my first reef system

[mattseattle]

hehe....

you could add 20 fish.....i can't guarantee they would live though

 

[jazznreef]

drop a green chromis or two in there. just start slow and see how they do.

 

[reefaddict]

fish mortality

i guess 1 coral beauty would be out of the question?
seriously i am fully prepared to make 25% water changes daily if i have to.

 

[mattseattle]

but why? just let your tank mature a little while and go slow adding things and you won't have to do that. i do water changes about every 3 - 4 weeks sometimes more.

 

[reefaddict]

fishy talk

ok, is a royal gramma hardy enough to try first?

 

[mattseattle]

if i were you i'd plan out what fish and what corals i want in my tank for the next few years. add from least aggressive to most aggressive (i think that is the way you do it). chromis are a nice fish especially if you have a small school of them.

as far as a royal gramma i don't know anything about them - maybhe someone else can help.

 

[ReefShack]

The only other consideration you may want to think about is the 1" sand bed. This is not really deep enough for denitrification and may become a nutrient sink if not scrupulously maintained especially if you're using a larger grain media. If you were looking to avoid the problems with a maturing dsb, you will want to reduce the depth to less than a half an inch. This has been my experience and the reason I went with a bare bottom display. I'd hate to have you get discouraged when you start to have algae problems down the road. Hope this helps.

 

[jazznreef]

water changes don't replace the biological stability that time provides and can actually add to the stress on the fish and inverts. water changes add to the cost of running the tank as well. i'm just suggesting adding a couple cheaper fish and see how they do. what's a week of waiting with damsels in the scheme of things? what types of fish are you thinking about in this tank? i had a royal gramma that was really agressive so i'd research them a bit in relation to what else you want in there.

 

[reefaddict]

water quality

reefshack,
to answer your question: when the tank is up to handling the bioload, i was planning on having a good number of crabs, cleaner shrimp and brittle stars to help stir the sand. i am planning on using a plastic stick to also stir it up.
the grain size in my tank is 1 to 2 mm dia.
i understand why alot of people have bare bottom tanks but i really don't like that look.Quite frankly there seems to be some disagreement between the experts as to which is better, and i think i am going to try it this way first and watch the water conditions carefully.

thanks for your input and please feel free to let me know when you see something else you don't agree with. this type of discussion is the best way for me to learn and the info i am getting on this forum is very helpful.

jazznreef and mattseattle,

ok just to prove i am not as hard headed as it may seem from my posts, i am going to buy 2 green chromis in about a week and see what happens.
:lol:

 

[reefaddict]

starter fish

well you guys were right about being impatient. i bought 3 yellow tail damsels today. no more fish for at least three weeks.
corals are a different story.

 

[mattseattle]

eeks - you said damsels. i'd stay away from those. some people use them to cycle the tank since they are hardy but they are a pain in the butt. can be aggressive as well as hard to catch if you ever want them out.

 

[reefaddict]

damsels

hey, i wanted a royal gramma, but no.. you guys all said it wouldn't make it through the cycle. so i get a hardy fish instead and now these guys are too aggressive. man you guys are hard to please! i am going back to fancy guppies!


(please note the sarcasm in the above post)
i am just kidding.

 

[mattseattle]

sarcasm is good you'll see some of it in my posts

all i can say is do a little research before you buy fish and corals especially at the beginning of your tank. my first fish was a clown and that was put into my tank after 3 months of set up. i still have her along with her mate which i bought 6 months after i put her in. clowns are pretty hardy fish as well but i wouldn't add one right now in your tank. if i were you i just wouldn't add fish right now. go out and buy some snails, maybe a cleaner shrimp, hermits if you like them (some are opposed to those as well but i like the small red legged ones).

goby's are also very nice starter fish. pretty hardy and not aggressive.

 

[RockyHeap]

I'm sensing a rushing new hobbiest, honestly caring but really pushing things too fast........

Let the tank mature at minimum a month before you even think of corals.......nothing is stable yet, barely even cycled, so enjoy the yellow tails (good choice by the way, other damsels like the white spot or solid black ones are much more aggresive) but really do wait for any corals otherwise you most likely will start killing stuff, get frustrated, buy more stuff, see it waste away, and then get more frustrated.

First corals should be some mushrooms, maybe a leather, and other soft corals.

Really do plan out what your long term goals are, as introducing a aggressive fish now can really limit your coral choices later.

Good luck, GO SLOW, read up and learn, be patient, and GO SLOW!!!

 

[jazznreef]

i was really impatient when i started out. learned my lesson though. patience saves lives and moolah.

 

[reefaddict]

tank rushing

you guys are right. i am rushing it some. when i bought the three yellow tails i also bought three blue leg hermits.
i will let the tank cycle before i add anything else.

rockyheap,
just to bring you up to speed as to what i have in the tank:
1 star polypwith purple polyps and bright yellow "tenticles"

1 combo leather piece (two diff. kinds on one rock) i bet you already knew what i meant!

1 zooanthid, purple stalk purple tenticles with a bright yellow center

1 button polyp green w purple centers

1 small brain

1 finger leather(or tree leather)red with some calerpa on the same rock

1 very small purple button polyp w/orange tenticles

for what it is worth the tank is crystal clear. the corals look better than at the lfs. i am testing the water for phosphates. they are >.25 mg per liter. at this point i am more worried about an algae bloom than cycle stress. it is still a little early for the ammonia/nitrites to rise. i am sure they will, i guess this discussion is all about how much and can what i have in there already handle it?
i am 100% positive i will buy a digital camera tomorrow so i can show you this thing.

p.s. i don't think i am spelling tenticles right. i hope that server upgrade includes a spell checker!

 

[reefaddict]

new reef

i thought i would update the progress at three weeks:
total inhabitants
3 yellowtail damsels
1 flame angel
1 med. sailfin tang
2 blue leg hermits
15 red leg hermits
8 peppermint shrimp
11 various soft corals

ammonia 0(tested every other day)
nitrite it isn't 0 but it is lghter than any color on the chart so<.1mg per ltr.(tested daily)
nitrate0
phosphate.75 mg per liter(before a 25% water change)


i have some turf algae on the substrate and rocks(i am guessing from the phosphate) but the fish are eating and looking great.

 

[mattseattle]

i can't believe you have all those fish in there already. guess it's your tank and you'll learn the lesson.

 

[reefaddict]

i think the ammonia would have started to spike if it was going to. the nitrite is still at <.1 mg/ltr. I believe that cured lr changes the whole 8 week cycle time frame because there are existing nitrifying bacteria on/in the rock. I don't think it is possible to dump 10 fish in at once, but on the other hand I think that not adding any fish kills existing bacteria by starving it and extends the cycle. (just my opinion).

 

[reefaddict]

my first reef tank

today my tank is exactly four weeks old. hopefully i have attached some pics i took today with my new camera.