some advice for a newbie

[g. mcclean]

Hi, I am new to marine aquariums and have recently started a 46 gallon aquarium to be a combination of fish and invertebrates( we plan to proceed slowly with the invertebrates). We started with 8 lbs of "live rock" and a 2-1 ratio of live sand to regular sand. Our starter fish were 3 green chromis. After two weeks, when our water chemistry had leveled out we added a blue stripe sebau clown , 5 more lbs of live rock and some hermit crabs. My question( one of many) -- I have brown specks on the front glass. Diatoms? Should this be cleaned off? I also have "feather dusters" growing on the live rock. Do they need any special care?

Thanks. You will probably get tired of my questions.

[OrionGirl]

The brown specks are probably the beginnings of a diatom out break. Not a big deal, very common in new tanks. You can clean it off manually, but it doesn't really present a threat, mostly just unattractive. You may want to pick up some snails (cerith and nassarius are good choices) to help deal with true algaes and sand bed maintenance.

The feather dusters are a specie of stony tube worm, most likely. In our tank, they come and go in waves--we'll have tons of them, then they die off, and pop-up a month later. I wouldn't worry about providing specifically for them--they should be able to get enough nutrition from the water column. With no other filter feeders, you would soon be overrun by them if you started feeding them.

Planning on adding more LR?

[g. mcclean]

thanks for the quick response-- thought snails might be a next addition. We thought of more rock, but we weren't sure how much space we should cover. We have a "fake" coral and some tuffa rock. Any reason for more live rock? Our next fish choice is a royal gramma. Since we know we are limited in fish we are trying to pick the most colorful ones that are compatible in a community tank.

[VoodooChild]

You really should have about 46-92 lbs of LR for filtration, but it doesn't have to be all LR to begin with. For my 30, I have about 23 lbs of live rock and have 8 pounds of base rock with plans for more once I can find more. Base rock is just porous rock, that's just like your live stuff, but dead. And it's alot cheaper, usually $1-3 a pound. I'd say if you through in another 15-20 lbs of live rock and the rest in base, in 6 months, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference. Besides, live rock is so cool! It's just like a grab bag of inverts! A surprise in every nook and cranny.

[g. mcclean]

Thanks for your responses. I have been reading some of the other posts, a magazine article on starting a marine aquarium, and my "beginners handbook". Obviously more questions abound. I have been reading about protein skimmers. How important are they? How important is the 50 lbs of LR? Besides snails and my current 6 hermit crabs, what else should I add to keep my sand clean? When I add these other "critters" do they reduce the number of fish I can keep? My current set-up includes: 46 gal aquarium, standard light fixture, the heater that came with the set up, a Fluval 304 filter system, and a Maxi-jet power head. Livestock includes 3 green chromis (1 1/2 inches, and a blue stripe sebau clown. We have 13 lbs of live rock and 6 hermit crabs. We would like to add 3 more fish and way down the line an anemone. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Mandairn]

The more LR the better. LR is like money, theres a fine line between too much and theres never too much. I would say for live rock 1 1/2-2 pounds pre gl.

Protein skimmers are a funny topic. In the end you will be fine without one. Though i and proble evey one else will recomend you'd get one.

A good house (aquarium) keeping team i would say is:
Fancy Serpent Sea Star (2)
Red Serpent Starfish (1)
15 Hermit Crabs
20 Turbo Snails
5 Fighting Conch
star fish keep your sand clean along with your crabs and conchs, while the snails keep the glass clean.

If i was you, i would not let the smaller invertebrates count lower your stock, but bigger once like the star fish and red Hermit Crabs (vs. blue which are smaller) along with all corals play a big part in what else can be added.

If you can set up a wet dry filter. It will make life ezer on you. With in your sump you can put your heater, skimmer and any it contorls the evporation in your tank, by using the water in the sump to replace the evporatide water in the tank.

What voltage does your light produce? If you want too keep coral lighting is the most importain aspect of keeping your sessile invertebrates alive along with giving them supplements. Last note anemones are venomous, they may not kill but it wont feel too good either. At lest thats what i hear. I dont like too keep eny thing toxic or poisonis in my aquarium.

i HoPED I AserWED sO Of YOur QuEsTIon.

ps.
i like royal grammas too! i plan on getting one soon, i would advice you too keep only one, and to let you know they are chick .... fish. They love too hide. You may not see the fish much and they prefer low light and have ben know to swim up side down.

[VoodooChild]

A word on the anenomes. Some will come in on the live rock, most likely aiptasia (facing that one right now). They're neat, but just a dull brown and there's so many that they're quickly loosing their appeal (everyone was right). You need really good water, along reverse osmosis lines, for most of the more colorful species, like bubble tips and condies. And you need really strong lighting. 46's are decently tall, so I wouldn't expect anything less than metal halide lighting or at least alot of Very High Output fixtures. I have a few species of anenomes, all hitchhikers, in my tank. They're not venemous to me, though depending on what they are they can be to corals, fish, inverts, each other, etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the venom. Besides, if you do get your live rock, you may get a fire bristleworm, if you don't already unknowingly have one. They'll give you a sting!

[BrianH]

IMHO I would not add more then 1 fighting conch. A 46 gal tank can only sustain 1 conch, any more would starve.

Brian