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Next Step

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Ryan88

Alright so heres the update, My tank has been setup with my 1 clown for a week. Now Im ready for the next step of the ongoing process. I want corals! :) So I have a number of options of getting them 1) Frags from maybe someone on here 2) Tropiquarium 3) LiveAquaria.com has some packages and some fish I like to.

So remember I have a 30 g tank. I havent changed the lights or anything. There still the original ones I got from the package. I guess I'll have to change them? But anyway I just wanted to know whats the best way to go in getting these corals, or maybe its to soon? Also I do have a concern that my rocks are like shrinking lol? I dont know they just look a little smaller. But my water parameters are good, just tested them yesterday. But any info I'd appreciate thanks!
 
J

JerseyWendy

Ryan, is there any possible way you can post a picture of your tank? What kind of lights do you have?

The most important step (and hardest to follow by many) is P A T I E N C E. How's your clown doing? Is he eating well? How often and what do you feed him? Do you have any signs of algae on anything? IMHO it's pretty hard to just feed one fish without feeding the tank as well. :)

Do you have a cleanup crew for your tank? (snails, crabs, etc.)

What type of coral do you like? What appeals to you? I think some zoos are pretty forgiving, so they would probably be a good beginners choice.

---
Wendy
 
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Ryan88

Tank Pic

P8290346.jpg


Thats the tank, clown fish was added a few days later
 
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Ryan88

To Answer your question

Alright so I just know the lights are just the regular ones I got with the tank.

Should I add a crab or snail? I didnt know I really could honestly.

The clown is eating well, I am feeding it the mysis shrimp, just a sliver from the actual cube of food.

Corals of what I was thinking of were mushrooms or leathers

No signs of algae



P8290346.jpg


Theres the tank again to.
 
J

Jcurry@wesketch

The best way to get corals is through club meetings and trades or purchases with members. Your dollar will go much further within the club rather than LFS for beginner corals. Where are you located? This month's meeting is in central NJ. I have GSP, small leather frags and some palythoa and maybe some mushrooms.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

I agree with wendy. I'm glad you are enthusiastic - but I think your tank is not ready yet for corals.

As you are new to the hobby - I'd much rather see you in a Fish only tank for a few months or so before introducing any corals. As you intro corals - the costs for maintaining your tank will rise dramatically. A fish can survive the occasional missed water change or the hydrometer read salinity - not so with corals.

If after all this you think you still want a frag or two - you need to tell us what kind of lighting you have. I am guessing you have some kind of fluorescent - but is it possible you just have the regular normal kind used in Freshwater?
 
JohnS_323

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
My only comment is to point out the little slogan at the top left of this page: "Saving the World's Reefs, One Living Room at a Time". It may sound a little hokey but should be the over riding concept that we all try to adhere to. In that context I think it would be extremely irresponsible to rush into bringing a living animal into your system that has very little chance of survival. Yes it's just one or two little "frags" but they are alive and they should be respected. Having heard so many speakers talk about the challenges our reefs face, as well as the delicate legal balance our hobby walks, we all should be very selective about the animals we collect.

OK, I got it off my chest and will step off of my soapbox . . .
 
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poconofishy

Well, this is a good place to learn. There are many wonderful people here that will guide you. I would recommend investing in a book. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist has a new edition out. It has a Lemon Peel Angel on the cover. This is a great book that you will refer to as long as you have a marine system. You can find a lot of reliable information on this site: www.wetwebmedia.com But again, you will hear over and over again... TAKE IT SLOWLY... You have much to learn.. be patient and you will be rewarded... rush and you will be crushed. PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE!!!!!
 
C

chase33

I don't know how long your tank has been setup but I agree you should wait a couple to few months after it has been up and running before getting your first coral. You stated the first fish was added about a week ago. If so you should monitor your parameters and verify the fish lives is ok in your system. Yes you could purchase a cleanup crew, some snails and/or crabs. To start I personally would recommend some Astrea Snails, a few Ceriths. I myself love Nerite Snails. I'm sure others can recommend a cuc. At the same time you need to determine what type of corals you plan to keep as that will determine the lighting you need. It sounds like you have regular fluorescent lights which will not be enough for corals so you will need to replace them likely with vho, T5's or MH. Once you decide whether you want to keep Zoa's, soft corals, LPS, or SPS then your decision on lighting can be made.
 
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chase33

Personally I wouldn't. Imo Snails do a much better job and with crabs you'll be taking a chance that they will one day kill your Snails. If you want crabs though try some Scarlett Reef Hermits.
 
onefish2fish

onefish2fish

my suggestion would be 1 emerald crab if your heart set on a crab, 5-6 nassarius snails ( good at stirring the sand ) and 3-6 turbo snails atleast to start ( you can always add more ) your not getting the algae growth that will feed these guys but dont get me wrong, they will without a doubt find any of the un-eaten food leftover from your clown.
 
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chase33

:) You'll need a lot more than that. There are many questions that must be answered really before you decide on what to get. First and foremost do you plan on keeping any fish that will eat crabs or snails? If so then you probably don't want to get them. Do you have a sand bed? If so then you will want to get some snails that will sift the sand bed. Imo Nassarius Snails are great for this. I would wait on these though until your sandbed requires them and when it does I would start with 5 and increase to 10 or more as needed. I would get at least 10 Astrea Snails. They will do wonders for your glass and rocks. I would start out with 5 Ceriths. I would purchase 5 Nerite snails. If you still want the crabs you can purchase a few of those too. As the tank matures you will want to ultimately increase the Nassarius Snails to 10 or so, the Astreas to 20 or so. To me those are the workhorses. Nerites are great in the sense they will battle cyano bacteria if it ever pops up. Good luck.
 
onefish2fish

onefish2fish

also your other post on another thread ( posted yesterday ) stated your water parems, and there was a slight indication of amonia which means i dont think your tank cycled yet which means i personally wouldnt invest money into corals until your water is stable.
 
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Ryan88

Also I'm going to go with a T-5 system recommended by JR, thank you again. I did measure my tank and its 29 long, So the system ill go with would probably be a 30 T-5 With prob 4 bulbs, Im still pricing though, If anyone sees something good, let me know
 
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