How much is too much?

[jumpincactus]

Hey New Taank welcome to the group It is good to see you here asking questions. I would like to share with you a little of my experience. I got into salt water tanks 15 years ago. I then attempted a reef tank with disastrous results. I ended up bailing out of the hobby and stayed away for years. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

Keep in mind that not all fish stores know what they are taking about. That is not to say there are not some really knowledgable stores out there. but especially in salt water and in reef keeping there is still a lot of mis-information out there. See that was my problem the first time around. I was uneducated in salt water chemistry. I had done no research or reading and I was unarmed gainst the unscrupulous local fish guy who just really wanted to make sales. Over the years I have done my homework and have reached out on several different message boards, this being one of them and have gleaned a ton of very valuable information. I am presently back in with a 110 gallon reef and feel that even now I know very little and have made it my obssesion to be the very best, conservation aware hobbyist I can be.

Keep asking questions and learn all you can. Also keep in mind that a lot of times even the best intentions lead to mis-information. Find at least one person you trust that has had good success within the hobby and follow their lead. With this approach I am sure you are going to love your salt water tank.

I almost forgot part of being a good aquarist is getting to know the needs and requirements of the specimens you desire to keep before you make any purchases. There is a ton of places you can go online to learn what the desired critter needs to live a reasonably happy life in your tank.

Sorry for the lengthy post

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

Yeah, I just don't see how you can successfully keep a puffer in a tank that's too small for just him with fish that want more saline water -- just isn't going to work out well for all of them. You could always buy a 55 gallon for Puffy. Protein skimmer is an excellent idea for your tank -- any beginner should have one it can help cover up for so many other issues. I would recommend a Coralife Super Skimmer 65 -- pretty cheap and simple. There are better ones, but to get a substantial increase in performance would require a much more substantial investment.

 

[RobbyG]

You asked the question and you got the right Answer, sorry that you dont like it. You are currently like a guy up at 30,000 feet in a 747 and asking "How do I fly this thing" while this might work in the movies, in real life your dead.
You have already moved past proper setup procedure by putting in a mess of fish without first cycling the Tank. What you need to do is return the fish, cycle the Tank properly then put back in the fish. Of course there are a few dozen other problems that you need to know how to handle during and after this period that go far beyond the scope of any one post. Hence why I said you need to read up before proceeding any further. I guess what you are looking for is someone to tell you what you want to hear.
Screaming at people is sure going to get you what you want.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7017151#post7017151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Our First Tank
Hence why I am on a NEW TO HOBBY forum. And as previously mentioned I have tested the water and everything is perfect.

No need for "no offense" statements. I am just trying to get some answers. Thank you for everyone who has contributed!!!! I will take all this new found knowledge and put it to good use.

 

[Our First Tank]

Ew...thanks to those that helped. I may PM you!!

 

[Porkibear]

I guess while we are on the subject...here's a list of stuff I would suggest having utilized in your tank:

Some sort of mechanical filtration system, like a wet/dry sump
Protein skimmer such as mentioned above
Biological filtration (cured liverock)
Heater and an accurate thermometer (find out what temps your specific fish need...damsels and clowns should be around 78-82F)
Algae scraper for glass or acrylic (depending on the type of tank you have)
Auto-timer for your lighting system (optional, but recommended)
Powerheads strong enough to provide a nice current in the tank


Remember that your water in the tank/sump will eventually evaporate, and you'll need to top off the water level in your sump or tank. To keep your salinity at the right level, only top off with fresh water...preferrably water that is filtered with a "reverse-osmosis/de-ionization" (or RO/DI) unit. Otherwise, you can purchase freshwater that is filtered from the LFS if they supply prepared fresh or saltwater.

These items are pretty much the "basic neccessities" for a salt-water tank.

 

[mbbuna]

if you havent read this thread yet, its worth taking a look

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848

 

[pufferpoison]

well i might usually not be of any help here, but since GSP's are being talked about, that's my specialty. a 3 1/2 inch GSP should be around a SG of 1.010 and their needs are special. they have teeth that will continue to grow. Since their natural diet consists of Crustaceans, snails will need to be fed to them as youths on a regular basic, most serious puffer owners will breed their own snails for food (pond snails or ramshore, stay away from MTS or Malaysian trumpet snails since their shells are too hard and could chip or break teeth) for health and so their teeth stay trimmed back. Once older many crustaceans can be fed to them (small crabs, crab leg scraps, mussels, etc...). if this is not done, the teeth will grow to the point of being bucktoothed so badly that the puffer will starve to death because he can no longer open his mouth to eat. a 30G tank is recommended minimum for a single species of this fish, as with age, aggression will in most cases wipe out your other fish. They will take on fish many, many times their size. being fish without scales or gill covers, they cannot handle even small amounts of ammonia or nitrite without damage.

Also if you wanted to keep the other fish minus the puffer, IMO, try some biospira marine formula, the rest are a waste of time (cycle, etc.....).

 

[rjwilson37]

You will do just fine, take a step back and relax a bit. You have a fish only tank and that can get stocked a little more than a reef tank can. It is your tank and you will see what you can get away with and what you can't. If your going to stock it on the heavy side, then you will need a protein skimmer or you will be fighting algae blooms and bacteria blooms because of a high nutrient problem.

I had 5 fish in my old 29g reef tank for a year and it was a great little setup.

 

[rjwilson37]

If you cycle your tank with already cured LR from a LFS, it can cycle in 4-5 days with very low Ammonia and Nitrite spikes. I did this with my little 24g aquapod Nano tank and I added my Snowflake Eel to it the day I set it up with fully cured LR... granted they are a very hardy fish.

Here is my Nano on the first night.

Here is my Nano after 1 week, I added 3 fish to it, all hardy damsels and a pseudochromis.

Here it is now a little over a month old.

Granted... I have over 3 years experience and know what I can get away with and what I can't, but if he is diligent and keeps an eye on things.. I think he will do just fine.

 

[rjwilson37]

Here are some closeup's to show you how healthy things are, on a newly setup tank. Quick setup's like this are not recommended at all for the new to the hobby, but it can be done.