20 Going On 90

[GAB99]

well i thought to start a seperate build thread exclusivley for the salt water side of my tanks so you can all gawk at my triumphs,failures,and stupidity lol

im going to start with the test results of the day we put the blenny and the firefish in the tank...

ammo: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0-5
phosphate: 0

Sg: .26

ph: 8




day 2, monday july 12

here are some pics of the tank and citizens of it and test results

Ammo- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 0
Phosphate- 0
ph- 8
sg- .26



pictures

the clowns

the zoas

well i scared the firefish so heres a pic of its hidy hole lol the one on the right.

my blenny

silly me forgot the FTS

 

[GAB99]

well happy to report that everyone is happily swimming around and the firefish takes more time before retreating to his hole so on that note everything is good, test results ill get some time today.



however i noticed the blenny is a little on the thin side yesterday which i bought a marine herbivore diet for himto eat, ts alittle messy and imthinking of using that then getting those kelp strips?? do they eat that as the gel food rigt now is really messy.

 

[Morri]

Just pick up some Nori from Fleabay its cheap and will do the job

 

[GAB99]

Just pick up some Nori from Fleabay its cheap and will do the job

that nori is essentially what the marine lfs sells as well as the petco so when this (link below) runs out ill get some.

http/www.petco.com/product/111795/Instant-Ocean-Seaweed-Blend-Herbivore-Diet-Soft-Gel-Food-Supplement.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGooglebaseFishInstant%20Ocean1292528&mr:trackingCode=6B7A0E8E-6B23-DF11-9B13-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

tbh its more of a loose gelatinous mass than a gelcube like in the pic lol

 

[GAB99]

well the tests have been going along good so far however we did lose a snail, got flipped over for some reason and i was gone all day


the blenny had been gaining more weight so im happy about that and the new fish overall are being more adventurous and outgoing so things are ticking along nicely so far


when do you think i can get corals?? i yhink next week is the month mark so idk sincemy dad went alittle premature with the fish..

and what sort of CUC shouldi start to build up?so far ive got 1 nerite and 6 astreas

 

[GAB99]

ummm anyone? if your upset at me i swear i did all i could to get him to wait the month, besides why would i lie,ive gotten so much help off this site there is no need to

 

[seffieuk]

well the tests have been going along good so far however we did lose a snail, got flipped over for some reason and i was gone all day

I only buy turbos, as they dont have problems getting back over


the blenny had been gaining more weight so im happy about that and the new fish overall are being more adventurous and outgoing so things are ticking along nicely so far

Cool


when do you think i can get corals?? i yhink next week is the month mark so idk sincemy dad went alittle premature with the fish..

What are you going to buy? And yes, as long as your stats are good, should be fine

and what sort of CUC shouldi start to build up?so far ive got 1 nerite and 6 astreas

6 astrea are more than enough for a tank your size but you need some sand moving snails like vibex or dove and maybe a couple of halloweens

Seffie x

ummm anyone? if your upset at me i swear i did all i could to get him to wait the month, besides why would i lie,ive gotten so much help off this site there is no need to

No one is upset with you Mojo, my little friend

 

[GAB99]

well the tests have been going along good so far however we did lose a snail, got flipped over for some reason and i was gone all day

I only buy turbos, as they dont have problems getting back over


the blenny had been gaining more weight so im happy about that and the new fish overall are being more adventurous and outgoing so things are ticking along nicely so far

Cool


when do you think i can get corals?? i yhink next week is the month mark so idk sincemy dad went alittle premature with the fish..

What are you going to buy? And yes, as long as your stats are good, should be fine

and what sort of CUC shouldi start to build up?so far ive got 1 nerite and 6 astreas

6 astrea are more than enough for a tank your size but you need some sand moving snails like vibex or dove and maybe a couple of halloweens

Seffie x

ummm anyone? if your upset at me i swear i did all i could to get him to wait the month, besides why would i lie,ive gotten so much help off this site there is no need to

No one is upset with you Mojo, my little friend

i see what you mean about the flipping/getting stuck,i lost another one that got wedged between the powerhead and rock i was in bed due to a bad hamburger and my parents and brother were out so i just noticed and tested the water

PO4- 0
NO2- 0
NO3- 10
Ammo- 0
Ph- 8.4

ill do a water change tommorow around 25-35% and maybe (if anyone doesnt object) another soft coral as idk whether my dad wants to go into LPS just yet ill ask though,is there anything ill need to test stuff like Ca orother things?? for softies im looking at more zoas, mushrooms, leathers, xenias, and trees and if they have it and my dad is willing maybe either a bubble,plate,candy cane or brain to start the dip into LPS??


and now that blenny is one happy little (tubby) fella lol he seems alot more active and is being a little more of a character now.

when im there ill keep an eye out forsome dove and vibex snails, how many would be a good number? and the halloween crabs...im thinking two just to be safe?? in case another astrea flips over so i can have a chance at saving it lol



and thats good to hear noones too miffed about that lol.

 

[seffieuk]

25% should do it

Seffie x

 

[GAB99]

25% should do it

Seffie x

thanks, and does anyone have an idea about the #s for the sand sifting snails and halloweens? im goint to go with a default of 3 sand sifting snails and 1 halloween hermit but if anyone can give me an amount to shoot for it would help


and my dad says hell consider it but he wants to know what extra materials he'll need for the LPS as the store has a verry nice collection to pick from (plus i get to see all the mandys swimming about lol)

 

[GAB99]

ok based on what little info i could pull up on the snails getting at the most 4, would it be better to have all vibex or all dove or half an half mix?

then ill get 2 halloweens if they have them


and then ill browse the coral and come off with something nice, maybe a second piece if thats possible lol but i would still like to know if theres anything i need to buy to monitor the LPS better soi dont have to go completedley on the stores advice lol



btw lighting is one 50/50 bulb so idk if that limits my options for any coral i listed??

and sincetoday is monday ill get pictures at the end of the day (less glare)

 

[seffieuk]

ok based on what little info i could pull up on the snails getting at the most 4, would it be better to have all vibex or all dove or half an half mix?

I had a mixture in the 550 (which was 126 litres) - had 12 of them and two turbos

then ill get 2 halloweens if they have them

They are cool, if they havent got them ask them to order them in for you


and then ill browse the coral and come off with something nice, maybe a second piece if thats possible lol but i would still like to know if theres anything i need to buy to monitor the LPS better soi dont have to go completedley on the stores advice lol

Salifert test kit for calcium - I would look at euphyllias for your first lps

btw lighting is one 50/50 bulb so idk if that limits my options for any coral i listed??

Oh heck, cant remember the corals you list you can keep most softies, sun corals (not yet though), zoas, ricordias etc

and sincetoday is monday ill get pictures at the end of the day (less glare)
look forward to that

 

[GAB99]

softies: im looking at more zoas, mushrooms, leathers, xenias, and trees


LPS: bubble, plate, candy cane, brain, hammer, frogspawn


those are what im looking at for 50/50 lighting (if possible) for the 20 as that tank might stay and then add the 65 and start from scratch for that one.

and ill get the calcium test for the LPS. is there a way to dose Ca?

and thanks for the snal numbers seffie ill be getting something are ound the half dozen mark since i already got 5 astreas and a nerite

 

[Donya]

If halloweens = Ciliopagurus strigatus (orange Calcinus elegans are sometimes sold under the same name, so wasn't sure which one was meant here), I would advocate a bit of caution and at a very watchful eye if you plan on softies, as I did see C. strigatus having a munch on zoos in a shop once. If well-fed I'm sure the risk of unwanted munching will be minimal, but small Clibanarius species will certainly be safer with regards to both bulldozing and munching issues.

 

[GAB99]

If halloweens = Ciliopagurus strigatus (orange Calcinus elegans are sometimes sold under the same name, so wasn't sure which one was meant here), I would advocate a bit of caution and at a very watchful eye if you plan on softies, as I did see C. strigatus having a munch on zoos in a shop once. If well-fed I'm sure the risk of unwanted munching will be minimal, but small Clibanarius species will certainly be safer with regards to both bulldozing and munching issues.

i already have the zoas that survived the trip over here and tbh i have neglected to read up on inverts like hermits and snails so i probably wouldnot know what would be best to have hermit wise at the mo


and we didnt get there in time so we plan on heading to the other lfs (i dont like it that much as things are generally more expensive) to see what they have, which might be good because it gives me more time to read up on what would be the best LPS to start off with and how to dose Ca properly. i have a few questions to ask (some i already asked but havent been answered as far as i know so ill add them too just to have everything in one place)


heres what i have at the moment in case it is needed:

20 lbs LR
2 ocilleris clowns
1 Firefish
1 Tail-spot blenny
5 astrea snails (one looks like a star astrea tho)
1 caribbean nerite
Zoanthids
Topfin 20 HOB filter with regular cartridge (persumably contains carbon)
heater
Koralia 1 powerhead
Chaeto
50/50 actinic blue bulb


how would i go about Dosing Ca?

are halloweens known for eating softies at a rate that poses any risk?

do LPS corals all have to be fed? if so how would igo about doing that and can i use frozen?

if we do get an LPS what would be a good amount of time for acclimation (i usually do an hour with every 15 min about a cup of tank water)

and lastly more pictures, since i dont know if well get anything tomorrow or wait till wednesday ill just stick with today. i really should remember to take somein the day when the blenny and firefish are active lol