Pics Of My New 1St Salt Water Tank

[herrrerrera]

Ive decided to try a salt water fish. and knew nothing coming into it, ive been searching and studying for about 6months now.
i just got done curing 58lbs of live rock, took 6weeks!
8 hours before this pic the tank was completely empty. still a bit cloudy..

eventually this tank will be a reef and coral tank. i want to get the tank established for about 6 months before i go that route, so with that in mind, help me choose 4-5 small fish that will be reef/coral friendly.
tank is a 36gallon.

setup:
36g aqueon bow tank
x2 400gph Koralia power heads (how should i position them? both on one side? one on each side tank?)
Eshopps hang on protien skimmer
60lbs aroginite substrate
58 lbs. fiji rock
100% RO water

 

[Jenste]

try a few clownfish and a pearly jaw - they really add some life to the tank

 

[-Nemo-]

I would position the powerheads on either sides of the tank, try to position them so that there are no "dead" areas (or areas receiving no flow) in the tank.

As for fish, clownfish are always favorites
I'd also definitely look into at least one wrasse and perhaps some gobies

 

[Idlemind]

Its looking nice, you may want to get a CUC before your fish, Has it cycled yet?

 

[seffieuk]

It does look nice that cloudyness will clear in about 48 hours - then test (but I suspect you know this) and if all a params are good go get your cuc

You are going to need approx:

15 sand sifting snails, bumblebees are nice, vibex, ceriths

4 astraes

2 hermits - blue legs (dont mix types)

as for fish, well:

Pair of clowns, juvies so you can watch them form a relationship and watch one become the female

A wrasse, maybe a fairy

A goby, there are so many to choose from

A scarlet hawk (love these guys, but be prepared to lose some snails)

Dwarf angel or a firefish

Can I make one last suggestion, instead of having a flatish structure go for a bommie (mountain) type look with a cave and if you have any flat pieces an overhang

Anyway, looking forward to following your journel. Would you do us a favour and PM a mod, bigc or Ski and ask them to move this to the journel section - that way more people will get to share in your journey

Seffie x

ps I have just been back to look at your photo again - you have alot of sand there, you could probably get a jawfish.

pps how big is that powerhead? it doesn't look big enough to me. You need a powerhead that will be moving at least 20 x 35g = 720 gph

Move the powerhead up closer to the top and at the back so it creates surface turbulance and angle it so that the flow hits the front glass and rebounds on to the rock

 

[Luke_emma_23]

hi, its looking good so far, agree with above about building the rocks up a bit!!
i have a mated pair of pink skunk clowns
a goby & pistol shrimp pair
a dwarf coral beauty angel
1 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
turbo snails
various soft corals
they are in a river reef 94 litre
add slowly is my advice, and quarrantine any new fish!! learnt the hard way after losing all my original stock to whitespot after not quarranting a new goby

 

[herrrerrera]

What is CUC? and what exactly do you mean by cylce the tank?

pps how big is that powerhead? it doesn't look big enough to me. You need a powerhead that will be moving at least 20 x 35g = 720 gph

Move the powerhead up closer to the top and at the back so it creates surface turbulance and angle it so that the flow hits the front glass and rebounds on to the rock
Seffie x

i have 2 power heads, both are stage 1 400gph x2 =800gph
so i dont need the power heads directly facing the rock?
so i should place them at top tward the back of the tank and angle them so they're facing the front of the tank?
should i place them both on the same side left and right of eachother? or r in a vertical line?

i was kinda disapointed with the live rock, i got it on line for really cheap, but all the pieces are very dense and thick and heavy. only one flat piece. so couldn't stack the way i wanted too.

 

[-Nemo-]

What is CUC? and what exactly do you mean by cylce the tank?

pps how big is that powerhead? it doesn't look big enough to me. You need a powerhead that will be moving at least 20 x 35g = 720 gph

Move the powerhead up closer to the top and at the back so it creates surface turbulance and angle it so that the flow hits the front glass and rebounds on to the rock
Seffie x

i have 2 power heads, both are stage 1 400gph x2 =800gph
so i dont need the power heads directly facing the rock?

i was kinda disapointed with the live rock, i got it on line for really cheap, but all the pieces are very dense and thick and heavy. only one flat piece. so couldn't stack the way i wanted too.

CUC = Clean Up Crew
Usually this consists of what Seffie said above; Shrimp, snails, crabs etc.
They just help to keep your tank clean (for the most part). You don't need, by any means, to put them in before your fish, but a lot of people like to in order to clean up the tank a little bit because it usually starts to get a little icky.

Cycling your tank is building up the bacteria in the water. Your tank is considered cycled when your nitRITes and ammonia are zero. With good rock, this usually takes less than a week.
Re-reading your first post i'm a little confused about what you did with your live rock. You just recently put it into your tank? Where was it before?

 

[herrrerrera]

before my live rock was in a 15 gallon plastic tub. i didnt place it in the tank tell ammonia and nitrite showed 0.

So what would COC do for my tank, if there is nothing to clean up? ive always heard to cycle a tank with 1 fish. but just today, heard its best to cycle it with no fish?? but i dont understand how that is possible, how would i get good bacteria in my tank with no fish?

 

[seffieuk]

before my live rock was in a 15 gallon plastic tub. i didnt place it in the tank tell ammonia and nitrite showed 0.

ok, what about nitrate?

So what would COC do for my tank, if there is nothing to clean up?

You will get a diatom bloom and some algae will start, they clean this up

ive always heard to cycle a tank with 1 fish. but just today, heard its best to cycle it with no fish?? but i dont understand how that is possible, how would i get good bacteria in my tank with no fish?

Yes, we don't use fish to cycle tanks anymore, it is considered crual. It works because there is always die off of one kind or another, this feeds the bacteria in the live rock

Seffie x

 

[herrrerrera]

i picked up 2 snails, and 2 crabs today. is there enough stuff in the tank for them to eat?? or should i be feeding them?

 

[seffieuk]

I would leave it a week and then maybe feed them a small about of flake or a bit of nori

Seffie x

 

[herrrerrera]

hello again guys! its been 3weeks with my first fish (damsel) and he is still alive! yay!! so far so good. what does quarrantine a fish mean?

and whats the rule of thumb for how often i can add fish?

i want 6 small fish. so if i pick out 6 fish i want, and tell you guys, will you please let me know if they will all get along, and which order to add them? in case one might need to go in last do to being slightly terrotorial. thanks.

 

[-Nemo-]

Good to hear!
Quarantining a fish consists of setting up another tank which acts as a temporary home for any new things.
Th point of it is keep your main tank safe. Whilest in the quarantine tank you would observe the fish (or anything else) for any illness etc. This prevents anything bad from being introduced into your tank. I know many people who quarantine new fish for months before adding it to their display tank.

It's good to wait at least a week before adding more fish IMO

And sure! Just let us know and we'll help!

 

[herrrerrera]

1.orange stripe prawn Goby- http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2124+197&pcatid=197
2.bicolor Pseudochromis - http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...143&pcatid=143
3.ocellaris clown- http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...137&pcatid=137
4.flame angelfish- http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...444&pcatid=444
http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...197&pcatid=197
5.orange stripe prawn goby- http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...197&pcatid=197
6.royal gramma basslet- http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...1+53&pcatid=53
7.clown fish http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+27+142&pcatid=142
and jsut thought i'd ask, there is probably no such thing as a dwarf trigger fish right?
here is all the fish i like, will they all get along? i probably can't get all these fish for a 36gallon? right? out of these fish which do you guys suggest i get, and in which order? thanks..