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halfpint

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You forgot to add:

 

Keep some benadryl in your bathroom cabinet in case you get a rash from having your hands in the tank too much...

 

(This happened to me yesterday...don't know what it was, but I had a rash goin' on...the benadryl worked though)

 

Do you have Zoa's in your tank?

 

- Some species of Zoas and Pallys can secrete a toxin that can be very harmful and perhaps deadly. So, wear gloves and be careful of who's by your tank (children, pets).

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Do you have Zoa's in your tank?

 

- Some species of Zoas and Pallys can secrete a toxin that can be very harmful and perhaps deadly. So, wear gloves and be careful of who's by your tank (children, pets).

lol hilarious

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dipandots: please do research before posting drastic recommendations in this thread, especially when this is your first post.

 

I apologize for my generalizations. It may be unlikely for a human to be strongly affected by Zoa's toxin but it is possible. The toxin would have to enter the bloodstream through an open cut or digestion. Being someone who has hangnails often, my fingers therefore have entrances in which the toxin could enter my body. As I stated before, is this likely? Maybe not, but I do not see any harm in being careful. Also, Zoa and Pally toxicity is documented. Please see these links for more information.

 

http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/resources.asp?show=16

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/invert.htm

 

http://fishinsects.suite101.com/article.cf...or_the_aquarium

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Alright, NR vets and otherwise smart members, let's make an informative topic for new people to read. Hopefully this will reduce the "why is there so much brown algae all over everything?" and "why did my damsel die when he bit the lit firecracker that I tossed into the tank?" Just post your pointers and discuss whatever ones that have already been posted. Please don't hyjack this thread. It doesn't need to be 8 pages of crap. Just 1 or 2 pages of good, useful information.

 

 

I'll go first. N00bs, here are some common problems that you shouldn't worry about.

  • The imfamous "brown algae bloom." It happens to everyone who sets up a tank. So don't panic.
  • The nytrogen cycle. Learn it before setting a tank up. It goes Decaying matter = Ammonia = Nitrite = Nitrate = Nitrogen gas. Wait it out. Don't add anything until Ammonia, nitrite, and most of nitrates are gone.
  • Feeding. Don't feed your fish every day. Nano tanks build up waste easily, so feed every other day or every three days.

 

 

*****I bought my tank, and the person i bought it from said to start with the rocks and sand. They also said that i would be able to start with a couple fish; 2 green damsels and a fire fish.

 

I have had my tank for 3 weeks now and since then have added a tomato clown fish, sea urchin, and green polyp coral. up to this point my tank is doing good, but now that i have become a member on here everyone is saying not to add anything for a few weeks or so. I have been to other tropical fish stores and they too have said that it is alright to have put in what i put in my tank up to this point.now, i guess my question at this time is, what should i be doing now?

 

 

ultimately, i want to get another fish or so, more coral, and a couple more crabs. I have a 12g nano cube i know this is going to take time t build, and i understand i might be jumping in to this a little to fast. its very exciting, but i would like someone to give me some advice so that i do not ruin my tank and everything in it. thanks!

 

---Chone86

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*****I bought my tank, and the person i bought it from said to start with the rocks and sand. They also said that i would be able to start with a couple fish; 2 green damsels and a fire fish.

 

I have had my tank for 3 weeks now and since then have added a tomato clown fish, sea urchin, and green polyp coral. up to this point my tank is doing good, but now that i have become a member on here everyone is saying not to add anything for a few weeks or so. I have been to other tropical fish stores and they too have said that it is alright to have put in what i put in my tank up to this point.now, i guess my question at this time is, what should i be doing now?

 

 

ultimately, i want to get another fish or so, more coral, and a couple more crabs. I have a 12g nano cube i know this is going to take time t build, and i understand i might be jumping in to this a little to fast. its very exciting, but i would like someone to give me some advice so that i do not ruin my tank and everything in it. thanks!

 

---Chone86

 

:welcome: to nano-reef.com

 

Unfortunately, this thread is tailored to people giving general advice to all beginners, not really an individualized Q&A thread. Your best bet is to start a new thread ("new topic") in this forum to get more people to read your questions I will try to address some issues so other new members don't assume the advice you received was completely correct.

 

You should be more skeptical of the advice given by LFSs (local fish stores). Also, make sure you have done you're own research before buying any livestock. Many LFSs are misinformed (especially on nano tanks) or just opportunistic. It's like going to a car dealership before learning to drive and expecting the dealer to give you the best advice on choosing a new car. This is why forums like nano-reef.com are so important in getting less biased advice.

 

How much and where did you get the rock from, and was it cycled? Generally you need 1-1.5 lbs of rock per gallon.

 

The main problem is that you have too many fish for a 12 gallon nanocube. Your tank 12 gallons of water in the display after you subtract the volumes of the back chambers and rock/sand. 2 (3 max) small fish would be the maximum for a tank of that size, with "small" meaning anything smaller than an ocellaris/percula clown. If you want more fish, you should get a larger tank.

 

You need to find what's going on in your tank, which is to test the water for things like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and specific gravity (or salinity). The API saltwater master kit is a good choice for beginners. It's likely your cycle has finished after three weeks, but you should test the water to make sure. To learn about water parameters and what are the normal ranges you should strive for, read this:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

 

The second problem is starting with 2 damsels and a fire fish. You should try to add no more than one fish (unless there is a mated pair that should be added simultaneously) because fish have large influences on the tank bioload, and often a mini-cycle will occur with each addition. Too many fish added at once can create a noticeable cycle, which causes multiple issues if you have delicate livestock. This is even worse in a tank as large ("small") as yours. Corals and other invertebrates are often insignificant in terms of bioload.

 

Here are my observations on your livestock list:

 

Damsels, which include clownfish, are notably aggressive fish (they are related to FW cichlids). If your "green" damsels are in the genus Chromis, they should be peaceful; although, there can be issues between individuals of the same species. Chromis also appreciate a lot of swimming room.

 

The firefish is a good choice for a nano tank, but it needs peaceful tankmates.

 

A tomato clown is way too big for a 12 gallon tank because of size and aggression issues as a more typical damsel than chromis. When deciding what fish to buy, always go by their adult size. Ocellaris/percula clowns are ideal because they're peaceful and small.

 

An urchin is another complicated issue as many species can be bulldozers in a tank, but a more specific description than "sea urchin" is necessary to determine behavior. Likewise, the "green polyp coral" could mean many things, but it sounds like it's some type of soft coral.

 

I suggest removing the tomato clown, urchin, and possibly both chromis. Getting rid of the chromis would allow you to keep an ocellaris/percula clown with the firefish. You also haven't mentioned any type of clean up crew (snails and other things that help scavenge or eat algae). Here's a good guide to this:

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/cleanupcrew.html

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
King Chochacho
4.Enjoy hitch-hikers they are not all bad, bristle worms are good.

 

That's my favorite part so far. I'm really new to the hobby (I don't have any coral in my tank yet), but it seems like every day there's a new anenome, or little worm, or starfish that I didn't have the day before.

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  • 2 months later...

I just learned this today: Get a smart phone (like an iPhone)

 

1. It helps when you're in the local fish store, see a fish you don't recognize. No need to go home and research the breed.

 

2. It helps you compare prices with your other LFS. Most LFS will price match or price beat their competitors. Not only will you benefit economically, but your LFS will like that you did their homework for them.

 

 

 

Cheers.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Reefmonster
why is that, I thought that they were peaceful fish

It seems that one persons crusade has been to ban every basslet from nano reefs. I personally think they are the most amusing and have the best personality of any nano fish species out there. I have an ORA Neon Dottyback that I got from my LFS for $20 that has been a joy to watch and interact with. In another tank I had a Royal Gramma that was the life of the party and would swim into my hand and also would play catch with a rock when it was bored.

 

The trick with keeping them is a tank with awesome POD population, and make sure to add the peceful fish first at least two weeks prior to the Dottyback or Basslet. They will learn to eat pellets from your hand, which is very rewarding.

 

Sorry for the rant...Back on topic...

 

The best reef keeping advice I could give you is to be consistent and persistent. Honest Abe Lincoln said it best. "Endeavor to Persevere". Great Advice from a Greater Man.

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lakshwadeep
It seems that one persons crusade has been to ban every basslet from nano reefs. I personally think they are the most amusing and have the best personality of any nano fish species out there. I have an ORA Neon Dottyback that I got from my LFS for $20 that has been a joy to watch and interact with. In another tank I had a Royal Gramma that was the life of the party and would swim into my hand and also would play catch with a rock when it was bored.

 

The trick with keeping them is a tank with awesome POD population, and make sure to add the peceful fish first at least two weeks prior to the Dottyback or Basslet. They will learn to eat pellets from your hand, which is very rewarding.

 

Sorry for the rant...Back on topic...

 

The best reef keeping advice I could give you is to be consistent and persistent. Honest Abe Lincoln said it best. "Endeavor to Persevere". Great Advice from a Greater Man.

 

Dottybacks (family Pseudochromidae) are different than most "basslets"; although, the precise grouping of which fish are even considered basslets is vague. Grammas are part of another family, Grammatidae, and generalizations are hard to make across different families.

 

It's true that fishfreak218 does not like grammas and that they can be peaceful, but it's another matter to say that all dottybacks should be considered as "peaceful" based on keeping a captive-bred neon/arabian dottyback (Pseudochromis aldabraensis). Many dottybacks are so aggressive that they can only be kept alone or in pairs.

 

Gramma info:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/hcs3/index.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grammas.htm?h=

 

Dottyback info:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcs3/index.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pseudoch.htm

Edited by lakshwadeep
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Reefmonster
It's true that fishfreak218 does not like grammas and that they can be peaceful, but it's another matter to say that all dottybacks should be considered as "peaceful" based on keeping a captive-bred neon/arabian dottyback (Pseudochromis aldabraensis). Many dottybacks are so aggressive that they can only be kept alone or in pairs.

 

Gramma info:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/hcs3/index.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grammas.htm?h=

 

Dottyback info:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcs3/index.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pseudoch.htm

Thanks for posting those links, but I didn't say that all dottybacks or basslets are peaceful, on the contrary. I said that he would be alright adding a dottyback or royal if he adds his peaceful fish first. It is a well known fact that adding the more aggressive fish should be done last so the aggressive fish has less of a chance to harass weaker tankmates.

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cheryl jordan

It is also a well known fact that dottybacks are very aggressive weather they go in last or not. If you want a peacefull tank avoid dottybacks. This is generalization not the exception. :)

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lakshwadeep
Thanks for posting those links, but I didn't say that all dottybacks or basslets are peaceful, on the contrary. I said that he would be alright adding a dottyback or royal if he adds his peaceful fish first. It is a well known fact that adding the more aggressive fish should be done last so the aggressive fish has less of a chance to harass weaker tankmates.

 

Your "well known fact" is not always a fact for all dottybacks. You're still extending your experience with one dottyback to give advice on all dottybacks. It could be that captive breeding influences aggression. In your original post and this post, you made no indication that there are some dottybacks that will attack other fish no matter how long they are added after those fish. Moreover, aggression also depends on the other fish. As my link indicates, some dottyback species are predators of small fish/crustaceans.

 

The bottom line is that generalizations often have exceptions, and many beginners will not realize when exceptions are accurate. This is where researching the species of fish is important.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
The Debonator
THE MOST IMPORTAN RULE TO NANO REEF KEEPING:

Dont get a Royal Gramma!

 

Hi there. Just found this site tonight. I have a 29 gal. BioCube with metal halide lights on a FedEx truck due to arrive next week. I've been obsessing over what I want in it, and a Royal Gramma made the list. Why are they bad for a nano tank?

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:welcome: i don't know a thing about Royal Gramma, but sit back and watch everyone rant and bicker about weather or not they are good or bad in a nanno. its better than watching old people at the grocery store. :haha:
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Not that they are bad for nanos.They are agressive and listed as peaceful.You will find some people saying they have no problems with them. But I have seen a Dotty kill 2 clowns and 3 chromis in 1 night. I avoid them.

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The Debonator
Freshwater baths also kill off everything on the rock, so short of having a mantis in there, I couldn't recommend giving any LR a freshwater bath.

I am brand new and starting my tank next week. I read in a couple different places that putting newly acquired LR in a bath of extra salty water will cause bristle worms and mantis shrimp to bail out. Then you can put your LR in your display tank.

 

Thoughts?

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Hi there. Just found this site tonight. I have a 29 gal. BioCube with metal halide lights on a FedEx truck due to arrive next week. I've been obsessing over what I want in it, and a Royal Gramma made the list. Why are they bad for a nano tank?

First of all, :welcome: to N-R!

 

I have a Royal Gramma in a 55g, I know it's not a nano but I think you could put on in your tank, as long as you put it in last. They can be pretty aggressive! Also, just give it a cave/crevice to call it's own.

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I am brand new and starting my tank next week. I read in a couple different places that putting newly acquired LR in a bath of extra salty water will cause bristle worms and mantis shrimp to bail out. Then you can put your LR in your display tank.

 

Thoughts?

Bristle worms are good for your system good scavengers.I would do a fresh water dip before a high salinity dip.

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