# Any advice on improving my feeding/care method?



## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

HI. I'm totally Newbie -both here and as a aquarist- and any help would be greatly appreciated  I have a 300litr saltwater aquarium with live rocks and here are fishes I have: a Maroon clown & also a tomato, a blue tang and one white cheek surgeon, a longnose butterfly & - yeah, I'm aware of my confidence! :-D - a spotted sweetlips, too. so as a friend advised me, I use frozen Artemia & Tetra granules for feeding them. they eat fairly well except the butterfly which prefers searching on the rocks & the sweetlips which also mostly likes to taste the sands and rocks! 

so here's my question. is there any thing else I should do to feed them? and how often should I do that? Overall is there any special considerations? thank you in advance.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

First of all your tank is too small for the Tangs, Sweetlips 

2 clownfish are also asking for problems as they may occasionally chase or show aggression towards one another or similar shaped tankmates.

Sweetlips needs a 300G tank when fully grown and Tangs need 125 minimum.

From LiveAquaria re: Spotted Sweetlips * Minimum Tank Size: 300 gallons* * Care Level: Expert Only* * Temperament: Peaceful*
Feeding is NOT going to be the problem here, you need to take the fish back to the store or get a much much bigger tank.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

this is a fish only with live rock tank? ( FOWLR ) or a reef? is there a sump? or other filtration? how much rock? 


i personally pre-rinse frozen foods with alittle tank water or RO/DI water about 3x before actually using it. you can see a difference in the water after each rinsing before it finally becomes clear. i put the food into a fish net, then dunk the net in a small container of RO/DI/tank water.
i avoid flake food and anything containing more fillers then nutrition. an occasional feeding of live blackworms would make a good treat, esp for the butterfly. i wouldnt feed these often though and the same can go for fish roe ( fish eggs ) but these are very oily and should be used sparingly. i would also shut down your skimmer while feeding this as the oil will make it go bonkers.
if you have an asian supermarket close by there a good place to grab some seafood cheap to make some homemade foods in a food processor. squid, fish, fish eggs, clam, shrimp, dried seaweed ( used for sushi wraps ) and a bunch of other goodies can be bought there to use. i pre-rinse these before grinding up and then freeze the mush in a ziplock bag for later use. other things can be added to the mix too, esp if you have corals.
i usually feed every other day, sometimes every 2 days. if i feel the urge to feed in between i recently picked up a product by new life spectrum and will offer a few of their pellets but usually dont and if i do its not much, maybe 5-10 pellets. 

a good mixture of foods is best to ensure your offering all the nutrition you can.

the maroon clown can be brutal, i would watch out for the mixed clowns. welcome to the forum.


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## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

> First of all your tank is too small for the Tangs, Sweetlips
> 
> 2 clownfish are also asking for problems as they may occasionally chase or show aggression towards one another or similar shaped tankmates.
> 
> ...


I don't intend to keep sweetlips to its adulthood, I know the size it may grow into. and about the tangs, I've searched through net for a long time and most of the sources mention the minimum size of 285liter. 

As for the clowns, I had my doubts. but for now they don't have any problem with each other, fortunately; even during feeding times.



> this is a fish only with live rock tank? ( FOWLR ) or a reef? is there a sump? or other filtration? how much rock?


Yes it is only fish with live rocks for now. and there isn't any sump, I have filtration system. about the rocks, I think it's about 60 kg at least. there are 7-8 medium-sized pieces. 

thanks for the tips. I will try homemade foods. 
I feed them twice a day as well, but doesn't it affect nitrate level of the water? I've experienced 2 times rise in tank's nitrate.

The clowns get along really well for now, but I surely keep an eye on them. Thanks!


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Tangs like to swim long distances quick and the added benefit of the 6 foot+ space a 125 or bigger tanks brings is beneficial to them

Most 75G tanks are only 4 foot long which doesn't give it the space it needs, it feels stressed.

Forgive my arrogance as well...missed that you are new member...welcome to the forum


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Romaine Lettuce for he Tangs. Frozen Squid Chunks. Mysys shrimp.


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## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

> Tangs like to swim long distances quick and the added benefit of the 6 foot+ space a 125 or bigger tanks brings is beneficial to them
> 
> Most 75G tanks are only 4 foot long which doesn't give it the space it needs, it feels stressed.
> 
> Forgive my arrogance as well...missed that you are new member...welcome to the forum :smile:


I see. It seems I have to let it go, I'll definitely miss it though!

Thanks for your advices 




> Romaine Lettuce for he Tangs. Frozen Squid Chunks. Mysys shrimp.


Thanks. about the Lettuce, I heard that it's better to freeze it before using it. is that right?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

Gemini said:


> I don't intend to keep sweetlips to its adulthood, I know the size it may grow into. and about the tangs, I've searched through net for a long time and most of the sources mention the minimum size of 285liter.
> 
> As for the clowns, I had my doubts. but for now they don't have any problem with each other, fortunately; even during feeding times.
> 
> ...


a few things, and please dont take this as an attack, only help which you can pick up and take with you or leave on the table.
i wouldnt buy kittens and get rid of them before they became cats, please only buy fish you intend to keep for their entire lives. not only is it stressful moving a fish from one system to the next, its stressful on your entire system as you'll more likely have to remove majority of the rocks to catch said fish. this is where research becomes important prior to purchase. as for the clowns they are prob. getting along for now, until that maroon matures and shows its true aggression. im glad your reading up on feeding though, thats a great start. i think you may have misread what i said too, as i do NOT feed twice a day but once every other day, if not every 2 days, with if i feel the need be a handful of high quality pellets in between. the ammount of food, pre-rinsing it and using RO/DI water for making your saltwater will play a large factor in how bad your tank will have algae outbreaks. failing to do so and you will be importing large numbers of phosphates ( possibly nitrates ) into your system which the algae will feed off of.

now, what exactly is a filtration system? can you explain yours please? again dont want that to sound mean or as an attack as you cannot pick up on tone over the internet. im only here to help :cheers:


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gemini said:


> I see. It seems I have to let it go, I'll definitely miss it though!
> 
> Thanks for your advices
> 
> ...


 I don't freeze mine. Forgot another food. Plankton. My Sweetlips loved Mysis and Plankton. And as far as it not belonging in you rtank, look at it this way, its going to be YEARS before he's even close to being to large for that tank.


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## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

> a few things, and please dont take this as an attack, only help which you can pick up and take with you or leave on the table.
> i wouldnt buy kittens and get rid of them before they became cats, please only buy fish you intend to keep for their entire lives. not only is it stressful moving a fish from one system to the next, its stressful on your entire system as you'll more likely have to remove majority of the rocks to catch said fish. this is where research becomes important prior to purchase. as for the clowns they are prob. getting along for now, until that maroon matures and shows its true aggression. im glad your reading up on feeding though, thats a great start. i think you may have misread what i said too, as i do NOT feed twice a day but once every other day, if not every 2 days, with if i feel the need be a handful of high quality pellets in between. the ammount of food, pre-rinsing it and using RO/DI water for making your saltwater will play a large factor in how bad your tank will have algae outbreaks. failing to do so and you will be importing large numbers of phosphates ( possibly nitrates ) into your system which the algae will feed off of.
> 
> now, what exactly is a filtration system? can you explain yours please? again dont want that to sound mean or as an attack as you cannot pick up on tone over the internet. im only here to help :cheers:


No I really appreciate your advices. I need them and that's why I'm here.  

You are totally right about the fish selection. The problem is because I didn't have any previous experience as a aquarist, I asked a friend to make the selection for me. It seems his experience isn't much more than mine  but I'll definitely be more careful in the future. 

About the filtration, I use the default one which the company i bought the tank from,has installed. so I don't have the exact information. Could you plz tell me the notable considerations and the differences ?




> I don't freeze mine. Forgot another food. Plankton. My Sweetlips loved Mysis and Plankton. And as far as it not belonging in you rtank, look at it this way, its going to be YEARS before he's even close to being to large for that tank.


Really? that's a good idea. Although I think mine has served himself well with all of those very tiny snails moving among the sand layer! I'll try your method,too. 

Thanks alot!


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

freshwater filtration;
-hang on filters and canister filters ( unless ran empty for flow or only with carbon these should stay on freshwater tanks. theres media reactors for carbon and powerheads for flow )
-sponge filters, bio wheels and bio balls ( avoid in saltwater all together )

all these are meant to trap debris which allow them to build up. on a freshwater tank this is the idea before doing a water change to lower nitrates.

saltwater filtration;
-protien skimmer ( read reviews, some suck completely, some are worth more then gold )
-carbon/phosban reactors
-filter sock ( these can be just as problematic as freshwater type filters unless kept clean a few times a week )
-good flow with enough live rock
-some say a UV sterilizer but i personally do not suggest one, ( maybe the only exception is one on a QT )

the idea on a saltwater tank is to not trap debris, un-eaten food and detritus allowing it time to break down adn turn into excess nutrients. the idea is to have good flow to keep this stuff suspended in the water which will allow the skimmer time to pull it out. dead flow spots can become an issue as these allow debris to build up here and break down too. 

this ofcourse is the very basic break down of filtration.


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## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

> freshwater filtration;
> -hang on filters and canister filters ( unless ran empty for flow or only with carbon these should stay on freshwater tanks. theres media reactors for carbon and powerheads for flow )
> -sponge filters, bio wheels and bio balls ( avoid in saltwater all together )
> 
> ...


Oh now I get your meaning. my tank has a skimmer,C/ph reactor and UV sterilizer. and it's pump makes a relatively good flow (It's kinda delightfull how the blue tang and Damsel especially enjoy it!) the water is fairly clear and the only problem I've met since running it was a slightly-raised level of nitrate.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

the raised nitrate after adding the pump is more then likely from the gunk and debris that has been trapped behind rocks on in the nooks of the rocks that has come out. if thats the case this is good.

you didnt mention a damsel earlier and these fish when fully grown can be problematic. you may find that hard to believe for being such a small fish but they are pretty bad. ive seen one going after triggers and nipping off fins of tangs. its prob. fine now, but once it establishes territory and grows, good luck lol and even more luck trying to get it out. thats the thing with saltwater tanks its def. not as easy to net a fish as it is with a freshwater tank. fish traps sometimes work, but not always. 

i dont know your skimmer brand but your filtration setup sounds good to me.


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## Gemini (Jan 26, 2012)

Really?!! That was my initial test fish. I even couldn't find its type. I didn't think it cause any problem!


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