was given a tank(100 questions)

[Reiner]

Ok, my work college just told me that he would like to give me his tank. Since I already have 4 freshwater tanks (180, 80, 26 and 3 gallons) I of course said yes specialy since I just came back from Maui and I saw so many cool Reef fish and turtles while I was snorkeling but this will be my very first Salt tank.

The tank should be somewhere aroung 25 gallons the way he discribed it.(I asked him to give me dimensions tonight)
The only thing I know about the tank is that it has one 3 stripe damsel in it which killed the other 2 damsel that were in there with him. I asked if it has live rock or any corals, anemones... but he has no idea since his wife takes care of it so for now I assume it is a fish only tank. The tank has been up and running for at least 2 years though.

When I get the tank I plan on bringing enough water containers to safe all the water and leave a few inches of water in the tank to keep the sand covered and transport everything this way.
Would it be best to bag the fish or would he be fine in a bucket for about a 30 minute drive but then I still have to reset everything once I'm home.

Now would it be possible to add another 2-3 fish down the line once everything is running stable in my house?

I have looked a little and I like clarkii clownfish, Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosa) or Lemonpeel Angelfish (Centropyge flavissima). Now I have no idea if they are even compatable with the damsel but I would really like some suggestions of fish that are hardy and won't ever outgrow the tank that I would house them in.
I'm sure I'll have a ton of more questions but If I get a few answers for the above that would be great. Thanks in advance

 

[WaterKeeper]

Hi Reiner
[welcome]

You're probably best bagging the fish as there is less chance to spill it. However, it might be time to question having a damsel, especially one that is a proven killer. If you like a dwarf angel it will be attacked in such a small tank by that damsel. You might be wise to give the damsel away or trade it to a LFS than keeping it.

You tank is not very large so a single dwarf and perhaps a clown, who also can be aggressive, would be pretty much it. You can't stock a SW tank like a FW. Try The New Tank Thread for more.

 

[mdisalvo55]

I would try to stay away from those damsels too. Depending on the cleanliness you might want to keep most of the water and do a large water change when you first get it set up. Post some more info when it becomes available and the people here can help out some more.

 

[Reiner]

Thanks and my suspision with the damsel was right on target that it probably sees the whole tank as it's own territory and it will be hard to add anything. I'll give more details once I have the exact size and other info about the tank. The guy really has no idea since I asked him if it was a fish only tank or if it has live rock or any corals and he couldn't answer the question since he had no idea what I was talking about. I'll keep you guys updated and I'll bag the fish for transport.
Btw the other 2 fish that he killed were another 3 striped damsel and a blue damsel if that makes any difference.

 

[markandkristen]

i would take the fish back to any lfs that would take it. get your pygmy they are much more fun to watch. i would read waterkeepers "so your a newbie thread" it will take a few hours but its worth it. the info you will get ....best on the net anywhere..

 

[markandkristen]

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

try this thread

 

[CarmieJo]

I echo the advice about trading in the damsel. You may also want to listen to the TalkingReef podcasts. Lots of advice in topics ranging from beginners to advanced. You can find them at www.talkingreef.com or on iTunes. If you don't have an iPod or mp3 player you can still download iTunes and listen at your computer. Both iTunes and the podcasts are free.

 

[Sk8r]

The damsel would not be content if it had 3 more feet of reef. It needs more room. Hopefully an lfs can see it gets that. It's not the physical size, it's the attitude.

You might want to go to the Foster and Smith site and just cruise the nano-fish section, too. They're fish that never grow beyond 3 inches.

Congrats on the new tank!

 

[Reiner]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
I just got a little more info on the tank which is actually only 15 gallons and has 2 live rocks in it.
I guess for now I'll keep the damsel in it since it seems to be a hardy fish and that gives me time to get used to keeping salt tanks and also gives me more time for research and reading as much as I can on various websites.

 

[Reiner]

Ok here is my new idea.
Since I always here that bigger is better and more stable I think I dicided that I will convert the 15 gallon tank into freshwater and move all the little tetras from the 26 gallon tank into the 15. Then I can make the 26 the Salt tank and I just get more live rock and more live sand. The second reason why I thought this would be a good move is that the 26 gallon as at my work where it is air conditioned and at my house it gets often into the mid 80's in the summer which means without a chiller the tank would get that warm as well.
The dimensions for the 26 gallon tank are 48"L x 9"W x 13"H. How many more pounds of rock and sand would you guys recommend.

 

[mdisalvo55]

If you're using an old freshwater tank I believe you need to make sure you haven't used any ich medications in it. Theres something in them that can't be in saltwater...someone else will know more about that. The air conditioned thing is good thinking ahead on your part. For a 26 gallon maybe around 40 lbs of live rock, it depends on how dense the rock is really. I have some very porous base rock in my tank and then on top of that I have the heavier fiji rock.

 

[Reiner]

Ok I have treated with Quick cure ick medication in that tank a few month ago so how do I need to treat that tank so it is safe to use for salt water? Basicly none of the gravel filters or rocks would tranfer just the glass box. Can the med stick to glass for that long and still be effective?
The other concern about the tank is that it is recommended to have 4 inches of live sand which would only leave me with just less then 10" of water. Could I get away with 2" of LS since the surface area of the sand is 3/4 that of a 55 gallon tank but only half the water volume.
Also If i do get rid of the Damsel my first choice of fish would be the Coral Beauty. Could I add any other fish then or would that fish need the whole 26 gallon tank to itself?
Thanks for any replies.