oonycxwilloo

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hey guys..i kno all of you are all experts so please lend a helping hand...ok .....this is how it started...yesterday i have set up my 10g tank....i put about 3 inches of live sand...(guy at the fish store recomended) and then my lovely girlfrend gave me two small live rocks(1 with mushrooms on it) well i was kinda rushin into things and i know this hoobby takes alot of patiences...so....like the jerk i am i was rushin into things and wanting to buy live creatures to put in there already and me and my girlfrend got into an arguement...sooo please help....she had giving me this coral look alike thing with tentacles and i have a pump/filter in there and a small filter,heater and light for freshwater fishes... but today i moved it on to a 30g tank and the fish store guy told me i can put 3 damsels in there so i did....but they stay at the corner all bunched up...well i have purchased a book on marine tanks..and i kno patiences is a must

ok...questionsss......

1) why are the damsels like that?

2)do i need a protein skimmer since the 30 gallon tank has a big powerful filter already including the small 1 from the 10 g tank

3)when can i start putting stuff in there...

4)how many lb of live rocks do i need in a 30 gallon tank...

5)when do i know if the water is completely "cycled"

6)how long do i have to change the water..

7)when am i suppose to check the water for nitrite,nitrate,ph and all of that...and how much will the equiptment cost...

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

i live in nyc in queens...any body that is selling live rocks for cheap per pound live rocks?? or do you know anywhere around here that i can purchase for less? because the fish store around here charges 3.99 a pound and the rocks there are heavy ....

and if i need one....protein skimmer...any for sale???

well i just want the live rocks first... well please help me EXPERTS...
 
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Howell, NJ
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1st off u said something with tentacles (please tell me u didnt put an anemone in that tank)

1. could be scared, shocked, adjusting... 1st off i wouldnt of used damsels cause there a pain to get out unless u plan on keeping them in there.. Did you acclimate the damsels before putting them in the new tank...
2. we here will all suggest a good protein skimmer... i guess ur going to have a reef tank..
3. when the water has finished cycling.. u should see an ammonia go up then down, nitrite go up then down, then nitrate should rise and then fall down to hopefully 10ppm... do u have these test kits (u are def. going to need them)
4. the rule of thumb for live rock is 1 lb- 1.5 per gallon
5. see answer 3 (all ur readings should be 0 except for the nitrate)
6. i would wait till its finished cycling then do a water change...
7. u could do that on a weekly basis... thats what i did when i started out my 29 gallon and then 75 gallon...

ok now get those corals out of that tank and give them to either ur GF or the LFS to hold on to it for you.... u can keep those damsels in there until ur tank cycles (cycling ur tank usually depends it can range from 2 weeks to 1 month)... i wouldnt put any live rock in the tank if you plan on taking the damsels out.. ur just creating more work for yourself.. let the tank cycle then when its ready then take out the damsels and add the live rock.. u might see another mini cycle (maybe) but after that mini cycle or not u can start to add the fishies slowely...

-wat kind of lighting are you using?
-are you planning to have alot of corals? what are the plans for the tank
-are you using a water filter such as a rodi?
-what test kits do u have so far? (your gonna need ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,ph) <-basic test kits
-3.99 for live rock is great.... i paid 6.00lb for mine... is it cured?

take a pic of ur setup please and post it on here...

ps. u kinda rushed things here.. we will try to get you back on track..

im sure the experts here will chime in and be more then happy to help you...
 
Last edited:

oonycxwilloo

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first off..thanks for the advices...

originally the tank was my moms for her freshwater fishes... so the light is for freshwater and filter too...so how much will lighting b and wat kinda and the filter too how much...

I am planning to have corals and invertabrates in there..

The water filter i dunt know how ot find out...

i'm goin to run out tommorw to buy the testers...

i will take a pic of my setup later on in a few mins so check up on this post often...but dont laugh...and...wat do you mean by a mini cycle and how do i know if the live rock is died off or cured?
 

noodleman

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well either way you would still cycle the rocks died off or cured on your own because of those mini cycles. And a protein skimmer would make it much easier and better to keep corals. For a 30 gallon a remora protein skimmer would be good enough IMO.
The lights would depend on what type of corals you want, softies, lps or sps. Softies and lps you can get away with PC lights, sps would require a higher demand such as HO T-5's or mh lighting.

Are you planning on having a sump?
 

oonycxwilloo

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Bayside, Queens
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sorry but...the language you are using...(saltwater language) i'm not quite understanding...do you have AIM? i mean i dont know what i sump is...and how much will a remora skimmer cost me? if you have aim please let me get your sn
 

Quang

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Location
NYC
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firist of all i would like to say welcome to MR! I hope you frequent the site not only when you need help :)

Here's a couple of helpful links...which give the basics of starting off a reef tank.

This thread on ReefCentral.com is very good...I've always thought it to be extremely helpful and the guy the wrote ot (WaterKeeper) is very animated/comical as well:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1838479#post1838479

This one is on commonly used Reef acronyms:
http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRequest=articleView&articleID=253

This last one I just googled...it's on About.com. After you finish reading it, click on some other topic/links on the left-hand side:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/c/ec/1.htm

After you read all this stuff, I think most of your questions will be answered. Come back then and ask us any questions you have left. Cheers!

-Q
 

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