I know its going to be hard work...

[leanne]

I'm new to this forum so hi all!! I am also new to fish keeping. I have had a freshwater tank now for 6 months and have got my tank just how i want it but now I have another tank where I'm going to go salt... The freshwater is only a 10g (28litre) but I am careful and have only had on fish die on me. He was a lovely red betta (I know, I know, but I didn't know then - bad advice from LFS). Aren't they cool the way they bend and turn their heads to look at you?

In my tank I have:

1 green leafy plant (GOKs what)
1 red leafy plant (GOKs what)
1 waxy leafed plant (cause my fish went through a nibbly stage) GOKs what but it has white flowers...
1 fern

I have the plants planted in a piece of mined rock, a piece of driftwood and a cheap plastic castle thingy.

And now the fish:

4 zebra danios (1 boy with a harem of 3 women) - females are always preggers but no babies yet...
1 ghost cat fish (she's my fave and has had fry but couldn't catch them so they got eaten)
1 female orange sword tail, 1 grey, black and red male sword tail (her mate), 1 yellow and black striped tail swordfish (loner) and 2 ickle fry
1 silver shark
6 neon tetras
1 diddly (for now) clown loach (to keep my snails in check) - I like my snails but my plants don't
And a baby pleco.

I know some of the fish will get too big eventually but I'm going to get a bigger tank before they do... I'm going to use the bigger tankas a room divider so need funds to get a nice stand made.

OK thats me so far...

Gonna put my plans as a reply...

 

[leanne]

So here is my plan.

I have a 20gal tank - a bargain of Feline on these forums...

It has tropical lights at the mo but I'm not planning on keeping coral so its not a problem for the minute. It has a BioLife combi filter which is a wet/dry trickle filter and also had a cartridge filter and carbon cartridge. It has an automatic timer for the lights which is kind of good and it all runs off one plug!! BONUS!! Oh and theres a heater of course.

I have been out and bought 35kilos of (ready cured) live rock, 2 small bags of crushed coral, 1 bag of live sand, tons of extra filters and stuff. Oh and a bag of salt and one of those salinity things (can't remeber what theyre called)

I alread have all the testing kits so I am ready to begin.

My plan is to put a good bed of crushed coral down to raise the pH, It's going to be sort of sloped from the back to the front and at the front I'm going to put the live sand to the front and arrange my live rock and let it all cook. I will be adding a little food each day to feed the bacteria and watching the nitrite and nitrate levels. When they have fallen and stabilised (4 weeks??) I'm going to get a couple of percula clowns and leave it at that for another few weeks. Over the next 6 weeks after that I am hoping to add a scarlet hawkfish and maybe a yellow with black spots box fish. In addition to this my LFS suggested a shrimp and a turbo snail - what u think??

I am good with my water changed and monitoring of the Nits (never had ate more than 12.5 and ite has always been 0.3 or less - usually less) so I'm hoping its all not going to be too much more difficult than what I'm already doing.

My questions are:

1) Am I thinking right for the time scale?
2) Are the fish really compatible?
3) What do you think to crustaceans...?
4) Do I have the right idea for cycling?
5) Is the split level substrate a bad idea? Should I just have crushed coral with sand on top?

and 6) any tips?


Thankyou for listening...

Look forwards to chatting more

Leanne

 

[remowilliams]

as far as compatibility is concerned, the hawkfish will probably eat your shrimp but i don't know if it will eat the snail. aslo, from what i've heard about mixing live sand with crushed coral is that after a while whe sand will eventialy mke it's way to the bottom the the tank leaving the cruched coral on top of it. i would go with just doing one or the other. live sand is preferable because it gives you instant cycling because the bacteria is already in the sand. if the live rock is already cured and cured correctlky then you can add it to your tank and add some fish as well because the bateria is already growing on the rock. that's what i did for my 25gal.

 

[RamJet]

I have been out and bought 35kilos of (ready cured) live rock, 2 small bags of crushed coral, 1 bag of live sand, tons of extra filters and stuff. Oh and a bag of salt and one of those salinity things (can't remeber what theyre called)

My plan is to, etc.....

I just want to clear something up a little. How long was it from the point of buying the live rock to getting it into a tank with salt water? I am hoping it was not long, but the way this is worded worries me.

 

[leanne]

Its was about an hour. Was stored in a bag of water - just like fishies... and I acclimitised it like fish too (not sure if I needed to or not but thought better safe than sorry). It seems OK - plenty of little crawly things on and theres some sort of ?cockle? that keeps sticking its feelers out and pooing! There's 3 chuncks, 2 big and 1 smaller and they're a mix of browns, greens, purples and reds. Live sand isn't quite as exciting though.

24 hr later and all levels are stable...

 

[Adrinal]

24 hours and perameters might be good... but stable needs to be checked over a few day period... you have to do more than one test to indicate stability...

 

[leanne]

Tested morning and night for the first 48 hours now I'm testing every 24 hours. Everything seems fine and dandy so far... Fingers crossed and all that.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[Adrinal]

smokin.
I think the average person who tests says 3 days consistiant and your GTG... correct me if im wrong... I don't test, I'm lazy and just wait an extra week or 6 hehe

 

[Landlocked]

Did anyone look at the stocking list?

Clown loaches and many others of those fish are freshwater, aren't they? Why is this post in the salt water fish area?

I ask again, WHY IS THIS HERE?

How come no one has noticed that all of these fish you are planning on putting into a salt water tank are freshwater? Is it just me, or am I the only one who read all of the first post?


If there's a problem here, please POINT IT OUT TO ME!

 

[Adrinal]

 

[Adrinal]

8)

 

[leanne]

Thanks again for all your advice (those of you that offered advice instead of critiscism...). I am still fishless and critterless (apart from what came with the live rock). I am on my way to another LFS to "have a look" and will come back empty handed (bar some salt). Going to cycles for at least another week to make sure I have got the hang of keeping the water parameters constant...

Thanks again

PS

Did anyone look at the stocking list?

Clown loaches and many others of those fish are freshwater, aren't they? Why is this post in the salt water fish area?

I ask again, WHY IS THIS HERE?

How come no one has noticed that all of these fish you are planning on putting into a salt water tank are freshwater? Is it just me, or am I the only one who read all of the first post?


If there's a problem here, please POINT IT OUT TO ME!

Again thats

Why is this post in the salt water fish area?

Is it just me, or am I the only one who read all of the first post?

You obviously didn't read all the first post... Or ANY of the second... Don't give me abuse - I can do without it thanks. Far more helpful would have been to suggest I get the thread moved. But even then you would have been wrong. Note - its impolite to type in capitals and may leave a less headstrong newby into thinking this is an unfriendly site - it's not a good advertisement!

Expect an apology to follow shortly...

OK enough of my rant - lets get back on topic

 

[Max]

how much has it costed you so far for live rock, live sand, ect.?

 

[leanne]

I have spent about £600 on live rock, substarate, salt, polps and fish. That's not including the tank and lighting...

 

[Max]

I have spent about £600 on live rock, substarate, salt, polps and fish. That's not including the tank and lighting...

whoa... i just got a 10G and it cost be abour 100$ although i hear live rock is expencive in uk, how many pounds is 35 kelios