Two questions

lbear

lbear

AC Members
Sep 14, 2005
35
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0
Bay area, California
Hi!

This is my first post in this forum. Marine aquarium is totally
new to me. I am trying to learn by reading threads and articles
as much as I can. Hopefully I can setup one in the near future.

I am curious if it's possible having a fish only tank with
live rock in the beginning and convert it to a reef tank later?
Will the lighting equipment change cause any problem to
fish already in the tank?

My 2nd question is about how to introduce invertebrate to the
tank. How to handle them by hand and put them in? Anything
untouchable? Is it better to place them during night time?

Thanks!

Albert
 
Changing from a FOWLR to a reef shouldn't be a major problem. One thing to watch out for is a potential algae bloom with the increased light. You would want to adapt the fish a bit gradually, but they'll be fine.

What kind of invertebrates are you asking about? Most animals don't mind a bit of handling, but not too much. I have the lights low or off when I add new livestock, but don't do it at night. It's nice to be able to watch them for a while after they are added.
 
Thanks for your reply. I was asking how to introduce coral and
anemone to a tank. Any quarantine tank stay needed? How to
pick them up by hand? I didn't find any discussion about it
anywhere. Probably it's a trivial question. I only find two figures
in John Tullock's book "Natural Reef Aquarium" showing one
hand with glove placing croal. I am just curious how experienced
aquarist like you doing it.

I plan to have a FOWLR tank about 50g or 60g. The filtration
system is sufficient to support a reef tank. Then I can upgrade
the lighting system and bring in coral gradually after gaining
enough experience and confidence.

One problem is that I haven't found a quality local pet store
specialized in SW fish in the San Francisco bay area.
It is disappointed to visit some LPS with dirty tank and
dead fish.
 
Thanks for advice. I probably will get fake anemone for the clown I plan to put in the FOWLR tank.

I think I will come up with a detail spec and plan for my tank before I go for a long vacation in Nov. and start to build it when I come back in Dec. I am patient and not in a hurry.
 
A lot of people use gloves when handling corals, especially zoanthids, because of issues with sticking and/or toxicity. I tend to be lazy and use my bare hands, but gently to avoid damaging tissue.

In principle, you should quarantine everything. Corals and anemones can bring parasites and diseases into the tank. A lot of people have had to deal with outbreaks of flatworms, for example, because they didn't quarantine their corals. My approach is to be very, very selective about my sources, and I have been lucky so far.

Can't wait to see your plan in a few months!
 
lbear said:
One problem is that I haven't found a quality local pet store
specialized in SW fish in the San Francisco bay area.
It is disappointed to visit some LPS with dirty tank and
dead fish.
Click to expand...

Try the Aquatic Gallery in Milpitas - here is a link - http://www.aquatic-gallery.com/index.asp?pgid=1 - I buy my corals there..nice fish too...Bao Le is the owner - he often lectures about marine life at local schools - he's a good guy - often has sales..very clean tanks....like Mogurnda says, know your sources...I feel very comfortable with the stock at Aquatic Gallery. I generally acclimate my corals like fish..some say its not as necessary, but what does it hurt to take your time? The trick to handling corals is to not handle them a lot...know where you want to place them in the tank before handling...don't fiddle around too much...if you have an aggressive coral with sweepers, be careful to protect yourself from stings if you have a cut on your hand or arm..learned that the hard way with a hammer coral...hehe...enjoy!
 
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