Hi Dawn:
I am not into saltwater aquariums at all. At my age, I don't think I am going to start now. LOL. But I do enjoy looking at them. Thay are beautiful when kept by one who knows what they're doing, and even more so, CARES about what they are doing.
Enough said about that. I didn't mean to write a speech. :0)
Let me ask what may be a dumb question, but in fresh water I (we) never used the term "live rock." What is live rock?
joe t
--- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, "dawnshungryeyes4u2c" <dawnshungryeyes4u2c@...> wrote:
>
> What size is this new tank? On average it is usually figured as 1 lb of live rock per gallon of tank size, but the more live rock you can get in there the healthier the tank will be. In saltwater the majority of your filtration is going to come from your substrate and live rock. I can also tell you that it DOES pay to get good quality live rock, even if that means buying it a bit at a time due to the expense. Quality live rock should be lighter weight (less dense) and porous. Marshall Island live rock is one of the best if you can get it, but Fiji live rock is also pretty good. Branch rock is very dense so don't overdo on that stuff if you find it. It won't offer you the needed filtration, and avoid claims of "homemade" live rock that is created out of concrete mixes.
>
> Since you have crushed coral in the tank it would be wise to avoid any of the bottom feeding/sand sifting animals such as gobies, sand sifting starfish, etc. and the same applies for bottom dwelling fishes... the crushed coral can easily damage the mouths and gills of the gobies and etc. and it's too sharp for the starfish and etc. to live in. This also applies to nassarius snails that spend most of their time under the substrate. I never add crushed coral to a reef tank because there are too many animals that can't handle it and it also doesn't offer as good of a filtration bed as just sand alone.
>
> Other things to avoid in a small tank are anemones with the exception of rock anemones since they don't move around as much on their own and they don't get real big. If you intend to add corals (which I am assuming since you said reef tank) be careful and choosy about which ones you mix, they are not all compatible with each other, and the smaller the tank the harder it can be to find the ones that will work together and still be spaced enough to keep them all safe and still allow room for growth.
>
> What kind of lighting do you have over the tank? That will help determine what corals you can add.
>
> You didn't mention your specific gravity/salinity level? That is vital to a healthy fish and healthy everything. And be sure to test calcium levels regularly since all of the animals rely on calcium for proper growth and body function. Too high is just as bad as too low. Target area for calcium levels in a reef tank is 400 - 450. Be sure this is where it needs to be and stable for at least a few wks before you attempt to add your animals.
>
> The only other thing I can think to warn about at this point is the "die off" when adding new/more live rock to the tank. Expect this to happen EVERY time you add new pieces of rock. The more rock you add at a time the higher the ammonia levels will spike and that means the longer it will take for the tank to catch up in way of cycling. Curing live rock in another tank or vat will not avoid die off once the rock is moved to your tank, and the more change there is in conditions, from temp to lighting, to salinity, etc. the more die off you should expect. This happens any time the rock is moved to different conditions. For this reason you should work to get as much rock into the tank as possible and give it time (a couple of wks minimum) to cure in the tank before adding any animals.
>
> A new saltwater tank will go through various stages of algae growth, including a period of cyano bacteria in most situations. This is normal and will subside on it's own during the cycling process, so don't panic. Don't attempt to fix it with large water changes as this will only prolong it, not get rid of it. The average saltwater tank will take about 8 wks to fully cycle and get through the worst of the algae stages, some can take as long as 12 wks. This, too, is normal.
>
> Can you list the various different equipment you are using? Filter, skimmer, etc?
>
> Be sure to post some photos of your tank. That will help us to help you and I know I would enjoy seeing the photos! :-)
>
> Best of luck to you and please post if you need help.
>
> Dawn
>
> --- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, Amber Berglund <arberglund@> wrote:
> >
> > I've just recently dipped my toes into trying a Saltwater tank (reef
> > tank). Oh and that's figuratively of course, I'd never stick my toes in
> > a fish tank, LOL.
> > My boyfriend had a lonely little tomato clown fish (Grumpy Jr.) in a 48
> > gallon bowfront tank, the tank was in serious need of cleaning, and
> > since he's working on moving into my condo we decided to move his
> > fish/filter/and gravel over to one of my tanks until we can move his 48
> > gallon over.
> > There was a slight mini-cycle after the move, but things have evened
> > back out and the fish is doing great and seems much happier in his new
> > clean tank (even if it's smaller). I only have one large piece of live
> > rock, so I'm pretty sure I need to purchase more, especially if we end
> > of having 2 saltwater tanks running after he brings his over.
> > I had a bunch of crushed coral/sand that had once been living and in my
> > 125 gallon tank, but when I made it freshwater I changed the gravel. So
> > I used about 1/4 of my boyfriends gravel and added it on top of my
> > crushed coral sand to help seed the gravel with nitrifying bacteria.
> > I'm excited to try out saltwater for a change, but nervous about killing
> > his fish somehow, LOL.
> >
> > Amber
> >
>
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