# marine fish .



## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

HELLO . i'm new to this and realy need some help , i've got my new marine tank set up , i've added a powder blue tang wich lasted 3 days before dieing , i then added a badger face , and the same again 3 days , they dont seem to be eating , i,ve checked my salt levels , ph , nitrite , they all seem to be spot on , so whats the probleb ? .......thanks raza ,


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## skits415 (Mar 3, 2008)

how long did you cycle your tank?


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

Powder blue tang is a very bad choice for a new tank, even if it had survived your cycle they are very territorial and would cause alot of problems with any future additions to your tank, as far as the "badger face", i assume you are referring to a foxface which is a very common species of rabbitfish. Though considerably hardier than the tang is still a poor choice for an uncycled system. If you could provide more information about your tank, size, filtration, water parameters inluding ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate I would be glad to help guide you in cycling and stocking your new aquarium : )


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

gymnothorax said:


> Powder blue tang is a very bad choice for a new tank, even if it had survived your cycle they are very territorial and would cause alot of problems with any future additions to your tank, as far as the "badger face", i assume you are referring to a foxface which is a very common species of rabbitfish. Though considerably hardier than the tang is still a poor choice for an uncycled system. If you could provide more information about your tank, size, filtration, water parameters inluding ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate I would be glad to help guide you in cycling and stocking your new aquarium : )


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

*raza's tank .*



raza said:


> gymnothorax said:
> 
> 
> > Powder blue tang is a very bad choice for a new tank, even if it had survived your cycle they are very territorial and would cause alot of problems with any future additions to your tank, as far as the "badger face", i assume you are referring to a foxface which is a very common species of rabbitfish. Though considerably hardier than the tang is still a poor choice for an uncycled system. If you could provide more information about your tank, size, filtration, water parameters inluding ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate I would be glad to help guide you in cycling and stocking your new aquarium : )


 ... hi you wanted the spec of my tank , it's 26 glns - filtration - tetratec 750 external - nitrite - 0 - ph 8-5 - salt levels spot on - nitrate ? ammonia ? nobody told me to check these last two levels , do you think this may be the problem ? raza .


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

We need to know ammonia and nitrate as well as nitrtrites.

Those fish are a bad choice for begginers. How long has this tak been set-up>


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

Cody said:


> We need to know ammonia and nitrate as well as nitrtrites.
> 
> Those fish are a bad choice for begginers. How long has this tak been set-up>


 hi cody , my tank has been set up for 2 wks now , i've lost the first couple of fish , but as i said , nobody told me you had to check the nitrate levels or the ammonia levels . all the rest are fine .


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

it takes about 4-6 weeks to cycle a tank. I hate to say it but as your nitrite spikes over the next couple of weeks it is very likely that you will lose the remaining fish in your tank. If you can i would try and return them to your lfs until your nitrite has spiked and dropped then you can reclaim them after doing a 25% water change. I feel i should also add that even when cycled, the fish you have had in your tank are way to large for a 26 gallon, powder blue tang requires atleast a 75 minimum, preferably 125 or larger, and the same goes for the foxface. either way, keep us updated and i'll do what I can to help you


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

raza said:


> Cody said:
> 
> 
> > We need to know ammonia and nitrate as well as nitrtrites.
> ...


You should add no livestock untill the cycle is complete. Fish should be 30 days after the cycle is done, if not more. Cycyling takes 3-8 (12 sometimes) weeks. You should have done much more information before you went into this.

I would suggest getting all fish out, inverts, corals, wheatever. They need out. Could you please name your equipment (filter, heater, type of lighting w/ bulb wattage, etc)?

To help you out right now, I would do 25-50% changes every day with livestock in it untill your levels are stable. Do you have FO, FOWLR, or Reef?


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

Cody said:


> raza said:
> 
> 
> > Cody said:
> ...


 Cody , thanks for your speedy replay , their are no fish left in the tank now , this is the spec for the tank you wanted , i've got reef rock , ( filter ) tetratec 750 external - ( heater ) elite - (lighting) T5 marina white 18w ,cody , do you think i shold start from scatch again ? raza


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Sounds like you have a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock). You wont be able to add any corals under 18W of lighting.

Good that you took the fish out. You don't have to restart. Just make sure your tank cycles. I would do a few WC's to get all the nasty stuff out. 

Do you have a powerhead? 

I would suggest buying an Aquaclear110 and convert it into a fuge.


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

Cody said:


> Sounds like you have a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock). You wont be able to add any corals under 18W of lighting.
> 
> Good that you took the fish out. You don't have to restart. Just make sure your tank cycles. I would do a few WC's to get all the nasty stuff out.
> 
> ...


 hi cody , no i dont have a powerhead cody , whats that for & sorry for being so dumb , and what do you meen get an aquaclear 110 & convert it into fudge ? raza .


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

raza said:


> Cody said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like you have a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock). You wont be able to add any corals under 18W of lighting.
> ...


 sorry cody i fogot to say , i have 2x18w lights in , is that ok for coral ?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

36W is not enough for a 22G coral growth. It is hardly enough for low-light corals. You should have at least 6 watts of lighting per gallon for corals. I am having 9.6 watts on my tank.

An Aquaclear110 is a filter. You can convert it into a fuge, or you can DIY fuge which I plan to do. To DIY in the tank, you can get some glass/acrylic/plexiglass and silicone it (aquarium safe) in to the shape of a fuge.

A powerhead promotes water movement, which is highly needed in a tank. If you want corals, upgrade your lighting and get a powerhead. 2 would be better.


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

Cody said:


> 36W is not enough for a 22G coral growth. It is hardly enough for low-light corals. You should have at least 6 watts of lighting per gallon for corals. I am having 9.6 watts on my tank.
> 
> An Aquaclear110 is a filter. You can convert it into a fuge, or you can DIY fuge which I plan to do. To DIY in the tank, you can get some glass/acrylic/plexiglass and silicone it (aquarium safe) in to the shape of a fuge.
> 
> A powerhead promotes water movement, which is highly needed in a tank. If you want corals, upgrade your lighting and get a powerhead. 2 would be better.


CODY, thanks once again , your a star . i'll let you no how i get on , cheers raza .


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

raza said:


> Cody said:
> 
> 
> > 36W is not enough for a 22G coral growth. It is hardly enough for low-light corals. You should have at least 6 watts of lighting per gallon for corals. I am having 9.6 watts on my tank.
> ...


 hi cody , thanks again for your help , the tank is up and runing now , i've added a blue trigger and a lipstick tang , both are doing fine ,what outher fish do you recomend ? raza .


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

And this is a 26 gallon tank?

Not to sound rude, but both of those fish need at least a tank three times bigger than that. The Trigger wil reach 10" minimum, and the Tang can easily reach 14+". You are looking at at least a 60G for the Trigger, and a 125G for the Tang. You should get them out.

Good fish for this tank are Percula Clowns, Occeleris Clowns, Six-Line Wrasse, Watchman Gobies, many other gobies, Firefish, Royal Gramma, Pseudochromis, or Cardinalfish.


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## raza (Mar 4, 2008)

Cody said:


> And this is a 26 gallon tank?
> 
> Not to sound rude, but both of those fish need at least a tank three times bigger than that. The Trigger wil reach 10" minimum, and the Tang can easily reach 14+". You are looking at at least a 60G for the Trigger, and a 125G for the Tang. You should get them out.
> 
> Good fish for this tank are Percula Clowns, Occeleris Clowns, Six-Line Wrasse, Watchman Gobies, many other gobies, Firefish, Royal Gramma, Pseudochromis, or Cardinalfish.


 hi cody , sounds like i need to change my pet store, the guy knows the size of my tank and he said they would be fine , anything for a sale eh , well cody at least i no what im looking for now , sorry for being a pest .


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Ah, its ok. Thank God your getting them out of there sooner than later.


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## kimber (Dec 23, 2007)

There are some really good books out there i would suggest reading before you go on. the best and cheapest is marine fishes written by scott w. michael, it gives you good fish info, sizes min size of tank.,,, there are alos alot of books about setup, just check the date it was printed to make sure they aren't talking old technology.


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## DJOstrichHead (Feb 29, 2008)

before you ever even think about buying another fish, make sure you do research on them. 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/

That place is a good site to look up any fish you want to find out its basic needs (tank size etc).


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