- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 19
Hi everyone!
Ive been in love with the idea of a saltwater tank for years but never really had the extra money to invest and start one... and then the universe gave me one! My mom (a realtor) had a past client that had an established tank he wanted to give away (for free!) so she told him I was probably interested and three days later I had a saltwater tank in my house! The tank has a natural filtration system, tons of live rock, 2 fish (clownfish and 6 line wrasse), a few crabs, an elephant slug, and about 10 tiny snails that just showed up today.
the previous owner went over the basics as far as how the tank works, how often to feed the fish, and how to test the specific gravity of the water... but I have more questions.
1. Are the baby snails ok? The internet makes me think they are colonista snails but I just have no idea where they would have come from - and shouldn’t the wrasse be eating them?
2. How safe is it to make my own water with tap water and the liquid additive? I feel more comfortable getting RO and saltwater but my LFS is closed Mondays and Tuesdays andI’d hate to be in a bind.
3. I really want predator type fish like sharks, rays, and eels. One of my LFS sells baby rays and sharks and they said I could have them in the tank until they get bigger and then I’d have to rehome them... is this ok to do or will it cause them and my current fish stress?
4. If I get a baby ray or shark, they like to have more sand to shift around in but my tank is full of live rock - I’d like to stack some but can I also remove smaller pieces? Would that be something a fish store would buy off of me or ..?
5. What are some major things I need to be looking out for?
6. I’ve noticed very small white dots on the back of the tank, what are these? (Pictured below)
7. I’ve also notice black glossy egg looking things on the live rock - is this bubble algae or something else? My phone would let me get a good photo of it.
Im attaching a few photos of the tank that I took this evening - does the coral look unhappy to you or am I just imagining issues?
Thanks in advance for all your help! I really do want to learn as much as possible to have a successful experience with this new hobby and I appreciate all of you for sharing your knowledge!
Ive been in love with the idea of a saltwater tank for years but never really had the extra money to invest and start one... and then the universe gave me one! My mom (a realtor) had a past client that had an established tank he wanted to give away (for free!) so she told him I was probably interested and three days later I had a saltwater tank in my house! The tank has a natural filtration system, tons of live rock, 2 fish (clownfish and 6 line wrasse), a few crabs, an elephant slug, and about 10 tiny snails that just showed up today.
the previous owner went over the basics as far as how the tank works, how often to feed the fish, and how to test the specific gravity of the water... but I have more questions.
1. Are the baby snails ok? The internet makes me think they are colonista snails but I just have no idea where they would have come from - and shouldn’t the wrasse be eating them?
2. How safe is it to make my own water with tap water and the liquid additive? I feel more comfortable getting RO and saltwater but my LFS is closed Mondays and Tuesdays andI’d hate to be in a bind.
3. I really want predator type fish like sharks, rays, and eels. One of my LFS sells baby rays and sharks and they said I could have them in the tank until they get bigger and then I’d have to rehome them... is this ok to do or will it cause them and my current fish stress?
4. If I get a baby ray or shark, they like to have more sand to shift around in but my tank is full of live rock - I’d like to stack some but can I also remove smaller pieces? Would that be something a fish store would buy off of me or ..?
5. What are some major things I need to be looking out for?
6. I’ve noticed very small white dots on the back of the tank, what are these? (Pictured below)
7. I’ve also notice black glossy egg looking things on the live rock - is this bubble algae or something else? My phone would let me get a good photo of it.
Im attaching a few photos of the tank that I took this evening - does the coral look unhappy to you or am I just imagining issues?
Thanks in advance for all your help! I really do want to learn as much as possible to have a successful experience with this new hobby and I appreciate all of you for sharing your knowledge!