Wrong fish ?

[mynewtank]

My tank is about 6 months old with a sump and a big plastic tank next to it that feeds RO into it. The light is LED that goes across the top of the tank and all of the parameters are normal and kept that way by the guys from the store that are doing this until I can.  

 

I bought another yellow tang after the last one died because the salt was too high.  Then I find out (on this site) that yellow tangs do not belong in a 35 gallon tank.  I also bought a hammer coral and it's not looking well.

 

I have a Coral Beauty Angelfish and a female clownfish in there for about 5 months and they've been doing well despite my fumbling around trying to figure this out.

 

Here's the thing.  These guys maintain my tank.  I'm in constant communication with them because I rarely know what I'm doing. - Half the time I don't even know what some of this equipment is called and these guys sold me the yellow tang.

 

Anyway, here's the question:  Going forward, what kind and how many fish would be best.  

[Chriss Fishes]

Before doing anything else, I'd go ahead and rehome the tang and make sure all your parameters are in check. The tang (even as a juvenile) will be cramped in a 35, or will be soon enough, so it's best just to bite the bullet and rehome that one before it causes issues, IMO. Make sure your ammonia and nitrite are at 0, nitrates are under 20 or so, and your PH is in range at around 7.6-8.4 or so. Once these basic parameters are in check and stable, I'd consider adding hardy fish slowly.

 

To be honest with you, it sounds like the guys from the store are doing a pretty crappy job, and it'd probably be best if you took over - if possible. Letting your salinity swing too high (high enough to kill a fish) and just telling you that your parameters are "normal" isn't a great sign. Aquariums aren't hard - as long as you're around to feed them every day or two, change out water once every week or so, and top-off the tank when it needs it, it really isn't bad.

 

I'd cancel whatever service you have with the LFS guys, rehome the tang, and take over the tank yourself. Ask any questions you have here, and do some basic research - spending time surfing the internet and looking at guides to figure out what each parameter is, how to test for it, how to keep them in range, and what your equipment does is something that everyone should do before owning a tank, IMO.

[mynewtank]

From what everyone is saying that's what needs to be done.

 

the guy I bought the Tang from is picking him up tomorrow and giving me a store credit.

[Garf]

5 hours ago, mynewtank said:

My tank is about 6 months old with a sump and a big plastic tank next to it that feeds RO into it. The light is LED that goes across the top of the tank and all of the parameters are normal and kept that way by the guys from the store that are doing this until I can.  

 

I bought another yellow tang after the last one died because the salt was too high.  Then I find out (on this site) that yellow tangs do not belong in a 35 gallon tank.  I also bought a hammer coral and it's not looking well.

 

I have a Coral Beauty Angelfish and a female clownfish in there for about 5 months and they've been doing well despite my fumbling around trying to figure this out.

 

Here's the thing.  These guys maintain my tank.  I'm in constant communication with them because I rarely know what I'm doing. - Half the time I don't even know what some of this equipment is called and these guys sold me the yellow tang.

 

Anyway, here's the question:  Going forward, what kind and how many fish would be best.  

 

Good the tang is being returned. One question I have is that you say that the salt was too high, but the people doing the maintenance say the parameters are normal. High salinity is not normal, and is one of the easiest things to maintain in an aquarium. Any idea how the salinity got high, or was this jsut what the LFS told you?

 

[Chriss Fishes]

4 hours ago, mynewtank said:

From what everyone is saying that's what needs to be done.

 

the guy I bought the Tang from is picking him up tomorrow and giving me a store credit.

You're doing the right thing - good on you.

 

Agreed with @Garf - the whole thing is odd. Salinity usually has to be pretty crazy high to kill a healthy fish, too, so if it did get that out of whack, it's more than a simple "oopsie".

[mynewtank]

Yeah well now that I've found this site their days are numbered.

 

I just ordered a test kit and I'm not putting ANYTHING in this tank til I know what I'm doing and if I can keep what I have in here alive.

[mynewtank]

4 hours ago, Garf said:

 

Good the tang is being returned. One question I have is that you say that the salt was too high, but the people doing the maintenance say the parameters are normal. High salinity is not normal, and is one of the easiest things to maintain in an aquarium. Any idea how the salinity got high, or was this jsut what the LFS told you?

 

He came and did a water change and two days later my fish was dead.  He sent one of his workers over the next day and the salinity was very high so that guy did a water change ---  down to about 1/3 of the tank ... So low that one of the rocks with a coral fell down.

[mynewtank]

7 minutes ago, HarrisonAquatics said:

You're doing the right thing - good on you.

 

Agreed with @Garf - the whole thing is odd. Salinity usually has to be pretty crazy high to kill a healthy fish, too, so if it did get that out of whack, it's more than a simple "oopsie".

It was very upsetting.  I really liked that fish when I found him he wasn't dead yet --- I get attached to these fish.  

[Chriss Fishes]

4 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

He came and did a water change and two days later my fish was dead.  He sent one of his workers over the next day and the salinity was very high so that guy did a water change ---  down to about 1/3 of the tank ... So low that one of the rocks with a coral fell down.

Sounds like (assuming that the salinity in the tank was good to start with) when he did the water change, he mixed the new water up too salty. The way they went about fixing it is pretty bad too - the salinity spiked the day that he did the first water change, then it dropped a bunch when the next guy came. You want to raise/lower tanks pretty slowly to avoid stress. Fish can handle it pretty well, but corals and inverts struggle with parameter swings, especially salinity.

 

2 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

It was very upsetting.  I really liked that fish when I found him he wasn't dead yet --- I get attached to these fish.  

I get that - but you're doing the right thing for both the animal and yourself. As much as it sucks to get rid of an animal you like, watching it suffer and slowly stress to death in a small tank would be pretty terrible.

[mynewtank]

Just now, HarrisonAquatics said:

Sounds like (assuming that the salinity in the tank was good to start with) when he did the water change, he mixed the new water up too salty. The way they went about fixing it is pretty bad too - the salinity spiked the day that he did the first water change, then it dropped a bunch when the next guy came. You want to raise/lower tanks pretty slowly to avoid stress. Fish can handle it pretty well, but corals and inverts struggle with parameter swings, especially salinity.

 

I get that - but you're doing the right thing for both the animal and yourself. As much as it sucks to get rid of an animal you like, watching it suffer and slowly stress to death in a small tank would be pretty terrible.

Oh no, there's no question.  I got this tang the other day.  The one that died I had for about 5 months.  But I'll never get another one because my tank is too small. 

[mynewtank]

7 hours ago, HarrisonAquatics said:

Before doing anything else, I'd go ahead and rehome the tang and make sure all your parameters are in check. The tang (even as a juvenile) will be cramped in a 35, or will be soon enough, so it's best just to bite the bullet and rehome that one before it causes issues, IMO. Make sure your ammonia and nitrite are at 0, nitrates are under 20 or so, and your PH is in range at around 7.6-8.4 or so. Once these basic parameters are in check and stable, I'd consider adding hardy fish slowly.

 

To be honest with you, it sounds like the guys from the store are doing a pretty crappy job, and it'd probably be best if you took over - if possible. Letting your salinity swing too high (high enough to kill a fish) and just telling you that your parameters are "normal" isn't a great sign. Aquariums aren't hard - as long as you're around to feed them every day or two, change out water once every week or so, and top-off the tank when it needs it, it really isn't bad.

 

I'd cancel whatever service you have with the LFS guys, rehome the tang, and take over the tank yourself. Ask any questions you have here, and do some basic research - spending time surfing the internet and looking at guides to figure out what each parameter is, how to test for it, how to keep them in range, and what your equipment does is something that everyone should do before owning a tank, IMO.

I called the guy who sold me the Tang.  He's picking him up tomorrow and I'll get a store credit.  

[mynewtank]

4 hours ago, Garf said:

 

Good the tang is being returned. One question I have is that you say that the salt was too high, but the people doing the maintenance say the parameters are normal. High salinity is not normal, and is one of the easiest things to maintain in an aquarium. Any idea how the salinity got high, or was this jsut what the LFS told you?

 

It's what he told me.  It was a yellow tang -  I had him for 4-5 months and he hung out with the clown and the angel and was fine.  The day after the water change the guy sent one of his workers back and he changed out 2/3 of the water.

[mynewtank]

Lucky for y'all I'm old and I'm gonna go to bed soon but any thoughts on lighting?

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

2 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

Lucky for y'all I'm old and I'm gonna go to bed soon but any thoughts on lighting?

Lighting is very subjective. What’s your budget? What type of corals are you wanting to keep? You don’t have to spend a ton on lights, to keep most corals. 
 

Also, I’m glad you found this site, and I think you’re definitely on the right path! 🙂

[mynewtank]

1 minute ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

Lighting is very subjective. What’s your budget? What type of corals are you wanting to keep? You don’t have to spend a ton on lights, to keep most corals. 
 

Also, I’m glad you found this site, and I think you’re definitely on the right path! 🙂

I'd like to leave this tank to my son (just to drive him nuts) after I die, I'd be willing to spend a bit of money on it.  The type of coral I keep will be proportionate to how good I get at this.  Ignorance is no excuse for killing living things.  

 

I don't mind spending the money really as long as it's nothing crazy.  The tank is only 35 gallons.  Quality is important and I want whatever is alive in there to thrive.

 

What do you suggest?

 

 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

I saw your tank dimensions on the other thread. If it was me, I’d probably do 2 AI primes, to cover 36” length... But there’s a lot of great options out there. 

[mynewtank]

Just now, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

I saw your tank dimensions on the other thread. If it was me, I’d probably do 2 AI primes, to cover 36” length... But there’s a lot of great options out there. 

I'm gonna just go ahead and take your advice.  I want to get this done since I got off to a pretty lousy start.

 

Besides, anyone with a username NoOneLikesADryTang can't be wrong.

 

LOL

[Clown79]

I'm sorry you have had to go through this all.

 

Its obvious that the lfs isn't doing good and that's not surprising(happens to many) but what's horrible is that they are getting paid to take care of your tank! 

 

I would say it's time to take over.

It seems overwhelming at first and it is but learning how to take care of the tank will be very rewarding.

 

There is a lot of help and knowledge on Nano.

 

Some great things to look at that can help with learning is

TOTM tanks

Member journals

Sticky threads

 

 

For lighting look into Ai Primes. They are great and pretty affordable compared to others.

[mynewtank]

1 minute ago, mynewtank said:

I'm gonna just go ahead and take your advice.  I want to get this done since I got off to a pretty lousy start.

 

Besides, anyone with a username NoOneLikesADryTang can't be wrong.

 

LOL

Okay.  I just looked.  What's an "2 AI primes, to cover 36” length". and where do I find them?  Can you send me a link?

[Clown79]

3 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

Okay.  I just looked.  What's an "2 AI primes, to cover 36” length". and where do I find them?  Can you send me a link?

Ai Primes are puck style led lights.

You would need 2 to cover the length of the tank.

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-hd-led-module-black-body-aqua-illumination.html

 

There is a newer version but not much difference from the previous model I linked above

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-16-hd-led-reef-light-black-body-aqua-illumination.html

[mynewtank]

6 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

I'm sorry you have had to go through this all.

 

Its obvious that the lfs isn't doing good and that's not surprising(happens to many) but what's horrible is that they are getting paid to take care of your tank! 

 

I would say it's time to take over.

It seems overwhelming at first and it is but learning how to take care of the tank will be very rewarding.

 

There is a lot of help and knowledge on Nano.

 

Some great things to look at that can help with learning is

TOTM tanks

Member journals

Sticky threads

 

 

For lighting look into Ai Primes. They are great and pretty affordable compared to others.

Finding this site made me really happy today.  I was pretty hopeless.  I thought I was the grim reaper of saltwater fish.  I'm not even kidding.

[mynewtank]

6 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Ai Primes are puck style led lights.

You would need 2 to cover the length of the tank.

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-hd-led-module-black-body-aqua-illumination.html

 

There is a newer version but not much difference from the previous model I linked above

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-16-hd-led-reef-light-black-body-aqua-illumination.html

I just looked.  I'm going to buy two of them now.  Do they come with the hardware to hang them over the tank?

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

6 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

I just looked.  I'm going to buy two of them now.  Do they come with the hardware to hang them over the tank?

If you want to mount them to the tank, you’ll need to buy some mounts. If you want to hang them from the ceiling, you’ll probably just need to visit your local hardware store. 

[Clown79]

11 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

Finding this site made me really happy today.  I was pretty hopeless.  I thought I was the grim reaper of saltwater fish.  I'm not even kidding.

You're not, you just gotta do some research and take control.

 

Knowledge in this hobby is the most important aspect.

 

Ask lots of questions, many will help.

 

10 minutes ago, mynewtank said:

I just looked.  I'm going to buy two of them now.  Do they come with the hardware to hang them over the tank?

Unfortunately no, you need to purchase either the hanging kit or the metal bracket to attach onto the tank.

[Tamberav]

Be sure to add a mesh lid if your tank does not have one. There are ways to make DIY mesh lids that can be found.

 

There are also many fish that are appropriate for a 35g but you want to add them slowly over time as the tank will adjust to each addition.

 

A lid is recommended for most of them! Any fish can jump out but some will always find the floor without a lid.

 

Here are a few to get you started on ideas but definitely work on your lighting and testing first even though fish are more exciting to buy.

 

Tailspot Blenny

Royal Gramma

Yellow watchmen goby (pairs with a pistol shrimp)

Pink streak wrasse

 

I would say 5 nano-sized fish is probably a comfortable number for this size tank.

 

I agree with others that two AI primes are a popular choice. You will need to buy a light mount for it too . They make a flex arm and a metal arm that both attach to the tank depending what style you like.