Help! I have no idea what im doing.

[Cichlid Dad]

Wait, so if my tank is already established, adding new rock even if I keep the old one will make it go through the ugly cycle again?

It won't be as bad as the first and won't last as long.

 

[jayden kolonne]

I would expect there to be uglies and a cycle as the new rock does not contain beneficial bacteria within it.

Well crap, can I not add new fish?

 

[jayden kolonne]

It won't be as bad as the first and won't last as long.

I ordered fish that are coming on the 25, a cbb, a long nose, and a spot fin. I also will not be home until the day before that.

 

[Tamberav]

Dry rock won’t affect adding fish.

I would not buy some random crap on eBay though. That rock looks so fake too.

 

[Formulator]

I would expect there to be uglies and a cycle as the new rock does not contain beneficial bacteria within it.

Uglies yes, cycle no. There is enough live rock in there to support a few fish while the new rock becomes colonized.

 

[jayden kolonne]

Dry rock won’t affect adding fish.

I would not buy some random crap on eBay though. That rock looks so fake too.

Thank you, I was worried. Anyways I don't really think it will mater once algea grows on in 2 months. It doesn't look to bad, honestly they probably try to make it look brighter.

 

[jayden kolonne]

Uglies yes, cycle no. There is enough live rock in there to support a few fish while the new rock becomes colonized.

There is also 40 lbs of ceramic in the sump^

 

[Pod_01]

I ordered fish that are coming on the 25, a cbb, a long nose, and a spot fin. I also will not be home until the day before that.

CBB is beautiful fish, but not the best fish for beginners…
I hope you done reading on how to keep it…

 

[Tamberav]

Thank you, I was worried. Anyways I don't really think it will mater once algea grows on in 2 months. It doesn't look to bad, honestly they probably try to make it look brighter.

I just have no idea how dense that rock is or if he made it in his basement or if it will start to disintegrate in two years.

 

[Tamberav]

Three butterflies in a new tank will be a challenge. I hope the best for you.

If you can buy live black worms, that will help.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Well crap, can I not add new fish?

Yes, sorry sould have specified. No new cycle, yes some ugly

 

[jayden kolonne]

@Formulator
When did you add your zoa's? They look so good,it looks like over 30 heads or something for each colony. How did you get them to grow? How old is that colony?

 

[jayden kolonne]

Three butterflies in a new tank will be a challenge. I hope the best for you.

If you can buy live black worms, that will help.

I heard that makes your nitrates go crazy. I think I will stick to mysis and blood worms, but my freezer is stocked with 6 different types of frozen food

 

[Tamberav]

I heard that makes your nitrates go crazy. I think I will stick to mysis and blood worms, but my freezer is stocked with 6 different types of frozen food

These fish are picky and mysis and blood worms are not enough for them long term.

A live worm doesn’t increase nitrates anymore than a dead one.

Live worms, fresh clams, frozen LRS, etc for these guys.

The live worm is to temp them to eat enough.

I assume you don’t intend to keep corals then?

 

[jayden kolonne]

I have another question: when the yellow tang ban raises, can you grow tangs and sell them when they get larger, I heard they go for 600 a peice when they get large. Is this true? I just want to find some way to make alittle bit of money, at least to cover the cost of food.

 

[jayden kolonne]

These fish are picky and mysis and blood worms are not enough for them long term.

A live worm doesn’t increase nitrates anymore than a dead one.

Live worms, fresh clams, frozen LRS, etc for these guys.

I assume you don’t intend to keep corals then?

I have a wegmans that has bags of muscles for like 8$/lb. What's LRS. Also the distributer is QTing the fish for me and sending me videos of the cbb eating frozen. That's so rare. Wait, I can't have corals? I thought sps is fine?

 

[Tamberav]

I have a wegmans that has bags of muscles for like 8$/lb. What's LRS. Also the distributer is QTing the fish for me and sending me videos of the cbb eating frozen. That's so rare. Wait, I can't have corals? I thought sps is fine?

It’s not super rare but they need to eat a good healthy diet and mysis is a lot of shell.

That’s great that you are buying QT fish.

 

[Tamberav]

SPS is less of a target but they can still pick. Establishment colonies of sps will shrug this off but frags can suffer.

It can make polyp extension poor.

I just figured if you were doing 3 butterflies out the gate, it would be a fish only tank.

 

[Tamberav]

I had no issues with my copperband but my long nose picked at any coral including sps.

 

[jayden kolonne]

It’s not super rare but they need to eat a good healthy diet and mysis is a lot of shell.

That’s great that you are buying QT fish.

I appreciate the time your spending and giving your experience who probably sounds like an idiot compared to how much you know. In your opinion what is the best frozen food I can buy? Also what about the other 2 fish, are they fine. People normally only complain about the cbb and not the other 2.