Hello My name is John

[Zeman]

Hello My name is John

I started in this biz just after the first of the year. I have had my tank up and running for just over two months.

I have a 46 gallon bow front, ehiem canister filter, 50 pounds of live rock, 20 pounds of live sand, a coral life protein skimmer, just got a heater

Lights: 150watt halo, pair of compacts and lunar lights.

Fish: Dead:( 2x powder blues, 5x clowns, yellow eye tang, yellow tang, skunk clown (latest death)

Alive:) Purple tang, Some kind of yellow and blue angel that doesn’t eat, Yellow watchmen gobe.

Lots of Inverts:

Crawly things>>> Horse shoe crab, fire shrimp, 2x cleaner shrimp, emerald crab, spiny blue lobster, 10+ hermits, 2x turbo snails. Red scallop. ..............?

corals >>>>>>Xenia (growing like mad,...) 3x mushrooms, frog spawn, toad stool leather, candy coral, 2x purple finger coral, some kind of tree looking thing I got from grant, orange brain?? Polyps that are burned.

Water....................

That pretty much covers it.

See you at the meeting..


"http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&amp;ppuser=118297&amp;thumb=1">Zeman</a

[Lunchbucket]

[welcome]

glad you stopped by.

thanks for the details. lets hope we can get everything on track and help you save more money by not loosing anything. we all have lost plenty..it is so sad.

if you have questions ask away
we'll see you there!
Lunchbucket

[Travis]

Hi John, Welcome! I remember you from a previous meeting. Look forward to seeing you at more meetings.;) Be sure to spend some time here on the Reef Central forums. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site.

[kau_cinta_ku]

hi John and welcome hope to also see you at some meetings and as Travis said there is alot of stuff to learn about this hobby on RC

[creslin2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6860550#post6860550 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lunchbucket
help you save more money by not loosing anything. we all have lost plenty..it is so sad.


This is why we need a chaplain in the leadership positions. :fun1:

[creslin2]

Hola John!
Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your stay, and ask any questions you feel like, even if they seem silly. (that way, I won't have to ask quite so many silly questions myself) :D

[creslin2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6860315#post6860315 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zeman

Fish: Dead:( 2x powder blues, 5x clowns, yellow eye tang, yellow tang, skunk clown (latest death)

Alive:) Purple tang, Some kind of yellow and blue angel that doesn’t eat, Yellow watchmen gobe.

Lots of Inverts:

Crawly things>>> Horse shoe crab, fire shrimp, 2x cleaner shrimp, emerald crab, spiny blue lobster, 10+ hermits, 2x turbo snails. Red scallop. ..............?


I can't even pretend that I know that much about marine tanks, but isn't that a bit of a bio load for a 46 gallon tank? Someone here must know for sure.... (hoping that they'll chime in)

Any idea what's keeping them from being happy and healthy?

[Lunchbucket]

what do you have in there now john? creslin you are correct tangs in a 46gal bow...not good IMO. especially more then one :eek1:

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

I agree, that tank is a little small for a tang. I would definately not put more than 1 in there. I would also not add a acanthurus species or naso species of tang in there. The fish in those families need very large tanks. One of the smaller zebrasomas or ctenochaetus species would be the most appropriate, but even then that tank is a bit small, IMO.

John, please don't feel like we are trying to bash you or anything. We are just stating the same thing that you will learn through researching. Some fish just don't do well in smaller tanks and have a poor chance of surviving long term.

Also, I know I mentioned this to you at that meeting but I would like to emphasize againg to take things slowly. Since your tank is still young and you are just starting out, I would advise not to add more than one fish per month. This will allow your bio filter to become established and will give you more time to learn how to properly care for your fish so you don't end up killing a bunch of them.

Once again, I hope I am not coming off the wrong way here. I am just trying to give you some helpful advice so you will be successful in this hobby. There is one saying that has always stuck out in my mind in this hobby. That is: "Anything that happens fast is not good and anything good does not happen fast." That really is the golden rule of this hobby. Everything takes patience, and a lot of it. If you try to rush things you will end up wasting money on dead livestock in the long run.

I usually recommend to new people to get their tank running and then spend the money on decent equipment such as a good protein skimmer, good water flow, good lighting, good heating/cooling equipment, a refractometer, and some decent test kits for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, and Phosphate (I recommend the Salifert line of test kits). Once the proper equipment is in place and the water is testing out fine and is staying stable over several weeks, then livestock can be added.

[Lunchbucket]

great advice as always Travis.

John - i too hope that you did not feel that i was bashing. just trying to help you out and offer what my experience has taught me. man if i could have someone have helped me a lot when i started.

later
Lunchbucket

[snowyangel]

Welcome to the hobby and the site john! I'm very sorry to hear of your passed fish, but we all learn from trial and error.

[creslin2]

well, not always....I still haven't learned. :D

[tangdiver]

John post some pics if you can...I cannot still figure it out

Grant

[Travis]

I hope we didn't scare John away. I feel like I may have come down on him a little hard. John, please come back, I was only trying to help.:)

[Zeman]

Thanks a lot for the ideas, I like to press my luck but it can get expensive. I am trying to force the issue with the tangs, I have a purple but I tried a Yellow( bigger) but the purple is strait up kikking its azz, I hope Dr fill could help (my third powder blue) but when I got home from work my honey said that he spiney grabed him as he swam by and started chowing him. I got the dead powder blue out, but i could not catch the Lobster, so there goes the counseling sessions, I think I will end up with just one tang (the purple) but time will tell, I finally got a heater and it is a joy not to loose fish to ich, but to a lobster, he is a small one, but just hungry, wow, i would of loved to see the catch,,,,,,......

Cool You guys are great.......Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...

after all it is science not theater.......

[creslin2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6895745#post6895745 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zeman
after all it is science not theater.......

Wrong! It's both! Cuz you get to watch after you get all yer science stuff down. :D

[Lunchbucket]

John, welcome back. guess that is why they dont' recommend lobsters in fish tanks :D they EAT fish!! i would get the lobster out if you plan on having fish in there long term

a 46bow right?? please please please do NOT add another tang. 2 is too much in that sized tank. 1 is TOO MUCH. purples get pretty big and need room to swim.

lots of fish in a small tank can cause problems in a hurry.

how often do you do water changes?

what are all your levels? ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alk, cal, pH, temp low AND high, SG???

please don't take my comments as being unkind. i'm just stating what i have experienced and what it the concensus from experts and hobbiest alike. i'm sorry if i am blunt but i mean no harm. just don't want you to loose anymore money in dead livestock and what you to be successful longterm

thanks
Lunchbucket

[Zeman]

My water has been stedy for 3 months, I added a lavender tang to my purple, I Know its wrong but im trying combinations they seem to be buddies now, they even share alge,..... I am having trouble catching that lobster,,.. I dont want to tear up every thing to get him, are fire shrimp bad too............The die off of my frog spawn seems to be over.........

Does any one have any green plant alge they can spare, My tangs love that stuff, plus it helps me maintain the levels in my water......

Hope to see you all at the meeting

[Lunchbucket]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6965703#post6965703 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zeman
My water has been stedy for 3 months

if you ever need diagnosis of any diseases, problems, etc. saying steady doesn't sufice. we need values and on which test kits they were run. if you don't know your values i highly suggest buying salifert test kits from a local vendor *cough* Grant has them *cough* *cough*

hmm...ok...i'm at a loss John....you know adding a purple tang is wrong but you went ahead and did it anyhow. after all the advice that people gave and the dollars you have lost in dead livestock i thought this would have been enough motivation not to add one. if you would like two tangs in a tank i highly suggest upgrading to a tang over 100gallons.

in a 46gal bow tearing the tank apart is still a PITA but should only take 1hr or so max. Travis tore his whole 280gallon apart on at least 2 occations that i know of to remove a fish that was nipping his corals. i know it is a pain i really do...been tehr done that...but if you don't want the lobster to have expensive food (eating expensive fish) i suggest to tear it apart and get him out. you don't have a ton of corals to work around do you?

sorry to be so blunt but i feel that my advice is sound and is needed. there are a lot of things is this hobby that we don't like to do or follow but some are needed for long term success. the more successful we are the farther our $$'s go and the happier our fish, corals, and inverts. this hobby is expensive enough w/out loosing livestock due to not following some "rules"

talk to you soon
Lunchbucket

[creslin2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6966321#post6966321 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lunchbucket
sorry to be so blunt but i feel that my advice is sound and is needed. there are a lot of things is this hobby that we don't like to do or follow but some are needed for long term success. the more successful we are the farther our $$'s go and the happier our fish, corals, and inverts. this hobby is expensive enough w/out loosing livestock due to not following some "rules"

Time for me to play Devil's Advocate. :bounce2:
I would say that Lunch's advice is just that- advice.
Personally, I'm going against the flow in trying to put plants into my brackish tank while all conventional wisdom says to only have plastic. But I'm gonna give it a shot anyway. So for his part, I'd say that if John wants to try it, go for it. But you have said your piece Lunch. Not that your advice is bad, but you can't force anyone to do anything they don't want. And if his tangs are getting along fine in a small tank (for them), then kudos to him. Perhaps they'll outgrow the 46 gallon, but that just gives more incentive to upgrade down the road. ;)

[Lunchbucket]

creslin - i hear you man. just thought i would throw my experience out there....hate to see stuff go wrong when they don't need to

BUT...remember this post creslin??
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6860315#post6860315 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zeman

Fish: Dead:( 2x powder blues, 5x clowns, yellow eye tang, yellow tang, skunk clown (latest death)


i was trying to limit more of that

Lunchbucket

[creslin2]

I do remember that post, but that's also part of his experience too. So if John's still willing to risk it, he's got more of his exp to work with too. We can offer insight as to why things don't work out if they don't, but we would never be able to tell him why things DID work out if he doesn't try. I'm not necessarily encouraging him to disregard your sagely advice, Lunch, just saying that somethings are experiments.