My 68 gallon tank has been running for a week now. I have already cured live rock in the tank so there has been no cycle. I tested for nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia and all were 0. Tomorrow, I plan on going to the fish store to confirm that my water parameters are indeed good. If they check to be fine, I'd like to buy some livestock. So my question is what should I buy first: two false perculas, one or two soft corals, or a cleanup crew? Thanks.
Which Should I Buy First?
- Thread starter Greg129
- Start date
integlikewhoa
New member
Yup clean up crew. Then wait. Its only been a week and your already talkin about fish. Going to have to slow yourself or youll run into problems. Where did the rock come from and what about the sand?
integlikewhoa---Here's the back story...After I bought a diseased Royal Gramma, it wiped at my whole stock (it was a FOWLR). Also, I was going through some personal problems so the tank was left untouched from summer 05' until 2/18/06. Taking Anthony Calfo's advice, I drained the tank, put the 100 plus pounds of live rock into a 39 gallon tub with a heater and power head running, and then removed the sand bed. After removing everything from the tank, I mixed a new batch of salt water using bottled reverse osmosis water on 2/19. The salinity was at 1.021 so I added the live rock I orginally had back into the tank on 2/20. I also added my Remora Pro Skimmer and my three Hagen Aquaclear 402 power heads on 2/20. Now, it's 2/23 and I tested the water. Here's what I got:
pH: 8.2 (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
alk: normal (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
amm: 0 (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
nitrite: 0 (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' Dry-Tab Master Kit)
nitrate: 0 (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' Dry-Tab Master Kit)
salinity: 1.019 (using Deep-six Hydrometer)
1.024 (using Instant Oceam Hydrometer)
-I think I'll be buying a refractometer -
I'll be adding arag-alive sand tonight.
pH: 8.2 (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
alk: normal (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
amm: 0 (using Red Sea's Test Lab)
nitrite: 0 (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' Dry-Tab Master Kit)
nitrate: 0 (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' Dry-Tab Master Kit)
salinity: 1.019 (using Deep-six Hydrometer)
1.024 (using Instant Oceam Hydrometer)
-I think I'll be buying a refractometer -
I'll be adding arag-alive sand tonight.
Astrea's, cerith, nassarius are some good snails, a few emerald crabs will kick butt, blue leg hermits work hard, although I think they eat my snails$$$$, a sand sifting star or serpent will get the detrius, if you must have a fish, a shrimp(or watchman) goby or diamond goby will take mouthfuls of sand and sift it through his gills a few of these can keep the sand bed turned over.
Before you get fish I would also get a cleaner shrimp or two, I like to get them in there before hand to eat any parasites, before I add fish and start feeding(the enemy). If you add fish too soon you might end up with an Ick issue. The longer you cycle/Age your tank, the less you will worry about Ick getting a foothold. Plus if the shrimp is in and adjusted, he will immediatly pick off any parasites that the new fish brought from the pet store, nipping any issues in the bud early.
Before you get fish I would also get a cleaner shrimp or two, I like to get them in there before hand to eat any parasites, before I add fish and start feeding(the enemy). If you add fish too soon you might end up with an Ick issue. The longer you cycle/Age your tank, the less you will worry about Ick getting a foothold. Plus if the shrimp is in and adjusted, he will immediatly pick off any parasites that the new fish brought from the pet store, nipping any issues in the bud early.
Hi Don't mind me jumping in here.
I just added a sand sifting star & it is doing a wonderful job. (Sand algae all gone!!).
I am wondering about shrimp. I would love a coral banded shrimp, because I think they are beutiful, but you make a great case for cleaner shrimp. Are these shrimp compatable? Thanks
I just added a sand sifting star & it is doing a wonderful job. (Sand algae all gone!!).
I am wondering about shrimp. I would love a coral banded shrimp, because I think they are beutiful, but you make a great case for cleaner shrimp. Are these shrimp compatable? Thanks
Alaskan Reefer
New member
Clean up crew for a 68 gallon?
3-4 mexican (or other large) turbo snails (algae)
6-8 cerith snails (sand sifting, detritus)
1-2 peppermint shrimp (extra food, aiptasia)
1 cleaner shrimp (extra food, parasites on fish)
Crabs are omnivores, and will eat anything including snails and coral polyps if they get hungry enough. Not a good trade off, IMO, since all they really do that's beneficial is eat extra food. Emeralds will eat hair algae, but they also get pretty large -- the one I had in my 75 was easily 5" across when I took him out and I witnessed him on more than one occassion dining on snails.
I think most people go way overboard on cleanup crews, when they instead could spend the money on a top notch skimmer and remove the need for all those extra mouths to feed (and butts to clean up after)...
3-4 mexican (or other large) turbo snails (algae)
6-8 cerith snails (sand sifting, detritus)
1-2 peppermint shrimp (extra food, aiptasia)
1 cleaner shrimp (extra food, parasites on fish)
Crabs are omnivores, and will eat anything including snails and coral polyps if they get hungry enough. Not a good trade off, IMO, since all they really do that's beneficial is eat extra food. Emeralds will eat hair algae, but they also get pretty large -- the one I had in my 75 was easily 5" across when I took him out and I witnessed him on more than one occassion dining on snails.
I think most people go way overboard on cleanup crews, when they instead could spend the money on a top notch skimmer and remove the need for all those extra mouths to feed (and butts to clean up after)...
Alaskan Reefer
New member
Oh, and you wouldn't hurt anything adding a couple softies to a fairly new tank like mushrooms or a leather coral. They're quite hardy.
Also, get the refractometer -- it took me 5 years to realize how stupid I was to not buy it from the beginning. Not expensive for how often you use it and how accurate it can be. Either that or get your swing arms calibrated against someone else's refractometer.
Finally, the Remora Pro is a little on the light side for a 68. Be careful about overstocking (including snails, which are poop factories).
Also, get the refractometer -- it took me 5 years to realize how stupid I was to not buy it from the beginning. Not expensive for how often you use it and how accurate it can be. Either that or get your swing arms calibrated against someone else's refractometer.
Finally, the Remora Pro is a little on the light side for a 68. Be careful about overstocking (including snails, which are poop factories).
integlikewhoa
New member
Yea i wouold stay away from crabs if possible. They only end up eating taking out your cleaner crew.
