The Mrs.

[tankedalot]

Hi Everyone,
For those of you who don't know, my husband comes on here a lot and gets tons of information from y'all. He had to go to Egypt with the Army and will be spending his bday there. I told him I'd like to surprise him with something in the reef tank when he gets home - he winced of course, but then said "just ask the folks on manhattan reefs and it'll be ok." I know he wanted a bit more live rock, I know which type to get. He also wanted to clown fish with an anemone. At the fish store we typically go to I can't find them as a pair. Any suggestions where to go? Is there anything special I should know about getting them?

Thanks a lot.
The Wife

 

[marki24]

when buying clownfish get the smallest ones possible. eventually one will be a male and the other a female. the larger one will be a female. Also when buying clownfish ask the salesperson to feed the fish and see if they are eating. Also pay attention to the behavior in the tank. probably the most dominant one is the female she is the one going around and chasing other clownfish and the one getting 'beat up' is most likely the male. Thats another way of pairing up clownfish. How big is your husbands tank? I wouldnt recommend you getting any maroon clownfish as they are a pain in the behind and very hard to pair off. Good luck and happy reef keeping.

 

[NYreefNoob]

what type of lighting does the tank have ? and the set-up equiptment wise ?

 

[tankedalot]

We have a 55 gallon tank that the fish would go in. I just can't find both the anemone and the clown fish.

 

[marki24]

I dont believe she was asking for a set up i am figuring her husband has a tank set up already but wants to add something to it.

 

[NYreefNoob]

asking what type of lighting because a anenome will need certain requirements. and seen she is looking to buy rock also, is this a established tank ?

 

[tankedalot]

The Tank

I am trying to attach pics - hopefully I do it right. It is a 55 gallon tank. He has plenty of live rock in it - a sand sifting gobi and a green chromis. I know he wants the anemone and clown.

http://

 

[tankedalot]

http://

This is the most updated pic

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

My Fish:
30 gal tank: 2 Green Reef Chromis, 1 Tiger cuc, 12 Turbo snails, 1 mussel, 10 blue leg hermit crabs & I think a bunch of anenome's sprouting out of my live rock 2nd tank: 1 Striped Damsel, 2 Blue leg hermit crabs. 3rd Tank: 3 guppies, a TON of snails and a red crab.


From Tankeds profile.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/30301-little-help.html
One thread

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-beginners/30924-skimmer-question-need-help.html
Another.

It looks like PC lighting.

Mrs Tanked Anemones are tough and I would wait til he gets home to add one. Just to be safe. Clowns are cool and I am sure someone here can get you some in no time, try some of our vendors here. Live rock is plentiful here as well, look through the FS forum and see what you like

Good luck and yes we are here to help. Especially we are here to help someone who is elsewhere protecting our freedom and our families freedom as well. God Bless and a speedy return.

 

[NYreefNoob]

can i make a suggestion to you ? the second pic the rock on the left looks to have aptasia i would try to kill it first. and why does he have the tube under the rock. looks like you have pc lighting which isnt going to be enough to keep a anenome for any real period of time, how long has the tank been running. only asking a few question because money spent correctly equals less money spent in the long run, this coming from someone who x amount of money later and alt of reading and alot of questions finally figured it out for the most part. doesnt look like he has a skimmer either. and are you using a canister filter for filtration ? did he show you how to mix saltwater and give you a schedule for doing water change's, tell you about adding top off water and ect

 

[tankedalot]

Thank you so much for your help. I'll do as you said and wait for him. I was hoping to surprise him with something when he comes home but I think you're right. I'd rather not introduce something to the tank that will potentially hurt it. I'll look around the for sale stuff though. Again, I really appreciate your help and the respect you have!
Thanks again all...
The Mrs.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

What kind of clowns does he want?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Several vendors here on MR have them in stock or readily available to them If you put 2 clowns in at the same time they may pair up they may not, but the same can be said for pairs that are sold as pairs. Unless you know they have been together for a long time and have paired you should buy 2 clowns and eventually hope they may pair up. It will also be much cheaper.

 

[NYreefNoob]

surprise with with a piece of equiptment, he wil appriciate that alot more in the long run, so will the tank

 

[tankedalot]

We have a protein skimmer - its a remora aqua c which we got on here. I do the water changes. we use the water from the ocean here which has worked out very well and I do know how to do the water change. We tried to get rid of the apistasia - and thats worked well...we got 2 peppermint shrimp and they got rid of all but 1. There is only 1 left now thankfully.

 

[NYreefNoob]

good to see you have involvement in this hobby also. maybe invest in a phosban reactor,

 

[tankedalot]

We were able to get rid of the apistasia with 2 peppermint shrimp, although there is one left - there were about 6 before we got the shrimp. And, we have an aqua c remora skimmer which we got on here and works great. The tank has been set up for about 4 months now I think, the rock has been in there for about 3 months...I may be off by a few weeks, but I'm relatively close with the timeline. I can do the water changes in his absence, he made sure of that. We use the ocean water here which has been working out perfectly and we haven't had any problems with. We have a brand new and cleaned garbage can that we have th ewater in with a power head. I also test the water and have all of the proper test kits and the solutions for high/low levels of anything. I can follow directions if they are given to me - I just don't have the vision or expertise to take it upon myself to make any changes, which is why I don't want to do anything - introduce anything to the tank that could potentially bring harm to what is already doing so well.

I think I'll go with your suggestions and just get equipment - or a gift certificate to a store where he can pick out what he wants.
Thanks again so much for your help and respect for him and the job he is doing!!

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Hey wait a minute, I can remember in Tankeds first few posts he said that you were anxious about jumping on and chatting here too. You have been researching as much as he has from what I gather and I applaud that. Especially since my wife doesn't care too much for the hobby at all. My daughter is getting more into it which I think is a great thing but my wife rarely shows interest in it. 2 suggestions for you First and foremost, create a name and become a member of the community 2 It's your tank too so think about what else you would like there too

 

[LeslieS]

the gift certificate is a great idea! my girlfriends actually bought me one for my birthday last year and I loved it! I was amazed that they even knew where the store was

 

[drperetz]

...

Welcome to our lovley MR home. Much advice can be given on this site...

That fluval is a dangerous tool to have in a Saltwater tank... It will collect all the unwanted materials like nitrates.

Getting equipment is a good gift. Dont rush with adding animals since u have to take them through a qurentine. Anemones are not as hard as every1 says they are but they do require good lighting. Clowns are great fish to have. I have and had several clowns in my tanks and i'll tell u that as Chief said, there will be agression even if they are a pair. Safest least agressive clowns are false perculas ( ocelaris). They do become little agressive towards each other if they dont like their partner but other wise they are great beginner fish.