Having a LFS is very important. It is a place where you can go, get healthy fish and coral. You know the employees and can ask them anything. You know the corals and fish are healthy. It is not a great idea to go from store to store, not knowing the background of it. Always find one you really like and stick to that. You can go out and check different stores out, but you know you can always go back to your LFS. Mine is Beyond The Reef. They have everything I look for. Try not to go for stores like Petco, because they don't have much and don't take good care of their animals.
12/10/2015 0 Comments What you Need for a Quarantine TankQuarantine tanks are very important in this hobby. They don't need to be big, maybe 10-20 gallons for most fish. They are very easy to keep. This is all you need for one.
RO/DI Water Fish Net 10+ gallon tank something that circulates water over the back filtration These are great for treating sick fish and ridding them of any disease that comes along. 12/9/2015 0 Comments Damsel TrapThe Damsel Trap is when you start your tank by getting damsels, and when you try to add new fish, the damsels attack the fish. This happened to me but I got out of it, one of my damsels, the worst one, suddenly died. He wreaked havoc among all of my fish. Once he died, I was able to add a bunch of new fish. Just remember to start your tank with some other hardy fish. Probably not damsels.
This is a list of hardy, relatively easy fish to keep of all colors.
Blue- Blue Damsels are a bright, vibrant, electric blue. Many aquarists are led to this hobby because of this fish. He will change to a dark color when stressed. They are very easy to keep but get pretty aggressive if they are one of the firs fish introduced. Yellow- Yellow Coris Wrasses are overall a great type of fish that can hold their own against almost any other species. This fish is a bright yellow color and will make any tank look more colorful. They are relatively easy to keep and are not very aggressive. Green- Green Coris Wrasses are a fantastic fish that are hardy and neat. I have always loved this fish. They are very hardy and easy to keep. They are a light green. Not as vibrant but a solid color, This fish will add color to any tank. Red- Flame Hawkfishes are easy to keep and are a solid red with a black stripe. This is not my favorite fish because it is aggressive and a percher. They may irritate corals. They are easy to keep though and will add red to any tank. Orange- One of my favorites, a basic ocellaris clown. They are very hardy, cheap, easy to keep, and... orange. They are orange with a few white stripes. They are hardy and do best in pairs. They are great fish with an amazing personality. Purple- Orchid Dottybacks are easy to keep and a beautiful fish. They are aggressive though, like most dottybacks. They are a solid purple color. They are very vibrant and swim in a very neat and interesting way. Also, pretty cheap. Cool Color Combinations: Purple and Yellow- Royal Grammas are cheap, hardy, and beautiful. Half is yellow, half is purple. They are an easy fish to keep. They will stand up to any fish and will also keep all fish away from it's hiding spot. Do not put two together. Pink and Yellow- Diadem Dottybacks are very easy to keep and are beautiful. They are a vibrant yellow and pink that will glow up your tank. They are relatively aggressive but overall a beautiful and great fish. Blue and Yellow- Devil Damsels are easy to keep, hardy, and a great fish, They get aggressive though. They have fascinating colors and will be a great addition to any tank. They are very vibrant. Just be careful, do not make them your first fish. Blue and Green- Blue Green Chromis' are very easy to keep, peaceful, and a fascinating color. They are a bluish green and like to school. Many of these together look awesome. They are very cheap and nice. A great addition to the community tank. Do not house with very aggressive fish. Cool Patterns: Red Coris Wrasse- An incredibly beautiful fish. I say every aquarist must have one once in their life. They are beautiful and pretty easy to keep. They should be kept in a tank of at least 100 gallons. They have bright blue dots, a bright yellow tail, and red at the front. Leopard Wrasse- These are crazy beautiful fish with a lot of interesting dots. They have an amazing pattern. They are sort of easy to keep but grow very big so be prepared to get rid of one early. Pineapple Fish- These fish have an interesting pattern that makes the fish look like a pineapple. They are hard to keep on the downside and are not readily available. If you want to try one, go for it. If you can get in adjusted to your tank, this is a great fish to keep. Clown Trigger- These fish have a fascinating pattern with white dots on the bottom. They are easy to keep but grow quite big. They are very easy to get your hands on. Some develop a Jekyll and Hyde personality, suddenly killing other fish though. Overall, a great fish. Rainbow Colored Fish: Melanurus Wrasse- Male melanurus wrasse make a great addition to any tank. They are very colorful and easy to keep. Some get aggressive but overall are an easy fish to keep. Ornate Wrasse- This fish is extremely colorful and easy to keep. They will make great additions to your tank. They have almost every color so they will make your tank very neat and colorful. Princess Parrotfish- These fish are great fish and are very colorful. They are relatively easy to keep but are aggressive. They are not reef safe. They are interesting fish though and great for any medium to large sized tank. Interesting Fish: Porcupine Puffer- These fish are interesting and easy to keep. They may puff up and spike. They have spikes on them, making them difficult to handle. Do not attempt to catch these with a net. Also, not typically reef safe. 12/8/2015 0 Comments My Idea for a 125 Gallon Reef TankNot This is my idea for my mixed reef, 125 gallon tank: Livestock: LPS, SPS, and other softies BTA 1 Blue Girdled Angelfish 1 Coral Beauty 1 Red Coris Wrasse 1 Green Coris Wrasse 1 Yellow Coris Wrasse 1 Diadem Dottyback 1 Yellow Tang 1 Regal Tang 3 Blue/Green Chromis I have chosen this livestock because of the ease of taking care of them and their colors. Especially the Blue Girdled Angel Filtration: Live Rock and Sand is my natural filtration BRS GFO and Carbon mixed Reactor Bubble Magus Curve 7 Skimmer Not sure about sump, probably DIY of a 40 breeder Maybe Bubble Magus Doser Lights: Mix of T5s and LEDs 12/8/2015 0 Comments NudibranchsNudibranchs, often called sea slugs, are a fascinating animal. They do not live long on the downside and could also poison your tank if they die. The best one to get is a lettuce sea slug. They will not pollute your tank and will clean up hair algae with ease. They are difficult to keep but overall, are a neat animal. Experienced aquarists should get one of these, although some fish, such as triggers will eat them.
In my opinion, you should test for everything. It will let you be safe with the parameters of your tank. The main levels you should tests on a regular basis are calcium, alkalinity, phosphate, magnesium, nitrate, ammonia, and nitrite. Those are the most important things to test for to keep your levels good. Other levels such as iodine are not needed to be tested as often.
12/7/2015 0 Comments Salinity TestingIf you are a beginner in this hobby and have a small fowlr tank, you will want to go with a hydrometer for price reasons. You should not do this. Hydrometers are not extremely accurate and can cause you to add more or take away salt. Go with a refractometer. They are accurate and will give you correct readings. One time, my hydrometer stuck and would not work. That is when I decided to go with a refractometer.
12/4/2015 0 Comments Freshwater DipsThis is a great way to get rid of parasites, especially ich. This is how you do it:
Fill a plastic container with freshwater RO/Di water. If you don't have any, you can use tap but dechlorinize it before doing this treatment. Match the PH and temperature. Add ammonia eliminating product to keep the water clear. Keep it very aerated. You may treat one, or small groups of fish at one time. Keep the fish in there for 3-8 minutes. Do not freak out if they play dead, that is what they always do. This is a great way to keep a fish clean of bacteria and parasites. You may do this so you don't have to quarantine a fish before putting it in your tank. 12/4/2015 0 Comments Clam DyingSo I am not very good at taking care of clams. Let's just start by saying that. My maxima clam is on an egg crate, when he should be in crushed coral in a petri dish. I am getting some of those soon for mushrooms, anemones, and clams. My clam is rarely responding to light changes, and is folding into his shell, which means he is throwing in the towel. It is a shame because he was a beautiful blue and I got him for incredibly cheap. My levels are great, so I am looking for pests in my tank. I have seen some fireworms and one aptasia anemone on my rock but other than that I have seen nothing else. Below are my levels:
Nitrate: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Ammonia: 0 ppm PH: 8.2 Magnesium: 1300 ppm Phosphate: 0 ppm Salinity: 1.025 Temperature: 77 degrees Alkalinity: 8 dKH Calcium: 400 ppm Clearly my levels are fine> It may be a parasite in the clam because my rabbit fish and other coral seem to be doing great. He is in horrible condition so I highly doubt I will be able to bring him back sadly. Now I am testing again today in case my levels dropped. I am going to try to identify the problem in case it happens to some of my coral. |
ReeseI love saltwater fish tanks, coral, and sports. Archives
December 2015
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