Silly questions for first timer

[Goldberg]

Hello,

As im starting, forgive me if i sound silly with these questions. mostly i wonder how you handle such situations - hope to hear your ideas

1- What is your CUC looks likes?
I have started with some snails to clean the algae and they did amazing job, afraid to bring hermit crab not to eat the snails at this stage and saw many posts and youtube videos against adding other stuff like sea urchin, cucumber and starfish.

2- How do you deal with fish that aint eating but still swimming normally?
I noticed some clownfish arent interested in eating, been 2 weeks into the tank but still swimming fine. When i drop pellets even if im targeting them they dont seem to eat it. The place where i bought them from said its norma. Sailfin tang is the best eater and takes care of the uneaten food (making amazing amount of poop to deal with later)

3- When did you add your first coral?
Many suggesting 3 month minimum, some shops around said you can start right away (week time) as long as you nitrate is down, and your first cycle is done with added bacteria

4- how would be the first steps to add corals? how do you perform the dip?
I got some corals and was too afraid to add them, so i dropped it to the near by store to inspect it and quranatine them for a bit of time (making sure my tank is ready). seen too many videos some of them way too complex. Of course my concern if there are worms or aiptasia which i doubt any dip can help with tiny aiptasia.

5- What was your main challenge when you started

Sorry about the amount of questions and thanks in advance

 

[fishyjoes]

1 - I have cerith snails, trochus snails, and hermit crabs (20 gallon display)

2 - Maybe try a different food like mysis or brine shrimp

3 - I added my first coral after having a couple of fish for about a month.
It was a couple of the cheapest things I could find at the local fish store (a blue mushroom and a green mushroom) - they eventually withered and died after around 3 or 4 months.

4 - I didn't do anything, just put them in.

5 - ICH - I hadn't been quarantining anything until my 3rd fish brough in ICH. Then I had to move everything to a treatment tank and fallow the display. From then on I quarantine everything new coming in.

 

[TX_REEF]

Welcome!!!

1. full dependent on tank size and your feeding habits. bigger tank, bigger cuc. more feeding, more cuc. cnails are great hermits are too. peppermint shrimps and cleaner shrimps have done great for me. lots of snail options, cerith, dwarf cerith, trochus, nerite. I do not recommend emerald crabs, I've had ones get aggressive enough to catch sleeping fish and eat live corals. i've never had urchins but people say they're great for algae control. They do, however, consume rock over time.

2. try different types of food. my clowns didn't like pellets when i got them, but ate frozen brine shrimp and flakes. now they eat everything. you can also add 1-2 drops of garlic extract (I use kent marine) to the food in a small shot glass with tank water to soak, garlic seems to make food more appealing to uninterested fish

3. as with almost everything in this hobby, the more patient you are, the better. If your water parameters are ideal for the coral you want and remain stable there for a few weeks or a month without significant fluctuation, you are ready. be sure to research flow and lighting requirements for the coral you want first. Do not permanently secure the coral in place until you're sure it's happy there. of course shops will tell you to add ASAP, they want to make money now. be patient and research.

4. rinse and dry the bag. float it in the tank to stabilize temperate. prepare a dip according to the instructions in a clean container. place the coral in for the amount of time instructed by the dip. Place the coral in ideal position in tank.

5. My main challenge is lighting and flow. It's hard to know for sure if your corals love any changes you make because it can take weeks to show a difference.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Hello,

As im starting, forgive me if i sound silly with these questions. mostly i wonder how you handle such situations - hope to hear your ideas

1- What is your CUC looks likes?
I have started with some snails to clean the algae and they did amazing job, afraid to bring hermit crab not to eat the snails at this stage and saw many posts and youtube videos against adding other stuff like sea urchin, cucumber and starfish.

2- How do you deal with fish that aint eating but still swimming normally?
I noticed some clownfish arent interested in eating, been 2 weeks into the tank but still swimming fine. When i drop pellets even if im targeting them they dont seem to eat it. The place where i bought them from said its norma. Sailfin tang is the best eater and takes care of the uneaten food (making amazing amount of poop to deal with later)

3- When did you add your first coral?
Many suggesting 3 month minimum, some shops around said you can start right away (week time) as long as you nitrate is down, and your first cycle is done with added bacteria

4- how would be the first steps to add corals? how do you perform the dip?
I got some corals and was too afraid to add them, so i dropped it to the near by store to inspect it and quranatine them for a bit of time (making sure my tank is ready). seen too many videos some of them way too complex. Of course my concern if there are worms or aiptasia which i doubt any dip can help with tiny aiptasia.

5- What was your main challenge when you started

Sorry about the amount of questions and thanks in advance

I would start with your :5 question, the biggest challenge for most is patience in my opinion.

I would suggest don't worry about your :3 and :4 of your questions (for now, best to research all to get variety of options)

I would definitely work on :1 and :2 first.

Each individual as a unique aquarium setup and it varies vastly, from fish species, crabs, snails, algae, lights, pump, sump.... It will honestly blow your mind the amount of differences

1: a couple of snails will not be a problem to add, I believe 3 month young tank, I would not consider a star fish, definitely not an urchin (they have a neverending appetite)

2: in regards to clownfish not eating pellets, if that's all you have to hand then I would suggest rolling them up in your fingers to create a 'finer' pellet food, use your fingers to create like a powder'ish food.

That's just my thoughts

 

[Dbichler]

No silly questions whatsoever. Only bad question is the question not asked. That’s half the posts on this site. Better to ask before hand and know before finding out after the fact. As for food as varied as you can get is always best. Cuc start small and add if you still have issues. Corals as soon as cycle is done as long as it’s not sps.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hello,

As im starting, forgive me if i sound silly with these questions. mostly i wonder how you handle such situations - hope to hear your ideas

1- What is your CUC looks likes?
I have started with some snails to clean the algae and they did amazing job, afraid to bring hermit crab not to eat the snails at this stage and saw many posts and youtube videos against adding other stuff like sea urchin, cucumber and starfish.

2- How do you deal with fish that aint eating but still swimming normally?
I noticed some clownfish arent interested in eating, been 2 weeks into the tank but still swimming fine. When i drop pellets even if im targeting them they dont seem to eat it. The place where i bought them from said its norma. Sailfin tang is the best eater and takes care of the uneaten food (making amazing amount of poop to deal with later)

3- When did you add your first coral?
Many suggesting 3 month minimum, some shops around said you can start right away (week time) as long as you nitrate is down, and your first cycle is done with added bacteria

4- how would be the first steps to add corals? how do you perform the dip?
I got some corals and was too afraid to add them, so i dropped it to the near by store to inspect it and quranatine them for a bit of time (making sure my tank is ready). seen too many videos some of them way too complex. Of course my concern if there are worms or aiptasia which i doubt any dip can help with tiny aiptasia.

5- What was your main challenge when you started

Sorry about the amount of questions and thanks in advance

1- love hermits. Cool crabs for sure! I have them in both tanks. They get eaten in my bigger tank, I have halloweens that are mean and will pinch those trying to eat them. I have a cucumber in my big tank to keep sand clean as I have predatory fish.

2- i found fish love frozen food and are more tempted by that then pellets! I feed frozen most of the time then add flakes and pellets in once a week for nutrition.

3 - added my first coral at 3 months. Was okay for a little but then died. Found out real quick which corals I can and cant keep. Now Im converting to a fowlr in all but my nano. Just easier and I like fish more anyway

4- not really into corals at this time

5- patience and being able to continue with heart break, lost a whole tank to velvet and then to an electrical issue. All fish died. Horrible.

 

[Goldberg]

1 - I have cerith snails, trochus snails, and hermit crabs (20 gallon display)

2 - Maybe try a different food like mysis or brine shrimp

3 - I added my first coral after having a couple of fish for about a month.
It was a couple of the cheapest things I could find at the local fish store (a blue mushroom and a green mushroom) - they eventually withered and died after around 3 or 4 months.

4 - I didn't do anything, just put them in.

5 - ICH - I hadn't been quarantining anything until my 3rd fish brough in ICH. Then I had to move everything to a treatment tank and fallow the display. From then on I quarantine everything new coming in.

Hi, I can feel your pain, my friend got one sick fish for his freshwater tank (the store told him it was only stressed and will be okay) but ended up losing 90% of his fish. its eye opening to be careful thanks for sharing your experience

 

[Goldberg]

Welcome!!!

1. full dependent on tank size and your feeding habits. bigger tank, bigger cuc. more feeding, more cuc. cnails are great hermits are too. peppermint shrimps and cleaner shrimps have done great for me. lots of snail options, cerith, dwarf cerith, trochus, nerite. I do not recommend emerald crabs, I've had ones get aggressive enough to catch sleeping fish and eat live corals. i've never had urchins but people say they're great for algae control. They do, however, consume rock over time.

2. try different types of food. my clowns didn't like pellets when i got them, but ate frozen brine shrimp and flakes. now they eat everything. you can also add 1-2 drops of garlic extract (I use kent marine) to the food in a small shot glass with tank water to soak, garlic seems to make food more appealing to uninterested fish

3. as with almost everything in this hobby, the more patient you are, the better. If your water parameters are ideal for the coral you want and remain stable there for a few weeks or a month without significant fluctuation, you are ready. be sure to research flow and lighting requirements for the coral you want first. Do not permanently secure the coral in place until you're sure it's happy there. of course shops will tell you to add ASAP, they want to make money now. be patient and research.

4. rinse and dry the bag. float it in the tank to stabilize temperate. prepare a dip according to the instructions in a clean container. place the coral in for the amount of time instructed by the dip. Place the coral in ideal position in tank.

5. My main challenge is lighting and flow. It's hard to know for sure if your corals love any changes you make because it can take weeks to show a difference.

Thanks for reply, and sharing your experience. is it true peppermint shrimps would die if no aiptasia to eat? that what someone said. I will try different foods, but so far even my clown i dont see them eating they still alive 4 weeks in the tank already (maybe they eat in hiding) but still better not take chances.
Did you figure out the best way for lighting and flow? I asked an expert reefer and he was saying to get the light strength at 40% blue with 10% white for most of the day. not sure if applicable to all lights though as he was referring to redsea light use.

 

[TX_REEF]

not true on the peppermint, mine is fine and I have no aiptasia. They scavenge leftovers and detritus just like any other shrimp.

my flow is still a work in progress for sure, too many considerations… for lighting, every system will have different settings you can mess around with. I use kessil, and it is correct that corals are going to benefit most from the violet-ish spectrum, whereas the white light is more for our enjoyment as hobbyists to get a better view based on preference. In my opinion it’s best to go with a full spectrum light to maximize growth with the wavelengths that benefit coral growth turned up. I like to grow coral, but I also don’t like everything in the tank to look like a black light neon rave party.

 

[Goldberg]

I would start with your :5 question, the biggest challenge for most is patience in my opinion.

I would suggest don't worry about your :3 and :4 of your questions (for now, best to research all to get variety of options)

I would definitely work on :1 and :2 first.

Each individual as a unique aquarium setup and it varies vastly, from fish species, crabs, snails, algae, lights, pump, sump.... It will honestly blow your mind the amount of differences

1: a couple of snails will not be a problem to add, I believe 3 month young tank, I would not consider a star fish, definitely not an urchin (they have a neverending appetite)

2: in regards to clownfish not eating pellets, if that's all you have to hand then I would suggest rolling them up in your fingers to create a 'finer' pellet food, use your fingers to create like a powder'ish food.

That's just my thoughts

Hello and thanks for sharing your thoughts , I know the patience feeling when i started i waited 6 weeks after adding the rocks and sand until first cycle is done. Was a bit tiring looking at rocks only for this period. Guess now im waiting again few more weeks to add some corals - if hopefully there is stability in water. ill try the trick you suggested with pellets while adding new type of food to see how it goes. I bought some pom pom and seagrape algae to add to refugim, there was very tiny starfish attached so I kept it. not sure if worth taking it out it looked a bit cute with its tiny legs trying climb the algae though

 

[Goldberg]

No silly questions whatsoever. Only bad question is the question not asked. That’s half the posts on this site. Better to ask before hand and know before finding out after the fact. As for food as varied as you can get is always best. Cuc start small and add if you still have issues. Corals as soon as cycle is done as long as it’s not sps.

Thanks alot for encouragement. I wont touch SPS for another year or more. Mostly ill start with some soft corals for awhile as seems many reefers have died corals initially so i will prepare myself to start with experminet rather hunting the most unique or expensive ones.

 

[Goldberg]

not true on the peppermint, mine is fine and I have no aiptasia. They scavenge leftovers and detritus just like any other shrimp.

my flow is still a work in progress for sure, too many considerations… for lighting, every system will have different settings you can mess around with. I use kessil, and it is correct that corals are going to benefit most from the violet-ish spectrum, whereas the white light is more for our enjoyment as hobbyists to get a better view based on preference. In my opinion it’s best to go with a full spectrum light to maximize growth with the wavelengths that benefit coral growth turned up. I like to grow coral, but I also don’t like everything in the tank to look like a black light neon rave party.

Thanks for clarifying, do you also have the cleaning shrimp? I noticed most of the stores i have visited in the area adding the big mustache cleaning shrimp

I will follow your advise on light when I will start some corals, I added dust feather and noticed it reacts quickly to lights when i try to put more white to watch the aquarium. I got the red sea in advance to make sure I have good light when i start adding corals.

May I ask you, what are your favorite corals? does it require alot of your time to maintain your favorites

 

[TX_REEF]

Thanks for clarifying, do you also have the cleaning shrimp? I noticed most of the stores i have visited in the area adding the big mustache cleaning shrimp

I will follow your advise on light when I will start some corals, I added dust feather and noticed it reacts quickly to lights when i try to put more white to watch the aquarium. I got the red sea in advance to make sure I have good light when i start adding corals.

May I ask you, what are your favorite corals? does it require alot of your time to maintain your favorites

Yes, I have cleaner shrimp. They are great, they clean up leftover food and are very active. Can't recommend enough.

Your feather uster will react to any sudden change in light, that's their instinct. Same as clams. I reccomend you set a timer for your lights then leave them alone, none of your creatures will appreciate sudden changes often. It's best to place your feather dusters in lower light or even shaded areas, as they do not need light to grow.

My favorite corals right now are LPS namely micromussa and caulastrea. They're quite hardy and not too demanding of high flow or light. Here are some pics, check out my young mixed reef build thread if you want some ideas.

Build Thread - Red Sea Reefer 350 G2 in Texas!

Just to document the process! After a 10+ year break from the hobby, I finally have the financial means to build a system I am proud of! Back in 2012 I had a 20 gallon long with a 50g stock tank for a sump. What an upgrade here! Fishless cycle started ~3 weeks ago, ammonia at .05 ppm. I am...

www.reef2reef.com

Micromussa (some call these "Acans")

caulastrea (also referred to as candycanes or trumpets)

 

[Goldberg]

Guess ill go shopping this weekend, some shrimps

The Acans and candycane look amazing under the lights, looking like eye candy

 

[JayM]

Hello,

As im starting, forgive me if i sound silly with these questions. mostly i wonder how you handle such situations - hope to hear your ideas

1- What is your CUC looks likes?
I have started with some snails to clean the algae and they did amazing job, afraid to bring hermit crab not to eat the snails at this stage and saw many posts and youtube videos against adding other stuff like sea urchin, cucumber and starfish.

2- How do you deal with fish that aint eating but still swimming normally?
I noticed some clownfish arent interested in eating, been 2 weeks into the tank but still swimming fine. When i drop pellets even if im targeting them they dont seem to eat it. The place where i bought them from said its norma. Sailfin tang is the best eater and takes care of the uneaten food (making amazing amount of poop to deal with later)

3- When did you add your first coral?
Many suggesting 3 month minimum, some shops around said you can start right away (week time) as long as you nitrate is down, and your first cycle is done with added bacteria

4- how would be the first steps to add corals? how do you perform the dip?
I got some corals and was too afraid to add them, so i dropped it to the near by store to inspect it and quranatine them for a bit of time (making sure my tank is ready). seen too many videos some of them way too complex. Of course my concern if there are worms or aiptasia which i doubt any dip can help with tiny aiptasia.

5- What was your main challenge when you started

Sorry about the amount of questions and thanks in advance

I’ve lost count on how big my CUC is. Probably in the 20-30 range. Fighting conches, red legged hermits, cerith, nassarius and trochus snails. I’ve never witnessed the hermits bother any snails, but there is one wearing a cerith shell. He may or may not have killed it.

I’ve not yet had to deal with a fish not eat anything, but I feed flakes, frozen, nori and pellets. Mostly frozen (Reef Frenzy). Some fish prefer flakes over pellets and vice versa, but they all eat frozen.

I’ve got about 2 dozen corals. Mostly LPS, but some softies, mushrooms and one SPS. All were introduced roughly between the first and third month of setting up the tank. All but one are doing well.

If your water parameters are stable, there’s not a lot to worry about. CoralRX is probably the most popular dip. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and you’ll be fine.

Patience. 100%. We’re so accustomed to instant gratification in almost every aspect, that’s it’s difficult to wait for things to happen.

 

[litsoh]

I ran across the same problems with my two clowns in getting them to eat as well, for me it was a bit of trial and error in finding out what each one preferred so I fed everything from flakes, pellets, mysis, brine, and even some bloodworms until I could determine what they liked. In my case one clown ended up liking pellets more and the other took to mysis. They did both go crazy over brine shrimp though.

They've since then become accustomed to eating pretty much everything else after watching their tankmates go crazy when it's feeding time. Best bet though would be some brine shrimp, everyone loves brine shrimp. Then you can start gradually adding in other foods along with the brine so that they'll go for it as well. When it was just my two clowns I'd cut up 1/4 cube of the frozen brine and 1/4 cube of frozen mysis for example and add them in together. Then while their feeding on it all in the water column I'd drop some pellets in as well.

 

[Goldberg]

I’ve lost count on how big my CUC is. Probably in the 20-30 range. Fighting conches, red legged hermits, cerith, nassarius and trochus snails. I’ve never witnessed the hermits bother any snails, but there is one wearing a cerith shell. He may or may not have killed it.

I’ve not yet had to deal with a fish not eat anything, but I feed flakes, frozen, nori and pellets. Mostly frozen (Reef Frenzy). Some fish prefer flakes over pellets and vice versa, but they all eat frozen.

I’ve got about 2 dozen corals. Mostly LPS, but some softies, mushrooms and one SPS. All were introduced roughly between the first and third month of setting up the tank. All but one are doing well.

If your water parameters are stable, there’s not a lot to worry about. CoralRX is probably the most popular dip. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and you’ll be fine.

Patience. 100%. We’re so accustomed to instant gratification in almost every aspect, that’s it’s difficult to wait for things to happen.

Thanks alot for your reply, I started introduced frozen foods, the positive its spread across the tank so less fighting over food. chromis and tangs are food fighers.
CoralX on my list now

Great that all corals doing well although introduced at early stage - encouraging news

 

[Goldberg]

I ran across the same problems with my two clowns in getting them to eat as well, for me it was a bit of trial and error in finding out what each one preferred so I fed everything from flakes, pellets, mysis, brine, and even some bloodworms until I could determine what they liked. In my case one clown ended up liking pellets more and the other took to mysis. They did both go crazy over brine shrimp though.

They've since then become accustomed to eating pretty much everything else after watching their tankmates go crazy when it's feeding time. Best bet though would be some brine shrimp, everyone loves brine shrimp. Then you can start gradually adding in other foods along with the brine so that they'll go for it as well. When it was just my two clowns I'd cut up 1/4 cube of the frozen brine and 1/4 cube of frozen mysis for example and add them in together. Then while their feeding on it all in the water column I'd drop some pellets in as well.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I did mix some foods today. they seem to enjoy the brine shrimp