New Salty: My 29

[lljdma06]

Is the green algae sorta stiff? If so, then perhaps it is chaeto. If it's flexible, then nope, not chaeto. Chaeto has the consistency of tangled fishing line or the plastic stuff you line Easter egg baskets with. Yep, that's it!

Yep, I have an 8-9 hour photo period even with corals.

 

[56jman]

Yeah I had Cheato in my main tank for a while and bits are EVERYWHERE!!!! Any idea on how to get them out? Yeah my lights are 200watt combined for 12-14 hrs a day. Now I know the only algae I have is the Blackish algae on my rocks and Coraline!!! I got my sump running w/ HOB in there DIY skimmer(doing fantastic) and heater+pump. Pics soon

 

[56jman]

I'm thinking for my stocking this would work:

1 or 2 Percula Clowns

1 firefish

1 flame hawkfish or flame angel

1 YWG(with pistol shrimp)

1 6 line

I would also love a jawfish, I saw a baby one at the LFS For $20 and was a beauty and very healty. I really want one so would it work with this list or need to take something off the list, if so what should I take off the list??? Last question which one of these fish should be my first to add ???

 

[SaltNoob]

UM.... 12-14 hours??!!! NO! lol. NO! I would recommend turning that down to 8 hours for now. you are going to get algae EVERYWHERE with that time line.

Seems like a safe list to me. Order is important. I'd put the clowns in second to last, and the wrasse in last.... =) First fish in? Probably the Goby. Inexpensive and very pretty. when you put him in. float for 15 minutes and drop acclimate for 1-2 hours. Make sure the water temp doesnt drop a lot while acclimating. Do you have an acclimation set up? YOU MUST acclimate. Also do you have a refractometer yet? You should set your salinity similar (not insanely different) to the same as your LFS if that is where you are going to be buying your stuff.

-Tyler

 

[crazyforcordoras]

The hawkfish or angel may harrass your firefish. A falcos hawkfish would be a better alternative. Peaceful.

 

[Donya]

UM.... 12-14 hours??!!! NO!

...All of my tanks have the lights on this long, sometimes longer when I have to get up early in the day LOL. Light by itself never caused me an algae problem, only nutrients have (phos + nitrate). You can have all the light in the world and no algae if there are not enough nutrients and/or the nutrients that are there are being taken up by other things (chemical media, other photosynthesizing organisms, etc.). Having the light on longer just lets photosynthesizers take up more nutrients. There is also nothing wrong with stuff like cyano in a new tank worth doing any major changes over. If the CUC doesn't sort it in a couple months, then perhaps it's worth being more aggressive about it, but also worth looking at the flow of nutrients in the tank.

EDIT: hit post button too soon.

You should set your salinity similar (not insanely different) to the same as your LFS if that is where you are going to be buying your stuff.

Unless it's one that has the tanks running at 1.018 or even (cringe) 1.016. Of course, I would avoid shops that routinely do that, but just want to toss out that I've run into them.

A lot of the stores also set their fish-only systems pretty low (usually ~1.020) for new arrivals as well for disease control purposes, so if you buy a fish that's just come in at such a place, it's going to be in lower-salinity water than one would want for a tank with inverts. Some shops do it, some don't, but it's always worth checking the bag water before acclimating just in case. Good to check pH too for similar reasons - it's not such a biggy with fish, but some inverts are sensitive enough that it matters (e.g. shrimp & Echinoderms).

I would also love a jawfish, I saw a baby one at the LFS For $20 and was a beauty and very healty.

I've never had one but have always heard that deep sand beds are a must for these fish. What's your bed's depth at the moment?

1 YWG(with pistol shrimp)

I'm not sure about the combination of this and a jawfish. That's two big sand-diggers...even if they co-exist peacefully (I don't know whether they would), I would expect that you will have sand thrown everywhere. That's not an issue for fish and mobile inverts, but since you have mentioned corals a lot (which do not like being pelted with sand), it's something to consider.

 

[56jman]

Thanks for all the input. I will try to shorten the light to 8-9 hrs a day but need to get timer. Tyler I have dripped everything in my tank and I am familiar w/ the method . I will look into a Falcos Hawkfish, they are so cute, they are under-water chameleons . The only time I've seen a jawfish fling sand would be at breeding clownfish while digging his burrow . Check it out search jawfish vs. clownfish on youtube. Pistol shrimp more of pile the sand up. As for the depth on sand my sand is consistant around the tank at 2in. but sometimes it is 1in or even 4in deep. My petco has a very knowledgeable employee. He ran a aquarium in Texas once . He even lets me in on special deals with coral that isn't even posted and I'm a kid . He said that jawfish(well the one in the store) needed only 2in. of sand. He made a burrow for him and another goby and they lived very happy in a pretty small hole.

So you're also saying I can put all those fish in if they're compatible. Do I have the room???

 

[crazyforcordoras]

I have a falcos hawkfish. They are the most peaceful of all hawkfish. They are often bullied by more aggressive fish. They all do seem compatible, and you have the room. What other fish are going in there? Ado you have a stocking list?




C


Oh yes, make sure it is a Falcos Hawkfish and not a spotted hawkfish. They are very similar. So similar that my local Petco had a falcos labeled as a spotted.

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks for all the input. I will try to shorten the light to 8-9 hrs a day but need to get timer. Tyler I have dripped everything in my tank and I am familiar w/ the method . I will look into a Falcos Hawkfish, they are so cute, they are under-water chameleons . The only time I've seen a jawfish fling sand would be at breeding clownfish while digging his burrow . Check it out search jawfish vs. clownfish on youtube. Pistol shrimp more of pile the sand up. As for the depth on sand my sand is consistant around the tank at 2in. but sometimes it is 1in or even 4in deep. My petco has a very knowledgeable employee. He ran a aquarium in Texas once . He even lets me in on special deals with coral that isn't even posted and I'm a kid . He said that jawfish(well the one in the store) needed only 2in. of sand. He made a burrow for him and another goby and they lived very happy in a pretty small hole.

So you're also saying I can put all those fish in if they're compatible. Do I have the room???

Um... It's obvious you've not kept a jawfish. The Youtube only tells part of a story. I have kept them, two species actually. The sand flinging is pretty much an ongoing behavior and you'll need that deep sand bed. Aim for at least 3". Also, you cannot have jawfish, or any real burrowing fish for that matter, if you added your rock after your sand. You must have placed the rock initially. Otherwise, the animal burrowing in the sand can displace the rock and possibly have deadly consequences. Jawfish also eat, a lot.

I would also not put a YWG/pistol pair with a jawfish. Bad idea. Especially in a smaller tank. You can perhaps get away with it in a large tank, but not in a nano. Some YWG are little, but mine is a 4" Behemoth, and has not showed signs that she's done growing.

L

 

[56jman]

Okay, C my stocking list is above. I will get more sand after my rock 20lbs seems to get me 1inch of sand. I can take care of the food problem and I won't mind the sand flinging, I won't have many corals low to the ground so what about a clown goby and jawfish, and a pistol even though the goby won't pair up with him. will there be enough room for a pistol and jawfish or is it more of a goby problem with the jawfish??

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Thanks

 

[ainsy]

Sorry but I think you are asking for trouble having more than one 'digger' in a tank of this size.

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Yeah, the jawfish and he goby may fight over space.

 

[lljdma06]

Okay, C my stocking list is above. I will get more sand after my rock 20lbs seems to get me 1inch of sand. I can take care of the food problem and I won't mind the sand flinging, I won't have many corals low to the ground so what about a clown goby and jawfish, and a pistol even though the goby won't pair up with him. will there be enough room for a pistol and jawfish or is it more of a goby problem with the jawfish??

No, the pistol digs as much if not more than a goby. IMO, the jawfish will make the pistol very fearful in such a small space.

Clown gobies are different animals. They are more gobies for rock work and coral perching. Similar to my panda goby, which is not quite a digger.

I still don't much love the idea though.

L

 

[56jman]

Okay I will do away with the pistol shrimp and get a jawfish later