"Dead" Live Rock

[downhillbiker]

thats not a good way to look at it. if i do a 50% water change and had 80ppm nitrates, now i have 40ppm nitrates. that doesnt mean my tank has fully cycled. i wouldnt just add fish and coral asap. this TRULY is about patience.

 

[stanbates]

Cool, thanks guys.

I know full well about patience, and dont have an issue with waiting. I have an arcadia Luminaire with 4 x T5's for lighting, so should be fine with that.

I also knew about the damsel, but thought I'd ask anyway.

With regards to stocking, Im not sure what I want to add yet. I defo want a clown, or two, but not sure what else. I'd like a blenny or goby of some sort, maybe hawkfish, mandarin - I havent researched them for compatibility yet, so nothing is set in stone, theyre just fishes that I like.

Also, Im still learning about corals and not sure whether to go LPS or SPS with the lighting I have. Any tips?

I'll be asking loads more questions, dont you worry

 

[downhillbiker]

what size tank? i dont think mandarines are a good choice, especially for a tank younger than 1 year, these fish have hard times surviving in 200 gallon tanks, they just are very picky eaters. i think that the best is a mix of sps, lps, and polyps. i have anemones, but dont know the size of your tank. make sure you tell me what the height is, that is most important.

 

[tbittner]

How long does it take for dead/dry LR to become alive? Tampa Bay Saltwater drops rock off in the Gulf for 5 years for it to become alive.

In any event, I wouldn't count the dead/dry rock weight towards the poundage of LR you "should" have in the tank. I say "should" because the 1 - 1.5 lbs per gallon recommendation really depends on what you want to keep.

 

[stanbates]

My tank is:

width =101 cm (40")
depth = 41 cm (16")
height = 50 cm (20")

There are plenty of people with this tank over here, and throughout europe, and Im sure quite a lot of them have Mandarins, but if its not a good idea then I'll leave it - no probs.

 

[stanbates]

Up

 

[jimwat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12353466#post12353466 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tbittner
How long does it take for dead/dry LR to become alive? Tampa Bay Saltwater drops rock off in the Gulf for 5 years for it to become alive.

In any event, I wouldn't count the dead/dry rock weight towards the poundage of LR you "should" have in the tank. I say "should" because the 1 - 1.5 lbs per gallon recommendation really depends on what you want to keep.

Dead rock can become "alive" (i.e. enough baterial growth to provide some biological filtration) in a matter of weeks. The 5 years on the TB rock is for critters, corals, sponges, macros, coraline etc.

 

[luke33]

A mandarin will be fine in that size of tank......but don't add one for quite a while. They require a very mature tank with an abundance of pods to eat. Most don't accept frozen foods so they have to have a good supply of pods. I waited a good 1.5yrs to add one. Now he's happy as can be expected with a fat belly.

 

[stanbates]

Sounds good. Cheers.

 

[downhillbiker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12358053#post12358053 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luke33
A mandarin will be fine in that size of tank......but don't add one for quite a while. They require a very mature tank with an abundance of pods to eat. Most don't accept frozen foods so they have to have a good supply of pods. I waited a good 1.5yrs to add one. Now he's happy as can be expected with a fat belly.

i think that i can be swayed to this point of view. i think that you would be fine, if you wait until your tank is fully mature, and has a large pod population. it would also help if you had a refugeum. it may also be a good idea to watch the mandarines at your LFS. if you see one that eats frozen foods grab it. this will save you a lot of heart ache. just keep checking and asking the LFS guys.

 

[stanbates]

Im picking up some live rock which Ive bought on ebay, from a guys tank this weekend, then I'll be starting in earnest with the set up. Thanks for the input so far