 90 gal south pacific biotope 40 gal sump/fuge ,65 gal rebuilding

01/06/2010, 05:40 PM	#8
mmedeiros2 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dartmouth, Ma. Posts: 452	There is plenty to learn from on this site. Everyone is very helpfull. Read as much as you can of Q & A's of poeples problems. Here is a link with some good info. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=239848 Search and you can find pretty much anything you need. After reading for some time, you will then be able to ask more specific questions. __________________ One must always be aware for the unexpected. Mike Current Tank Info: 75 gal. / Sump / Skimmer / 65 Lbs. LR / 2 Cleaner Shrimp / Firefish / Bangi Cardinal / Pearly Jawfish / 3 - Yellow Clown Gobies / Yellow Wrasse / Hermits

01/06/2010, 03:20 PM	#2
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	*To Reef Central* How long was the tank and everything set up before you added fish? 150-200 lbs of LR sure is a lot. Not that it's bad, but that's a lot. If you intend to keep lps and sps corals, you will probably need more flow thatn those 2 koralias. The rena heaters apparently have filters in them?(just saw this on another thread a few days ago) Those filters will need to be cleaned fairly regularly. Unless the eheim and skimmer are one unit, you can probably do away with the filter. I'd also return those damsels. Unless you are doing a fairly aggressive tank, those damsels can get prtetty nasty, and will bully most peaceful community tank inhabitants. What are all your water parameters, and what do you expect to do with the tank?

01/06/2010, 03:50 PM	#3
briangsxr1000 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hamburg, NY Posts: 896	agreed get rid of the damsels.....

01/06/2010, 04:33 PM	#5
Seths Dad Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: LA... Lower Arkansas Posts: 226	Thats 4 no's for the damsels. Sit back and watch your rock grow for a while....in other words go slow.

01/06/2010, 05:39 PM	#7
210reefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 75	I am one of the few who likes damsels apparently. I have had them in many tanks over the years and the yellow tail, blue and stripped seem to be less aggressive than dominos and a couple others. Of cousre clowns and chromis are in the same family and almost as hardy and for most a better alternative. I would also loose the filter and get a good skimmer. The rock will provide the filtration and the skimmer will remove the undisolved organic waste, add oxygen to the water and help with water clarity.