New To Reef Tanks and New to This Board

marchantaustin

Reefing newb
Hey guys. I am austin from Santa Barbara and just got really interested in setting up my own reef tank. I figured it would be appropriate with my love for fish and my major at school which is Animal Behaviors. I recently bought a 24 gallon JBJ Nano Cube. I have 2 clowns (1 Onyx clown, and 1 true clown), a Green Chromis, Hammer Coral, and some Eagle Eye Zoa's, Peppermint Shrimp and some of your standard snails and hermit crabs.. I am pretty content with my set up I have right now. Definitely going to start and focus more on the corals right now and get those bad boys flourishing. I will post pictures of my set up. Shoot me some recommendations please! Also I am looking to get some better lights on there. Shoot me some options please.
 
That light should be pretty good for most corals, but you might look at a 70 watt K2 Viper clip-on halide for SPS and anemones if you ever want some.
 
Hello everyone. I've had many fish tanks over the years but never was I this knowledgable and deep into it. With water testing, chemicals, timers, doing a lot of reseach and so on. Everyday I learn more and more about fish keeping. And the fresh setup I have now is Def the biggest, most beautiful ,and chemically balanced ever! I over filter everything . I have 2 emperor 400's on my 90 cichlid tank, and they kick butt.
Anyway I have a 35 gallon hex with a gsp, two bumble bee gobys, another slighty larger grey govt ( not sure species). The salinity was 1.013 last I checked but I already have three damsels acclimated and doing great! Slowly raising the salt to marine. I'm thinking about getting rid of the puffer because I want corals eventually.
0
 
Hello and Welcome!

The damsels arent brackish water fish and keeping them in the low salinity is detrimental for their health long term. Its also detrimental to the brackish water fish to kept at full salinity for long periods of time. I would pick either saltwater or brackish and stick with it. Damsels are very tough fish but changing the salinity that much in such a sort amount of time could kill them.

Also you have too many fish in a 35 gal for a saltwater tank, the rule is one fish for every 10 gallons. Damsels are also some of the meanest fish you purchase and will likely harass your other fish to death.
 
Ok thanks for your input . I know damsels are full salt, my lfs told me I could put a damsel in as long as I AM going marine. I wasn't sure if the gobys. Could take it but thought the puffer could . Am I right?. I'm Def going full salt so I will move the gobys. That leaves me with 3 damsels and a puffer? Too much still? I think so.
 
Also I real ly want to make it a reef tank so that leads me to believe the puffer must go , so consider that done. I have a figure 8 puffer with my cichlids but still don't know if I'm happy about it. He's too nice and barely gets any food. If I want a real reef tank full of live rock should I just empty it and start over? I have to drain a lot of water anyway to put it on a new stand that I bought. Need advice . I really like the volts of my damsels.
 
Before you go any farther I would take some time to do more research, I dont think your lfs is best source of info either.

And I would empty the tank and start over, i think it would be much easier than converting your existing set up. Saltwater is very different from fresh.

I would take some time and read all the articles on the site, it will really help you out.
 
+1 lil fish...definitely empty the tank and start over from the beginning. Yeah, puffers aren't reef safe, and fyi, damsels get extremely aggressive towards anything you put in the tank after them.
 
And what am I supposed to do with the inhabitants? I think ill stick to the original plan and keep raising the salt slowly, then I won't have to cycle. Once the salt is up I will add liverock. These animals are very adaptable. I will still remove the brackish fish since you say they won't survive in full salt? I don't want to do more research that'd y I am here ;). Thanks guys/gals. ( even though I do more reseach everyday)
 
Back
Top