02-13-2009, 09:18 PM
I used to work in a pet shop, working in the fish section. I had a couple of marine tanks going at any given time.
Here's my Marine tank speech from my pet shop days...
How much experience do you have? Even though the set-ups are way more sophisticated these days, there are some basic things you need to do/watch out for.
You have your live rock and a few fish, but, is your tank cycled yet?
You should have the basic pH, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kits. Keep a check on your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. Even trace amounts of ammonia and nitrites can be bad for sensitive fishies.
If you see low, stable nitrate levels, you're good to go. If your tank isn't cycled properly, you'll see ammonia levels rise pretty quickly. Not much you can do at that point except hope your babies survive the rest of the cycling, which takes a couple of weeks.
What kind of filtration do you have, if any? Back in the day, I used undergravel filtration with a canister. Live rock bio/bio systems have generally replaced undergravels, and you probably have a skimmer instead of a canister. Keep an eye on it and your tank for algae build-up. If your tank is improperly cycled, you'll get a huge brown algae build up.
Once your tank is established, keep an eye on your temperature/pH.
Don't let the temp drop too low or pH levels get too far out of the neutral range. Small partial water changes every couple of weeks are your friend. Big water changes will kill your tank.
Don't overfeed your fish, or overcrowd your tank. Small feedings a couple of times a day is preferable to one big feeding a day. An overcrowding will kill your tank. Overfeeding will kill your tank.
For the love of all that is good and kind, don't let unexposed metal come in contact with your tank water. The first thing you'll do is kill your inverts. They are especially sensitive to copper, which is the active ingredient in most fish medications. If your fish become sick, or pick up parasites, set-up a sick tank. Don't medicate your tank, ever, unless you are sure about what you are doing.
Check your lighting and put your tank on a day/night cycle....
Good luck!
Here's my Marine tank speech from my pet shop days...
How much experience do you have? Even though the set-ups are way more sophisticated these days, there are some basic things you need to do/watch out for.
You have your live rock and a few fish, but, is your tank cycled yet?
You should have the basic pH, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kits. Keep a check on your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. Even trace amounts of ammonia and nitrites can be bad for sensitive fishies.
If you see low, stable nitrate levels, you're good to go. If your tank isn't cycled properly, you'll see ammonia levels rise pretty quickly. Not much you can do at that point except hope your babies survive the rest of the cycling, which takes a couple of weeks.
What kind of filtration do you have, if any? Back in the day, I used undergravel filtration with a canister. Live rock bio/bio systems have generally replaced undergravels, and you probably have a skimmer instead of a canister. Keep an eye on it and your tank for algae build-up. If your tank is improperly cycled, you'll get a huge brown algae build up.
Once your tank is established, keep an eye on your temperature/pH.
Don't let the temp drop too low or pH levels get too far out of the neutral range. Small partial water changes every couple of weeks are your friend. Big water changes will kill your tank.
Don't overfeed your fish, or overcrowd your tank. Small feedings a couple of times a day is preferable to one big feeding a day. An overcrowding will kill your tank. Overfeeding will kill your tank.
For the love of all that is good and kind, don't let unexposed metal come in contact with your tank water. The first thing you'll do is kill your inverts. They are especially sensitive to copper, which is the active ingredient in most fish medications. If your fish become sick, or pick up parasites, set-up a sick tank. Don't medicate your tank, ever, unless you are sure about what you are doing.
Check your lighting and put your tank on a day/night cycle....
Good luck!
Moristans: err
What the f*** Skelas - I know this is NSFW, but I coudn't watch this at work...
-Orsun
What the f*** Skelas - I know this is NSFW, but I coudn't watch this at work...
-Orsun