Kinda new with questions

[NYreefNoob]

ok i have a 29 high reef tank thats been up about 2 months. with and 35- 50 lb's of live rock was 2 years old a refugiam with 10 lb's of live rock and sand. with a sand bed mix of i think it'd judt a white sand by coral life and as bag of white and black mixed. i never remeber names. with a few different button polyps some stars few mushrooms and 10 snails and 10 crabs. plus a was told red phillipine crab. if you watch spongebob he looks like mr crusty crab.{got kids} a fidler that i got to make a reach to the top for him. i have current dual compact with moon lights and fan's a good sized protein skimmer. ok any how, i have been real lucky so far nothing has died but i got to pec clowns and they both got ick and died. have 2 different damsels since the start in there too. no problems. also have alot of white shelled looks like miny feather dusters all over the place. one pet shop kinda told me the basics and said everyone has their own opinon and what works for them. so far so good other than the clowns. heard you dont have to do water changes often either. just so you know i am not new really. i have a cichlads tank up for a year with better looking fish than the store's around here. feed really good and alot of rock and hiding space's . so just some opinions is what i am looking for. on things that work for you. ty rick

 

[NYreefNoob]

oh and there is anyone up around peekskill that sells frags or anything. will travel most of westchester and some of putnam

 

[fritz]

Did you say that you've heard you don't need to do water changes? That's 100% false. Reef tanks love water changes and go bad real quick if you don't keep up with them. I try to do 20% every two weeks. Get yourself a 5 gallon bucket and change at least that much every two weeks. It would be better to do 5 gallons once a week but hey.

I used to breed african cichlids and I would do water changes 3 times a year. Reef tanks are not cichlids. Cichlids come from lakes and rivers where the water chemistry can very greatly. Rain, runoff, drought, etc. give them very different water conditions whereas our fish from the ocean haven't seen a variation in water chemistry for millions of years.

 

[masterswimmer]

Hi Rick. Welcome to MR. Like your LFS told you, there is more than one way to do things right in this hobby. What works for some might not work for others.

Now for my input. I agree wholeheartedly with Fritz. Water changes are a very important part of reef husbandry. The corals you keep in your glass box utilize and use up trace elements in the water. The only way to replenish these trace elements is to dose a number of various supplements or do frequent, regular water changes. Your animals will respond to this procedure with good growth, color and overall health.

As far as your 'good sized skimmer' is concerned. What make and model is it? Size doesn't always translate into good performance. Specifics would be helpful when we make recommendations.

House of Fish can get you whatever livestock you're looking for. We have a location in Ossining for your convenience.

It's good to see you asking for advice. The members of MR have decades of experience and are always willing to help. Enjoy your stay here and check out the search function. I'm sure you can find answers to just about any question you might have.

swimmer

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Noob, Welcome to MR.

Montrose here. Right around the corner. What store is giving you your info? Let me know.

Water changes are a must, I had a 29 and now a 55 and I will tell you that the 29 water changes were more frequent than the 55's/ I changed about 10 gal's every 2 weeks with the 29, now I change 15 gal's every month/3weeks. They are extremely important because they replenish the nutrients in your system lower nitrates and most importantly while you are changing water you are siphoning out the crap that accululates on your rock and sand.

 

[NYreefNoob]

i use purple up couple of times a week as well as a calcium, and iodine additive. the store's i frequent are fishtopia in fishkill, the beach and the zoo in peekskill.. i have been doing about a gallon and a half change a week, i make up 5 gallons of ro\ water and then a gallon of saltwater. been using instant ocean salt. any preferance to brand's ? i mainly am going to just do reef with some fish. love the attitude of the damsels. {alot like cichalds}. i here there are a few good store's in yonkers. and the city is really farther than i want to travel. i really like the polyps and have a few different one's. seen a tank that was mainly rock covered with them and liked it. oh and real cure for aptasia ? had some got rid of it soaking rock in fresh water. but a new piece i got with my star polyps has it. stings the heck out of them. tried boiling water with a needle. didnt work. any idea's will be appriciatedas for protein skimmer, not sure of brand, but friend said it was good for up to 110 gallons. and for those that replied with the help. rick

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

FYI Purple up is a calcium/Iodine sup so you may be adding too much. Fishtopia is cool, Frank and Z at the Zoo are good friends of mine, Beach is a nice store but I have bad survival with any of their livestock. Aiptasia removal is tough, a good way of ridding yourself of them is to cook the rock. If you go to yonkers stay away from exotic pet warehouse, the best places to buy things are right here from members on MR and MR vendors as well as MR sponsors.

 

[ellebelle]

Peppermint shrimp will eat aiptasia sometimes - Eric (digitalreefer) put four of them in his tank when he had a big aiptasia problem and cut back on his tank feeding, and eventually the shrimp ate most of the aiptasia. Jones Juice also supposedly works, though I've never tried it personally. I have one tiny bit of aiptasia and I got a couple of peppermints in the hopes that they'd do their thing.

 

[alistair]

" i have been doing about a gallon and a half change a week, i make up 5 gallons of ro\ water and then a gallon of saltwater. ...."
I just wanted to make sure you are topping off with fresh water and not with salt water.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Hey welcome bro,

If you opted the peppermint solution for the aptasia check this thread out.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...rimp-eating-aptasia.html?highlight=peppermint

BTW a lot of ideas can be found by using the search function in this fourm.