15G - heating question

[RoxyDog]

that dead piece will be live soon enough.    how are your fish thoughts coming along?  I can't seem to decide on one more fish for my tank, so I'm always curious to hear other peoples. 

[KLKelly]

Made a mistake again - I was using the freshwater card to read ammonia - I threw out the saltwater ones.  Oops 

[az]

Made a mistake again - I was using the freshwater card to read ammonia - I threw out the saltwater ones.  Oops 

[KLKelly]

I think we need a cleanup crew - there is some green stuff forming on the rocks and some furry stuff on the rocks which is almost like red/brown fuzzy hair algae.

Why do people have crabs as part of their clean up crew - would snails alone not be able to do the job?

Thanks!

Karrie

[babblefish1960]

Snails don't eat everything, particularly dead fish, and they also can't really navigate crevices, you need a crab with dexterity for those.

[KLKelly]

Good to know.  Here's my problem though, I really want two or three very pretty/delicate crabs though.  So I don't want them to become crab food.

What is the most docile/peaceful type of crab that would pick at the rock but leave my pretty crabs alone?

Karrie

[sniggir]

you can get like 8 blue legs and 3 scarlet, and then get like 6 astrea snail, and 6 cerith, for your decritive get a porcilin

[KLKelly]

Can I just have scarlet hermits plus snails?

We tested nitrite today and it is zero.  I found an oceanic ammonia/nitrite test I bought last year that is still good so I can test ammonia tomorrow and hopefully we can get some critters!

[kennyman]

Another option is to go for an Emerald or similar crab for the algal turf a mix of three types of snails. That will give you different feeding patterns and should give pretty good control

I prefer Astrea and Nerite snails as they remain small and, to my eyes, look much nicer. (3 of each)They will work the glass and rock for film algae, diatoms and the green stuff just starting to form. Emerald crabs mostly stay on rock looking for algal turf. The stuff that has grown a bit too big for snails. (one) And a few Nassarius snails to roll the sandbed around and pickup detritus. (2-3)They prefer dead fish and such but will eat just about anything they find in the sand.

Keep in mind your tank is still cycling. Denitrification takes quite a while to kick in. And once the cyano cycle happens you will have a lot of amino acids and yuck in the water. I lost stuff at that point. I think a lot of us do.

[Vallely4]

I'd also just keep in mind what the kennyman said.

I started my tank (with cycled water- so basicly no cycle at all) about 6 weeks ago, and 4 weeks ago added just 5 hermits 2 snails. We're now down to 2 hermits and 1 snail... sad
but all the little guys passed away, but I have heard its common to lose hermits here and there- especially begginning a tank.
Atleast my hermits played nice, no attacking each other, when they died, they just sat there overnight and were gone the next day by the rest of the hermits.

And there allllways swapping homes!

[KLKelly]

One more week to go for snails and crabs.  The tank is showing nitrate which means the live rock still has some work to do.

It kind of sucks because now I'm starting to get really excited about seeing critters in the tank.

Those scarlet crabs are really neat!!!!

[artw]

I don't think there is anything wrong with adding a CUC with a bit of nitrAtes in there.

[Julie]

That cuc could pose problems in a 15g if it checks out.

[sdivell]

i added my CuC in my 10g when i had about 5ppm nitrAtes with no problems at all... all of my critters survived just fine.

[Julie]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/invert.htm  Sea Cuc reading

I think someone here lost a cuc in their tank a couple years ago though I don't recall the result.

[sdivell]

Julie i believe in this case the CUC means "Clean up crew" meaning snails and hermits.

[KLKelly]

We have a whole new kit and saltwater cards and it shows nitrates as zero.  I'll get it tested again on Sunday and hopefully crab some and snail critters on Sunday.

Two more things on my mind:
We didn't add live rock rubble to the refugium but this is something we want to do.  By doing this would it result in a cycle blip and delay adding real life to the tank?

I see that you guys add frags/critters often to your tank directly.  In my freshwater tanks I disinfect everything going into my tanks (especially plants) and qt fish for 30 days.  If we have a live fish in the 15 gallon SW- isn't their a risk of bringing something into the tank that could affect them?  What is the norm in adding stuff other than fish? (I've read about freshwater dips but thats it so far).

Thanks!!!!

Karrie

[KLKelly]

This is our first experience with saltwater. Sorry I don't take the best pics and we haven't picked up a magnetic cleaner for the glass yet.

Here is the tank.  Lighting is only the 96w coralife fixture for now. 16lbs of live rock (he picked out four different kinds).




And a weird rock he picked out that is hollow.


We would love some feedback before we add the crew.  Thanks guys.

Karrie


   

[babblefish1960]

I would say that it looks like a lovely start, lots of surface area on the different rocks, and of course, a ton of hidey holes for whatever critters you eventually place in there.   Only question I would have, would the water flow be throughout the tank everywhere.  Just thought I would ask.   Good luck, I am sure you will enjoy your latest venture immensely.

[KLKelly]

Thanks Babble.  Thats one thing that we are stuck on is water flow. We are going blind there and have no clue what we are doing.

Potential for lots of flow but exactly where to place it or what direction to aim them isn't clear.  I notice he has one of them aiming up at the surface    We have been told to stick a hand in the tank and we would be able to feel the deadspots.  I was worried there was too much flow - An AC110, and two Maxijet600s.