Super excited!! :)

[jamielynn]

Hi guys! Newbie to Salt Water Aquarium! My boyfriend and I decided to jump on an awesome deal for a 90 gallon already cycled and living tank.

The tank came with: 2 Clown fish, 2 Pajama Cardinals, 1 Green Damsel, 2 Half Blue Damsel, 1 Powder Brown Tang, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, a handful of hermit crabs and a handful of snails. There are two live corals in there (not quite sure the type).

We just had the tank delivered yesterday and I haven't been able to walk away from it! They installed LED lights and when they are on, it looks fantastic! The tank definitely adds spark to our living room!

We are planning on heading to the aquarium store tomorrow to get some more fish, and see what else they have. Any recommendations for easy, cool fish that would go well with what we have already?

 

[bjohanson1234]

I would hold off on adding any more fish just yet. Moving a tank can stir up some nasty stuff and might cause another cycle. It is best to wait and make sure everything is settled.

Also, a general rule of thumb in salt water is 1 fish per 10 gallons. So you are also close to your max already. It isn't like fresh water where you can have tons of fish.

I would also suggest taking the Powder Brown tang to the fish store. The recommended tank size for them is a minimum 125 gallon tank. They are very active swimmers and need lots of swimming room.
Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Powder Brown Tang

 

[Amba]

+1 to bj, I would wait at least two weeks before you think about changing anything. Marine systems are very different from fresh water systems. Do you have test kits? You need to be testing for:

NH3/NH4
NO2
NO3
Salinity
Temperature (No brainer)
pH
dKH
Phosphates

If you want to keep those corals healthy (or add more), you also need to test for Magnesium and Calcium.

I would test your water and keep an eye on your parameters. As bj said, moving a tank can stir up all kinds of problems.

 

[SarahSmile]

Great looking tank! They are fun in the living room aren't they?? Much better than t.v.
Adding a new fish might be tricky as those damsels can be mean and might bully new additions. I'd wait a week, make sure your tests are coming back great, ammonia and nitrite are the SUPER important ones and should be at zero. Then maybe you can add a dwarf angel. Coral beauties and flame angels are beautiful and should be able to hold their own against the damsels. The longer they are in there the longer they have to establish their territories making it harder to add any fish.
Let us know how it goes and what you decide!

 

[Bluesaltwater87]

welcome:)

 

[baeya]

Congratulations!! I'm new to saltwater, too! You have a beautiful tank there!! I love the purple!

 

[jamielynn]

Thanks guys! The tank was owned by my boyfriends brother and his wife, they are currently moving and getting a much bigger tank, so she will be taking her tang fish and the clown fish.

We had it professionally moved, so they changed the sand and did a 25% water change. They said to wait 24-48 hours before we add any more fish, and that we could add up to about 10 more fish. We aren't going to add any more coral just because we are so new. And we haven't decided on adding new rock. Our salinity is right on point and we are taking a sample to the store to check the rest of the levels; however they had the water tested not to long ago and it was right in key.

I believe the guys who moved it have regularly checked up on the tank. She has had the tank for about 2 years (the fish she is taking are her original fish.)

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard.

 

[chichimom79]

Welcome aboard! That's a beautiful tank!

 

[jamielynn]

Thank you Chichimom79! I can't stop looking at it.

I know everybody has their own opinions and we (my boyfriend and I) have thought about the quarantine process...we have both came to the conclusion that even though it is a great thing on paper, we don't see that the positives out weigh the negatives. We have discussed it with a couple people at the aquarium store (who are very highly recommended in the area) and the previous owner of the tank (all of which do not use quarantine tanks).

We had our water tested today and everything was normal. We even had our tap water tested since the store is just under two hours away from us. We are on a well, and everything can out normal. What are your thoughts on using tap water (we are on a well- not a community well). We live on top of hill and the closet agriculture fields are close to 1/2 mile away, so there isn't any runoff. We used the tap today to top off the tank, and we are fully aware of the consequences of weird algae growth..If this does become a problem, what is the easiest way to clean it up- other than going to the store and getting containers of fresh water?

Being assure that the water was ok- we decided to grab two pink antheis' to add to the tank. I have been trying to find information on them, regarding swimming habits- are they active fish or do they tend to hang out on the rocks? The shop owner said they will be shy at first, but I didn't think to ask about their swimming habits. Everybody in the tank is getting along and everybody seems to be happy :)

We did however lose a blue damsel fish...We were told they aren't very hardy fish so we kind of expected for something to happen, but I was still upset by it. But every other fish seems to be just fine and bright in color! So I am a happy newbie!

I am a pretty easy going person, so no rude comments about our choice of not using a quarantine tank. Thank you.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I don't know who gave you the advise that damsels aren't hardy fish, but they are really hardy fish that many people use to cycle their tank(I am not condoning this action. There are better, more humane ways to do this) and they live through it. If it came from the LFS, I would suggest being a bit more wary shopping there. Doing your research about what you want to buy and getting several sources of info.

As for the well water, it can contain many contaminants that are harmful to your inhabitants. Such as heavy metals, run off from the farming community, even though it is half mile away, the fertilizer can get into the well water. It can also be perfectly fine for your tank. I would look into getting an RO/DI unit to install and create pure water. I started off my tank running tap water and had nothing but constant algae problems. When I switched to RO water, it took about 6 months for the problems to disappear. I always recommend starting up the tank with RO water now since it will save a bunch of headaches down the road.

 

[jamielynn]

I have always been told that cheap fish aren't as hardy. I have spent majority of my time since getting the tank researching different fish, the different levels and general information about saltwater aquariums. I printed off a compatibility chart before we went to the store so we only looked at what would work with what we already had; however I really liked the Pink Antheis', and they said they would be a good match. I am one to grill somebody before I start to trust them, so while the guys were moving the tank I asked them A TON of questions, and they seemed very knowledgeable and I read the reviews of the company and everybody is pleased with them and the quality of their knowledge and product. There aren't many other options of stores in our area, and I have heard the other local business- they can be rude, so we wanted to avoid them.

The tank has always been on pure water, (the previous owner had their water tested and was no good to use). Since we had ours tested, and knowing that we live on a hill that is a good, 50ft elevation about the farming fields in our area, we decided to give it a try. If it starts to give us a headache we have no problem on switching to the fresh water from the store. If it does start to become a problem, how soon would we start to notice it?

Thank you for your input! I appreciate any of the feedback I can get :)

 

[jamielynn]

We have decided to do fake coral for now. Do you know of any good sites to buy realistic fake coral?

Thanks!

 

[ErinCahir]

I have always been told that cheap fish aren't as hardy. I have spent majority of my time since getting the tank researching different fish, the different levels and general information about saltwater aquariums. I printed off a compatibility chart before we went to the store so we only looked at what would work with what we already had; however I really liked the Pink Antheis', and they said they would be a good match. I am one to grill somebody before I start to trust them, so while the guys were moving the tank I asked them A TON of questions, and they seemed very knowledgeable and I read the reviews of the company and everybody is pleased with them and the quality of their knowledge and product. There aren't many other options of stores in our area, and I have heard the other local business- they can be rude, so we wanted to avoid them.

The tank has always been on pure water, (the previous owner had their water tested and was no good to use). Since we had ours tested, and knowing that we live on a hill that is a good, 50ft elevation about the farming fields in our area, we decided to give it a try. If it starts to give us a headache we have no problem on switching to the fresh water from the store. If it does start to become a problem, how soon would we start to notice it?

Thank you for your input! I appreciate any of the feedback I can get :)

Cheap fish are cheap for a number of reasons, but not being hardy isn't one of them.

Damsels are hands down one of the hardiest fish in the hobby.

Anthias, on the other hand, are not a hardy fish. They have really high metabolisms and as such need to eat constantly throughout the day. It's hard to meet their needs in a new (and yes, moving your system means it's "new" again) system.

 

[SarahSmile]

+1 BJ and Erin. Damsels are super super hardy. If one died I would think something is wrong with your water quality. I'd look into buying your own liquid testing kit, google API liquid test kit. I got mine for $30. Well worth it. You want to monitor your own nitrate, nitrite, PH and ammonia levels, not trust the store and their tests.
+1 Erin, Anthias are not a great option for you right now, you'd have to feed them all the time and more food means more poop which means poorer water quality. Is poorer a word? Screw it, it is now. Did you check out dwarf angels?
Most of us on here are pretty against fake coral, it looks, well, fake, and we love the natural look of a real reef. The fake stuff also just collects algae. There are some extremely easy to keep corals out there. Check out mushrooms and green star polyps. I love to look at liveaquaria.com for info and ideas.

 

[jamielynn]

+1 BJ and Erin. Damsels are super super hardy. If one died I would think something is wrong with your water quality. I'd look into buying your own liquid testing kit, google API liquid test kit. I got mine for $30. Well worth it. You want to monitor your own nitrate, nitrite, PH and ammonia levels, not trust the store and their tests.

Is this the test kit you are suggesting? API Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit at PETCO
Do I need to test for calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity? If so, What test would you recommend for those?

 

[jamielynn]

Just looking through my tank, and I noticed this..

I am asking about that brown wavy stuff? I can try to get my camera to zoom in more, but I doubt I can get it to focus on it (iphone camera) I just noticed it this morning in two spots.

I also noticed this...

Talking about the brown thing growing. I noticed it in two spots the other day, now those spots are gone, and I have now noticed it in two other spots.

Thank you!

 

[chichimom79]

The second picture is definitely an aiptasia, which leads me to believe that is what is in the first picture as well. Get some Aiptasia-x. A lot of forum members have used it with great success. Nice mushrooms though!

 

[jamielynn]

The second picture is definitely an aiptasia, which leads me to believe that is what is in the first picture as well. Get some Aiptasia-x. A lot of forum members have used it with great success. Nice mushrooms though!

I'm assuming this is not good to have in my tank? Is there a way to get rid if it without chemicals?

 

[ErinCahir]

Aiptasia is a pest anemone. It will sting and kill any coral that touches it and they spread very quickly. Aiptasia X is the best and most effective way to get rid of it.

Peppermint shrimp will eat the smaller ones, but they can be hit and miss with it.