So, a local dealer here is remodeling and has a holding tank they need to clean out. So, for pretty much free i'm about to get the remainder of what's in it. I'm not 100% confident in it, just because i am very new to the hobby and don't wanna make mistakes with such beautiful fish that are not exactly renewable. However, at the same time, i don't want to see these fish suffer and hope i can do better for them than they have... So, would like to know the best method to care for them or if i might have it covered?
Current tank - 140G Long (72X18X25)
Sand / Rock was from an established reef tank that was broken down and kept circulated. Cured another month in tubs with temp / circulation / salinity stable
Tank has been active now for month and a half
I am picky about water stability and parameters since i have been breeding fresh water fish for a while before starting on salt water. Since i plan on eventually breeding for salt water as well, i have been just as picky about monitoring this tank as well
Ammonia lasted 1 day at .5ppm with the transfer
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Calcium and Phosphate within proper ranges
Algae scrubbing for nutrient export
55G sump / refugium
currently doing 10% water change once a week
The way i made sure everything was stable in this tank was letting it "rest" for a month and testing every couple days. During this month, all readings came back the same every test with the exception of lowered calcium and a .01 increase in salinity (from 1.025 to 1.026) due to evaporation i'm sure.
Only 2 fish in the tank for this month was 2X 0. Percula, 2 Turbo Snails, 2 Emerald Crabs, 2 Hermit Crabs
First week had Cotton Candy algae and Cyano
By week 2 90% of the Cyano / Cotton Candy died off and disappeared. Coralline began spotting up
Week 3 had a very minor hair algae appearance. It wasn't much at all and only got thick in 1 place where egg crate holding my rocks was exposed. I think some food got flushed in under it and caused it.
Now, coralline is starting to really cover the rocks and what isn't being covered has turned a nice brown and heavily colonized
So, tank SHOULD be good and stable now right? The only other addition i've made is a baby regal tang... The little bit of hair algae i had completely disappeared in a single day. And a rose bubble tip anemone. I've heard that you need a mature tank for an anemone, but i got it before i had this information. So far, it's been eating well (i've fed it twice) and went from sickly looking to filling out, opening up (not a gaping mouth) and clearish tentacles to a browner base with bright green striations under actinics. The tentacles have also deepened in red color to an almost brown with hot pink tips. These are all things that i have heard are good news for anemone and that the you want a mature tank to make sure parameters are stable. With the stability test i have done over the past month (and continue to do with every water change). So far, parameters have not varied at all.
The reason for this much in depth detail will be explained now. I wanted everyone to know how cautious i am being as well as where i stand with what i have setup right now to judge whether or not i may be successful with this next step that is coming unexpectedly.
The fish that i'm getting come from the same tank as the regal and anemone i have, so i'm not too concerned about aggression.
What is being added is -
XXL (Dinner plate sized when open) Electric Green Anemone
ANOTHER Regal Tang
Yellow Tang
Flame Angelfish
Red Chromis - All pretty much guaranteed...
POSSIBLE new additions (Depending on if they are sold or not)
(3 head) Grn/Yellow Torch coral
(3head) Orange Ricordea mushroom rock
(1head) Grn/Pink Frogspawn frag
(2) Med Grn/Purple Bubble Tipe Anemone
(2) Lrg Long Tentacle purple anemone
Out of the "POSSIBLE" new additions, the anemones WILL definitely have to find a new home... Some of them i already have covered and know where they would be going. The rest, i'll most likely have to take to a LFS and trade in for credit to be held in tanks i know they have empty.
The tangs i know need a much larger tank for that many of that size in a few years. I'm already planning and preparing for it. In fact, my dream fish is the emperor angelfish, and i'm planning a 600G (10Ft X 32Inch Wide and 3Ft tall) build for this purpose.
The tangs and angelfish need algae based foods and marine pellets (i use Spectrum) + dried sea weed and frozen "green" cubes. As well, once a week i can add crushed spirulina (actually debating culturing my own spirulina as well)
The Chromis and clowns would do well with marine pellets + occasional mysis / Brine / Krill. Along with this, i once a week get either scallops, small octopus or shrimp that i dice up and feed.
The anemones get the diced up scallops, small octopus or shrimp as well.
The corals... No clue at all. None whatsoever. I'm going to have to research those guys unless someone has any advice for me besides the obvious "don't do it"?
The primary reason for me doing this is that currently they are all being held in a 90G cube. There's some damsels and other MUCH more aggressive fish in there and some of them have been beaten up pretty badly. The yellow tang in particular i've been told needs some TLC
Current tank - 140G Long (72X18X25)
Sand / Rock was from an established reef tank that was broken down and kept circulated. Cured another month in tubs with temp / circulation / salinity stable
Tank has been active now for month and a half
I am picky about water stability and parameters since i have been breeding fresh water fish for a while before starting on salt water. Since i plan on eventually breeding for salt water as well, i have been just as picky about monitoring this tank as well
Ammonia lasted 1 day at .5ppm with the transfer
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Calcium and Phosphate within proper ranges
Algae scrubbing for nutrient export
55G sump / refugium
currently doing 10% water change once a week
The way i made sure everything was stable in this tank was letting it "rest" for a month and testing every couple days. During this month, all readings came back the same every test with the exception of lowered calcium and a .01 increase in salinity (from 1.025 to 1.026) due to evaporation i'm sure.
Only 2 fish in the tank for this month was 2X 0. Percula, 2 Turbo Snails, 2 Emerald Crabs, 2 Hermit Crabs
First week had Cotton Candy algae and Cyano
By week 2 90% of the Cyano / Cotton Candy died off and disappeared. Coralline began spotting up
Week 3 had a very minor hair algae appearance. It wasn't much at all and only got thick in 1 place where egg crate holding my rocks was exposed. I think some food got flushed in under it and caused it.
Now, coralline is starting to really cover the rocks and what isn't being covered has turned a nice brown and heavily colonized
So, tank SHOULD be good and stable now right? The only other addition i've made is a baby regal tang... The little bit of hair algae i had completely disappeared in a single day. And a rose bubble tip anemone. I've heard that you need a mature tank for an anemone, but i got it before i had this information. So far, it's been eating well (i've fed it twice) and went from sickly looking to filling out, opening up (not a gaping mouth) and clearish tentacles to a browner base with bright green striations under actinics. The tentacles have also deepened in red color to an almost brown with hot pink tips. These are all things that i have heard are good news for anemone and that the you want a mature tank to make sure parameters are stable. With the stability test i have done over the past month (and continue to do with every water change). So far, parameters have not varied at all.
The reason for this much in depth detail will be explained now. I wanted everyone to know how cautious i am being as well as where i stand with what i have setup right now to judge whether or not i may be successful with this next step that is coming unexpectedly.
The fish that i'm getting come from the same tank as the regal and anemone i have, so i'm not too concerned about aggression.
What is being added is -
XXL (Dinner plate sized when open) Electric Green Anemone
ANOTHER Regal Tang
Yellow Tang
Flame Angelfish
Red Chromis - All pretty much guaranteed...
POSSIBLE new additions (Depending on if they are sold or not)
(3 head) Grn/Yellow Torch coral
(3head) Orange Ricordea mushroom rock
(1head) Grn/Pink Frogspawn frag
(2) Med Grn/Purple Bubble Tipe Anemone
(2) Lrg Long Tentacle purple anemone
Out of the "POSSIBLE" new additions, the anemones WILL definitely have to find a new home... Some of them i already have covered and know where they would be going. The rest, i'll most likely have to take to a LFS and trade in for credit to be held in tanks i know they have empty.
The tangs i know need a much larger tank for that many of that size in a few years. I'm already planning and preparing for it. In fact, my dream fish is the emperor angelfish, and i'm planning a 600G (10Ft X 32Inch Wide and 3Ft tall) build for this purpose.
The tangs and angelfish need algae based foods and marine pellets (i use Spectrum) + dried sea weed and frozen "green" cubes. As well, once a week i can add crushed spirulina (actually debating culturing my own spirulina as well)
The Chromis and clowns would do well with marine pellets + occasional mysis / Brine / Krill. Along with this, i once a week get either scallops, small octopus or shrimp that i dice up and feed.
The anemones get the diced up scallops, small octopus or shrimp as well.
The corals... No clue at all. None whatsoever. I'm going to have to research those guys unless someone has any advice for me besides the obvious "don't do it"?
The primary reason for me doing this is that currently they are all being held in a 90G cube. There's some damsels and other MUCH more aggressive fish in there and some of them have been beaten up pretty badly. The yellow tang in particular i've been told needs some TLC
