Brand New Tank... fish? - Noob

[outlikecelery]

Hey, Everyone

My girlfriend and I just setup a new saltwater tank for the first time ever. I have had freshwater tanks in the past but nothing crazy just a few fish from Petco in a 10 gallon.

I bought a Fluval m90 setup. I am running all the stock components with that kit, i purchased live sand, and Real Reef Rock. I waited a few weeks to get my hands on the Real Reef Rock and i am glad i did, its awesome. I have gone to many lengths to ensure a clean, pest free start. I have been running the tank for about 3 weeks, i added 2 clown fish and a bottle of bacteria after 3 days (i know, i am impatient)

The fish have been happily living for 2 weeks now and everything is going great! i would imagine after 3 weeks, the live sand, rock and bottled bacteria have cycled the tank properly. I haven't seen any spikes yet but i think that's why.

What are some starter fish i should add next? i was thinking green/blue chromis or a blood red shrimp

I love this hobby already! i just cant wait to add more life to the tank. Pictures to come!

 

[AK707]

i think its safe to say your tank has cycled properly but i still think your going to fast, wait another week or 2 before adding any new fish.
blue green chromis would be a good easy to care for friendly fish, firefish, royal gammas, blennys are other good options

 

[outlikecelery]

Good to know, that's what I've been worried about is if the tank is cycled or not. Every time i bring my water to the fish store they just keep telling me "its good" lol. So that's scary.... I've done (2) 10% water changes at this point. One, two Fridays ago and one 3 days ago on Friday night. want a firefish but i am worried about it jumping out! rimless tank with no cover

What week should i add a clean up crew? does that just depend on when i start seeing the tank getting dirty

 

[75mixedreef]

You have a 10 gallon? You can't have many fish in there. Keep the water level very consistent and allow some room for it to splash with the power head. I had a 10 gallon and over filled it and it made a mess.

Clean up crew should be fine to add. Just a couple hermits and snails. Keep everything you add reef safe for now until you know for sure if you are doing coral or not. You can make a screen pretty easily for your tank. Even egg crate works. Check at local fish stores that specialize in reef tanks and they should have something or at least point you to someone that does. Just don't do anything solid that will not allow good air exchange.

 

[tjm9331]

You have a 10 gallon? You can't have many fish in there. Keep the water level very consistent and allow some room for it to splash with the power head. I had a 10 gallon and over filled it and it made a mess.

Clean up crew should be fine to add. Just a couple hermits and snails. Keep everything you add reef safe for now until you know for sure if you are doing coral or not. You can make a screen pretty easily for your tank. Even egg crate works. Check at local fish stores that specialize in reef tanks and they should have something or at least point you to someone that does. Just don't do anything solid that will not allow good air exchange.

OP says he has a Fluval m90 setup which is closer to 36 gallons and rimless so finding a cover that works will prove a bit more difficult...not impossible but difficult. I don't think egg crate would work well unless you can figure out some way to keep it clipped on.

as far as good starter fish go, green chromis are good, I like the blue reef chromis as well. Clownfish are always a starter staple, I prefer the darker colored clownfish like the black and whites or what really cool is a pair of a black and white with a snowflake clown. Royal Gramma's and dottybacks are nice too. And even though they are listed as semi-aggressive I wouldn't hesitate to get either a longnose hawkfish or a flame hawkfish, from my experience they are really quite peaceful and very hardy.

 

[Grimreaperz]

You have a 10 gallon? You can't have many fish in there. Keep the water level very consistent and allow some room for it to splash with the power head. I had a 10 gallon and over filled it and it made a mess.

Clean up crew should be fine to add. Just a couple hermits and snails. Keep everything you add reef safe for now until you know for sure if you are doing coral or not. You can make a screen pretty easily for your tank. Even egg crate works. Check at local fish stores that specialize in reef tanks and they should have something or at least point you to someone that does. Just don't do anything solid that will not allow good air exchange.

He has this http://www.fluvalaquatics.com/ca/product/15130-reef-aquarium-and-cabinet-set-m90/#.WCDmRBlyjqA

27g it says...so maybe 1 or 2 more fish max I would say.....I would stay away from chromis with clowns...I have heard they can be aggressive towards eachother. And they can get a decent size. Most all SW fish jump you can buy mesh lid kits from BRS or any major reef retailer. Trust me worth it! I would also read the stickies about water parameters and learn to check them yourself...this is very important. You can get Red Sea test kit with all the essentials for like 60.

Also I would highly recommend some type of QT....all it takes is a 5g bucket a heater and bubbler....and prevent any fish diseases from crashing your tank..

Just food for thought. But yeah tank is most likely cycled.

Hey, Everyone

My girlfriend and I just setup a new saltwater tank for the first time ever. I have had freshwater tanks in the past but nothing crazy just a few fish from Petco in a 10 gallon.

I bought a Fluval m90 setup. I am running all the stock components with that kit, i purchased live sand, and Real Reef Rock. I waited a few weeks to get my hands on the Real Reef Rock and i am glad i did, its awesome. I have gone to many lengths to ensure a clean, pest free start. I have been running the tank for about 3 weeks, i added 2 clown fish and a bottle of bacteria after 3 days (i know, i am impatient)

The fish have been happily living for 2 weeks now and everything is going great! i would imagine after 3 weeks, the live sand, rock and bottled bacteria have cycled the tank properly. I haven't seen any spikes yet but i think that's why.

What are some starter fish i should add next? i was thinking green/blue chromis or a blood red shrimp

I love this hobby already! i just cant wait to add more life to the tank. Pictures to come!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[neiltus]

I would read all the threads about disease outbreaks and quarantine tanks prior to just buying fish and tossing them in there.

 

[outlikecelery]

I'm going to have to figure out the quarantine issue. Currently i live in an apartment so space is limited and my girlfriend isnt a fan of fish tank stuff all over the place haha... but yeah the Fluval m90 system is "36 gallon" they say.... luckily i buy all my fish from a very reputable supplier

 

[outlikecelery]

He has this http://www.fluvalaquatics.com/ca/product/15130-reef-aquarium-and-cabinet-set-m90/#.WCDmRBlyjqA

27g it says...so maybe 1 or 2 more fish max I would say.....I would stay away from chromis with clowns...I have heard they can be aggressive towards eachother. And they can get a decent size. Most all SW fish jump you can buy mesh lid kits from BRS or any major reef retailer. Trust me worth it! I would also read the stickies about water parameters and learn to check them yourself...this is very important. You can get Red Sea test kit with all the essentials for like 60.

Also I would highly recommend some type of QT....all it takes is a 5g bucket a heater and bubbler....and prevent any fish diseases from crashing your tank..

Just food for thought. But yeah tank is most likely cycled.



Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

I considered the BRS mesh kit but i bought a rimless tank to keep it open so i just hate to get one. defeats the purpose

 

[AK707]

I'm going to have to figure out the quarantine issue. Currently i live in an apartment so space is limited and my girlfriend isnt a fan of fish tank stuff all over the place haha... but yeah the Fluval m90 system is "36 gallon" they say.... luckily i buy all my fish from a very reputable supplier

im in the same boat. I can't have numerous tanks, equipment ect all over the house so im gonna do a bit of a calculated gamble. TTM with formalin and prazipro then straight to the display tank on all new fish and coral dips with all new coral. Its not the best method but its FAR better than nothing and requires minimal equipment and takes 12 days

 

[outlikecelery]

im in the same boat. I can't have numerous tanks, equipment ect all over the house so im gonna do a bit of a calculated gamble. TTM with formalin and prazipro then straight to the display tank on all new fish and coral dips with all new coral. Its not the best method but its FAR better than nothing and requires minimal equipment and takes 12 days

I have never heard of that stuff, i am going to look into it. That sounds like a realistic option for me. My fish store is a rip off that i go to but i have never seen a dead fish in one of their tanks ever. They pride themselves on quality which is why the high price. I bought my first corals yesterday, they sold me the dip because i asked for it but they guaranteed me they were pest free. I've never heard of a store doing that, they are dead serious about cleanliness so the ridiculously high prices are worth it in my opinion.

 

[Flaring Afro]

I'd also wait. A lot of people reading this might not realize it, but real reef rock is dry and human made. You're going to need to let the beneficial bacteria spread or you'll have a bad crash. Even the clowns were way too soon. It would have been better to ghost feed.

As far as other eventual fish, a Royal Gramma could be a nice edition.

 

[homer1475]

Never ever trust an LFS that tells you their corals/fish are clean from pests.

It makes no economical sense to QT all incoming specimens. The LFS would go broke doing that as they would never have anything to sell as it would all be in QT.

Research and form your own QT protocol. Its the best defense and practice you can have in this hobby for a long and healthy tank.

 

[outlikecelery]

Never ever trust an LFS that tells you their corals/fish are clean from pests.

It makes no economical sense to QT all incoming specimens. The LFS would go broke doing that as they would never have anything to sell as it would all be in QT.

Research and form your own QT protocol. Its the best defense and practice you can have in this hobby for a long and healthy tank.

Good to know! even though they guaranteed them to be clean you're damn right i bought the coral dip last night and dipped my corals before putting them in the tank. As for the fish, i need to figure out something to do with them. So far i got a red firefish and 2 clowns that are doing great. Just took the gamble though without quarantining them

 

[AK707]

Never ever trust an LFS that tells you their corals/fish are clean from pests.

It makes no economical sense to QT all incoming specimens. The LFS would go broke doing that as they would never have anything to sell as it would all be in QT.

Research and form your own QT protocol. Its the best defense and practice you can have in this hobby for a long and healthy tank.

it also makes no economical sense for them to do no qt, dip, ttm or what have you as most of their tanks are plumbed together in most cases...1 bad fish can kill their whole inventory.

 

[outlikecelery]

it also makes no economical sense for them to do no qt, dip, ttm or what have you as most of their tanks are plumbed together in most cases...1 bad fish can kill their whole inventory.

thats what i was thinking! i should ask them what they do. One thing i know for sure this place does which unfortunately increases their prices is gets the fish from a middle man supplier, not direct. Ill tell you right now, aside from their guarantee on pest free corals, ive NEVER seen a dead fish in this place. its pretty amazing honestly

 

[Mad_Reefer]

I hate to say it, but I don't quarantine. With my new tank, I added all my fish and corals fast, with the best choices possible, then hope for the best. I trust one store for fish, but I know they can't keep them all disease free. I do like that they have a bunch of separate tanks that look more like hobbyist systems than typical fish store tanks.
My problem is that I only had issues when I was new to the hobby and when I tried to setup QT, I failed. Then I added straight to DT and had success. I figured the rock and everything lowered the stress. Maybe I've just been lucky. I'm not suggesting this method. Just saying it worked for me.
I stress and observe closely and I'm ready to treat if needed.

 

[outlikecelery]

HERE ARE MY PICS!... i actually have 2 clowns and a firefish whos been hiding

 

[thelawnwrangler]

What LFS you going to?

I have the fluval m90- be careful with vinegar and the powerhead that comes with it- I dried out suction cup and woke up to a sand storm once.

 

[janeyho]

thanks for sharing your pics!!! the zoas and gsp will grow fast! =)