My First Saltwater Setup

Rychek

Word to the wise, check the for sale/trade thread here before you buy a new piece of equipment so you don't do like I did and buy something that you could've gotten cheaper from someone on the forum (sorry Nereaga).

That having been said, I should be getting a CPR Aquafuge next week along with new glass lids for my tank! Unfortunately my dual timer/surge protector is back ordered, so it'll be a few weeks before it comes in.

Rychek

I've finally got a free swimming fish for my tank! I just picked up a purple firefish. I've been waiting for it all week and it's finally here. It's currently acclimating. I post pics once it's in the QT.

Rychek

I've been a bit behind in my picture taking, but here is the pic of my latests invert acquisition:



I'll post a pic of my firefish tomorrow after it has settled in a bit.

Rychek

No pics of the purple firefish today because he died last night. I guess I shouldn't buy such a small specimen right out of the shipping box.

Nereaga

I'm sorry to hear about your loss Rychek. I have to ask though...

How long did you acclimate him and by which method?

When you say "right out of the shipping box", do you mean that you went to your lfs and they got a shipment of fish in. You took it right from them in the bag, they didnt acclimate it and then you took it home and acclimated it again, right?

If so this is the best way to get fish, BEFORE they acclimate them to their tanks. Once they are acclimated to their tanks, its best to wait a few weeks for them to settle in prior to stressing them out with yet another move.

As far as smaller species go, again it is best to get smaller juvenile species than older mature fish. The juveniles tend to adjust better to moves and new places.

Some fish just are not cut out for that last move to your tank. They have changed hands so many times. I think you did all you could....

Rychek

I went to the store last night and got the fish straight out of the shipping box from the airport. The problem with the fish was that it was really small. I acclimated him for a few hours by the drip method; about 2 drips per second. However that wasn't the real problem.

The real problem I had was my QT tank. I checked the water this morning and found that my QT tank (which I thought was cycled due to the filter pad I took out of my display tank) had .2 nitrIte! Next time I'm checking the water more frequently.

Rychek

I tried a regular firefish from a different store this weekend and it met the same ultimate fate as the purple firefish. It seemed fine when I went to bed, but it was dead the following morning. I didn't use the QT this time, but went straight to my Display tank. I think the weak link is my acclimation method. I'm not acclimating throughly enough. In the future I'll drip for three hours then float the bag for a while to insure a temperature match as well as salinity and other parms. Two fish in one weekend is tough on the pocket book and the ego. Next time the fish will live!

chadf

I definately know the feeling, so far I'm two for four in my new tank. The funny think is I was 7 for 7 with my old tank and all I did was float the bags.

Rychek

The thing that really gets me is that my emerald crab, snails and cleaner shrimp all survived the acclimation, but the firefish haven't. I thought inverts were more sensitive. Oh well, next time I'll do it right.

Rychek

It's good to see the site is back. Hopefully for good.

Well, I've done it right this time! I bought a pair of Ocellaris clowns and 5 Red Legged Hermit Crabs last Saturday and they are all still alive. I dripped them for about 5 hours then floated them for a half hour before introducing them to their respective tanks (hermits are in the display, clowns are in the QT). So far, so good. I haven't seen the clowns eat yet, but the food that was on the bottom of the tank is now gone, so I assume they ate it. I'm looking forward to putting them in the display, but not until they have passed the QT test.