Third week in!

[Peace River]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!! Did someone say clowns?!?

 

[SlicVic]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!! Did someone say clowns?!?

Thank you so much! I love the look of clowns but I don't want them to be mean to any other creatures in my tank! May enter them last but I'm not sure!

 

[gavinz]

I'm kind of afraid of clownfish because I've heard so much black about how territorial they get and can be mean to other fish. Is this true? I was going to put a pajama Cardinal fish in there first. What do you think?

I haven’t had an issue with my clowns at all. Also depends on size of the tank. I’ve got a 45 gal AIO, what do you have? And if you’re worried about that then just get juvenile clowns and there should be no issue. I wouldn’t count them as super territorial especially compared to my royal gramma. But keep in mind that you want to add aggressive fish to your tank last if you even get any

 

[Kennya]

Welcome to R2R

 

[SlicVic]

I have a 32 AIO biocube. I was mainly going to do invertebrates and corals with just a few fish. I can't wait to start getting all the creatures but I know I can only get one a week after my first one. By the summer I should be able to start with corals hopefully!

 

[SlicVic]

Welcome to R2R

Thank you so much! I love it so far!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi everybody! I just finished a week 3 of patiently waiting for my tank to cycle! Ammonia and nitrite are reading 0 and there's just a slight amount of nitrates. Am I supposed to do a water change now before I add an animal? I don't want to hurt any creatures so I wanted to make sure I do everything perfectly correct! Let me know ASAP cuz I'm getting antsy!

Welcome! Glad you joined. If only tiny bit of nitrates you don't need to do water change, but yes vote you can add one fish. It will help keep your cycle going and expanding. Just take it slow.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[gavinz]

I have a 32 AIO biocube. I was mainly going to do invertebrates and corals with just a few fish. I can't wait to start getting all the creatures but I know I can only get one a week after my first one. By the summer I should be able to start with corals hopefully!

Then you shouldn’t have a problem with juvenile clowns at all. And you could start with coral now if your alk, calc, mg, salinity, nitrate, and phos are all good as long as you take it slow

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R!!

One thing I have learned with saltwater reefing, when you think it ok, wait 2 weeks.

 

[Peace River]

Thank you so much! I love the look of clowns but I don't want them to be mean to any other creatures in my tank! May enter them last but I'm not sure!

I understand and I agree that cardinals may be a good option. Aggression is often related to clownfish because of the way dominance is integrated so deeply into clownfish. So much so that their sex is determined by the dominance hierarchy. If there are a group of young clownfish in a tank/area, the most dominant clown will become a female, the second most dominant will become the make, and the rest will remain pre-pubescent males. If something were to happen to the female and it was no longer present, then the male would transition into a female and the next most dominant undeveloped clown would transition into a male. Some clowns are more aggressive than others and pairing can be a challenge, but this hierarchy process is part of the mystery, magic, and frustration of clownfish!

 

[PeterC99]

Welcome to R2R!

Fish also can help achieve certain goals in your aquarium (eat pests, clean algae, eat aptasia). Just keep in mind as you are stocking your aquarium.

 

[SlicVic]

Welcome! Glad you joined. If only tiny bit of nitrates you don't need to do water change, but yes vote you can add one fish. It will help keep your cycle going and expanding. Just take it slow.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This might help you find people local to you:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

Wow!! Thank you so much for all of this valuable information! I've never received such a welcome from any club ever like this! I really appreciate everybody's help!

I understand and I agree that cardinals may be a good option. Aggression is often related to clownfish because of the way dominance is integrated so deeply into clownfish. So much so that their sex is determined by the dominance hierarchy. If there are a group of young clownfish in a tank/area, the most dominant clown will become a female, the second most dominant will become the make, and the rest will remain pre-pubescent males. If something were to happen to the female and it was no longer present, then the male would transition into a female and the next most dominant undeveloped clown would transition into a male. Some clowns are more aggressive than others and pairing can be a challenge, but this hierarchy process is part of the mystery, magic, and frustration of clownfish!

Beautifully put! Thank you for your information!

 

[SlicVic]

Then you shouldn’t have a problem with juvenile clowns at all. And you could start with coral now if your alk, calc, mg, salinity, nitrate, and phos are all good as long as you take it slow

Thank you for your advice!

 

[SlicVic]

Welcome to R2R!

Fish also can help achieve certain goals in your aquarium (eat pests, clean algae, eat aptasia). Just keep in mind as you are stocking your aquarium.

Okay I will probably have around 5 ish when I'm complete. I want to have different kinds of invertebrates and as many quarrels as my aquarium can handle safely!

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of good advice already given. I think pajama cardinals are nice looking and friendly but are not so active. A couple of small clowns should be fine. Research compatibility of fish and take things slowly you should be fine. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[SlicVic]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of good advice already given. I think pajama cardinals are nice looking and friendly but are not so active. A couple of small clowns should be fine. Research compatibility of fish and take things slowly you should be fine. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

Thank you so much! It has been just amazing that I get responses so quickly! It's really been helpful and I feel like I know the people that talk to me about call my issues!

 

[gavinz]

Okay I will probably have around 5 ish when I'm complete. I want to have different kinds of invertebrates and as many quarrels as my aquarium can handle safely!

Just for reference, in my 45gl AIO I have

INVERTS -
1 fire shrimp
1 pistol shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
1 tiger conch
1 brittle starfish
1 pin cushion urchin
And some hermits and mixed snails

FISH -
2 clowns
1 lawnmower blenny
1 royal gramma
1 purple fire fish
1 diamond goby

I just recently got the urchin and brittle star and love both of them, got them last week. Super cool! I’ve got some pics below, the tank pics aren’t up to date so some of the coral has moved and the tank doesn’t have the urchin and brittle in it on those.

 

[SlicVic]

Just for reference, in my 45gl AIO I have

INVERTS -
1 fire shrimp
1 pistol shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
1 tiger conch
1 brittle starfish
1 pin cushion urchin
And some hermits and mixed snails

FISH -
2 clowns
1 lawnmower blenny
1 royal gramma
1 purple fire fish
1 diamond goby

I just recently got the urchin and brittle star and love both of them, got them last week. Super cool! I’ve got some pics below, the tank pics aren’t up to date so some of the coral has moved and the tank doesn’t have the urchin and brittle in it on those.

Looks fantastic! Most of the animals on your list are the same as what I'm planning on except for the questionable clowns. I also will be having a pajama Cardinal instead of the Royal Gramma. As for the inverts I'm not going to get a pistol shrimp I am going to get a coral banded one. Other than that they look pretty similar! Thanks for the list cuz it verifies compatibility!

 

[gavinz]

Looks fantastic! Most of the animals on your list are the same as what I'm planning on except for the questionable clowns. I also will be having a pajama Cardinal instead of the Royal Gramma. As for the inverts I'm not going to get a pistol shrimp I am going to get a coral banded one. Other than that they look pretty similar! Thanks for the list cuz it verifies compatibility!

Gotta give clowns another chance they’re so cool! Especially when you become interested in getting an anemone and they start to host it it’s a great experience!

 

[SlicVic]

Gotta give clowns another chance they’re so cool! Especially when you become interested in getting an anemone and they start to host it it’s a great experience!

Yep! I'm pretty sure I will change my mind and that coming week! It's a woman's prerogative to do that you know haha!