Time to add something

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myofibroblast

New member
Hello,

Anyone with experience with liveaquaria.com? I am looking to add a damsel fish or an ocellaris (actually, now that I look at them, I'm thinking ocellaris) and this website has tank bred specimens. Yay. The only concern I have is disease/ectoparasites. Is it advisable to do a freshwater dip prior to adding to QT?

Setup: 40g saltwater started 3 weeks ago from a fresh water conversion. Running Fluval G3 with carbon and live rock rubble in the media tray, AC 50 HOB without media, just a bunched up chaeto with a clip on LED, and a couple of power heads. Tank is barebottom with live rock (force of habit, I keep discus). Brown algae super bloom about 3-4 days after initial setup, already subsiding despite scheduled lighting. Parameters fine except nitrate is zero, will double check. I've read ocellaris is pretty hardy and I like their personalities > damsel fish. Also like GSP...might add GSP as well.
 
Honestly I have never heard anything bad about liveaquaria.com and if your buying fish online then I wouldn't do a fresh water dip right away because they are already stressed out from shipping. And plus I have an ocellaris and I did a fresh water dip with it and it jumped right out so be careful. But on the other note, it would be very cost effective if you found a LFS near you b/c why would you pay $20 for the fish and then I think the last time I checked it was $34 dollars for the shipping. You can just go on google and type in saltwater fish stores near me
 
Mcgeezer said:
Stay away from damsels. Too aggressive.
Click to expand...
+Infinity on this!

I just had a battle for the ages with a yellow tailed damsel who was one of the first residents in my tank. As I added a CUC he terrorized the poor blue legs, leaving them stuck on their back. He later tossed a small xenia frag from the shelf I had it resting on. Not to mention he had another little damsel penned in the corner for pretty much the durration of my DT until his removal.

Moral of the story, avoid like the plague...at least IMO.
 
How's your cycle going & what are water parameters--ammonia & nitrites, other than nitrate is zero? If nitrate is zero & hasn't spiked, I doubt tank has finished cycling. Also, you don't need lights on during cycle; that just causes more algae issues. I agree w/ others--go w/ a clownfish & stay away from damn-sels--they're too aggressive in smaller tanks.
 
Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate zero. Rechecked with a diff test also zero. Forgot I just replaced the chemical in the fluval G3 to a tri-Ex this past weekend so that might be lowering nitrates to levels too low to be accurate on API.

I put on lights to encourage algae bloom as an indicator of when nitrates might be appearing. Then I start checking nitrates. I also don't check ammonia (or nitrites) until nitrates have appeared unless I'm dosing ammonia to a certain ppm, which isn't all that necessary when there is detritus from live rock. Actually, the nitrite level is not really helpful for me. Wish API would just sell it separately and lower the cost of the masterkit, and people who are super curious can buy it separately.
Since I'm waiting for the LFS to restock, I'll just dose a little ammonia to check again tomorrow to confirm I have adequate bacterial load.

re: Damsels agreed. Not into aggressive fish esp in such a small starter tank!
 
Chromis fish are in the damsel family but are a much more docile cousin to the more aggressive ones but if you have a small tank you should only get one or 2 at the most because even tho they are nice and don't bother other fish they will attack each other
 
myofibroblast said:
Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate zero. Rechecked with a diff test also zero. Forgot I just replaced the chemical in the fluval G3 to a tri-Ex this past weekend so that might be lowering nitrates to levels too low to be accurate on API.

I put on lights to encourage algae bloom as an indicator of when nitrates might be appearing. Then I start checking nitrates. I also don't check ammonia (or nitrites) until nitrates have appeared unless I'm dosing ammonia to a certain ppm, which isn't all that necessary when there is detritus from live rock. Actually, the nitrite level is not really helpful for me. Wish API would just sell it separately and lower the cost of the masterkit, and people who are super curious can buy it separately.
Since I'm waiting for the LFS to restock, I'll just dose a little ammonia to check again tomorrow to confirm I have adequate bacterial load.

re: Damsels agreed. Not into aggressive fish esp in such a small starter tank!
Click to expand...

How did you cycle your tank? Did you ever get an ammonia spike?
 
Rob6311: thanks for the info re Chromis, will think about one as a second addition. I have my heart set on ocellaris right now!

XaviBear: Re NH3, can't answer your question as I never test for ammonia during cycling until nitrates have appeared. Cycled with LR and possibly some nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp from established fluval G3 and tubing and interior surface of tank acclimated to new pH and salinity and accelerated the cycle.
My opinion re checking NH3 is that it does not alter management of cycling and only adds to wasted resources and reagents. If one wants to know for the sake of knowing, fine, one is free to spend his or her $ however he or she wishes. Practically, wait for nitrates to appear (or suggestions of nitrates such as brown algal bloom) then start checking nitrates. If nitrates present then check ammonia and nitrites to ensure nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp. are adequate for the tanks present bioload. If not, could be due to denitrifyers or absorbers present and one can do an NH3 challenge. Pretty straightforward concepts.
 
myofibroblast said:
Rob6311: thanks for the info re Chromis, will think about one as a second addition. I have my heart set on ocellaris right now!

XaviBear: Re NH3, can't answer your question as I never test for ammonia during cycling until nitrates have appeared. Cycled with LR and possibly some nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp from established fluval G3 and tubing and interior surface of tank acclimated to new pH and salinity and accelerated the cycle.
My opinion re checking NH3 is that it does not alter management of cycling and only adds to wasted resources and reagents. If one wants to know for the sake of knowing, fine, one is free to spend his or her $ however he or she wishes. Practically, wait for nitrates to appear (or suggestions of nitrates such as brown algal bloom) then start checking nitrates. If nitrates present then check ammonia and nitrites to ensure nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp. are adequate for the tanks present bioload. If not, could be due to denitrifyers or absorbers present and one can do an NH3 challenge. Pretty straightforward concepts.
Click to expand...

How much live rock did you use? Is your established fluval & tubing from a freshwater system? Freshwater & saltwater bacteria are different. Freshwater bacteria would not cycle your tank.
 
Last edited:
XaviBear: maybe 18-20lbs, plus live rubble is in the two media tray in fluval. Yes from freshwater.

Re: fresh v saltwater bacteria, as you already are aware populations of nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp are heterogeneous. While it's possible that most adapted to a low salinity and different pH will not survive or carry out metabolism properly in a diff pH, there will be some that can, or can adapt. They have survived millennia under conditions more adverse than a tank conversion. Other evidence include some commercially available nitosomonas and nitrobacter (e.g. Seachem Stability) where the application is suitable for both fresh and saltwater aquaria. Some of these entities list the pH and salinity ranges for their bacteria and the range is quite broad.

I would just be cautious about asserting generalizations as fact.

As an aside, I dosed NH3 to 1-1.5ppm and NH3 and nitrite are zero this afternoon. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.
 
myofibroblast said:
XaviBear: maybe 18-20lbs, plus live rubble is in the two media tray in fluval. Yes from freshwater.

Re: fresh v saltwater bacteria, as you already are aware populations of nitrosomonas and nitrobacter spp are heterogeneous. While it's possible that most adapted to a low salinity and different pH will not survive or carry out metabolism properly in a diff pH, there will be some that can, or can adapt. They have survived millennia under conditions more adverse than a tank conversion. Other evidence include some commercially available nitosomonas and nitrobacter (e.g. Seachem Stability) where the application is suitable for both fresh and saltwater aquaria. Some of these entities list the pH and salinity ranges for their bacteria and the range is quite broad.

I would just be cautious about asserting generalizations as fact.

As an aside, I dosed NH3 to 1-1.5ppm and NH3 and nitrite are zero this afternoon. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it was the live rock & rubble , not the freshwater bacteria.
 
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