New Nano Tank

[jellyfishman]

I've been emersed in salty water now for a few months and I have to say I am addicted.

I've learnt a few things along the way and thought I'd share my journey with you all - to help any newbies and to amuse the rest of you.

First of all I learned not to trust everything LFS staff say

Mine told me that a 48 litre Interpet RiverReef tank would be ideal for me (in my profesion I gave such bad advice I'd have legal action taken against me - I've pretty much out grown my tank already)

They also sold me some live rock (no idea how much just know it cost £60) some sand and a couple of jerry cans of salt water

When I got it back from the LFS I set it up straight away, adding the sand, rock and water (in that order - I learned that mistake straight away)

I then spen the next few weeks watching stuff grown and appear out of the live rock, I think this is when my addiction was formed!! During this time I read every book I could find on reef aquariums and found a couple of ok forums.

Once the tank had cycled and the LFS gave me the nod I added (at their recommendation) a pair of Clown fish (Nemo and Sylvia) and what they told me was a leather coral with longish polyps to use as a surrogate Anenome (I think it was actually a finger leather and I am yet to see it's polyps - but that's another story)


After a day or two I noticed some feathery tentacles coming from the base of the coral - after a few hours on google and asking on a couple of forums I realised it was a ctenophore - a fairly harmless filter feeder related to the jelly family although these are sessile.

I was going to insert a photo here but I can't work out how to make my files small enough - my photos are all around 2.3mb and I am only allowed to upload a max of 100k (which seems quite stingy) If I am doing something wrong please tell me - sure you will!!


Then a few weeks later I added the CUC (as per the LFS recommendation). I wanted some snails but they had none, so I added 2 hermits, one blue legged (Hermie) and one red legged (Sid), one emerald crab (Emmie) and a cleaner shrimp (Jacque)

My leahter had still not shown me it's polyps - few more questions on forums and reassurance not to worry back - so I tried not to!!

Next came my Royal Tang (Dory) and another leather coral (this time it is a mushroom shaped leather) within a few minutes of adding the leather it was expanded and polyps were out and proud!! Dory got on with Nemo and Sylvia brilliantly straight away too, who by this time had become a proper pair with Sylvia now noticeable larger than Nemo.

After a few more weeks I decided I really really needed the snails to help with my algae (I was running my lights for around 10 hours a day due to work etc) so visited LFS and ended up with two (Bill and Ben) and a Chalk Goby (Goby) which they said would help (and to be fair they have been right)

During this time Hermie has changed shells and Jacque has malted twice!! That was weird first time I noticed it!! And my first leather (the finger leather) still has nto shown its polyps!! (by the way I have tried a few different spots in tank with very little difference, it expands and contracts daily with the light and has shed a mucus membrane a couple of times.

Last weekend I added a torch coral and while moving everything around decided to blask my ctenophore off my finger leather with water, it prompty attached itself to my other leather and now I have ctenophores all over the place as they are still on the finger too. The second leather which was doing really well is not looking so happy, not sure if it is ctenophore, the moving or change of water flow, so I moved it back to it's original spot tonight and hope it will recover. The torch on the other hand is doing really well as are all the fish and other inverts.

I know realise I need a new tank soon as when my fish and/or coral grow I will soon be out of room - anyone got a idea on how I can convince my wife that spending hundreds of pounds on another new tank is really a good idea please let me know - I'm struggling!!

I will continue to update although until I get a new tank wont be much to tell you about, apart from my poor leathers and my puzzlement with those ctenophores - are they really as friendly as I have been led to believe??

If anyone wants to comment, ask any questions or answer any please feel free!! Also if you can help on the photo front I will gladly upload a few photos for you all to see/

Thanks for reading hope it was of some help or interesting at least!!

Dan

 

[Harry1996]

first off i you cant upgrade in a few months them take your tang back it needs at least a 5 foot tank.
it grows over 20cm

you can buy snails online
i have school like now so i will let people post up the rest of the info

 

[jellyfishman]

first off i you cant upgrade in a few months them take your tang back it needs at least a 5 foot tank.
it grows over 20cm

you can buy snails online
i have school like now so i will let people post up the rest of the info

thanks for reading

I know I need to upgrade soon but she is only a little over 2cm at the moment so no mad rush. If i wait a while and get my wife totally hooked then I will be able to convince her to let me have an even bigger tank - I mean a real whoppper!! Yeah I know you can buy all sorts of stuff online but to be honest as I do not know of any good online stores I feel more comfortable buying what I can see!! As I say I have two snails now and they along with the crabs etc are doing a good job - everything is pretty stable

Hope you had a good day at school

Dan

 

[seffieuk]

Jellyman to TFF and the salty side

Have to agree with you that the salty side is certainly very addictive


'Mine told me that a 48 litre Interpet RiverReef tank would be ideal for me' OMG thats only just over ten gallons!!


I'm sure as now you have done lots of research you dont need me to tell you that the tank is way too small for your live stock - the only thing it is suitable for is a hermit, maybe a shrimp and small goby combo, its got to go and go quick!!!!

Re: Photos - get yourself a photobucket account (free), upload your photos and then copy and paste the IMG code on here.

Its never a good idea to mix hermits unless you know what you are doing.

I cant believe they sold you a Regal Tang, this is starting to b silly!!!

And then a chalk goby........ geez

http/www.earthlife.net/inverts/ctenophora.html

Think I would be tempted to get rid of this animal, if you are certain that is what it is.

I know realise I need a new tank soon as when my fish and/or coral grow I will soon be out of room - anyone got a idea on how I can convince my wife that spending hundreds of pounds on another new tank is really a good idea please let me know - I'm struggling!!

You are already out of room, the fish need rehousing asap and unless you are going to buy a five footer the Tang needs rehoming, now

Buying a new tank then surely you just do as we women do to you men when we buy something expensive, when they say 'how much was that'?, we say oh, it was a bargain, half price and only £50 cough, cough!!

There are loads of second hand bargains out there at the moment, get looking and fast

Seffie x

 

[simonas]

welcome to the salty side mate

I won;t repeat what others have said, you could always go for a river reef 94. theres loads for sale second hand at not too extortionate prices and sell one you have.although you couldn;t keep the tang you could have clowns and the goby no probs

Simon

if you have the funds though go as big as you can go!!!

 

[jellyfishman]

Jellyman to TFF and the salty side

Have to agree with you that the salty side is certainly very addictive



'Mine told me that a 48 litre Interpet RiverReef tank would be ideal for me' OMG thats only just over ten gallons!!


I'm sure as now you have done lots of research you dont need me to tell you that the tank is way too small for your live stock - the only thing it is suitable for is a hermit, maybe a shrimp and small goby combo, its got to go and go quick!!!!

Re: Photos - get yourself a photobucket account (free), upload your photos and then copy and paste the IMG code on here.

Its never a good idea to mix hermits unless you know what you are doing.

I cant believe they sold you a Regal Tang, this is starting to b silly!!!

And then a chalk goby........ geez

http/www.earthlife.net/inverts/ctenophora.html

Think I would be tempted to get rid of this animal, if you are certain that is what it is.

I know realise I need a new tank soon as when my fish and/or coral grow I will soon be out of room - anyone got a idea on how I can convince my wife that spending hundreds of pounds on another new tank is really a good idea please let me know - I'm struggling!!

You are already out of room, the fish need rehousing asap and unless you are going to buy a five footer the Tang needs rehoming, now

Buying a new tank then surely you just do as we women do to you men when we buy something expensive, when they say 'how much was that'?, we say oh, it was a bargain, half price and only £50 cough, cough!!

There are loads of second hand bargains out there at the moment, get looking and fast

Seffie x

Seffie

Thanks for your comments - I have been very worried about the effects of these creatures (ctenophores) on my coral as they don't seem as happy as they should be. Is there anything else you could suggest they might be? They are translucent globular and stick to the coral, they then release really long tenticles up to around 10 inches which compared to there size is huge!! I would add a photo of them but they are near impossible to photograph while in the tank anyway.

With regards to the new tank I know I have to upgrade and sooner rather than later and that there is too much in there already ideally - but as my fish are still clearly very young do I really need to do this right now or would a couple of months be sufficient? The tang is only just over 2cm and the Clown fish are perhaps 3cm and 2.5cm.

If it is essential I do it know I will - I am not trying to avoid my responsibility to these animals I would just find it easier to do it in a month or two and would then be in a position to invest in a 5 or 6 footer.

Thanks for your help and advice - I have to say so far I think this forum is possibly the best I have come across - most helpful and most active!!

Thanks again

 

[jellyfishman]

Here are some of the photos I have taken along the way