Help Please

[SaltSolutions1]

My current tank was given to me by a friend that has had the tank running for the past year and a half. I was given the tank about 2 weeks ago and have added some things, as well as cleaned it. Below are the specs as well as my newbie questions:

Thank you in advance for all of your suggestions:

45 gallon tank

2 percula clowns
1 leopard wrasse
1 lawnmower blenny
1 six line wrasse
1 anemone about 8" in diameter
2 soft corals (small)
6 snails about an inch in diameter
a bunch of baby snails (hitch hikers or breeding snails?)
2 small hermit crabs

I only feed the tank for about a minute or two small pellets once a day around 7pm until the pellets start hitting the sand bed - (Ocean Nutrition Formula ONE Marine Pellet)

Question #1

Is this enough?

I also purchased some frozen stuff (Frozen Emerald Entree)
-little frozen squares - my fish don't really eat this stuff though; it floats around and then gets sucked up into the powerhead or filter. I had a yellow tang but got rid of him recently when i found out my tank was too small. He was the only fish that ate the stuff.

Question #2

What kind of feeding schedule should I go by given my inhabitants and what type of foods should I be feeding my fish? How about the corals and anemone?

Question #3

Is there a limit to how many snails, crabs, cleanup crew you should have?

Question #4

I was thinking of getting a couple more fish, a peppermint shrimp, and about a dozen little hermit crabs. (too much?/not enough?)

I also have this other stuff that was given to me with the tank:

Kalkwasser Mix and Liquid Calcium: I have not added any of this stuff to the tank yet.

Question #5

Should I add it and how often for a 45 gallon tank?

Here are my tank parameters:

ph - 8.3
nitrates - 0
nitrites - 0
ammonia - 0
temperature - between 78 - 82 degrees F
salinity - 30 ppt

Filtration:

1 maxi-jet 1200 powerhead
1 magnum 350 canister filter
1 HOB CPR Bak Pak 2 protein skimmer (will have hooked up in a couple days)
coming soon - 1 HOB refugium

Lighting:

1 36" long fixture with white and blue bulbs (running from 3pm - 11pm every day)

Here is a peak into everything I have in detail. Please offer any and all advice, suggestions, and recommendations. I am a newbie and am wanting to learn all I can. Please answer my 5 questions.

Thank You in advance for all of your help!

 

[indydog1]

answers

1. it should be enough. just make sure that you watch them eat.

2. i feed once a day an skip every third day. and the anemone and coral depending on the kind should get plenty from the lights and extra food particles in the water column.

3. snails and crabs are dependant on thwe food source in the tank. when the food dissappears then they will too. and the crabs as they get bigger can kill the snails for food and a new home. extra baby snails are hitch hikers. wont get bigger than a bb in most cases. they are safe.

4. adding fish is ok just do your home work before you buy.

calcium and kalk. no need for them until you get in to more of a lps/sps tank. these are types of corals. and need to be tested when dosing the tank. i would wait until you have more experience before starting this.

5. answered in #4.


your salinity should be 1.025 for the inverts and corals. i dont recall what the conversion is for your 30ppt. check your hydrometer and see if it has both readings on it.

you have a pretty good start in the hobby. just be patient and remeber that only bad things happen fast. good luck.

 

[SaltSolutions1]

i have 2 corals already and once i get the skimmer and HOB refugium going I plan to add more corals.

so, as for the calcium and kalkwasser, what should i do?

I add a capful per day of the calcium but have not used the kalkwasser yet.

Once i add the refugium i am going to add more coral, any suggestions?

oh, and the salinity at 30 ppt is translated to 1.022 specific gravity

LFS said my water was ok, but on my next water change i will try to get the salinity up for sure if the corals and inverts like 1.025.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

do not raise the sg. up all at once. do it over a couple of days using SW for your top off instead of RO water.

are you testing for cal.? if not do not add it until you are testing for it. same goes for anything you add.

 

[kathainbowen]

I would keep a cautious eye on the leopard wrasse to ensure it's getting the right nutrition. Many leopard wrasses have a tendency to fair poorly in smaller tanks, as they can be reluctant at times to feed. Many keepers find that leopard wrasses do better in larger tanks with well maintained refugiums.

 

[SaltSolutions1]

Actually my leopard wrasse does great. Around 6:30pm, the leopard wrasse and my 2 clowns start coming up to the surface of my water as they can sense feeding time is near. At 7pm the wrasse and my 2 clowns feed together quite well. The newest fish, my 6 line wrasse on the other hand, he is still keeping to himself. I've had him in the tank for 2 days now and he is the smallest fish in the tank and basically just swims in and out of the rocks but is not as enthusiastic at feeding times yet. He feeds on what the clowns and leopard do not see or get to.