Stocking options for a Beginner

[Dunner1970]

Hi

Im just brought a Biorb 60ltr marine tank.

Just added my first cleaner shrimps (2). All levels seem fine, Nitrate seems a bit high, but it has only been going for 3 weeks now and i have read this shoul settle. At start i struggled to get the water over 24c, but after moving it to the middle of my room, it hangs between high 24c and mid 25c. I have about 3kg of Figi cured live rock as well as Biorb false rock. Their seems to be alot of white bugs wizzing around my tank now and some look like very very small spiders/crabs which just stick to my glass. What are these?

The shrimps seem happy, but i think their getting hungry now as they shoot up to top of tank when im checking levels etc.

Can i add a fire shrimp 1 or 2 along with my other shrimps. I understand i will have to leave out other claen up crew to allow for the additional shrimps. Are they worth adding or should i leave with just 2 clean up shrimps.

I have read many many articles regarding adding stock and they all say different stock.

What stock MUST i introduce and which stock can i leave out or replace with.

FISH??

Clown fish seems every ones favourite but i like to be different. What fish (quanity) would ideally suit my tank if i chose not to go down the clown/Neon Goby route?

Hope you can answer

Many Thanks

Ricky

If you really want to experience the marine hobby fully, try something a little different! Get some good quality live rock. It doesn't have to be alot, but pay the little bit more for something like 10lbs of Gulf rock. Place this in your tank with the rest of the rock and at the proper salinity and all, then practice doing water changes on the tank while the rock cures. Don't be afraid to do them frequently, a couple times a week is not too much!! Don't worry that this will delay the cycling (it will, but not by that much!!) because the benefits you will recieve by doing this will outweigh any negatives! The reason you do the water changes is because you will save the life on the rock and you will be amazed at how much life there is!! While the tank is cycling you will be entertained by all the critters that come out of the rock and can spend your time looking up 'what the heck that is' on the computer. Very cool way to spend the time you have to wait anyways...

I did this when I first started out in the hobby. What I ended up with was a small crab (who I ended up target feeding and kept him for years), bristleworms, various pods, an orange nudibranch, three long white worms that would only come out at night and swim around in the water, a type of brittlestar that is a filter feeder - it would stick it arms out of crevices in the rock and wave them gently in the water, astrea snails, another worm that would glow neon blue at night, a shrimp, a red macro algae that looked like bare tree branches, several kinds of sponges, tunicates, featherdusters, small brittlestars, an olive snail, some sort of coral whose name I've forgotten, keyhole limpets, small clear anemones (not aiptasia) that lived in some of the caves of the rock, spagehtti worms, peanut worms.....

Some of these animals will not live long in your tank. It seems a shame to me to never experience them while you can. It's something you will never forget that's for sure!! But other animals will live on longer or reproduce in your tank giving you years of enjoyment! And it's fun to be looking at your tank and find something new in there!

BTW, if you do this, you're gonna need a flashlight for night viewing!!

 

[seffieuk]

This thread is very old, may I suggest you ask your question in the nano section

oh and to the salty side and TFF

Seffie x



ps

I see a kind Mod has moved this for you

 

[seffieuk]

Ok, first off can you post your stats please

Then you need to look at your cuc

You really shouldn't hve added anything until your tank was stable

So, stats first and then whilst you are waiting research CUC

you will probably need a couple of Turbos
about five Nassarius vibex, check out flea bay for sellers, most lfs dont have them
and one or two dwarf hermits - probably red leg

certainly no more shrimps

However do not get any more livestock until your nitrate is below 10 when it is below 10 then do a 50% water change, wait 24 hours, test again and if still below 10 then go buy your cuc

then, reasearch very small fish, you have about 13 1/2 gallons to play with. The general rule for a salty tank is one inch of fish to every five gallons (but remember to count the full sized fish and not the juvie). You may get away with three inches worth of fish if you are very good at water changes each week

Take a look at the goby family or maybe a rare yellow assessor or maybe the even rarer blue assessor . Take a look at jennybugs second nano tank for some inspiration

Seffie x

 

[Dunner1970]

Thanks for replying.

My Stats

PH 8.2/8.4
AM 0.1
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 40

I no Nitrate has shot up in the last week. The tank is approaching 4th week. I started feeding shrimps last friday for first time, (i think maybe too much food ) Water has gone a bit cloudy, so was going to do partial water change 25%.

Im not going to make usual mistake and add fish too early.

Next cleaner crew i need to add are Turbo? Serpant Star Fish? Sea Urchin (small)? What you think?

Dunner

Ok, first off can you post your stats please

Then you need to look at your cuc

You really shouldn't hve added anything until your tank was stable

So, stats first and then whilst you are waiting research CUC

you will probably need a couple of Turbos
about five Nassarius vibex, check out flea bay for sellers, most lfs dont have them
and one or two dwarf hermits - probably red leg

certainly no more shrimps

However do not get any more livestock until your nitrate is below 10 when it is below 10 then do a 50% water change, wait 24 hours, test again and if still below 10 then go buy your cuc

then, reasearch very small fish, you have about 13 1/2 gallons to play with. The general rule for a salty tank is one inch of fish to every five gallons (but remember to count the full sized fish and not the juvie). You may get away with three inches worth of fish if you are very good at water changes each week

Take a look at the goby family or maybe a rare yellow assessor or maybe the even rarer blue assessor . Take a look at jennybugs second nano tank for some inspiration

Seffie x

 

[seffieuk]

Thanks for replying.

My Stats

PH 8.2/8.4
AM 0.1
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 40

Right, I suspect your tank is not fully cycled yet - so you need to wait, have you had a spike of nitrate higher than the 40?

Do a 50% water change, shouldn't be hard in a tank that size , then wait 24 hours and test again - post your results but if under 10 then go ahead and buy your cuc

I no Nitrate has shot up in the last week. The tank is approaching 4th week. I started feeding shrimps last friday for first time, (i think maybe too much food ) Water has gone a bit cloudy, so was going to do partial water change 25%.

Stop feeding the shrimps for the moment

Im not going to make usual mistake and add fish too early.

Certainly no fish or anything else yet

Next cleaner crew i need to add are Turbo? Yes

Serpant Star Fish? No, your tank is not big enough

Sea Urchin (small)? No, again your tank is not big enough

What you think?

Did you go and look at Jennybugs second tank?

Dunner

Seffie x

 

[steelhealr]

You're going too fast. Slow down. Your tank is either not fully cycled or you are overfeeding it. Nitrite and ammonia is deadly stuff to shrimp. SH

 

[scott133]

the biorb comes with a sheet that tells you when to do water changes and when to add stuff

i have got one it is just not opened i bought it for my baby cardinals

5 week test if parameters are ok add cuc

7 weeks do a water change if your nitrates are about 20ppm

8 week add a fish eg. goby/damsel

10 weeks wash filter sponge in a bucket with tank water you should anly take out 2" of water

week 12 test add another fish if parameters are ok

so you have to slow down

and if some one tells you something listen and they will help you

thanks scottt

 

[seffieuk]

the biorb comes with a sheet that tells you when to do water changes and when to add stuff

Oh gawd

i have got one it is just not opened i bought it for my baby cardinals

Got what?

5 week test if parameters are ok add cuc

Oh gawd

7 weeks do a water change if your nitrates are about 20ppm

double gawd

8 week add a fish eg. goby/damsel

triple gawd

10 weeks wash filter sponge in a bucket with tank water you should anly take out 2" of water

week 12 test add another fish if parameters are ok

so you have to slow down

but please follow our instructions and not the biorb instructions

and if some one tells you something listen and they will help you

Oh yes indeed, listen to us

thanks scottt

Seffie x