Talked into impulse buy :(

[Guest]

Hello all! You might know I have a 20 gallon high, and in my trip to the local fish store, which I trust a little to much, I was just going to pick up some live rock and some pre cycled but not ocean rock, the employee told me I needed to cycle with a fish, and then went on to selling me a clownfish 😞 I really was just in the spur of the moment, and they told me it would work great, but now thinking about it I am just really sad that the clownfish has to end up in my hands, I did drop acclimate it and everything, but am really worried that something is gonna go terrible. I have a lid on, and he seems to be doing great but this just feels awful, not really knowing to much about them, I dint really like having a week old tank with brand new rock and a fish, please help me a bit by telling me well really any info about them, here is the tank, and the fish:

[sublunary]

Well, the good news is that if the rock was cycled and kept wet, conditions probably won't get too bad.  Do you have test kits?  It's important to know if there is any ammonia or nitrites present.  These (along with nitrates) are things you will monitor to see how the cycle is going, and are the ones that can be toxic to fish.   So knowing those numbers is important.

 

Clownfish are relatively hardy and pretty easy to care for.  I've never kept one, so I don't have specific advice, but they are a popular first fish.  People used to always put fish in during their cycles as an ammonia source.  It fell out of favor because if you have rock with a lot of die off, it can be very stressful for the fish.  

 

So, what are your test kits saying?  Was the rock in water the whole time?  Did the store send you home with any Prime? (An ammonia neutralizer, that is good in an emergency)

[Frag Factory]

Go buy a bottle of Dr Tim's bacteria and follow the instructions, it will be fine.

 

It's good you realised the store F'd you here though, might be a good idea to find a new one. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, sublunary said:

Well, the good news is that if the rock was cycled and kept wet, conditions probably won't get too bad.  Do you have test kits?  It's important to know if there is any ammonia or nitrites present.  These (along with nitrates) are things you will monitor to see how the cycle is going, and are the ones that can be toxic to fish.   So knowing those numbers is important.

 

Clownfish are relatively hardy and pretty easy to care for.  I've never kept one, so I don't have specific advice, but they are a popular first fish.  People used to always put fish in during their cycles as an ammonia source.  It fell out of favor because if you have rock with a lot of die off, it can be very stressful for the fish.  

 

So, what are your test kits saying?  Was the rock in water the whole time?  Did the store send you home with any Prime? (An ammonia neutralizer, that is good in an emergency)

I do have master test kit, and am planning on testing every day, I also use prime as my main water conditioner ( I have been keeping freshwater for around 7 years so definitely have a little knowledge ) so have plenty of bottles of it around 🙂 the rock was with highly soaked paper towels in a bag for around 30 minutes from the store to the tank, so not really in full water the whole time though.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Frag Factory said:

Go buy a bottle of Dr Tim's bacteria and follow the instructions, it will be fine.

 

It's good you realised the store F'd you here though, might be a good idea to find a new one. 

I am using seachem seed to speed up the cycle, so that might work around the same as dr.tims 

 

yeah, I really like the store with freshwater but it’s really disappointing about trying to sell me fish, I would find another store, only problem is that the only store within 2 hours of my house other than PetCo is this one, and well, PetCo is probably even worse.

[Tamberav]

You probably knew you shouldn't get him but it was also probably very tempting. 

 

If the rock is cycled/kept wet it will probably be fine. Keep in mind, any ammonia is damaging to fish. It may not kill them but they might get burned a little in the gills.

 

Reef tanks typically do not use tap water and instead use RODI or Distilled. Tap can potentially lead to many algae issues down the road in a reef tank. Really depends on your tap. I use tap in my FW but no way for my reef tanks. 

 

 

[Tired]

I don't like PetCo. You can occasionally get lucky with an employee who gives good advice, but I hate how many cute little plastic tupperware-sized things they sell to put hamsters in. Makes people think of hamsters as toys instead of pets even more. They also just tend to have bad advice, and they don't even take very good care of their own animals. I had to grab fish food at one once, and they had these tiny baby dart frogs for sale, maybe half an inch long, with tiny crickets (dangerous and too large to really eat) in the tank with them. I asked an employee, and apparently they hadn't been sent any fruit flies (proper dart frog food) with the dart frogs, so they had no way to feed the animals they had been sent to sell. Or any information on how to care for the frogs while they were still in stock. 

I don't like supporting them or their practices. That being said, if you need a supply that they have, they're good for inanimate objects. 

 

In future, if your LFS tries to sell you on something, say "I'll think about it" and then look it up on your phone. I'll admit to a couple of fish impulse buys at stores because I spotted something really cool, but I always made sure to at least read a few care articles, so I could find out things like how big they'd get. 

 

And yes, if your live rock is actually cycled, you should be fine. It's not ideal to have a fish in there right now, but it can work. Just keep an eye on water parameters, and do a water change immediately if you see ammonia. 

The good news is, clownfish are good for smallish tanks. She looks like an ocellaris clownfish, which most people know as "nemo". She's black because she's a variety bred to be black and white instead of orange and white. Her color may change as she gets older- how big is she? 

Ocellaris clowns get to about 3" for females, sometimes larger in bigger tanks, and smaller for males. Clownfish are what are called sequential hermaphrodites, meaning all are born as one sex, and they change according to certain factors. For clownfish, they're born male, and the largest, most dominant one in the area turns into a female. If she dies, another becomes female. A clownfish kept on its own will generally become a female. If you want to have a male/female pair, you should get one notably smaller than your current one, and that one will stay a male. Clownfish can be kept in pairs, which will give you some cool behaviors to watch, but it's not required. They may fight on introduction, as they have to establish which one is dominant. You shouldn't keep more than two in the same tank.

They can be semi-aggressive, as they're a type of damselfish. She'll likely claim a territory and defend it. Clownfish are compatible with just about any other nano fish, except other clownfish not in their mated pair. They'll eat just about anything you can feed them. They should be fed frozen foods, and/or a decent-quality flake or pellet food, once a day or so. 

They commonly sleep in odd positions, and behave oddly in the evening, especially in new tanks. 

 

When your tank is ready for more fish, 2 or possibly 3 more small fish will work. 3 only if one of them is a tiny fish, like a clown goby.

 

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, Tired said:

I don't like PetCo. You can occasionally get lucky with an employee who gives good advice, but I hate how many cute little plastic tupperware-sized things they sell to put hamsters in. Makes people think of hamsters as toys instead of pets even more. They also just tend to have bad advice, and they don't even take very good care of their own animals. I had to grab fish food at one once, and they had these tiny baby dart frogs for sale, maybe half an inch long, with tiny crickets (dangerous and too large to really eat) in the tank with them. I asked an employee, and apparently they hadn't been sent any fruit flies (proper dart frog food) with the dart frogs, so they had no way to feed the animals they had been sent to sell. Or any information on how to care for the frogs while they were still in stock. 

I don't like supporting them or their practices. That being said, if you need a supply that they have, they're good for inanimate objects. 

 

In future, if your LFS tries to sell you on something, say "I'll think about it" and then look it up on your phone. I'll admit to a couple of fish impulse buys at stores because I spotted something really cool, but I always made sure to at least read a few care articles, so I could find out things like how big they'd get. 

 

And yes, if your live rock is actually cycled, you should be fine. It's not ideal to have a fish in there right now, but it can work. Just keep an eye on water parameters, and do a water change immediately if you see ammonia. 

The good news is, clownfish are good for smallish tanks. She looks like an ocellaris clownfish, which most people know as "nemo". She's black because she's a variety bred to be black and white instead of orange and white. Her color may change as she gets older- how big is she? 

Ocellaris clowns get to about 3" for females, sometimes larger in bigger tanks, and smaller for males. Clownfish are what are called sequential hermaphrodites, meaning all are born as one sex, and they change according to certain factors. For clownfish, they're born male, and the largest, most dominant one in the area turns into a female. If she dies, another becomes female. A clownfish kept on its own will generally become a female. If you want to have a male/female pair, you should get one notably smaller than your current one, and that one will stay a male. Clownfish can be kept in pairs, which will give you some cool behaviors to watch, but it's not required. They may fight on introduction, as they have to establish which one is dominant. You shouldn't keep more than two in the same tank.

They can be semi-aggressive, as they're a type of damselfish. She'll likely claim a territory and defend it. Clownfish are compatible with just about any other nano fish, except other clownfish not in their mated pair. They'll eat just about anything you can feed them. They should be fed frozen foods, and/or a decent-quality flake or pellet food, once a day or so. 

They commonly sleep in odd positions, and behave oddly in the evening, especially in new tanks. 

 

When your tank is ready for more fish, 2 or possibly 3 more small fish will work. 3 only if one of them is a tiny fish, like a clown goby.

 

Thanks so much! I plan on feeding thawed frozen blood worms, he/she is an occilaris, and about 1 - 1 and a half inches long 🙂

[Tired]

Bloodworms are OK for now, but you should get another food, if you can. Bloodworms are freshwater fly larvae, and don't have certain marine-life-only substances (mostly fats) that marine fish need in their diet. They make good treats, though. 

[Tamberav]

+1, you need saltwater fish food, not brine either. I recommend LRS nano. \

 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Tamberav said:

+1, you need saltwater fish food, not brine either. I recommend LRS nano. \

 

 

10 hours ago, Tired said:

Bloodworms are OK for now, but you should get another food, if you can. Bloodworms are freshwater fly larvae, and don't have certain marine-life-only substances (mostly fats) that marine fish need in their diet. They make good treats, though. 

Okay, thanks for the info, I will go get some today, but this morning the clownfish is doing well, and actually ate in front of me!  I am very glad to have all of you guys helping me out 🙂 and last night also did quite a bit of reading, so feeling much more prepared to take in the challenges of my first reef fish ( although I was originally gonna wait till the three month mark and till I had some coral to get a fish, but oh well

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Tamberav said:

You probably knew you shouldn't get him but it was also probably very tempting. 

 

If the rock is cycled/kept wet it will probably be fine. Keep in mind, any ammonia is damaging to fish. It may not kill them but they might get burned a little in the gills.

 

Reef tanks typically do not use tap water and instead use RODI or Distilled. Tap can potentially lead to many algae issues down the road in a reef tank. Really depends on your tap. I use tap in my FW but no way for my reef tanks. 

 

 

I most definitely knew it wasn’t right, but it was indeed overly temping

 

I will make sure to test for ammonia every day to 🙂

[Guest]

Ugh.... that stupid fish store said the rock was all cycled but it was NOT!!!! While doing my morning ammonia test it came back as beetween 0.25 and 0.3!!!!!! I did a water change, and am currently mixing the water to put back in the tank. I will get back with test results after the water change 

 

Edit: the ammonia is now at slightly under 0.25, still to high though 

[debbeach13]

It is unfortunate that they recommended a fish already. You might have to do a lot of water changes to keep the ammonia in check or as mentioned try some Prime.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

It is unfortunate that they recommended a fish already. You might have to do a lot of water changes to keep the ammonia in check or as mentioned try some Prime.

Yup, I added a bit more prime than I would normally use just for water conditner, but I just really hope the rock doesn’t have too much decaying matter 

[Saltysheep]

I would recommend getting an ammonia badge as well as testing to notify you if things are getting to high. Also add some nitrifying bacteria in a bottle like Dr. Tim’s or Bio Spira to help protect your clown and speed up the cycle. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Saltysheep said:

I would recommend getting an ammonia badge as well as testing to notify you if things are getting to high. Also add some nitrifying bacteria in a bottle like Dr. Tim’s or Bio Spira to help protect your clown and speed up the cycle. 

Okay thanks! Will look into it 

[Guest]

Did another water change this morning, and. It looks like ammonia is finally getting under control, I will keep testing, but probably not do another water change Tommorow and wait till the day after, mr clown is doing well, and I hope to get him an anemone soon ish ( once the tank is all stable ) 

[Tired]

Anemones should really only be in well-established tanks, they're very sensitive. May want to wait a few months. Xenia could make a nice anemone substitute in the meantime, if you have somewhere to put it where it can't spread all over the place. Definitely not until the tank is fully cycled, of course.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Tired said:

Anemones should really only be in well-established tanks, they're very sensitive. May want to wait a few months. Xenia could make a nice anemone substitute in the meantime, if you have somewhere to put it where it can't spread all over the place. Definitely not until the tank is fully cycled, of course.

Okay! Never knew this 🙂 I am of course waiting for the cycling to finish, so I will look into Xenia! I do have a Little Rock island in the middle of the tank that is couldn’t overtake the place 🙂 ( would a mushroom be okay in a new tank too ? )

[Tired]

Mushroom corals are hardy, so, yes. Once a tank is cycled, they work. 

 

Xenia are prone to melting in low-nutrient tanks. They need nutrients in the water, phosphates and nitrates. Other corals also suffer from low nutrients, but xenia are particularly dramatic about it. And there's even a very cool pulsing variety.

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Tired said:

Mushroom corals are hardy, so, yes. Once a tank is cycled, they work. 

 

Xenia are prone to melting in low-nutrient tanks. They need nutrients in the water, phosphates and nitrates. Other corals also suffer from low nutrients, but xenia are particularly dramatic about it. And there's even a very cool pulsing variety.

Wonderful! My lfs ( yup the one that got me into the whole mess with the clownfish ) does currently have a nice mushroom rock, and some Xenia, so I will be doing curbside pickup ina. Couple of weeks ( to avoid them trying to tell me I need something I really don’t ) 

[Tired]

Sounds good. Curbside is a good idea for more than one reason right now. Just be sure your tank is cycled before picking anything else up. If it is when you do an order, consider getting some snails. Trochus and cerith snails are good, turbos will get too big but will be fine for now. Nassarius are good for sand-stirring and eating leftover food. Margarita snails are usually coldwater, don't buy those. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Tired said:

Sounds good. Curbside is a good idea for more than one reason right now. Just be sure your tank is cycled before picking anything else up. If it is when you do an order, consider getting some snails. Trochus and cerith snails are good, turbos will get too big but will be fine for now. Nassarius are good for sand-stirring and eating leftover food. Margarita snails are usually coldwater, don't buy those. 

Okay 👌 I will probbbly just get turbos cause the bigger snails the better, and you know, in a couple of years my saltwater tank setup will probably be looking quite different 😏

[DSA65PRO]

Just about all the Clownfish are Aqua-cultured now. They are pretty rugged, but it took mine about Six Months to realize the Anemone was his friend. They can be a Nasty Little Bully, when they are the first fish. BlueGreen Chromis are a good first fish, also they are not aggressive and like to be out in the open, which will draw your other fish out of hiding.