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Ok so I finally made the jump to saltwater. I did alot of research and used the sand bed from my brackish tank then used the sweeping powerhead with its sponge out of my cichlid tank. And added 12 pounds of well cured live rock that came from the manager of the lfs manager's show tank. And then added Microbe lifts special blend and nite out II each day. So the amonia and nitrates fell off the chart on day five. I stayed patient and on day nine added two tiny occelarus clowns. I included a porceline crab today. But here is the question even though the tank is in the nitrate phase. I kinda want to get a couple corals in a week or two. Am I going to fast. I have heard some varied advice. And also I want a couple peppermint shrimp to deal with some aptasia. But I would love to have a harlequin shrimp. I am hoping that may work. I will have a couple more questions I know it. But the tank is doing great. I am a cichlid guy but this tank is making me itch for a few more saltwater tanks.
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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| do NOT get harlequin shrimp. they feed exclusively on linckia starfish (those pretty, big-ish, blue or red or orange ones in the store), and get to be very time and cash consuming. peppermints are very fun and ive gotten them to control aiptasia before. just make sure theyre peppermints and not camel shrimp. peppermints have light red markings and fairly transparent shells, while camels also have fairly opaque white markings. im not sure about behavior differences, but i think peppermints are active and tend to "dance", but camels are less active and dont sway around. i would wait some time before getting coral.. i managed to keep alive some zoanthids i got on my friends live rock but until youre sure your algae blooms are over, refrain from synthetic inverts of any kind.
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New Member
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Thank you. That's what I was looking for. I will be going with the peppermint shrimp and holding off on the corals as tempting as they may be. It will be a game of patience with saltwater I can see. I also like the fire shrimp but they don't eat aptasia do they?
I have a pair of clowns. And since it is a 10 gallon are there smallish anenomes that would be appropriate or is better to go with a soft coral?like I said I would have more questions lol.
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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cichlidaddiction (6/12/2011)
Thank you. That's what I was looking for. I will be going with the peppermint shrimp and holding off on the corals as tempting as they may be. It will be a game of patience with saltwater I can see.
It's worth the patience, trust me.
I also like the fire shrimp but they don't eat aptasia do they?
Nope, harmless. But pretty.
I have a pair of clowns. And since it is a 10 gallon are there smallish anenomes that would be appropriate or is better to go with a soft coral?
If you get an anemone, it will die. clowns dont need anemones. for now, just hold off on sessile inverts, including coral.. eventually, i suggest a mushroom coral, or some zoanthids. theyre relatively easy to care for and zoanthids make mats that clowns sometimes treat as anemones.
like I said I would have more questions lol.
Hey, i wouldnt be here if i didnt want to help.
^^
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Summer tiiime, and the livin's easy...
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I didn't think anemones would work in that small of a tank. I do have a couple colonies of zoanthids on some of the LR. And lucked out on some encrusting gorgonian that came on a piece of live rock. In the end I bought it as live rock. So if it doesnt work that's ok. But I have something to fuss about at least.
I am running 40 watts of power compacts 50/50 and a 10 watt actinic. I also just put in a LED light cluster from my Marineland 55 gallon. It creates a nice shimmer but is it to much light? Should I just go with the pc's and actinic. The Moonlight LED's are why I even started to put it there.
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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I registered some nitrites (.25) in my tank this morning. So I did a water change all should be good now. I think I fed them too much the last couple days so I am easing back on that and will see where that takes it.
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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nitrites are very bad.. you sure you werent testing for nitrates?
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New Member
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I believe it was nitrites. I tested again after the water change and all is good again. Everything seems happy and healthy.I even have some dead coral that has a couple polyps popping out. Does that mean it may come back or is it just a freak things? Either way its a fun tank. As fun as my mbuna tank even. http://board.fishchannel.com/Attachment733.aspx
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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lookin' good!
youll find that saltwater is very fun especially when you get right in there and closely examine everything, even cracks in the rocks. i doubt the coral will regrow, though.
i like that mix if black and white sand..
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Summer tiiime, and the livin's easy...
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New Member
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Its really something that has always attracted me to saltwater tanks is the abundance of life. There are so many things that are alive. I saw a itsy bitsy crab that was a stow away on a piece of live rock this morning and the random polyps that you see. Not to mention the intense colors of the fish. I did a 55 gallon cichlid tank that is my pride and joy. And I tried to do it in a freshwater reef style with 55 pounds of lace rock and freshwater crabs with a blue lobster and snails and a peacock eel and as cool as it looks it doesn't have living things growing on living things growing on living things lol. I guess I am hooked on reef tanks.
This all started with a free tank for my daughter.
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