Disclaimer: I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I possess no relevant formal training beyond Organic Chemistry I at a collegiate level. I was an employee at a LFS for nearly a year, which included marine livestock from a sales point-of-view; this is not to say that the tanks were in a bad state, but that my knowledge of the individual species was mostly limited to "can this go with this" and "what kind of lighting to I need for this coral" prior to my own internet research. This thread is to serve as a log only. I am not at all qualified to write a guide or a sticky, but am am qualified to notate my parameters and results in a linear and replicable fashion.
Now, that aside, I've found more than enough information about incorporating Poecilia sp. into a marine tank on Reef Central alone that the inclusion of a new thread on the topic seems silly. However, I noted a lack of "How-To" or "Guide on" topics here and otherwise; the vast majority of threads were discussions on the why and interjecting posts with "I did so by doing X method," of which in reality there were only two: acclimate straight to salt over varying courses of time, or switch between salt-fresh a number of times before full salt integration. But I never found this, and since I'll be doing it anyway, why not mark it down? I, personally, find it easier to trust random internet wisdom when I can follow the process behind it.
On to the fun.
Tank Parameters
The experiment is being conducted in a 29 gallon containing ~24.5 gallons of water, 22 pounds of live rock, ~6 pounds of other rocks (mostly sandstone and limestone), ~5 lbs of skeletons (dead coral, barnacle clusters), 20 pounds of CaribSea Fiji Pink, and 20 pounds of CaribSea Bimini Pink. I used Instant Ocean non-reef salt to mix a salinity of 1.026. I also have an under"gravel" filter with three air tubes, the middle of which rises only to 2/3s the height of the tank (and yes, this merits its own series of arguments, none of which are appropriate to this topic; I mentioned it only to make note of the surface disruption and oxygen infusion); I blocked the sand with a piece of standard filter media cut to fit.
Inhabitants
After leaving it all sit for six days, I began to add my desired tank occupants: hermit crabs. We're now three weeks into the tank's operation, and I've stocked it with the following (sizes do not include shells).
Maintenance
To keep up with the dietary requirements of my detrivores, I've been feeding a combination of frozen mysis shrimp, frozen marine veggie entree, and green algae seaweed sheets. I've been conducting 20% water changes every 4-5 days during the cycle.
The Experiment
Beginning last night, I added 12 Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) using the method most frequently described in forum posts as successful: acclimate to tank temperature and add directly to the marine tank. I picked three color morphs to help differentiate between the individual fish; three Black, two Silver, and seven Dalmation.
This morning, I find five have died; two of the Dalmations and all three Blacks. After feeding them to my land hermit crabs, I returned to the store and purchased the same. This was 7 hours ago, and I have lost one Dalmation since (though I cannot tell if it was one from today or yesterday). My salinity is currently reading 1.027, dKH is 11, and my cycling chemical levels are still present, but within the proper mid-range for the middle of the cycle.
I'll continue to update this until the conclusion of the tank cycle.
Now, that aside, I've found more than enough information about incorporating Poecilia sp. into a marine tank on Reef Central alone that the inclusion of a new thread on the topic seems silly. However, I noted a lack of "How-To" or "Guide on" topics here and otherwise; the vast majority of threads were discussions on the why and interjecting posts with "I did so by doing X method," of which in reality there were only two: acclimate straight to salt over varying courses of time, or switch between salt-fresh a number of times before full salt integration. But I never found this, and since I'll be doing it anyway, why not mark it down? I, personally, find it easier to trust random internet wisdom when I can follow the process behind it.
On to the fun.
Tank Parameters
The experiment is being conducted in a 29 gallon containing ~24.5 gallons of water, 22 pounds of live rock, ~6 pounds of other rocks (mostly sandstone and limestone), ~5 lbs of skeletons (dead coral, barnacle clusters), 20 pounds of CaribSea Fiji Pink, and 20 pounds of CaribSea Bimini Pink. I used Instant Ocean non-reef salt to mix a salinity of 1.026. I also have an under"gravel" filter with three air tubes, the middle of which rises only to 2/3s the height of the tank (and yes, this merits its own series of arguments, none of which are appropriate to this topic; I mentioned it only to make note of the surface disruption and oxygen infusion); I blocked the sand with a piece of standard filter media cut to fit.
Inhabitants
After leaving it all sit for six days, I began to add my desired tank occupants: hermit crabs. We're now three weeks into the tank's operation, and I've stocked it with the following (sizes do not include shells).
- 12 Dwarf Red Tips (Clibanarius sp.), varying in size from ⅛" - ½"
- 10 Dwarf Blue Legs (Clibanarius tricolor), none larger than ¼"
- 5 Scarlet Reefs (Paguristes cadenati), all ⅓"
- 5 Electric Blues (Calcinus elegans), all ¾"
- 1 Blue Tuxedo Urchin (Mespilia globulus), 1 ¼" in diameter.
- 2 Super Tongan Nassarius Snails (Nassarius distortus), 1 ¾" down the length of the moving body.
- 1 Brittle Star of unknown provenance and size, as I've not seen it in a week.
- 1 Three-Spot Domino Damselfish (Dascyllus trimaculatus), as a sort of "œcontrol." Nothing is horribly wrong with my tank so long as the damsel is alive.
- 3 Aiptasia and 2 Anthelia "œWaving Hand" colonies. These were all hitchhikers, but as I don't plan on keeping coral in this tank, they can stay
- Several of the small pieces of rock/tankwork contain substantial growths of what appears to be Maiden's Hair algae, and my large (20lbs) live rock is covered on one surface by "œregular" greenish-brown algae. Free food.
Maintenance
To keep up with the dietary requirements of my detrivores, I've been feeding a combination of frozen mysis shrimp, frozen marine veggie entree, and green algae seaweed sheets. I've been conducting 20% water changes every 4-5 days during the cycle.
The Experiment
Beginning last night, I added 12 Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) using the method most frequently described in forum posts as successful: acclimate to tank temperature and add directly to the marine tank. I picked three color morphs to help differentiate between the individual fish; three Black, two Silver, and seven Dalmation.
This morning, I find five have died; two of the Dalmations and all three Blacks. After feeding them to my land hermit crabs, I returned to the store and purchased the same. This was 7 hours ago, and I have lost one Dalmation since (though I cannot tell if it was one from today or yesterday). My salinity is currently reading 1.027, dKH is 11, and my cycling chemical levels are still present, but within the proper mid-range for the middle of the cycle.
I'll continue to update this until the conclusion of the tank cycle.
