dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
fatman you keep telling me to read that article but i can never find it. if you could be so kind to go and get the direct link to that exact article i would really appreciate it
dustins first tank. 120 gallon(lots of pics)
- Thread starter dustin_P74
- Start date
RyanG
Reef enthusiast
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
appreciate it. and when i do this water change how much water are we talking. 10%, 20%, 50%?
RyanG
Reef enthusiast
I would do 10-15% daily until they are readable. I would start a new thread in the newbie section just to double check as Im not experienced at all.
Disclaimer: This is only my suggestion, please ask others to affirm it.
Disclaimer: This is only my suggestion, please ask others to affirm it.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
since biff seems to be having the same problem i might as well go with what she is doing with a 10% daily. god my mom is gonna kill me when we get our first water bill since the aquarium has been set up
Bifferwine
I am a girl
10% daily is fine, especially since you don't have any animals in your tank yet.
:frustrat: Sorry, sometimes I expect to much after giving to little. Right here http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/setup.html :bounce:
Oops, Ryan alredy got it to you!
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dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
UPDATE: ok so i have done two 10% water changes and i am about to do another one, and in the time i have done those two water changes the rites in my tank have dropped from unreadable to 2mg/l. so im expecting they will drop to 0 in the next two days hopefully
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
UPDATE again: i have just rechecked my rites and it is now at 1mg/l and i have only done three 5 gallon water changes so i expect it to be at zero by friday
Bifferwine
I am a girl
That's great news. Glad to hear it.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
UPDATE: ok so i just tested my rites again and it is now at 0.5mg/l so once i do another 5 gallon water change tonight i should be at 0 and then ill give it a week and then slowly start stocking. im thinking about putting a goby in there as my first fish or an onyx clown if i can find one.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
ok so i have a question, whats the acceptable range of rates in a fowlr tank? and whats a good clean up crew to have
yote
In Memoriam
As close to zero as possible.But I'd shoot for less than under 20 if at all possible.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
thanks yote. so now i need to know what a good cleaner crew for my tank would be
Bifferwine
I am a girl
A lot of people have hermit crabs, but I don't like them because they will end up killing your snails. I recommend going hermit free for a cleaner crew.
Snails will make up the bulk of your cleaner crew. A few mexican turbo snails will take care of algae on the rocks. Several dozen astraea snails will take care of the glass, and several dozen nassarius snails will take care of the sand. You can also throw in a handful of other snails like nerites and trochus. A few little conchs make unique additions too. If your parameters have been stable for several weeks, a brittle star or serpent star is a good thing to add, as well as some cleaner shrimp and/or peppermint shrimp.
Snails will make up the bulk of your cleaner crew. A few mexican turbo snails will take care of algae on the rocks. Several dozen astraea snails will take care of the glass, and several dozen nassarius snails will take care of the sand. You can also throw in a handful of other snails like nerites and trochus. A few little conchs make unique additions too. If your parameters have been stable for several weeks, a brittle star or serpent star is a good thing to add, as well as some cleaner shrimp and/or peppermint shrimp.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
do you think that ill need turbos to clean the rocks if im doing a tang dominated tank, wont the tangs take care of the algae on the rocks? and if i get a goby wont it clean the sand bed?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Fish will not be able to take the place of snails for cleaning. Tangs will only eat certain types of algae. Sea hares and mexican turbo snails are the only animals that will readily eat nuisance hair algae. Tangs won't touch the stuff.
And a goby won't be able to keep the entire sand bed clean. You'll need several dozen snails to do that.
And a goby won't be able to keep the entire sand bed clean. You'll need several dozen snails to do that.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
so if i get snails and a goby will there be enough food for the both of them to survive on
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Yeah, as long as you feed the tank, snails will have no problem finding food.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
ok another update: my ammonia and rites are at 0 and my rates are under 25 mg/l, i dont remember the exact number because i tested it this morning. so now im kinda in the boring wait a week or so stage before i can start stocking. but as far as that goes im thinking about going to the LFS and seeing what they have im either gonna make my first fish a diamond goby and if i cant find that at the LFS im just gonna get two clowns. and if i do get the clowns how long can they really go without an annemenie (or however the hell you spell it) comfortably? and can i get a cleaner crew immediately or should i wait a little while?
