tanks ready

[ofblong]

so now that my tank is ready what should I make my first SPS purchase be?

suppose I should mention my lighting in case no one wants to read my member tank thread.

29g tank with 14000k 250w HQI MH using 2 t5 pro blue bulbs to dumb down the blue some. Then I have the Fishbowl innovations mooncomputer with 2 moonlights.

 

[surfn]

if your tank is less than a month old, with few fish or other corals IMO its not ready for sps.

JMO though, its your tank....

i would never put sps into a brand new system that hasn't become biologically established. i think after 3months it would be ok as long as you have other fish and corals in there for a while before you put sps in there.

when you do add sps, be sure to add them very slowly (like 1 to 2 frags the first week, then wait 2 weeks before adding new ones......and so on), and keep monitoring your alk and calcium. start off with a monti cap or monti digi.

 

[revhtree]

I agree with Surfn..

If it is that young you will be throwing money away IMO.

Is this how old it is?

 

[racermike27]

I agree with the others. I would not add any SPS until the tank is established for sure.

 

[oceanparadise1]

DOnt add sps to a new tank, there are hard enough to keep in an established tank!

 

[ofblong]

okely dokely. tank has been running with about a lb of lr rubble in the sump for a month but I just added all the CURED lr 3 days ago. I am more than willing to wait :D. Matter of fact I have to now cause my wife just bought me some black and white occy's with anemone for this tank. It will be a fight to keep this anemone going but I am more worried about it moving and killing anything I add to the tank until the anemone figure out where it wants to settle. I was woken up by my excited kids cause they got me something lol.

 

[oceanparadise1]

HAHA thats awsome! cant wait to see some pics!

 

[ofblong]

I will have pics soon. Tomarrow I am picking up my cleanup crew and a yellow tang (I had ordered this before I knew my wife got the nemos' and anemone.

 

[oceanparadise1]

I would not put a tang in a 29 gallon, all your gonna do is stress him out they really need at least a four foot long tank. If its not to late i would cancel that order, your tank is just to small for a tang.

 

[ofblong]

its a 1" tang. by time He gets big enough I should have a 55g. Though if I have my way ill have a 180g corner tank :D.

 

[oceanparadise1]

NICE! just be care full they grow very fast, also make sure you have seeweed or algea strips to feed him, thats very important in a tangs diet

 

[ofblong]

unfortunately I believe this is the type of anemone they wont host.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Nice pics, awsome looking fish!

 

[ofblong]

yeah my camera is kinda broken so I cant take pics that show the true colors. its a purple tip but im not thinking is bubble tip.

 

[oceanparadise1]

hmm just trade it in and get another, im sure if ur kida are young enough they will never know, lol just tell them some times they change color!

 

[ofblong]

well I figure its not hurting anything right now (nothing in the tank for it to hurt except itself right now lol) so ill leave it till im ready. then maybe ill sell it lol.

 

[oceanparadise1]

True true

 

[surfn]

an anemone and yellow tang in a 29g tank that is less than a month old? no offense.......but thats a recipe for disaster.

dying anemones have been known to cause tank crashes in very well established tanks. and i think adding an active eater such as a tang in short order with the clown fish will cause a miniature cycle before the nitrifying bacteria have a chance to catch up.

in the race of keeping a good reef tank, slow and steady wins the race. just take it easy, and take baby steps like you are climbing a staircase, taking care of the easy fish and corals first, and then gradually working your way up to the harder stuff over time. (i.e. get your clean up crew with snails and hermits before you get an anemone, sps, or a tang).

if you do it backwards, you will quickly find yourself constantly emptying out your wallet, which ultimately leads to allot of people getting out of the hobby b/c they can't figure out what they are doing wrong. they try to forcibly fix things instead of letting the tank naturally evolve into a biological system.

 

[oceanparadise1]

well in his defense his kids baught it for him, but i also agree with teh tang in the 29, even thou its a small one i just hope nothing dies

 

[ofblong]

an anemone and yellow tang in a 29g tank that is less than a month old? no offense.......but thats a recipe for disaster.

dying anemones have been known to cause tank crashes in very well established tanks. and i think adding an active eater such as a tang in short order with the clown fish will cause a miniature cycle before the nitrifying bacteria have a chance to catch up.

in the race of keeping a good reef tank, slow and steady wins the race. just take it easy, and take baby steps like you are climbing a staircase, taking care of the easy fish and corals first, and then gradually working your way up to the harder stuff over time. (i.e. get your clean up crew with snails and hermits before you get an anemone, sps, or a tang).

if you do it backwards, you will quickly find yourself constantly emptying out your wallet, which ultimately leads to allot of people getting out of the hobby b/c they can't figure out what they are doing wrong. they try to forcibly fix things instead of letting the tank naturally evolve into a biological system.

I was in this hobby before. I learned from my mistakes back then and applied them here. Thats why I was going slow and didnt want to get the clowns until next month BUT wife did it without me knowing and even got the wrong anemone. I cant be upset with her but I am with the LFS that sold it. I had already ordered the "stuff" I wanted to get started with so its too late to "fix" it.