Newbie 14 gallon Bio cube

[kevdogg]

I use the frozen mysis that comes in 8 x 12 sheets. However I use a lot more then most!

+1 on the brine shrimp cvcdrk! I noticed a huge difference when I moved away from brine shrimp.

I would switch as well to formula 2 and marine cuisine. Variety is good when feeding.

 

[Kelz88]

I have about 8 different foods i rotate through. Every time i go to the pet store i try and get a new one. Sadly my fish have a better variety then i do. :)

 

[little_fish]

+1 Everyone

Brine is like fish candy but also only feeding one type of can also be not good for your fish. Variety is the spice of life and key to good nutrition!!!!

For the sheets of food, try and break off a piece about have the size of a dime. Usually the sheets are bit easier because you can break it up and then cut it with a knife.

 

[liquidattitude]

Fish drama :( the larger of the 2 clowns is acting funny). All was well at light off last night, but this morning the larger of the 2 seems in some kind of distress: I wouldn't call it gasping as I know it but, there is some that the smaller fish is not doing. Swimming close to the top of the tank(that's where they were in the LFS...but swam out from there). Food introduced this morning- they are not eating.
I have a nano bio cube
20% water change prior to fish arrival. I only use ROI water
they are the first and only fish
temp 80
1.024 Salinity
PH:8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5.0 ppm
also tested their water before i introduced them and the salinity and temp where the same. We did a 30 min float in the tank to equalize temp even though it was the same. Salinity was the same(i usually have mine a little higher)
Any ideas??
Could my 1 and only feeding last night after all my water tests have caused an ammonia spike that is hurting them?? Dang, I really hope they make it.....
Kat

 

[liquidattitude]

oh- forgot to mention we did a acclimation over an additional 30 min of water transfer using a drip.

 

[little_fish]

Do you have a good ripple of water at the surface of the tank? You need that to get good gas exchange otherwise your fish will use up all the oxygen in the water and then act like you have described.

Also did you make sure the fish were eating at the store?

 

[liquidattitude]

Update- I moved ,my only source of water movement to ripple the water surface and i remembered that the lid had been open all day yesterday because of all the maintenance i was doing and I closed it on habit before bed. So I have opened the lid, and added the ripple and its been about an hour and there is way more movement and both fish seem to be swimming better and going deeper into the tank. I redid water testing and the only change from yesterday before adding them was a increase of ammonia from 0 to 0.25.

 

[little_fish]

likely a mini cycle from adding fish, i would hold tight and bet it will be gone by tomorrow but it wouldnt hurt to be prepared to do a water change tomorrow.

 

[liquidattitude]

Ready and armed with ROI water :) I really hope they do ok...Its my granddaughters birthday and she is so excited that I finally got fish.............she is headed here after work to see them. She has been asking me for weeks to see the tank....I was teaching her about the tank, water, coral and the importance of treating living things appropriately. Wish me luck!

 

[little_fish]

Good luck! Have fun too!

 

[liquidattitude]

PM: fish are looking good and are eating! Yeah.....

 

[little_fish]

Hurray!!!

 

[liquidattitude]

going to pick up a second power head to make sure we have great oxygen and water movement. I am so thankful for all the knowledge here.....I love the ocean and having a tank in my bedroom is amazing to drift off to.....
:sfish::sfish::sfish::sfish::sfish::sfish::

 

[liquidattitude]

picked up a food to alter every other day. Have the new power head to install. Hope we can settle in to a routine :)

 

[liquidattitude]

Update: we are doing well. The new power head breaks the surface nicely. Still fine tuning how much to feed. The smallest amount turns into a snow storm in the tank....I just cant imagine that they need that much. I cut off a sliver, but once it mixes with the tank water...whoa. It clears up within a half hour, but it seems like alot. Sundays are our maintenance days. So I am off to get water.
Did i miss the part where clowns behave strangely? These two only seem to swim in the top third of the tank. I have only seen them once go anywhere near mid tank (where the corals and rock are). Is that normal?
Happy Sunday everyone,
Kat

 

[liquidattitude]

ok- knowing clowns do weird things. whats up with this? The larger of the 2 keeps positioning herself to lay where the power head is sucking in..her tail even is down one of the slots, I panicked the first time thinking she was dead or sick. But low and behold when I went into the tank...she swam off. I sat and watched her do this over and over....purposely putting her body in that position. Clown weirdness?

 

[little_fish]

Actually that is how a clown begins the hosting relations ship with a nem, that way they can slowly acclimitize themselves to the stings. So she is clearly being hosted by the powerhead. However, a clown fish cannot acclimitize itself to swriling blades, so I would probably cover that with some mesh. We dont want to make fish soup.

And try thawing your food in a different container, then feed with a turkey baster. Its much easier to feed without a ton of waste. And then you dont put in so much of the loose stuff that is only going go feed algae issues.

 

[liquidattitude]

that's crazy....we have hairy mushrooms in our tank...so should we invest in a nem? and if we should try....which one?

 

[cvcdrk]

Nems are pretty hard to keep. Strong lighting and near-perfect water.
There's no guarantee the clowns will decide to host the nem, either....even over the powerhead they like.

Most people recommend a well-established tank for a nem. I do plan to get one eventually, personally.

 

[liquidattitude]

I think I am going to wait on a nem. If i do go for it, I think it will be a bubble nem. I have read several places that its a little easier to keep. I fear that the crazy fish is already hooked on the power head. On the flip side, i have a couple of mushroom that i need to cut off a rock and reattach in a different area. Maybe the fish will take an interest in one of them....