looking for tips!

TrainOnATrack · 05/02/2015, 08:31 PM

Hi yall im new here and im looking for some tips! So ive been researching about saltwater aquariums and finally I decided to get one, i had a 35 gal aquarium sitting around. So i asked for salt for my birthday

and my friend got me some then i let it cycle for almost a month and got a spotted damsel and some live sand, then got a watchman goby and a coral frag. I was planning on waiting to get more because i was going to pre order the Apple watch but i said heck with it and decided to get clown and another coral frag, star polyps, rose tip bubble anemone. Then i let them cycle for another two weeks and got a tomato clown and lawnmower blenny. Im going to test my water again tonight.

runjmc2 · 05/02/2015, 08:45 PM

Need more info on your set up. Sounds like you are adding too much too fast and likely corals beyonds your systems capabilities.

TrainOnATrack · 05/02/2015, 08:49 PM

I have the right lighting for my corals i have a power head thing and phytoplankton for food

Clowny88 · 05/02/2015, 08:53 PM

Yeah it sounds like you are moving really fast. How much live rock do you have? What were your nitrates measuring at after that month of cycling?

Also WAY too soon to be adding an anemone.

TrainOnATrack · 05/02/2015, 08:55 PM

I have like 25lbs of live rock

TrainOnATrack · 05/02/2015, 09:02 PM

Oh the guy i have test my water said everything was perfect except my hardness was a little high could someone tell me how to test that and explain what that is?

TrainOnATrack · 05/03/2015, 12:27 AM

Ok so i just tested my water and here is the results: high range pH 8.5, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 0ppm.
I think the pH is a little high, i will try to bring it down if yall think i need to.

gone fishin · 05/03/2015, 07:25 AM

Your moving a bit fast. Some of the fish you have added can be aggressive, namely the damsel and the tomato clown, in a small tank. What type is the other clown you got?

Don't worry about your pH. To measure hardness you should be testing calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. These three work together. there are stickies in the reef chemistry forum.

Keep an eye on the anemone. New folks with new tanks typically have a hard time with them.

There is a sticky at the top of this forum "setting up" it is a book really with multiple topics. I wish you the best but I am afraid your in for an uphill battle.

hotelbravo · 05/03/2015, 09:28 AM

Very bad choice adding so much so quickly especially the anemone. I also feel like you are making a mistake and will have a rough time from here on out with your choices. Anemones need more established tanks where parameters are stable. If they do not have this they can "melt" or die and nuke the tank. Also it sounds like you got a clown and then two weeks later got another clown.. tomatoes get aggressive and if your first clown you bought two weeks prior was not also a tomato then you will have doom right there between them. You have a bad mix of fish in a small tank in my opinion and you are keeping 2 possibly 3(if the mystery clown is also a tomato) aggressive fish that will cause trouble
It sounds like you dont have enough live rock usually u match the gallon per pound or go even greater than per gallon. The more rock the better and in your case with having aggressive fish the more rock is more hiding places for the other fish to aid in their survival.

Slow down. Rethink the anemone and possibly the tomatos. I would bring them back to a lfs if it were me.

CStrickland · 05/03/2015, 10:15 AM

Happy birthday

I think the biggest tip for a new tank is to read up on stuff before you do it. It's crazy how specific some of our tank pets are about what they need to be happy. The anemone is a good example, I don't think your can find anybody who would say that it's a good idea to get one so soon except for the guy who sold it to you. The store has a good reason to tell you your tank is ready - $. The people here only want to help get you set up for success in the long run so your tank is happy and you aren't buying stuff you don't need or more pets to replace the ones that died cause they shouldn't have been in the tank in the first place. These guys have seen a lot of folks in your shoes kill a few animals and then get frustrated and give up on salt when it got expensive and frustrating cause they listened to the fish store that told them what they wanted to hear. If you take it slow you have a much better chance of lasting.

If you look at the tops of the diff pages in the forums there are "stickys" which are threads that have important info without so much blah blah blah. Reading those is a good way to get your head around the basics. Don't be afraid to ask questions too, everyone's happy to help, but sometimes the question is bigger than you realize. Hardness is a good example, the way that alk and calcium and ph and magnesium affect your water quality is more about how they work together because they depend on each other. So it's easier to just read a bigger explanation of that than it is to understand alk by itself, and by getting your head around the big pic you will answer questions you didn't even know you had. There is a sticky in the general discussion page called "dirt simple chemistry" that does a good job.

I don't think you need as much as a pound of rock per gallon, my tank isn't even close. Since your tank is already crowded it might be good to leave extra room for the fish too. I would leave the ph alone for now, it's close enough. A lot of new tanks start higher because as your bacteria population grows they will use it up. I think for now you should hold of on doing much, learn about the hobby and get used to your tank like how to use your tests and clean the tank and stuff. Also if you insist on keeping it read up on anemone to know what they look like when they are healthy and sick, so that when (really not if) it starts to die you can take action before it kills everyone else.

Welcome to the hobby! Everyone starts someplace, I'm sure you'll be a pro in no time if you do your homework.

TrainOnATrack · 05/03/2015, 12:02 PM

The other clown is a Amphiprion ocellaris Mathai and everything in my tank is young but my lawnmower blenny, my damsel could care less about the other fish and the tomato clown keeps to himself with the nem

TrainOnATrack · 05/03/2015, 12:09 PM

I woke up today and my nem was deflated and i was scared, but it turned out he was using the rest room. He is blowing back up now, not sure how to describe that.

runjmc2 · 05/03/2015, 12:12 PM

I give the anemone about a 0% chance…just don't let it take out the rest of the tank on the way...

TrainOnATrack · 05/03/2015, 12:38 PM

I ask for tips not for you just to put me down like im a failure, you were new to the hobby once to how about some links to help me learn, thx for all the replies though

gone fishin · 05/03/2015, 01:47 PM

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1379607

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659

These should keep you busy for awhile.

hotelbravo · 05/03/2015, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrainOnATrack

The other clown is a Amphiprion ocellaris Mathai and everything in my tank is young but my lawnmower blenny, my damsel could care less about the other fish and the tomato clown keeps to himself with the nem

A juvenile tomato clown will likely be passive and keep to himself but when he starts to mature you can expect him to beat up and possibly kill the ocellaris. Its not a good combo

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrainOnATrack

I ask for tips not for you just to put me down like im a failure, you were new to the hobby once to how about some links to help me learn, thx for all the replies though

You are seriously not listening if you think we are putting you down. We want you to succeed but we have to be very serious in situations like this where someone is on a bad path. I personally want everything to go well for you but I dont think it will unless you take the anemone and the tomato back to the store. Learn about each inhabitant you are wanting to buy before you buy it. Research is your key to success and asking questions is your best bet. But listen to the things we are saying we may come off as harsh but its that tough love kind of thing that sometimes needs to be said.

Dkuhlmann · 05/03/2015, 03:55 PM

Yes this is on a very bad path and I see a Train Wreck about to happen.

People have already said to you what needed to be said and you think they are talking down to you because you're new? Guess again buddy, you are about to kill a whole tank of living creatures, some will die chemically and others will be killed by other tank mates. That tomato clown will become VERY aggressive as it ages and the Occelarious will die. As far as the anemone goes, it won't live in the new tank unless you are very lucky and know what you are doing (which you obviously don't) and when it dies it will nuke your whole tank. Plain and simple, a train wreck is about to happen with your tank.

Clowny88 · 05/03/2015, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrainOnATrack

I ask for tips not for you just to put me down like im a failure, you were new to the hobby once to how about some links to help me learn, thx for all the replies though

Nobody is putting you down... Consider us your "Check Engine" light if this were a car. You are right... Everyone was new here once. So we learned from the same experiences and are paying that advice forward to you.

Just like a Check Engine light... You can ignore it and ride it out, fingers crossed, until something happens... OR you can address it immediately and save your car.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

TrainOnATrack · 05/03/2015, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dkuhlmann

Yes this is on a very bad path and I see a Train Wreck about to happen.

People have already said to you what needed to be said and you think they are talking down to you because you're new? Guess again buddy, you are about to kill a whole tank of living creatures, some will die chemically and others will be killed by other tank mates. That tomato clown will become VERY aggressive as it ages and the Occelarious will die. As far as the anemone goes, it won't live in the new tank unless you are very lucky and know what you are doing (which you obviously don't) and when it dies it will nuke your whole tank. Plain and simple, a train wreck is about to happen with your tank.

Nice pun, ok i will do some more research, i might setup another tank for the nem and tomato thx for the links and thx again to everyone for replying quickly!

TrainOnATrack · 05/07/2015, 05:15 AM

As of today everyone and the anemone are happy campers

TrainOnATrack · 05/18/2015, 10:39 PM

Ok so i just got a 75 gallon aquarium today anyone got ideas on what i should do with it?

hotelbravo · 05/19/2015, 07:46 AM

move all your inhabitants over to it and use the smaller tank as a sump. if the 75 isn't drilled get an hang on back overflow box.
that's what id do

srva80 · 05/19/2015, 08:00 AM

lets see some pictures

Sk8r · 05/19/2015, 11:26 AM

Up at the top of this forum is a file sticky called SETTING UP. That will give you the information you're looking for, broken down into digestible bits. Read what seems to cover immediate problems, then go back for more.

TrainOnATrack · 05/20/2015, 02:43 AM

I dont have room to put both tanks there because i share a room with my 11 year old brother and no its not drilled. [IMG]

[/IMG]

05/02/2015, 08:31 PM	#1
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	looking for tips! Hi yall im new here and im looking for some tips! So ive been researching about saltwater aquariums and finally I decided to get one, i had a 35 gal aquarium sitting around. So i asked for salt for my birthday and my friend got me some then i let it cycle for almost a month and got a spotted damsel and some live sand, then got a watchman goby and a coral frag. I was planning on waiting to get more because i was going to pre order the Apple watch but i said heck with it and decided to get clown and another coral frag, star polyps, rose tip bubble anemone. Then i let them cycle for another two weeks and got a tomato clown and lawnmower blenny. Im going to test my water again tonight. Last edited by TrainOnATrack; 05/02/2015 at 08:40 PM.

05/02/2015, 09:02 PM	#6
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	Oh the guy i have test my water said everything was perfect except my hardness was a little high could someone tell me how to test that and explain what that is? Last edited by TrainOnATrack; 05/02/2015 at 09:25 PM.

05/03/2015, 07:25 AM	#8
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	Your moving a bit fast. Some of the fish you have added can be aggressive, namely the damsel and the tomato clown, in a small tank. What type is the other clown you got? Don't worry about your pH. To measure hardness you should be testing calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. These three work together. there are stickies in the reef chemistry forum. Keep an eye on the anemone. New folks with new tanks typically have a hard time with them. There is a sticky at the top of this forum "setting up" it is a book really with multiple topics. I wish you the best but I am afraid your in for an uphill battle. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

05/03/2015, 09:28 AM	#9
hotelbravo Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 2,175	Very bad choice adding so much so quickly especially the anemone. I also feel like you are making a mistake and will have a rough time from here on out with your choices. Anemones need more established tanks where parameters are stable. If they do not have this they can "melt" or die and nuke the tank. Also it sounds like you got a clown and then two weeks later got another clown.. tomatoes get aggressive and if your first clown you bought two weeks prior was not also a tomato then you will have doom right there between them. You have a bad mix of fish in a small tank in my opinion and you are keeping 2 possibly 3(if the mystery clown is also a tomato) aggressive fish that will cause trouble It sounds like you dont have enough live rock usually u match the gallon per pound or go even greater than per gallon. The more rock the better and in your case with having aggressive fish the more rock is more hiding places for the other fish to aid in their survival. Slow down. Rethink the anemone and possibly the tomatos. I would bring them back to a lfs if it were me. __________________ -Hodge Current Tank Info: 180 gallon, 40b sump. 3x OR T247 lighting, Reef Octopus protein skimmer, phosban 550 reactor, tunze ato, gyre xf 150, 2x mag 9.5 returns.

05/03/2015, 01:47 PM	#15
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1379607 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659 These should keep you busy for awhile. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

05/02/2015, 08:45 PM	#2
runjmc2 Moved On Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 42	Need more info on your set up. Sounds like you are adding too much too fast and likely corals beyonds your systems capabilities.

05/02/2015, 08:49 PM	#3
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	I have the right lighting for my corals i have a power head thing and phytoplankton for food

05/02/2015, 08:53 PM	#4
Clowny88 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: N. Illinois Posts: 270	Yeah it sounds like you are moving really fast. How much live rock do you have? What were your nitrates measuring at after that month of cycling? Also WAY too soon to be adding an anemone.

05/02/2015, 08:55 PM	#5
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	I have like 25lbs of live rock

05/03/2015, 12:27 AM	#7
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	Ok so i just tested my water and here is the results: high range pH 8.5, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 0ppm. I think the pH is a little high, i will try to bring it down if yall think i need to.

05/03/2015, 10:15 AM	#10
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	Happy birthday I think the biggest tip for a new tank is to read up on stuff before you do it. It's crazy how specific some of our tank pets are about what they need to be happy. The anemone is a good example, I don't think your can find anybody who would say that it's a good idea to get one so soon except for the guy who sold it to you. The store has a good reason to tell you your tank is ready - $. The people here only want to help get you set up for success in the long run so your tank is happy and you aren't buying stuff you don't need or more pets to replace the ones that died cause they shouldn't have been in the tank in the first place. These guys have seen a lot of folks in your shoes kill a few animals and then get frustrated and give up on salt when it got expensive and frustrating cause they listened to the fish store that told them what they wanted to hear. If you take it slow you have a much better chance of lasting. If you look at the tops of the diff pages in the forums there are "stickys" which are threads that have important info without so much blah blah blah. Reading those is a good way to get your head around the basics. Don't be afraid to ask questions too, everyone's happy to help, but sometimes the question is bigger than you realize. Hardness is a good example, the way that alk and calcium and ph and magnesium affect your water quality is more about how they work together because they depend on each other. So it's easier to just read a bigger explanation of that than it is to understand alk by itself, and by getting your head around the big pic you will answer questions you didn't even know you had. There is a sticky in the general discussion page called "dirt simple chemistry" that does a good job. I don't think you need as much as a pound of rock per gallon, my tank isn't even close. Since your tank is already crowded it might be good to leave extra room for the fish too. I would leave the ph alone for now, it's close enough. A lot of new tanks start higher because as your bacteria population grows they will use it up. I think for now you should hold of on doing much, learn about the hobby and get used to your tank like how to use your tests and clean the tank and stuff. Also if you insist on keeping it read up on anemone to know what they look like when they are healthy and sick, so that when (really not if) it starts to die you can take action before it kills everyone else. Welcome to the hobby! Everyone starts someplace, I'm sure you'll be a pro in no time if you do your homework.

05/03/2015, 12:02 PM	#11
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	The other clown is a Amphiprion ocellaris Mathai and everything in my tank is young but my lawnmower blenny, my damsel could care less about the other fish and the tomato clown keeps to himself with the nem

05/03/2015, 12:09 PM	#12
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	I woke up today and my nem was deflated and i was scared, but it turned out he was using the rest room. He is blowing back up now, not sure how to describe that.

05/03/2015, 12:12 PM	#13
runjmc2 Moved On Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 42	I give the anemone about a 0% chance…just don't let it take out the rest of the tank on the way...

05/03/2015, 12:38 PM	#14
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	I ask for tips not for you just to put me down like im a failure, you were new to the hobby once to how about some links to help me learn, thx for all the replies though

05/03/2015, 03:55 PM	#17
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Yes this is on a very bad path and I see a Train Wreck about to happen. People have already said to you what needed to be said and you think they are talking down to you because you're new? Guess again buddy, you are about to kill a whole tank of living creatures, some will die chemically and others will be killed by other tank mates. That tomato clown will become VERY aggressive as it ages and the Occelarious will die. As far as the anemone goes, it won't live in the new tank unless you are very lucky and know what you are doing (which you obviously don't) and when it dies it will nuke your whole tank. Plain and simple, a train wreck is about to happen with your tank. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

05/07/2015, 05:15 AM	#20
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	As of today everyone and the anemone are happy campers

05/18/2015, 10:39 PM	#21
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	Ok so i just got a 75 gallon aquarium today anyone got ideas on what i should do with it?

05/19/2015, 07:46 AM	#22
hotelbravo Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 2,175	move all your inhabitants over to it and use the smaller tank as a sump. if the 75 isn't drilled get an hang on back overflow box. that's what id do __________________ -Hodge Current Tank Info: 180 gallon, 40b sump. 3x OR T247 lighting, Reef Octopus protein skimmer, phosban 550 reactor, tunze ato, gyre xf 150, 2x mag 9.5 returns.

05/19/2015, 08:00 AM	#23
srva80 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 49	lets see some pictures

05/19/2015, 11:26 AM	#24
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Up at the top of this forum is a file sticky called SETTING UP. That will give you the information you're looking for, broken down into digestible bits. Read what seems to cover immediate problems, then go back for more. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

05/20/2015, 02:43 AM	#25
TrainOnATrack Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 20	I dont have room to put both tanks there because i share a room with my 11 year old brother and no its not drilled. [IMG][/IMG]