my tank so far

nudy6969

nudy6969

RUSTYS BROWN DOUGHNUT
i am new to saltwater, i have a fresh water tank but now i decided i am going to try out a saltwater tank. i have started a 12 gallon nano, so far i got a filter, heater, live sand, light, and a demsel fish. the tank has been cycling scince the 20th of jan, i put in my damsel fish today the 22nd. do u guys have any suggestions? is my damsel going to be alright? its swimming alot and acting nervous.
 
Your tank has not had enough time to cycle. The ammonia and nitrites may kill the fish, especially in a tank that small. I recommend not adding any animals until after the cycle is complete, meaning ammonia and nitrites are both at zero.

Do you have any live rock? The best way to cycle a tank is to either add uncured live rock or let a piece of shrimp (food shrimp, from the grocery store) rot in the tank. That way you don't risk the lives of any fish.
 
Welcome to the site!
If the damsel does survive the cycle it could be very aggressive to any tankmates fish wise in the future.
 
i have 3 lbs of fiji live rock, i know its not much. i will be getting more live rock on ebay since it is much cheaper. at the store it was 10.50, on ebay its 2.19.


i read that their is 2 ways to cycle a tank, with live rock, and live sand, or with a cheap fish, so im doing both. i read that you can use a demself fish because they are strong and hardy.
 
...It's much better to use a piece of food shrimp to cycle the tank. Damsels are hardy, but the downside is that they are super aggressive and will kill any fish that you try to add later on.
 
Like Biff Said......adding A Damsel Is Cruel To The Fish Plus It Will Be Agressive. You Have To Have Patience !!!!!!!!!! Let The Tank Cycle, Test Your Water And Wait Until You Levels Are At Zero !!!! Then Add Your Fish..... Everyone At This Site Are Very Informative And Will Not Try To Steer You Wrong.
 
I agree that adding a damsel is not the way to go. I used a bit of frozen cubed fish food and my cycle took about 3-4 weeks in my 125. I am no animal rights activist (just ask Biff or Yote about my plastic bag solution), but if it lives, you have a huge problem in a small tank trying to add anything or getting it out

-Doc
 
Dr Marco said:
I agree that adding a damsel is not the way to go. I used a bit of frozen cubed fish food and my cycle took about 3-4 weeks in my 125. I am no animal rights activist (just ask Biff or Yote about my plastic bag solution), but if it lives, you have a huge problem in a small tank trying to add anything or getting it out

-Doc
Click to expand...

so far the damsel is doing rely good, i dont think its going to die, how ever i agree with you, it is going to be a huge pain getting it out since i have a cave type hole in my live rock, the fish can go in there and hide.

why is it bad to put a damsel in there besides it being aggresive and having a hard time getting it out.. does it mess up the cycle procces? on other forums it said that you can do it.
 
To answer you question about why to NOT use a damsel to cycle.
How would like to be stuck in a tank and have to breath poison that burns your nose,throat,and eyes,plus has the possibility of killing you?
The ammonia thats got to build up to start the cycle is poison.It burns the fishes gills.Its kinda like is you and me had to breath clorine bleach every day for a month.
 
...again. Not an animal activist. I have killed SO MANY fish that one damsel don't mean a whole lot to me, BUT.... I don't like to kill something if I can avoid it AND if there is another way to get the job done (rotting food).

The big pain in the butt is if you keep the fish, it will most likely kill anything else you put in. that being said, if you had a 125 and added a bunch of triggerfish and angelfish, the damsel would be no problem. In a small tank, aggressive fish that are small are hard to find to compete with the damsel. Once the cycle is done, since you already have the fish in there, I would break down the LR and fish his little ass out and return him to the LFS for a $2.00 credit to use toward a snail.

To answer another question, it doesn't effect the cycle one bit

-Doc
 
My damsel gets his ass whooped by my clown daily.... Welcome to the site and these guys will definitely help you out a lot along the way.
 
im a guy, this damsel is so cute i dont know how im going to get rid of it. but im sure it does not even compare to a clown fish.


when my tank is done cycling, im going to give the damsel to my lfs, and buy a clown, and 2 hermits, then about a month later i will buy a blenny ( i cant resist them) and then about 4 months later i will buy some mushrooms, do you guys think that this is a good startout for a noob.
 
nudy6969 said:
im a guy, this damsel is so cute i dont know how im going to get rid of it. but im sure it does not even compare to a clown fish.


when my tank is done cycling, im going to give the damsel to my lfs, and buy a clown, and 2 hermits, then about a month later i will buy a blenny ( i cant resist them) and then about 4 months later i will buy some mushrooms, do you guys think that this is a good startout for a noob.
Click to expand...

yea get rid of the damsel I would get a pair of clownfish, the black ones are cool if you can/want to pay more they look cool, you definetely don't have to wait 4 months though, I would probably wait a month at the most, 3 weeks at the least, mushrooms are hardy corals. Make sure after your cycle is done to do a water change and then every week for a while to get the nitrates down.
 
He has a bigger tank so there's more room and you can always get lucky, but I wouldn't risk it in a 12 especially, actually I'm never going to buy a damsel
 

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