PLEASE check out your intended fish purchases here first!

[Ston3]

Good morning everyone,

I got 37g (30.25" x 12.5" x 22.75") on day 9 of fishless cycle. I'm running odyssa ps 75 skimmer and koralia #2 (600 gph). I have about 60 lbs LR (although I'm not sure how long it was out of water, cycle not going as fast as I speculated) and about a 2" live sandbed.

I'm planning on building a 10g sump in less than a month. In the meantime, I plan on having the usual cuc (snails, couple shrimp, few hermits, and an emerald crab) and having a couple clowns. My question is do you all think it'd be too much to throw in 3 chromis before I have the sump up and running? I also plan on getting a dwarf angel flamefish, but that will definitely have to wait til after I sump up.

Thanks

[Nlangan]

Midas blenny with Starry blenny?

One is a carnivore while the other is an herbivore, so it seems like they might get along in my peaceful tank. I have a Kole Tang, Ingnitis male + 3 females, McKoskers Wrasse, 2 blue gudgeon dartfish. There might be a YWG knocking around in there - I only see him every couple of weeks.

Thanks.

[lcs]

Fairly new (cycled since August) 56gal (+10g sump) with YWG/shrimp, bi-color blenny, and just a few corals - couple small zoa colonies, couple rics.

Would like to add:
royal gramma
tank bred ocellaris clown
coral beauty angel

I would add them in that order. Would this keep me understocked?

[Reeftanks6]

Originally Posted by Ston3

Good morning everyone,

I got 37g (30.25" x 12.5" x 22.75") on day 9 of fishless cycle. I'm running odyssa ps 75 skimmer and koralia #2 (600 gph). I have about 60 lbs LR (although I'm not sure how long it was out of water, cycle not going as fast as I speculated) and about a 2" live sandbed.

I'm planning on building a 10g sump in less than a month. In the meantime, I plan on having the usual cuc (snails, couple shrimp, few hermits, and an emerald crab) and having a couple clowns. My question is do you all think it'd be too much to throw in 3 chromis before I have the sump up and running? I also plan on getting a dwarf angel flamefish, but that will definitely have to wait til after I sump up.

Thanks

Sounds like a pretty nice tank. I use to have a 37g. I think you will be fine with the chromis in there before the sump. But with the tank only cycled for 9 days so far i would wait at least a month till i would add any fish. The chromis should be your test fish and if they survive then you should be good to go.

[Reeftanks6]

Originally Posted by lcs

Fairly new (cycled since August) 56gal (+10g sump) with YWG/shrimp, bi-color blenny, and just a few corals - couple small zoa colonies, couple rics.

Would like to add:
royal gramma
tank bred ocellaris clown
coral beauty angel

I would add them in that order. Would this keep me understocked?

You will be fine in my opinion

[Reeftanks6]

I would like to get in the fish selection action.

Was looking to add some kind of angel to my 90g maybe. But i am not sure what angel. Wanted to go with an emperor but figured out it would get to big. What are some angels that will look good in a 90g. Something that you can somewhat trust in a reef as well.

Also was looking at the Dragonets?

Any thoughts

[Ston3]

Originally Posted by Reeftanks6

Sounds like a pretty nice tank. I use to have a 37g. I think you will be fine with the chromis in there before the sump. But with the tank only cycled for 9 days so far i would wait at least a month till i would add any fish. The chromis should be your test fish and if they survive then you should be good to go.

thank you. So you think the three chromis would be better to put in first after cycling? Before the cuc or the pair of clowns? Are they hardier than the other options?

Thanks again

[Reeftanks6]

Originally Posted by Ston3

thank you. So you think the three chromis would be better to put in first after cycling? Before the cuc or the pair of clowns? Are they hardier than the other options?

Thanks again

Anytime ston3,

After the tank cycles for about a month. The chromis will be the hardiest fish. You can add the cuc at the same time or a little before just to clean the tank and do there own thing. But the chromis will be the hardiest fish. Then you can add the pair of clowns. Any more questions please ask?

[Ston3]

Originally Posted by Reeftanks6

Anytime ston3,

After the tank cycles for about a month. The chromis will be the hardiest fish. You can add the cuc at the same time or a little before just to clean the tank and do there own thing. But the chromis will be the hardiest fish. Then you can add the pair of clowns. Any more questions please ask?

Awesome. I actually do have one more question. My coraline from the LR I bought is starting to fade and die. What could be some possible reasons for this?

Thanks

[Reeftanks6]

Ston3,

I am not to sure what would lead to this. Test your water? It might be cause of the tank not being too established yet. My rock in my 90 started off as a brown color with some coraline purple. Know everyone of my rocks is purple looks makes a good look in the tank. But check your parameters and post them on here and maybe I or someone else can help you.

[Ston3]

I feel like such a noob, but I'm going to come clean. I don't have a full test kit since I got this set up from craigslist. I am definitely going to buy one tomorrow. It was also unwise of me to dose some of the chemicals which were include in the setup. I dosed some iodine and some essential minerals formula.

I know it was a poor choice, I know. My plan of action is to do a 50% water change tomorrow and start testing my water every other day. I don't have a canister to run carbon, but I was wondering if I can stick a couple teaspoons of activated carbon and just put it in the sponge outlet of my skimmer.

I am going to give my water a full test tomorrow and I'll let you know. Thanks reeftanks.

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by Ston3

I feel like such a noob, but I'm going to come clean. I don't have a full test kit since I got this set up from craigslist. I am definitely going to buy one tomorrow. It was also unwise of me to dose some of the chemicals which were include in the setup. I dosed some iodine and some essential minerals formula.

I know it was a poor choice, I know. My plan of action is to do a 50% water change tomorrow and start testing my water every other day. I don't have a canister to run carbon, but I was wondering if I can stick a couple teaspoons of activated carbon and just put it in the sponge outlet of my skimmer.

I am going to give my water a full test tomorrow and I'll let you know. Thanks reeftanks.

How long are you running your lights for and how many watts do you have?
You should have the lights on for 4-5 hours during cycling if you want to preserve the corraline algae on the reef rock

[Ston3]

I'm running a 65 w coralife 50/50 actinic for a good 6 hours daily. The coraline is starting to flake off and or fade. Could it be cause of addition of the supplements or high ammonia/nitrite levels? Would the bacteria required for cycling be affected in any way as well?

Thanks capn

[Reeftanks6]

Originally Posted by Ston3

I feel like such a noob, but I'm going to come clean. I don't have a full test kit since I got this set up from craigslist. I am definitely going to buy one tomorrow. It was also unwise of me to dose some of the chemicals which were include in the setup. I dosed some iodine and some essential minerals formula.

I know it was a poor choice, I know. My plan of action is to do a 50% water change tomorrow and start testing my water every other day. I don't have a canister to run carbon, but I was wondering if I can stick a couple teaspoons of activated carbon and just put it in the sponge outlet of my skimmer.

I am going to give my water a full test tomorrow and I'll let you know. Thanks reeftanks.

Sounds good. Trust me we all learn from mistakes. I didnt have a full test kit at first. Then i relized what a bad idea it was. But you having a new tank you have some time. We all learn!

Never thought of the lights cause of coraline. Good thinking Capn

[Ston3]

Hello again,

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: >5
Nitrate: 5
pH: 8.2
sg: 1.024
temp: 77F

Worst comes to worst, if all or most of my coraline die off, would I need to reseed it with new live rock or will it come back on it's own?

On a side note, I've started to get little critters emerging from the sand. I see a few translucent tentacles that come out every so often and retract. I've seen as many as two little tentacles coming from the same source. They're an inch or so in length, about a mm or 2 in width. Are these baby brittle stars? I also have a few sprouts coming out from the sand. There are these little string like creatures/plants coming from under rocks and out of sand. They are an inch and a half or so in length, a couple mm in diameter. They have a greenish tint with little pigmented sections every few mm. They do not retract and seem to just move with the flow. Do you know what it is? I saw a few of them emerge the day I set up the tank.

Thanks

[spacepony]

Originally Posted by Ston3

Awesome. I actually do have one more question. My coraline from the LR I bought is starting to fade and die. What could be some possible reasons for this?

Thanks

Hey ston3, FWIW, I'm currently starting my own 46g, and I note you said you were in about day 9 of the cycle...I noted my corralline algae fading for a while starting around the end of the first week, and after researching, noted this is not uncommon (others note coralline can be sensitive to light changes). It's currently about week 5 for me, and let me tell you, the coralline bounced back beautifully, and just starting to seed all the bulk rock, too. Hope this helps! (p.s. I'm only just getting around to ordering some of my tests, too!! Noob's!!)

[Ston3]

Originally Posted by spacepony

Hey ston3, FWIW, I'm currently starting my own 46g, and I note you said you were in about day 9 of the cycle...I noted my corralline algae fading for a while starting around the end of the first week, and after researching, noted this is not uncommon (others note coralline can be sensitive to light changes). It's currently about week 5 for me, and let me tell you, the coralline bounced back beautifully, and just starting to seed all the bulk rock, too. Hope this helps! (p.s. I'm only just getting around to ordering some of my tests, too!! Noob's!!)

Thanks spacepony, that makes me feel alot better. I was getting sad that my pink and purple coraline was starting to flake and fade. How's your tank doing? Have you added any livestock yet?

[spacepony]

Ston3: No livestock yet, I've only just reached zero on all the important param's. Livestock this weekend!!!!

Sooooo, since I'm here, would anyone critique my choices?...(46 gal w/LR, skimmer, no sump, eventually want mushrooms, zoas)

starting with a small CUC (for some algae and sand bed cleanup):
2 Nass. snails
2 Cerith
2 Banded trochus
1 Peppermint shrimp (hoping for aiptasia control)
1 dwarf red leg hermit (cross your fingers that he plays nicely)

will add them this weekend

Later:

1 pair ocellaris (might go B&W)
1 pair Bangaii cardinal
1 Fridmanii pseudochromis

Any thoughts on who goes first for the fish?
Thank you for any input!

[Ston3]

Spacepony, I'm no guru, but to me your choices sound solid. I read somewhere that clowns may be slightly territorial if added first, but then again I'm sure those four fish won't have any issues finding their own territory in a 46g. Good luck! Post up some pics when you get them.

[serval]

I'm a fan of the color of the fridmannii pseudochromis myself, but have not gotten one due to their reputation for being bullies. I know the fridmannii is supposedly a little calmer (and the tank bred ones even more so) but it's all a matter of degree. I suppose the clowns can hold their own; probably the cardinal too? I think your CUC mix sounds great (though I'd skip the hermit) but I would get a few more snails than that (maybe 5 Nassarius, 7-10 Cerith?). Is there enough to eat to support the (larger, hungrier) Trochus? If you get 2 little Peppermints, they will impregnate each other and provide food/plankton for the tank.

[tang56]

240 gallon fowlr 55 sump aqua c ev 240 40 refugium,
fish-
sailfin tang
passer angelfish
zebra moray
powder brown tang
blue tang
4 clowns

would this be overstocked?????

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by Ston3

I'm running a 65 w coralife 50/50 actinic for a good 6 hours daily. The coraline is starting to flake off and or fade. Could it be cause of addition of the supplements or high ammonia/nitrite levels? Would the bacteria required for cycling be affected in any way as well?

Thanks capn

I doubt you will get much corraline with only 65 watts of attinics. In a 40gal you should have between 135 and 300 watts (the general rule of thumb is 3-5watts per gal)
You can try to have the fixture very close to the surface of the tank if possible and build your reef up high

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by tang56

240 gallon fowlr 55 sump aqua c ev 240 40 refugium,
fish-
sailfin tang
passer angelfish
zebra moray
powder brown tang
blue tang
4 clowns

would this be overstocked?????

not at all----
but you can judge--if they are all getting along then you are fine
if you have zero nitrates then the filtration system(including the live rock) is adequate for the bioload

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by Ston3

Spacepony, I'm no guru, but to me your choices sound solid. I read somewhere that clowns may be slightly territorial if added first, but then again I'm sure those four fish won't have any issues finding their own territory in a 46g. Good luck! Post up some pics when you get them.

+1 ston3---good answer

BTW
there is only one fish guru on RC----PaulB and he has 40 years of experince

[Ston3]

Originally Posted by capn_hylinur

I doubt you will get much corraline with only 65 watts of attinics. In a 40gal you should have between 135 and 300 watts (the general rule of thumb is 3-5watts per gal)
You can try to have the fixture very close to the surface of the tank if possible and build your reef up high

Yea it was originally a 130 w, but the other ballast is broken. Upgrading to MH the moment I start making money (graduating in May!)