My 29 g Tank
- Thread starter gobyfan
- Start date
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by dustint:
<strong>I have a comment on the emporer. What I did was remove my bio wheels. Now I have a 2 gallon bin and pump, which I now use a refugium of sorts and additional current. I dont have a light on it or anything, but I keep my heater and a few porous rocks in it and my pod population is increasing. I can see them in their as well as a few baby shrimp from months ago when my peppermint layed its eggs. Its worked for me, so I say keep it. You also have a great place to add carbon and phosphate remover etc.
Dustin</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks Dust!
I will remove the Bio's and leave it without them! but should i use some kind of flter floss or any carbon in the empty conatiners in the filter?
<strong>I have a comment on the emporer. What I did was remove my bio wheels. Now I have a 2 gallon bin and pump, which I now use a refugium of sorts and additional current. I dont have a light on it or anything, but I keep my heater and a few porous rocks in it and my pod population is increasing. I can see them in their as well as a few baby shrimp from months ago when my peppermint layed its eggs. Its worked for me, so I say keep it. You also have a great place to add carbon and phosphate remover etc.
Dustin</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks Dust!
I will remove the Bio's and leave it without them! but should i use some kind of flter floss or any carbon in the empty conatiners in the filter?
Well Id use carbon as needed. The emporers have those filter replacement packs with carbon and filter sponge all in one. These are great but just dont forget about one and leave it for an extended period as they accumulate waste etc and will raise your nitrates and phosphates. I use the plastic containers for phosphate removers and carbon as needed. Mostly when I add something new to the tank, or if I go on vacation for a few days just to be cautious. But most of the time I have the rocks and heater in one bin and nothing in the other. This way I can easily slip one of the containers into the empty bin. Its been really convenient for me.
Hold up! Gobyfan don't remove the bio-wheel or the filter media until you reduce your fish load!!!! Like I stated previously this is supporting your tank right now. Get more rock and less fish and THEN pull the media out. We won't woory about nitrate at this point. That will come.
Originally posted by gobyfan:
[QB]
I returned the TANG and the Damsail today (aplause!!!) and got 10 more pounds of live rock, as far as fish load i did get another true perc to go along with my first one!
That is all the fish that i will have in the tank!
Now is it safe to remove the bio wheels?
My next area of concentration will be in adding more sand and live rock! then start adding some Soft Corals!
Thanks
Revised Fish Load 04/03/02
2 true Percula Clowns
1 Purple Firefish
1 Black Cap Basslet
1 Orange Spot Goby
i had a 29 gallon reef for 2 years and then upgraded to a 55. it wasn't that expensive to upgrade and was well worth it. if i were you, i'd save money to get a bigger tank rather than more rock now. 29's are kinda tough b/c there's not a whole lot of room for error, and not much room for a refugium, or top off system, etc.
if you upgrade you could use the 29 as a hospital tank. i sold my 29 to get more stuff, but now i regret it - i wish i still had it
if you upgrade you could use the 29 as a hospital tank. i sold my 29 to get more stuff, but now i regret it - i wish i still had it
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by huz:
<strong>i had a 29 gallon reef for 2 years and then upgraded to a 55. it wasn't that expensive to upgrade and was well worth it. if i were you, i'd save money to get a bigger tank rather than more rock now. 29's are kinda tough b/c there's not a whole lot of room for error, and not much room for a refugium, or top off system, etc.
if you upgrade you could use the 29 as a hospital tank. i sold my 29 to get more stuff, but now i regret it - i wish i still had it</strong><hr></blockquote>
I would do that but i live in a small appartment!
and bigger tank more money!!!
And even if i did get more rock i could move that to the bigger one!
GF
<strong>i had a 29 gallon reef for 2 years and then upgraded to a 55. it wasn't that expensive to upgrade and was well worth it. if i were you, i'd save money to get a bigger tank rather than more rock now. 29's are kinda tough b/c there's not a whole lot of room for error, and not much room for a refugium, or top off system, etc.
if you upgrade you could use the 29 as a hospital tank. i sold my 29 to get more stuff, but now i regret it - i wish i still had it</strong><hr></blockquote>
I would do that but i live in a small appartment!
and bigger tank more money!!!
And even if i did get more rock i could move that to the bigger one!
GF
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by esmithiii:
<strong>FWIW I have over 270 lbs of LR, and a 4-6" DSB which helps a ton on filtration. IMO, you need to add at least another 25 lbs of LR, and get rid of the emperor 400. It will be a nitrate farm soon.
[/URL]</strong><hr></blockquote>
If i do get rid of my Emperor 400, what should i replace it with, that will not be expensive!
Thanks
<strong>FWIW I have over 270 lbs of LR, and a 4-6" DSB which helps a ton on filtration. IMO, you need to add at least another 25 lbs of LR, and get rid of the emperor 400. It will be a nitrate farm soon.
[/URL]</strong><hr></blockquote>
If i do get rid of my Emperor 400, what should i replace it with, that will not be expensive!
Thanks
I don't want to be a pesimist but if you don't trim down your fish load you are going to have some serious issues down the road.
#1) These fish and corals come from very prestine water conditions. Nutrient poor to say the least and no Nitrates, phosphates, etc. With this type of fish load you will always have a high concentration of all the above. This will inhibit coral growth if not kill many corals and change many of them to a brown color. This will also cause MASSIVE algae blooms from Hair to diatoms.
#2) You now have 3 highly territorial fish and 2 very timid fish. When fish are stressed they get sick. Fish are like people in a way because they want their personal space. If they do not have it and are constantly fighting or getting picked on they get stressed. The illnesses like in humans are contagis. I would be VERY concerned about Ick spreading and thinning out your fish load for you. Like I stated in my first post. Reduce your fish load to 3 of the fish on your list MAX.
#3) pH and alkalinity is going to be a major problem keeping in check. You have a small volume of water with LOTS of fish poo. Without doing constant water changes your water chemistry is going to be very hard to manage. Corals and fish have adapted to a certain pH level in nature, outside of these levels they stress and die. Large swings in pH will also stress or kill corals and fish.
Please for the animals sake make the tough decision and take back 2 more of your fish. If you are attached to these fish and can't make the decision then by all means purchase a larger system. I am not trying to rain on your parade or be some sort of "Fish-load Nazi". I am telling you from personal experience and others experiences that you are setting yourself up for failure. Take the fish back and give them a chance to go on and thrive somewhere else. If you don't take them back you will learn the hard way that you can't force these creatures to adapt to your system. WE MUST ADAPT OUR SYSTEMS TO OUR INHABITANTS!!!! Once you learn this the fun begins because you begin to try and create a replication of nature in your home instead of having a collection of animals.
Oh! and to answer your question, yes you can go ahead and remove the media. But do it slowly, for example remove the insert this week and then the bio-wheel next week. This will allow the bacteria in the rock and sand catch up to the bio-load.
Please read through the library hear too. There is tons of stuff to learn. It becomes an obsession ask anyone on these boards!
#1) These fish and corals come from very prestine water conditions. Nutrient poor to say the least and no Nitrates, phosphates, etc. With this type of fish load you will always have a high concentration of all the above. This will inhibit coral growth if not kill many corals and change many of them to a brown color. This will also cause MASSIVE algae blooms from Hair to diatoms.
#2) You now have 3 highly territorial fish and 2 very timid fish. When fish are stressed they get sick. Fish are like people in a way because they want their personal space. If they do not have it and are constantly fighting or getting picked on they get stressed. The illnesses like in humans are contagis. I would be VERY concerned about Ick spreading and thinning out your fish load for you. Like I stated in my first post. Reduce your fish load to 3 of the fish on your list MAX.
#3) pH and alkalinity is going to be a major problem keeping in check. You have a small volume of water with LOTS of fish poo. Without doing constant water changes your water chemistry is going to be very hard to manage. Corals and fish have adapted to a certain pH level in nature, outside of these levels they stress and die. Large swings in pH will also stress or kill corals and fish.
Please for the animals sake make the tough decision and take back 2 more of your fish. If you are attached to these fish and can't make the decision then by all means purchase a larger system. I am not trying to rain on your parade or be some sort of "Fish-load Nazi". I am telling you from personal experience and others experiences that you are setting yourself up for failure. Take the fish back and give them a chance to go on and thrive somewhere else. If you don't take them back you will learn the hard way that you can't force these creatures to adapt to your system. WE MUST ADAPT OUR SYSTEMS TO OUR INHABITANTS!!!! Once you learn this the fun begins because you begin to try and create a replication of nature in your home instead of having a collection of animals.
Oh! and to answer your question, yes you can go ahead and remove the media. But do it slowly, for example remove the insert this week and then the bio-wheel next week. This will allow the bacteria in the rock and sand catch up to the bio-load.
Please read through the library hear too. There is tons of stuff to learn. It becomes an obsession ask anyone on these boards!
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by gobyfan:
[qb]
[qb]
Originally posted by Modo:
[QB]I don't want to be a pesimist but if you don't trim down your fish load you are going to have some serious issues down the road.
I do agree with some extent!! but sorry to tell you that i am not planning on taking any fish back!!
The reason being is beacuse i have 5 fish that are small and not planning on adding anymore fish to this tank, and the fish are not fighting right now they seem to be very well behaved, that goes for the perc's as well i think they are getting along very well, maybee beacuse i got a smaller perc and establishing there pecking order.
This fish do not produce alot of waste, like other fish would,(larger FISH) plus with proper maintenance this can be taken care off! I do 20 to 30 % water changes every two weeks.
and all of my water parameters are very stable!
My tank is not a new one it has had time to mature!
I think i understud very well about the TANG issue and that why i took him back to the LFS.
But i know there are hundreds of people that have thrived with a system like mine or smaller (nano tanks), and had no problem, including some friends of mine from the LFS that have been in this hobby for years!
I also undertand there are allot of people who fail, but i think these are people that don't reasearch and know what type of animals they have along with the care they need.
I consider myself an avid reader and love to know more and more about this hobby, since its a never ending hobby.
But i think i have the some of the knowlege that i need to make my tank work with what i have, and if i don't then i will have to deal with it!
I know people who have more of a fish load + corals in a 14g or a 20g tank and they have never had a problem and there systems have been up for years this way. I think with the proper care and maitnance you can have a succsesful small tank!
I would love to have a bigger tank but that is impossible right now for me since i have a kid and live in a small place, plus $$$$ as well!
I am very happy with my small tank, and maybee in the future i will get a bigger tank!
By the way i have been reading and have had the interest in keeping fish since i was a small boy, know that i am older this intrest has turned into a real deal!
Thanks
GF
[ qb]<hr></blockquote>
[ April 04, 2002: Message edited by: gobyfan ]</p>
I'm like you. I don't make alot of cash and thats the only reason I don't have a larger tank. I actually recieved this tank free from a friend. I also made the same mistake of overstocking. That is why I have 1 Perc, 1 Chromis and 1 Blenny that have been with me going on 2 yrs now. I learned the hard way that this is the correct fish population for this sized tank.
Well, I guess if that is your decision the only other advice I can give you is to set up a hospital tank ASAP. As soon as you see any sign of Ick or other disease get that guy out quick and medicate. This will prevent the others from getting it. What ever you do DON'T add medication with copper (or any meds to be safe) into your main tank.
You will also want to test your water params very closely. As soon as something starts getting out of wack do a water change. This includes...
nitrate
phosphate
pH
alkalinity
(I'm sure you already tested for ammonia and nitrite during the cycle. These will/should stay zero)
Please note that replacing dead livestock cost $$$, test kits cost $$$ and salt and ro water cost $$$. All of this can be reduced by just doing what I've suggested. This is money spent towards corals, lights, refugiums and all the other fun stuff.
If you have any other questions fire away.
Not to be the one to start an argument..my 29g tanks has been going for the past two years with basically the same amount of fish that Gobyfan has.
I've got:
1 Lemonpeel Angel
1 Maroon Clown
1 Yellowhead sleeper goby
1 Six Line Wrasse
I also have Ricordea and frilly mushrooms, yellow button polyps and a rose BTA. I am very dilligent about tank maintenance and the only fish I ever lost in this tank was a Diamond sleeper goby than jumped out when I forgot to close the top. It can be done but as I said, you need to be dilligent about maintenance.
But all good things come to an end, this past Monday I replaced the very scratched 29g with a 37g tank. Same dimensions only 4" taller.
I've got:
1 Lemonpeel Angel
1 Maroon Clown
1 Yellowhead sleeper goby
1 Six Line Wrasse
I also have Ricordea and frilly mushrooms, yellow button polyps and a rose BTA. I am very dilligent about tank maintenance and the only fish I ever lost in this tank was a Diamond sleeper goby than jumped out when I forgot to close the top. It can be done but as I said, you need to be dilligent about maintenance.
But all good things come to an end, this past Monday I replaced the very scratched 29g with a 37g tank. Same dimensions only 4" taller.
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote
Several smaller fish may produce as much waste as one large fish just because the metabolism of smaller fish is usually higher than a larger fish. The smaller fish will need to be fed more often to meet their nutritional needs. Granted this is all dependant on species and habits of said fish.
IMO you load is too high as well. I'd give small fish at lease 5 to 10 gallons of space to grow into.
.
Several smaller fish may produce as much waste as one large fish just because the metabolism of smaller fish is usually higher than a larger fish. The smaller fish will need to be fed more often to meet their nutritional needs. Granted this is all dependant on species and habits of said fish.
IMO you load is too high as well. I'd give small fish at lease 5 to 10 gallons of space to grow into.
Originally posted by Modo:
[QB]
Well, I guess if that is your decision the only other advice I can give you is to set up a hospital tank ASAP. As soon as you see any sign of Ick or other disease get that guy out quick and medicate. This will prevent the others from getting it. What ever you do DON'T add medication with copper (or any meds to be safe) into your main tank.
Done! I have a 10 Gallon tank as a Hospital tank with a Aquaclear filter and a cheap heater!
Haven't used it since i've had the main tank(knock on wood).
but it's there just in case!
Thanks
Gobyfan- Please read this article.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/stocking1.htm
Please scroll down on this page to "Stocking" and read the FIVE pages of FAQs of stocking.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MarIndInd.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/stocking1.htm
Please scroll down on this page to "Stocking" and read the FIVE pages of FAQs of stocking.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MarIndInd.htm
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
