new to saltwater!

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stillballin145

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#1
May 6, 2003
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got some beginner questions...

i had my 20g long tank cycled for about a week. i bought the saltwater @ the lfs.i threw in 2 damsels and everything was cool.i have live rock,a pacific (or atlantic ?) anenome(supposedly needs limited light),some crabs and snails and some red/orange tree/sponge a friend gave me.last night i threw in a clown and a peppermint shrimp. ever since last night that i threw him in hes been lost.do the shrimp usually get lost or could the anenome have aten my shrimp? and will it hurt any other fish ? what should i feed it? but i have some more questions..this morning the tank was fine and dandy everything looking good. but wen i got home from work i noticed a small color change in my live rock.the majority of my live rock has some shades of orange/red..looks exactly like rust(even tho i kno it cant be) lol ..but i saw it and said.. what the hell is that..so i quickly thought if my buddies @ MyFishTank.net ... so wat can it be ?? and if it helps...that red/orange tree/sponge my friend gave me also had some white and greenish looking fungus so looks like it was dying...HELP!! IM TOO NEW FOR THIS!
 

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aresgod

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Jan 14, 2004
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TEST TEST TEST

well i would say you might have overloaded your tank to quickly there might not be enough beneficial bacteria to handle all those fish, you should check all your levels first off and i have found anemones to be receptive to brine shrimp so i dont see why it wouldnt eat a larger shrimp also is the anemone attached or mobile?
 

sinasster

sinasster

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Nov 21, 2002
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first of all "cycled for about a week" is an improper statement. Cycled is a series of events that your tank may or may have not yet completed. depending on your live rock. If your live rock came from your LFS from their submerged live rock tanks, it may be cured and ready for your tank. If you specially ordered your rock and it came from a moist box than it will not be cured, and will probably cause a huge amonia spike that will most likely wip out your whole tank.

If the rock is changing colors rapidly than it is probably not cured, and is going threw its die off stage. due to being out of water and exposed to the air. So check your ammonia levels. The colors you do see are different kinds of algae (I assume without seeing). Most likely are the brown algae that will continually grow in your tank forever so get used to it and learn how to keep it in control

As for your stalking levels, they may be a little high. so make sure you do weekly water changes. And add a protein skimmer if you can. The inverts dont count much for the stalking levels but the 3 fish is a little much. The clown wont like higher nitrate levels. the sponge wont like the low light levels. and the damsels will soon hate each other. other than that you should be ok.

Good luck and keep us posted!!
 

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stillballin145

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May 6, 2003
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ok..the lfs told me after 3 days i can throw in fish etc. ..i bought the water from them and the lice rock from them too.i just got home from school and noticed MORE of the orange/reddish shades on my rock.i took out the sponge last night because it looked dead.the damsels already hate each other im waiting 2 take them out, i hade them there to test my tank,but all i have besides them is a clown.my filter has a protein skimmer so i guess im good there.the anenome is attached to a low rock in my tank.so it wuold be possible for it to eat my peppermint ? the pepermint was about a inch long and the anenome is only about an inch too(the mouth looking thing)..i will try to post a pics so u can see everything im talking about....im pretty nervous...help ?
 

sinasster

sinasster

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#11
Nov 21, 2002
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the orange color is ok. its just shades of brown algae... quite normal in a new salt water tank... actually quite normal in any tank. It will soon be all over the glass too. ...Its possible the anenome ate the shrimp but its not likely. Try moving the rocks around he may be hiding under or inside one. I have seen your type of anemone before but sorry i dont know for sure what type it is.

I have the same blue velvet and blue devil damsel combination in my 28 gallon tank!!
 

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stillballin145

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May 6, 2003
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thats awesome thanks for the feedback ..hopefully i can get some more from other people...but since your already here.....what else should i be expecting in my new tank ? i dont want to freak out again...also does this mean i shuldnt get my cleaner shrimp because it will either get eaten or it will hide forever ??? and wat shuld i do about the orange algae or w.e. ??
 

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supahtim

Large Fish
#13
Jun 30, 2003
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#13
ouch...

first of all...it takes at least a month to fully cycle a new saltwater tank.

damsels don't like anything. they probably ate your shrimp. well either them or the anenome

the anenome might not survive the next spike you have. if it's moving around a lot, feed it a lot and hope for the best.

does it look like an reddish fuzz? it may be cyano algae, which is super hard to get rid of. lots of water changes, test your water for phosphates

a dead sponge will wipe out the entire population of a 20g saltwater tank. they don't live after being exposed to air.

what kind of lights do you have over your tank? what type of substrate are you using? what type of filtration do you have?

hope i helped a bit... keep us updated!!

Tim
 

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supahtim

Large Fish
#14
Jun 30, 2003
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#14
alright about that slug thing, that's a sea cucumber. make sure it lives! it may be poisonous when it dies...

and your anenome looks like a rose anenome. it will not host anything except for whatever it's eating. lol

Tim
 

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stillballin145

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May 6, 2003
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ok i have a skilter filter with protein skimmer.no reddish fuzz just orange shades like rust on metal.i have 2 35 watt flourecents 20 inch long.supposedly this anenome didnt need much light.i heard i only have to feed the anenome once evry 2 weeks, frozen brine shrimp...but wenevr i feed my flakes 2 the fish it ends up eating too.also my anenome looks smaller...?
 

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supahtim

Large Fish
#17
Jun 30, 2003
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#17
oooh getting smaller is never a good sign... you should feed it every day while feeding your fish. don't feed too much though...that might be what's feeding your algae.

i have no idea about orange coloured algae...

Tim
 

55gSW

55gSW

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#18
Dec 16, 2003
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While I'm no expert, I do have a little experience so the first thing I would do is to not listen to your LFS! Most stores are in it for the money and don't really care or know about the animals they sell you. If these creatures die in your tank, it only means more money for them!!
The next thing I would do is take the anemone back to the LFS. These are delicate creatures that should only be sold to experienced SW hobbyists with mature tanks. Putting one in a tank that is still cycling is a big mistake.....and all anemones need good lighting (well, maybe not the pest anemone aptasia!)...why they would tell you they don't is beyond me, not to mention the too infrequent and small feedings....
While you're at it, take the cucumber back too...the stress of cycling will only increase the risk of this animal expelling it's guts which you don't want to happen!! It's also a good possibility that the shrimp died because of the cycling, they can be sensitive to changes in water quality too.
Skilters....oh boy....I've never had one, but from everything I've read they never work right, even with modification....

Have you thought about doing a water change? It may slow down the cycling for a day or so, but it will certainly help your fish out!!!
Whatever you do, don't get discouraged! Everyone makes mistakes when they first start out!!!:D
 

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wayne

Elite Fish
#19
Oct 22, 2002
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I wouldn't 'throw anything in a tank' least of all a shrimp. They're pretty fussy to salinity/pH changes and you need to drip acclimate them over an hour or else they die unless you're lucky.

Lesson for beginners nmuber one. Go slowly, and then go more slowly.
Either your anemone needs light or it needs more feeding, else it will die. It's your responsibility to find out.
 

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