Problem Setting up a 2 ft Marine Tank - Please help me

[neubie]

hey naut! guess i found my way here to! []

hi ice, care to tell me more abt the lfs in bukit timah? cos i bot sum stuff fr them....

[IcecruncherZ]

Add my to your ICQ or smething I'll tell you from there

Use my Email in the profile to add me

=P

[Marine]

Hi Ice,

Do you mind share your knowledge here as I don't have ICQ. Like to hear from you guys and learnt many new stuff.

By the way, I have successfully complete my landscaping. All the Live Rock are happily enjoying themselves in my 2ft tank.

All thanks to yhe tips provided by you guys.

[]

[nautilus]

mistake post...sorry

[Marine]

Just measure the nitrite level for my newly set up 2 ft tank. It measured at 0.2 ppm. Is it safe to add livestock now ? And what sort of hardy thingy can I add in ?[]

[DragonGoby]

Mushrooms would be one good choice - added a metallic green shroom colony when my nitrites were at a horrific 0.5ppm, and they even budded! Zoanthids (buttons etc) are also ok. Cleaner shrimp are real hardy too - marine life has loads in stock now, at long last.

Good luck with your tank!

Regards,
Hong Yee

[Marine]

Hi guys,

I think my tank should be more or least stable by now and I have already started to add some live stock. What I have now is 2 fishes + 3 shrimp + 2 hermit + 1 cucumber + little crabs come with live rock. Will not be adding anymore livestock until this load is stable again. What you think ?

[kelstorm]

I think my tank should be more or least stable by now and I have already started to add some live stock. What I have now is 2 fishes + 3 shrimp + 2 hermit + 1 cucumber + little crabs come with live rock. Will not be adding anymore livestock until this load is stable again. What you think ?
----------------
i think it should have stablised by now.. and if u want to add stock.. add slowly..

[Marine]

Kelvin,

Need your advise or analytical thinking to solve this query.

As you know my marine population consists of : 1 damsel, 1 jaw fish, 2 hermit crabs, 3 shrimps, 1 lobster, a few little crabs, 1 mushroom, 1 durian coral, 1 star polysp, 1 sea cucumber and lastly 1 fan worm.

yesterday, i measured the water parameters and were all within limits (except nitrate was about 40 ppm). And while feeding yeaterday, all the livestocks do eat comfortably.

However, this afternoon when I was about to feed them, I noticed that my blue damsel has become skeleton. Can you advise what actually has caused its life?[]

BTW, I noticed some scale around its stomach area looks abnormal. Could it be the cause ?

Please advise, thanks

[kelstorm]

As you know my marine population consists of : 1 damsel, 1 jaw fish, 2 hermit crabs, 3 shrimps, 1 lobster, a few little crabs, 1 mushroom, 1 durian coral, 1 star polysp, 1 sea cucumber and lastly 1 fan worm.
sorry.. but durian coral?? what is it full name in latin or common name? dun think i seen it b4

yesterday, i measured the water parameters and were all within limits (except nitrate was about 40 ppm). And while feeding yeaterday, all the livestocks do eat comfortably.
40ppm is a bit high.. if possible, try to have marine algae like caulerpa prolifera or caulerpa sertularioidides, to help u to soak up the excess nitrate. If not, do more water changes.. ideal should be less than 20ppm

However, this afternoon when I was about to feed them, I noticed that my blue damsel has become skeleton. Can you advise what actually has caused its life?[]
u did not mention what kind of shrimps u have there but from the looks of it, it might be your lobster or those crabs.. cute as they may be.. but they will ambush your fishes at night and devour them in their sleeping ard. That is the most logical reasoning that i can think of as the damsel is feeding well the previous day without any distress, if dun make sense to die on you just like that and become skeleton the very next day

BTW, I noticed some scale around its stomach area looks abnormal. Could it be the cause ?
can u discribe it? but if it is due to fighting(with the crabs or lobster), then no worries.. coz it will recover by itself.. but apparently, it did not survive it

[Marine]

Thanks Kelvin,

Sorry, I also don't know the actual name of durian corals. When I purchased it, the boss told me is durian coral. It looks like durian.

Not too sure whether is the crabs or lobster that murder my fish. Perhaps I will get one more blue damsel and observe closely at night.

[DragonGoby]

Hi,

The durian coral is also known as crystal coral in the US (they don'thave durians, lol), Galaxea sp. It's a SPS coral I think.

Anyway, I just went on a shopping spree and came back a broke but happy guy!!!! =) For $50 I got myself:

10 Turbo snails
1 orange Ricordia mushroom rock (about 7 shrooms)
1 orange Discosoma mushroom rock (about 35 shrooms)
1 Sinularia (finger coral) rock (3 colonies + a bonus moon coral colony)
1 bright green cat's eye bubble coral

Good deal eh? =) Now I just need a pumping xenia and an acropora to complete stocking up my dream tank. No fish yet, just 4 shrimps and one large brittle star.

This is just too exciting for words. []

BTW, anyone's tried growing the giant elephant ear's mushrooms? I want to get one but it's damn expensve ... anyone's got a cutting of it to spare? hehe ...

Regards,
Hong Yee

[Marine]

hi hong yee,

Nice to hear that you made a fruitful trip. BTW, which marine shop you visited to get such a good deal ?

[kelstorm]

Hong Yee.. Elephant Ear can get very very big and is predatory.. it is known to devour fishes.

[Wind]

Hi Ivan,


Just saw something in yr eheim which is not surpose to be in it. Zeolite! Pls remove that cos it will lech NH3 into yr systems again. Salt water is used to re-charge Zeolite!


After reading thru yr postings, U dont seems to have a chiller for yr 2 feet. I doublt yr corals can survive in the long run. Just my personal views only. Hope it helps.

[DragonGoby]

Hie,

I went straight to the farm at Choa Chu Kang. Nothing spectacuar, but large variety.

Anyway, anyone knows how much a clam costs?

Regards,
Hong Yee

[Marine]

Hong Yee,

For Farmmart (near chua chu kang), the clam cost from $30 and above. The smaller the clam, the more expensive it will be. Few weeks ago, the Boss there offer me $35 for the big clam but I didn't take the offer though the clam is very beautiful. Well, the reason is obvious for me as my tank is just only 2 ft ....no space for such big clam.[]

[Marine]

Hi wind,

Disagree with you about zeolite issue. Infact, zeolite is any member of a family of hydrated aluminosilicate minerals that have a framework structure enclosing interconnected cavities occupied by large metal cations (positively charged ions)--generally sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and barium--and water molecules. The ease of movement of ions and water within the framework allows reversible dehydration and cation exchange, properties that are exploited in water softeners and molecular sieves for pollution control, among other uses.

Zeolites are natural volcanic minerals with a number of unique characteristics. Zeolites were formed when volcanic ash was deposited in ancient alkaline lakes. The interaction of the volcanic ash with the salts in the lake water altered the ash into various Zeolite materials.

The Zeolitic channels (or pores) are microscopically small, and have molecular size dimensions such that they are often termed "molecular sieves". The size and shape of the channels have extraordinary effects on the properties of these materials for absorption processes, and this property leads to their use in separation processes.
Molecules can be separated via shape and size effects related to their possible orientation in the pore, or by differences in strength of absorption.

Ion Exchange
i. They have replaced phosphates as water softening agents.

ii. Treatment of radioactive wastes. Zeolites have been used for many years to remove Caesium and Strontium radioisotopes from nuclear waste. Zeolites are very resistant to the high doses of radiation present and are very selective ion exchangers, able to remove dangerous isotopes which may be present in only minute concentrations.

iii. Removal of ammonia and ammonium ions from waste water. Zeolites can reduce the concentration by over 90%.

iv. Zeolites are used in modern detergents as 'builders'. They remove calcium and magnesium ions from the washing water to prevent their precipitation by surfactants.

Hope this info is good for all. Or anyone disagree ?

[kelstorm]

pls take note of the feeding habits of the clams.. they are usually filter feeders and require large amt of suspended food particles in order to florish and if they are not kept properly, they are prone to die and cause pollution in the tank...u also need to consider dosing calcium or kalkwasser in that sense..[] they are very delicate creatures.. yes.. they maybe beautiful.. but if u are inexperience and cannot keep the temp down or maintain a tip-top environment, i dun suggest keeping them..[:]

[Spiff]

kel...no need to feed at all.u jus need light..very strong light.if mh best.
it olso depends on wat kind of clam it is.blue green clams need extremely strong light while brown no need tt much. clams cannot survive long periods under fl or pls.
ur calcium must olso be at least 400+ppm n above.
temp must be below 28 n cannot swing so much too.
if ur tank is fairly new do not try them.

a normal not colourful clam is $25-35 while nice colourful n hv very beautiful patterns can be $50+