Hey, so I made the switch from fresh to salt about a month ago and I'm stoked to see how it's going. I set it up with liverock and baserock, and at first, my readings were through the roof - they weren't even on my chart. I left it for a week without checking, then got the LFS to test it two weeks ago and they told me to add some cycle, which I'd already done. I just finished testing again and I'm over the moon - ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all at 0. I never thought it'd come down that fast.
Now I'm itching to stock it, but I've had a change of heart. I was gonna go for two dwarf lions and a snowflake eel, but my mum (yeah, I'm 21, but she still manages to convince me) talked me out of it. I'm thinking maybe two yellow tangs, two cardinalfish, and a couple of mandarine gobies instead. I've read they'll all get along, but I'm worried about space - will there be enough room for all of them? I've got plenty of hiding spots, though - I set up the tank with caves and all that, thinking I'd have an eel.
Also, I've got a bit of a brown algae problem - I know it's not a big deal and it'll fade away eventually, but it's just a pain while I'm setting up. I picked up some algecide for marine - will that help?
setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Welcome to the salty side of the hobby.
So, your cycle's done, yay, now you can start thinking about adding your clean-up crew. To help you with stocking, we need to know your tank's water volume first.
Glad you decided against the lionfish, by the way. Only the dwarf species would've been suitable for your tank, but even then, the volitan needs a lot of space to swim around.
Now, about those yellow tangs - unless your tank is over 75 gallons, I've got some bad news for you. They just get too big for smaller tanks.
As for the mandarins, they're not gobies, by the way, but dragonets. They need a lot of live rock, at least 90 pounds, and a mature tank. So, they might have to wait a bit. If you're cultivating copepods, that's a different story, though.
Cardinals are a great choice, though. They're either a love or hate thing, but they'd do fine in your tank. Just keep in mind that sexing them can be tricky.
That brown algae you're dealing with is probably just diatoms. Your clean-up crew will take care of that for you.
So, we're a curious bunch here, and we'd love to know more about your tank. Can you please share some photos, your latest test results, your tank's water volume, how much live rock you have, what kind of lighting you're using, and if you plan on having corals or an eel? Not too many questions, I promise.
So, your cycle's done, yay, now you can start thinking about adding your clean-up crew. To help you with stocking, we need to know your tank's water volume first.
Glad you decided against the lionfish, by the way. Only the dwarf species would've been suitable for your tank, but even then, the volitan needs a lot of space to swim around.
Now, about those yellow tangs - unless your tank is over 75 gallons, I've got some bad news for you. They just get too big for smaller tanks.
As for the mandarins, they're not gobies, by the way, but dragonets. They need a lot of live rock, at least 90 pounds, and a mature tank. So, they might have to wait a bit. If you're cultivating copepods, that's a different story, though.
Cardinals are a great choice, though. They're either a love or hate thing, but they'd do fine in your tank. Just keep in mind that sexing them can be tricky.
That brown algae you're dealing with is probably just diatoms. Your clean-up crew will take care of that for you.
So, we're a curious bunch here, and we'd love to know more about your tank. Can you please share some photos, your latest test results, your tank's water volume, how much live rock you have, what kind of lighting you're using, and if you plan on having corals or an eel? Not too many questions, I promise.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Thanks,
So I'm a bit of a noob, what's a cuc? I've only just made the leap to saltwater, so cut me some slack.
My tank's 150L, to be exact it's 144L.
I was originally after the dwarf lionfish, had my name down at three LFS, but no luck so far.
I'm not sure about the tangs now, I know they get big.
So, 90lbs of live rock is around 41kg, right? And what's copepods? I've heard of them, but I'm not really sure what they are.
Cardinals seem like a great choice, but I've read they can be a bit dull to watch.
Sorry again, but what's a cuc?
No photos yet, but I'll get some up soon.
Here are my stats:
Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 0ppm, Temp 27c, PH 8.4, Salinity 1.023.
I've got 5kg of live rock at the moment, but I'm planning on adding more and some hard coral pieces soon.
My lighting's a twin globe, one for plants and one for general lighting, but I'm not really sure what type it is.
I don't have a protein skimmer, which is a bummer, but I don't really have the room for one.
I was only considering an eel if I was getting lionfish, and I really wanted a snowflake eel.
Cheers for all the questions, it's no worries at all.
So I'm a bit of a noob, what's a cuc? I've only just made the leap to saltwater, so cut me some slack.
My tank's 150L, to be exact it's 144L.
I was originally after the dwarf lionfish, had my name down at three LFS, but no luck so far.
I'm not sure about the tangs now, I know they get big.
So, 90lbs of live rock is around 41kg, right? And what's copepods? I've heard of them, but I'm not really sure what they are.
Cardinals seem like a great choice, but I've read they can be a bit dull to watch.
Sorry again, but what's a cuc?
No photos yet, but I'll get some up soon.
Here are my stats:
Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 0ppm, Temp 27c, PH 8.4, Salinity 1.023.
I've got 5kg of live rock at the moment, but I'm planning on adding more and some hard coral pieces soon.
My lighting's a twin globe, one for plants and one for general lighting, but I'm not really sure what type it is.
I don't have a protein skimmer, which is a bummer, but I don't really have the room for one.
I was only considering an eel if I was getting lionfish, and I really wanted a snowflake eel.
Cheers for all the questions, it's no worries at all.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.
First off, I was wondering what CUC stands for - I'm still pretty new to the saltwater scene, so bear with me. I've heard it's short for Clean Up Crew, which makes sense, but I wasn't sure.
My tank's 150L, so I'm hoping that's a good size for a first-timer. I was looking at getting some dwarf lionfish, but my mum managed to talk me out of it, so now I'm thinking of getting two yellow tangs, two cardinalfish, and maybe a couple of mandarin gobies.
You mentioned that 90lbs of live rock is needed for mandarins - that's around 40 kilos, right? I don't think I'll have that much in my tank, but I'll definitely look into it. And what's the deal with copepods? I've heard they're good for mandarins, but I don't know much about them.
I've also read that cardinalfish can be pretty boring to watch, but they look amazing, so I'm still considering them.
As for my tank's stats, I've got:
* Ammonia: 0ppm
* Nitrite: 0ppm
* Nitrate: 0ppm
* Temp: 27c
* PH: 8.4
* Salinity: 1.023
I've only got about 5 kilos of live rock at the moment, but I'm planning on getting more soon. I've also got some hard coral pieces on the way.
My lighting's a bit of a mystery to me - I've got twin globes, one for plants and one that's just a basic one. I'm not sure what the wattage is or anything like that.
I've been thinking about getting a protein skimmer, but I don't have the room for it. Is it possible to keep coral without one, or would that be a bad idea?
Thanks again for all the advice - I really appreciate it.
First off, I was wondering what CUC stands for - I'm still pretty new to the saltwater scene, so bear with me. I've heard it's short for Clean Up Crew, which makes sense, but I wasn't sure.
My tank's 150L, so I'm hoping that's a good size for a first-timer. I was looking at getting some dwarf lionfish, but my mum managed to talk me out of it, so now I'm thinking of getting two yellow tangs, two cardinalfish, and maybe a couple of mandarin gobies.
You mentioned that 90lbs of live rock is needed for mandarins - that's around 40 kilos, right? I don't think I'll have that much in my tank, but I'll definitely look into it. And what's the deal with copepods? I've heard they're good for mandarins, but I don't know much about them.
I've also read that cardinalfish can be pretty boring to watch, but they look amazing, so I'm still considering them.
As for my tank's stats, I've got:
* Ammonia: 0ppm
* Nitrite: 0ppm
* Nitrate: 0ppm
* Temp: 27c
* PH: 8.4
* Salinity: 1.023
I've only got about 5 kilos of live rock at the moment, but I'm planning on getting more soon. I've also got some hard coral pieces on the way.
My lighting's a bit of a mystery to me - I've got twin globes, one for plants and one that's just a basic one. I'm not sure what the wattage is or anything like that.
I've been thinking about getting a protein skimmer, but I don't have the room for it. Is it possible to keep coral without one, or would that be a bad idea?
Thanks again for all the advice - I really appreciate it.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
I'm stoked my cycle's finished, now I can get my clean up crew in.
First off, my tank holds 150L, 144 to be exact. I was looking at dwarf lionfish, but no luck so far. I've got my name down at three LFS, but my mum talked me out of it.
I'm thinking of getting two yellow tangs, two cardinalfish, and maybe two mandarin gobies. I've read they'll all be fine in the same tank, but I'm not sure if there's enough room. I've set up the tank with plenty of hiding spots, like caves, so that's not a problem.
I've also got a fair bit of brown algae, but I know it's not bad and it'll fade away soon. I've heard it's just a pest when setting up. I got some algecide for marine, will that help?
First off, my tank holds 150L, 144 to be exact. I was looking at dwarf lionfish, but no luck so far. I've got my name down at three LFS, but my mum talked me out of it.
I'm thinking of getting two yellow tangs, two cardinalfish, and maybe two mandarin gobies. I've read they'll all be fine in the same tank, but I'm not sure if there's enough room. I've set up the tank with plenty of hiding spots, like caves, so that's not a problem.
I've also got a fair bit of brown algae, but I know it's not bad and it'll fade away soon. I've heard it's just a pest when setting up. I got some algecide for marine, will that help?
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
I was looking at a few banded shrimp for my clean up crew, but a pair of them is gonna cost me around 110 bucks, so I gotta make sure I can afford it with all the other expenses I've got going on.
Thanks for the feedback on my tank size, I used to have a 2ft tank but I wanted something bigger, 4ft was a bit too big for my room so 3ft was just right.
I'm not planning on getting any corals just yet, maybe in a few years when I've got more experience with marine tanks, they're pretty amazing though, all the different types you can get.
I've heard I need more liverock, but I've got a canister filter on my tank, I was told I wouldn't need as much liverock if I had a filter, is that right?
My lighting tubes have been on my tank for about 6 months now, since I got the 3ft tank.
I was planning on doing water changes every 2-3 weeks, is that often enough?
I went to my LFS today, they've been in business for over 35 years, and they suggested I get some cheaper fish to start with, so I picked up two black clowns and two firefish gobies, they're really cool fish. Now I'm thinking of adding two mandarin gobies and two longnose hawkfish to my tank, what do you guys think?
I'll get some photos up soon, just wanna get rid of this brown algae first, haha.
Thanks for the feedback on my tank size, I used to have a 2ft tank but I wanted something bigger, 4ft was a bit too big for my room so 3ft was just right.
I'm not planning on getting any corals just yet, maybe in a few years when I've got more experience with marine tanks, they're pretty amazing though, all the different types you can get.
I've heard I need more liverock, but I've got a canister filter on my tank, I was told I wouldn't need as much liverock if I had a filter, is that right?
My lighting tubes have been on my tank for about 6 months now, since I got the 3ft tank.
I was planning on doing water changes every 2-3 weeks, is that often enough?
I went to my LFS today, they've been in business for over 35 years, and they suggested I get some cheaper fish to start with, so I picked up two black clowns and two firefish gobies, they're really cool fish. Now I'm thinking of adding two mandarin gobies and two longnose hawkfish to my tank, what do you guys think?
I'll get some photos up soon, just wanna get rid of this brown algae first, haha.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Only a newbie myself, but from my limited experience, you've probably added too many fish at once - I'm sure someone else will clarify this for you.
I do love the idea of the hawkfish, they're lovely and active, but the mandarin goby is a tricky one to feed, and to be honest, it's a fish that's better suited for reef keepers with lots of experience.
I know you mentioned you're not planning on getting coflakes just yet, but trust me, they're not that difficult to care for - as long as you've got decent lighting, you're good to go. Plus, some soft coflakes are really affordable, like pulsing xenia, and they make such a huge difference to the tank's scape, creating a real marine look.
I do love the idea of the hawkfish, they're lovely and active, but the mandarin goby is a tricky one to feed, and to be honest, it's a fish that's better suited for reef keepers with lots of experience.
I know you mentioned you're not planning on getting coflakes just yet, but trust me, they're not that difficult to care for - as long as you've got decent lighting, you're good to go. Plus, some soft coflakes are really affordable, like pulsing xenia, and they make such a huge difference to the tank's scape, creating a real marine look.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
Added to many fish? I don't think so, the guy at my lfs, who's been in business for over 35 yrs, told me those fish were fine to add, considering he's been assisting me with monitoring my tank stats and all. I mean, the clown fish are tiny, like 2 cms in size, and the firtideflow are around 4-5, so I'm not sure how that's too many fish? I've only got 4 fish in a 3 ft tank, with all my readings at zero, so I'm pretty happy with the situation.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
I think tetraTim was gettin at that you've added too many fish at once, mate, give the tank a chance to adjust to the extra bio load, you know, add 'em gradually, couple of weeks between each addition is probably best.
Re: setting up my 3-foot marine tank
We're all here to help each other, so don't be afraid to ask. LFS are there for guidance, not just to make a sale.
I agree with tetraTim and brixo on this one. Adding the pair of clowns was a good move, but the two fire fish might be a bit too much. Unless they're a mated pair, which is unlikely and expensive, you risk having two of the same sex. Trust me, that's a recipe for disaster.
Keep on top of those weekly water changes, they're crucial for a healthy tank.
I agree with tetraTim and brixo on this one. Adding the pair of clowns was a good move, but the two fire fish might be a bit too much. Unless they're a mated pair, which is unlikely and expensive, you risk having two of the same sex. Trust me, that's a recipe for disaster.
Keep on top of those weekly water changes, they're crucial for a healthy tank.