Starting My 42g Saltwater Cube...

[cuticom]

I know a snowflake won't work, they would've been my first choice LOL, I love morays, tanks just the wrong dimensions for it, plus theres way to many escape wholes, the reason I got the tank was because the original owner had to get another tank because his snowflake kept escaping from this one.

The orangeback basslet, is that also known as a hawkfish? or am I just getting my names confused? Would a hawkfish work? my LFS has the nicest longnose hawkfish, don't know the first thing about them though, ah well off to research.

So those corals are all good under my lights? I've been looking at a 400w MH, but that would me a long way off, as I have to save up the money first, and although it's the cheapest I've seen em, it's still $200

 

[nanocubeking]

I know that orangeback basslets arent hawkfish they are in the same family as a royal gramma. The hawkfish may not work in the tank if you have small ornamental skrimps. I dont know if the 100 watt metal halide would do all of the corals I use watts per gallon to define lighting but it is still only a relative term. If I were you I would look for a 250 watt or a 150. Use the 100 with your 150 to make 250 watts. Or keep the 100 but put teh 250 over the tank only.

 

[cuticom]

I don't have the money for a new MH fixture, the only reason I have one now is it came with tank, so if the corals don't work, I won't get them, simple as that. I'm hoping in a year or so I may be able to get a 400w clamp on fixture, but thats at least 12 months away. I'm only 15 so money is pretty tight, my parents pay for required things (test kits, food, meds etc) but if I wnat a better light so I can have more corals, i have to pay for it, and although I've found a really good price ($185) on the fixture I like, it'll be ages before I can afford it, and I may not even get it.

I know the sun coral will be fine, and I'm pretty sure the hammer coral will work and mushrooms would work (forgot to put em on my list) but want to double check for the others.

There won't be any shrimps/crabs as I def want a sun coral, and I don't want them hurting it.

 

[cuticom]

While I remember, I do have a question about handling corals, I keep hearing things about picking them up, even for feeding the sun coral your meant to move it to a bowl. Can you do that with barehands? or are gloves needed? or something else?

 

[nanocubeking]

You can touch most corals with bare hands. Some people a precautious about zoos. But I dont think crabs or hermits would harm the sun coral. Especially shrimp too. They dont harm coral for the most part.

 

[cuticom]

Because of a sun corals feeding habits (they have to be fed directly and with large foods very often) many crabs and shrimps learn the routine and will try to dig food out of the polyps, I've also read horror stories of them tearing up hammer corals etc as well, so think I'll just skip em.

Well I finally got pics of the sun coral and cardinals, all looks good, the sun coral seems to be more then one coral (multiple clusters) but it's healthy and the pic he sent had all the polyps extended, so all good. Hopefully he'll accept my offer ($45 for the trio of cardinals and $25 for the sun coral) and we'll be able to get them soon, as he doesn't live that far away.

 

[nanocubeking]

I have seen that happen with my animals but only once. A group of sexy shrimp would be really cool. And I think they are not going to do that 100%.

Of course I'm not saying it my not happen.

 

[SkiFletch]

You can touch most corals with bare hands. Some people a precautious about zoos. But I dont think crabs or hermits would harm the sun coral. Especially shrimp too. They dont harm coral for the most part.

Misconception. True, hermits do not directly harm sun corals, nor do shrimp. However over time the hermits/shrimp will learn that the sun coral eats the same food that they like to eat. So when it's feeding time eventually they'll go over to the sun coral and rip the food out of its mouth, eventually starving it to death...

As for handling corals, the two most common difficulties are dealing with the nematocysts of LPS and the toxins of zoanthids/palythoa. LPS have stinger tentacles with whar are called nematocysts. Their tentacles are lined with lysosomes (little cellular structures) that have hooks on them (like microscopic fishooks). They literally stick to your finger and release the enzymes in the lysosomes on to your finger. These lysosomes have enzymes and chemicals that some are allergic too and over-time if you leave it there, they will eat away your fingers. Now that I've scared you, so long as you're not allergic these really aren't that big a deal. You can touch them with your fingers and be OK. REALLY sticky corals might be irritating, but likely won't hurt you too bad.

Zoanthids/Palythoa are a different story entirely. They have a toxin in their flesh called Palyotoxin. Its an exceptionally powerful toxin that targets nerve function. It can NOT however be absorbed through the skin. It needs a mucous membrane pathway to get into your system (eyes, nose, mouth, open sore, etc). Once in your system, palyotoxin in small doses will numb the area of contact, and inhibit nerve funciton there. This is a common difficulty if you're handling zoas/palys and decide to scratch your eye/lip/etc. Whoops, now the whole side of your face is numb for a little while . There are also a small portion of the population again who is allergic to palyotoxin, so anaphylactic reactions are possible.

Solutions: Wash your hands and don't go around touching other things right after you touch corals. Proceed directly to the sink, do not pass go do not collect $200. It is also important to note that palyotoxin can stay around for days even when dry, so don't go rubbing your face with the towel you dry your hands with

Edit: If you ever do experience an anaphylactic reaction from contacting anything in your aquarium, make SURE you tell the paramedics or whomever calls them that the source of the reaction was a coral from your aquarium. Will help with treatment if there is a problem

 

[cuticom]

Thank you sooo much LOL, I have extremely sensitive skin, as in spend 5 minutes in the sun without protection and end up in the emergency room with burns like I'd lit myself on fire LOL, hmmm definitely getting some nice big elbow length gloves LOL. If I handled them say with wrapping a plastic bag around them before picking them up, that would be fine wouldn't it (I'm not getting zoo's, thats just asking for trouble LOL). I'll see if I can find some good reef safe gloves somewhere, but would a plastic bag work for now? I'm probably picking the sun coral up on Thursday...

Still no snails, the LFS guy gave me a spiel about astreas and nassarius being really rare and that hermit crabs would do the same job. So need to source somewhere else, which may be a bit of trouble, but will see what happens.

I did get food though, I know I still need some algae based stuff but otherwise is this all good?

Hikari Marine S
Hikari frozen Krill
Hikari Frozen spirulina brine shrimp
Hikari brineshrimp
Hikari Mysis
(Keep in mind this is for feeding the coral as well)

So all good? Now I just need to find some darn snails LOL, I need something thats gonna pick up any uneaten food, and I aint getting hermits LOL.

 

[cuticom]

Just got confirmation that the cardinals and sun corals will be picked up on Thursday, yay I'll actually have something to look at LOL, the sun coral should keep the cycle going as well, since there messy feeders, so I can stop stressing about feeding the tank LOL.

So how long should the cardinals stay in quarantine for? four weeks?

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, IMO a lot depends on how long they've ben at the LFS. Longer they're there disease free, the less time you need to worry about QT. If they're new arrivals, I'd go with 4 weeks, if not, give them 1 or 2

 

[cuticom]

I'm picking them up from a fellow reefer, he's had them for three months or so, thats all the info I have.

Umm new question, I need to bag the fish and coral myself, the fish I'm assuming will be the same as freshwater, a large container with a water tight lid, half filled with water, but the coral? do I need to do anything special? uhhh help? LOL

 

[SkiFletch]

Same thing with the coral. Just make sure you don't have stony corals banging into each other in the same container

If you're picking the fish up from someone whose had them for 3 months, and they do not appear diseased when you get them, chances are they're healthy. That, combined with the fact that these will be your first fish leads me to reccomend not bothering with QT

 

[cuticom]

I still rather Qt, would make me feel safer

 

[cuticom]

What about acclimatising? I'm going to use the method where you float the bag in the tank and add small amounts of water till full, then half empty into a bucket and keep adding small amounts of water, theres just too much chance of temperature dropping too low if I use the drip method here. So I was thinking probably take an hour to an hour and a half for the fish and 2 or so hours for the coral? is that right?