How to run your new tank without fallow and quarantine, post here for guidance live time, we track your tank out to eight months

[lhendricks420]

You lost me at tap water LoL

Lolol understandable, I figured as such but I’m just trying to be honest!! I felt like I was hiding in the shadows and had to just admit that yes, I use the tap water conditioner products. I add the needed amount to the tap before I mix in my salt and then I let it settle and stay cool in the basement for about a week before using it for changes.

Had to just get it out there, I’m not a liar and terrible at it even if I could lol. I looked at my water tests for my area and it’s not scary.
My PJ cardinals are growing like crazy, like a full inch since I’ve gotten them, my shrimp have molted successfully and grown. I have coralline algae popping up all over now

Just trying to put myself out there lol, if Im the only one, I’m the only one, but I had to be honest about my tank and it’s journey so far.

 

[RipVanWinkle]

My tank is almost 2 months old and my flame angel who was added about 3 weeks ago had a spot on him for about a week, which is gone now. I didn’t do anything to treat it I just bet it would go away on its own cuz the tank is healthy looking.

 

[Lukeluke]

So I'm about to the "fill with water" stage of my first tank build. 75g sand bed, with some "live" sand, dry, dead as disco rock. Wasn't planning to QT since it seems like there is ample evidence it can be done successfully without. Do I need to source live rock to join this party? Or are there other variables we're controlling for? I read the thread but I'm not 100% sure what the experiment here is. Happy to join in if it means advice from @brandon429 and @Paul B along the way.

BTW is there a good thread/article on culturing these white worms of which you speak?

 

[brandon429]

To hedge in your favor add some/ all of the most premium live rocks


take time to make some/ all of your feed input hand prepared sea fare, from the store and add pod diversity too


i take those as the highlights of Pauls natural method he w add some more options as well

 

[Lukeluke]

I'll see what I can do about premium live rocks. I imagine you doing this when you say that.


What's the reco for seeding pods? I've seen them sold in jars various places.

 

[atoll]

Part of my success of keeping healthy fish is I believe directly related to the foods I feed so I thought I would give an insight into how I culture pods outside in summer.

My outside pod culture has exploded. I have millions of pods following on from last year. I will have live pods to feed until late summer at least now. So easy to culture nothing could be easier. All that's needed is a container, I use one of those under bed storage boxes, old tank water,a leaf of banana skin and a starter culture of pods from your LFS.
Add the old tank water.
Add the leaf of banana skin, leave in a bright position and leave to turn green.
Add the starter culture of pods and wait.
You can a 1/4 or 1/2 a teaspoon spirulina now and again to give it a boost.


And a quick scoop to feed my fish.

 

[MnFish1]

Part of my success of keeping healthy fish is I believe directly related to the foods I feed so I thought I would give an insight into how I culture pods outside in summer.

My outside pod culture has exploded. I have millions of pods following on from last year. I will have live pods to feed until late summer at least now. So easy to culture nothing could be easier. All that's needed is a container, I use one of those under bed storage boxes, old tank water,a leaf of banana skin and a starter culture of pods from your LFS.
Add the old tank water.
Add the leaf of banana skin, leave in a bright position and leave to turn green.
Add the starter culture of pods and wait.
You can a 1/4 or 1/2 a teaspoon spirulina now and again to give it a boost.


And a quick scoop to feed my fish.

Thanks this is good information!

 

[Lukeluke]

Part of my success of keeping healthy fish is I believe directly related to the foods I feed so I thought I would give an insight into how I culture pods outside in summer.

My outside pod culture has exploded. I have millions of pods following on from last year. I will have live pods to feed until late summer at least now. So easy to culture nothing could be easier. All that's needed is a container, I use one of those under bed storage boxes, old tank water,a leaf of banana skin and a starter culture of pods from your LFS.
Add the old tank water.
Add the leaf of banana skin, leave in a bright position and leave to turn green.
Add the starter culture of pods and wait.
You can a 1/4 or 1/2 a teaspoon spirulina now and again to give it a boost.


And a quick scoop to feed my fish.

I assume you put a lid on the tub?
What's the low end they can handle as far as temp? I'm in Central Texas and other than the madness of this last winter, we only get a few months of really cold weather.

 

[atoll]

I assume you put a lid on the tub?
What's the low end they can handle as far as temp? I'm in Central Texas and other than the madness of this last winter, we only get a few months of really cold weather.

Nope no lid, no need for one. Not sure what the lowest temp would be but I do know the top couple of inches can freeze over without a problem. Pods will come back with the warmer weather.

 

[salty joe]

What about rain, I assume the pod factory has to be kept out of the rain.

 

[zalick]

My tank is almost 2 months old and my flame angel who was added about 3 weeks ago had a spot on him for about a week, which is gone now. I didn’t do anything to treat it I just bet it would go away on its own cuz the tank is healthy looking.

How’s your flame angel and other fish doing now?

 

[atoll]

What about rain, I assume the pod factory has to be kept out of the rain.

Nope rainwater being lighter than saltwater mostly just runs off the surface.

 

[Lukeluke]

Literally a bucket on the porch. Neat. I like simple.

Last of my gear showing up this week, then to the LFS for some live rock. Which means skip cycle, and should have a couple fish by this time next week!

I've read a few threads on the "rip clean". What is the recommended preventative maintenance to avoid that? Was that stirring the sand occasionally to keep it from going anaerobic?

I was also planning on testing phosphate and nitrate weekly and letting that dictate when water changes are done rather than a particular schedule. At least to begin with to get an idea of how nutrients are fluctuating week to week. The numbers I've seen are 10 ppm nitrate and 0.1 phosphate being the queue to change out some water to export. Does that make sense? Is there a generally agreed on max acceptable nutrient level for fowlr? Or just depends on how the tank behaves, undesirable algea growth, bacteria, etc?

In the vein of record keeping, I've found a few apps for recording tank parameters and such. Anyone have a favorite Android app for that kind of thing?

 

[Cole.mormon]

You've been hit by

 

[Cole.mormon]

You've been struck by a smooth criminal

 

[MnFish1]

Literally a bucket on the porch. Neat. I like simple.

Last of my gear showing up this week, then to the LFS for some live rock. Which means skip cycle, and should have a couple fish by this time next week!

I've read a few threads on the "rip clean". What is the recommended preventative maintenance to avoid that? Was that stirring the sand occasionally to keep it from going anaerobic?

I was also planning on testing phosphate and nitrate weekly and letting that dictate when water changes are done rather than a particular schedule. At least to begin with to get an idea of how nutrients are fluctuating week to week. The numbers I've seen are 10 ppm nitrate and 0.1 phosphate being the queue to change out some water to export. Does that make sense? Is there a generally agreed on max acceptable nutrient level for fowlr? Or just depends on how the tank behaves, undesirable algea growth, bacteria, etc?

In the vein of record keeping, I've found a few apps for recording tank parameters and such. Anyone have a favorite Android app for that kind of thing?

I would consider doing water changes regularly - as compared to 'when the tests are bad'. The purpose of water changes is to prevent the 'test from getting bad'.

 

[Paul B]

So I'm about to the "fill with water" stage of my first tank build. 75g sand bed, with some "live" sand, dry, dead as disco rock.

DISCO ROCK IS DEAD!!!! OOOooohhhh NNNNoooooooooo.

Yes. Get live rock, as much as you can afford or steal from your neighbor. If you can only get dead, "like disco rock" do something else, perhaps golf or ping pong and you can get one of those small tanks with plastic fish that go up and down. Maybe borrow it from John Travolta.

Remember, don't get discouraged if you see some spots on the fish. If you never see any spots, then get discouraged. Spots are just some parasites without a home.

Those "hopefully" will get and keep your fish healthy and immune, But, A New Tank is Never Healthy.

It's not like a new Toyota Land Cruiser with that new, Although Japanese "new Car Smell.

The bacteria in a new tank are all racist and Homophobic, unlike anyone here. They can't get along and are constantly arguing until one of them gets the upper hand and wins the "Who can process nitrate faster" contest and covers all the surfaces in your tank.

The rest of them are relegated to live in a van down by the river and listen to old REO Speed Wagon records
(google them)

After you get the "live" rock, feed it. Yes, feed the live rock. Anything live needs to be fed. You can use pellets, clams, flakes or your old socks. But keep it fed.

This will raise your nitrates and that is a good thing. Don't worry about it and don't come on here and tell anyone or they will tell you to change the water and add Prizapro which is a direct link to the disease forum.

After you throw the fish in there, throw out all those pellets, (yes, even the quality healthy, expensive ones" along with the flakes and your old socks.
Don't get the most expensive fish like Achilles tangs or manta rays. Maybe something like a clownfish as you can't kill them even if you run a school bus over them,,,,twice.

Get some frozen foods "and" supplement those with food that you know has living bacteria in it like live worms or clams that you buy fresh.
Set up that tank with hiding places where you can't see the fish. They don't like you no matter how good looking your Mother told you you are and don't want to see you. That is the secret but don't tell anyone or it won't be a secret.

This is very serious so good luck and if you have any questions, ask Brandon.

 

[salty joe]

Set up that tank with hiding places where you can't see the fish. They don't like you no matter how good looking your Mother told you you are and don't want to see you. That is the secret but don't tell anyone or it won't be a secret.

This gets far too little attention, IMO. I've had fish that I thought died soon after putting them in the tank show themselves a month later.

 

[Paul B]

I still have fish that I "never" see. They are spawning behind the rocks in caves. I am just happy that they are happily living.
Fish want to have a life to and not just so we can look at them all day.

If I want to see them I can shoot some food back there or look for them at night with a flash light

 

[Floyd-]

Im glad I stumbled on this thread. I setup my first saltwater tank after doing freshwater for years. Its a 60gallon with a canister filter with a HOB scrubber. I had a NOX angel that had white spots all over him so in a knee jerk reaction I setup a QT tank medicated and he died 2 days after. Along with the angel I QT a few chromies and a yellow tang, all of which had no signs of ICH or otherwise. After 4 days the tang died and the chromies are still living. I did leave 2 clowns, a coral beauty, molly and two gobys in the DT and they are happy as a clam. I was frantic testing the water parameters and all but they were all "fine" by normal standards.
I guess after loosing the tang im just wondering what killed him so fast with no physical signs? The only thing I could "see" wrong was a little fast breathing. Any thoughts on what did him in so fast?