Thursday, August 18, 2011

How to Start Your First Salt Water Tank



Coral Banded Shrimp
Starting your first salt water fish tank is going to be very exciting, but keep in mind it will take a lot of dedication. I am going to give you some tips based on my experience and facts on how to start your first salt water tank. I recommend getting at least a 55 gallon or bigger, since most salt water fish grow very large and require a lot of space to swim. I really need to emphasize that you will need to let the water cycle for about 3-4 months before adding your fish, because if you add your fish before the water is cycled your fish can die from new tank syndrome. I recommend cycling with live rock and live sand. I used damsels and hermit crabs and they lived through the cycle, but in some cases you will sadly lose the fish. I also highly recommend getting a Fluval Canister filter if you can’t get a wet-dry filter, it will help keep your water clean for months and it adds great circulation to your water.

 Here is what you will need to start: 
  • Live sand (1 to 1½ pounds per gallon)
  • Live rocks ( 1.5 pounds per gallon )
  • Salt Water (you can make your own saltwater with saltwater mix or buy the saltwater at your local fish store) I buy my water since it is much quicker and it is not that expensive, plus it has natural live bacteria.
  • Power head (this helps create better water circulation)
  • Lights (I use a 50\50 Reef Sun-fish only) but 3 to 5 watts per gallons is recommended for reef.
Once you have cycled your tank, you should test your water parameters. I used the listed products below. Alternatively, have your water tested at your local fish store, but I recommend having your own test kit for quick results. These are the products I use to maintain my fish tank:

pH Test
After cycling I recommend to test your water before you buy your fish. Make sure there is no ammonia, pH is not too low, and also that the nitrate and nitrite are not too high. Ammonia is usually produced from solid waste or any uneaten food, therefore even small amounts of ammonia can stress your fish and large amounts will kill your fish. Your fish will need a specific pH level depending on the species but ideally you want to keep it between 8.1 to 8.4. This is why you will need to add pH buffer to keep your water at the pH level that your fish requires. High nitrate levels can produce algae growth and poor fish health. Finally, high levels of Nitrite can cause suffocation and fish death. This is why it is important to check you water parameters and to also read about the fish before you make your purchase. Also, keep in mind to gradually add fish instead of adding all at once. Two fish at a time is the ideal way to start, and always add the least aggressive fish first and the most aggressive for last.

Now comes the most exciting part, adding your fish. Before you add your fish, you will  need to let your fish acclimate. First put your fish in the water while still in the bag for about 15-20 minutes so that he can adjust to the temperature. Alternatively, you can use the drip method, where you add a little bit of the water from your tank into the bag with your fish, little by little for about 15 minutes. Once you are ready to release the fish into the tank, make sure to turn off your lights first to reduce stress. If you decide to feed, don’t be surprised if he does not eat the first day or two. The fish will be adjusting to their new habitat and this may be stressful for most fish. I feed my fish New Life spectrum Thera Regular Formula pellets and Frozen Emerald Formula for omnivore fish. If your fish is does not eat on the second day, I would recommend to feed with some Kent Garlic Extreme, this will open up their appetite. Keep an eye on your fish the first week for any signs of illness, so that you can take the appropriate action. Also, do your best to schedule 10% to 20% water changes monthly to keep your fish nice and healthy.

 This is a wonderful hobby, but also a responsibility. So if you are going to get a saltwater aquarium please read, read and read before you make this decision, because there is much to learn about this hobby to be a successful fish keeper. I wish you the best with your new aquarium and I hope you enjoy every step of the way. Have fun!



Friday, April 22, 2011

How I Saved My Fish From Marine Ich

When I first started my salt water fish tank, I was thrilled to start this new wonderful hobby. But what I always feared, was for my fish to get Ich, as we all do. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience from the beginning. My first fish was the beautiful Long Nose Yellow Butterfly. I loved this fish for it’s eccentric behavior. Even though he was eating good, I remember he had tiny spots on his fin and he would occasionally scratch on the rocks. I lost him after about a month.

I then added a Maroon Clown, but from the beginning he had the symptoms of Ich. He did not have a good appetite and did not swim actively like they should. He then had a very noticeable white spot on the front of his face. So I tried doing some research to find out any treatments that would help, but most Ich products I read about said that you could not add to the tank directly. You would have to use the treatment in a quarantine tank. I know it is highly recommended to have a quarantine tank always prepared, but catching fish can be difficult, and if not done correctly they can go into shock. For example the water parameters need to match the Temperature and PH when moved to the Quarantine Tank. So I was hoping I could find an alternative solution. But unfortunately, the Maroon Clown died in less than a week. At this point I wanted to just give up and shut down the whole tank. But of course I loved this hobby and I did not want to give up just yet.

This time I decided to get a Niger Trigger which I had read was also very hardy.  Everything was going great; he was eating good and appeared healthy.  I then decided to add a Tomato Clown, Sebae Clown, and two Blue Damsels. After a couple of weeks, I was feeling more confident so I decided to add a fish that I always wanted to have, the Yellow Tang. I really thought that I had overcome the Ich problem, but after about a month I came home and noticed that my Niger Trigger was laying on the bottom of the tank.  I thought he was dead! But when I turned on the light to get a closer look he and started moving like he was on his last hour of his life. I then notice he had white spots on his body. The two clown fish seemed okay but I did notice that they too had some white spots and of course so did the Yellow Tang. Surprisingly, the only ones that were not affected were the Blue Damsels.
 
I really did not have much expectation for the Niger Trigger due to my previous experience. This time I took a different approach, I decided to go to one of the local fish store to see if they could recommend anything. Much to my surprise the owner of  the store recommended me to use Metronidazole from Seachem. But the best part of it all was that I could treat the fish directly in the tank. I was very skeptical, but I had no other choice. I was glad to see the label mentioned that Metronidazole is an effective and safe treatment for protozoan and anaerobic bacteria such as ich and does not adversely affect the filter bed and could be easily removed with carbon. I carefully read the instructions on how to use the medication and started to feed the fish with the medication.

  • Added 1 scoop of the medication with food pellets in a cup.
  • Added 1 drop of Garlic Extreme from Kent Marine
  • Refrigerate  about 15-20 min to allow the medication to soak in the pellets.
As for the trigger fish, I had to make a quick decision since he was not eating. He was barely moving and just laid on the sand most of the time. I  decided to give him the fresh water dip only because he was not eating. Keep in mind, when preparing the  fresh water dip you have to check the pH and water temperature so that it matches the tank parameters, that way the fish does not go into shock. So I put him in the fresh water for about 2 or 3 minutes but then removed him because he started to struggle a lot. If you decide to do the fresh water dip make sure you have the following:

  • Distilled water
  • PH  Test
  • Thermometer
  • PH Buffer
  • Bucket or container for fish


The next day  I feared the worst, expecting them all to be dead. Guess what! The Niger Trigger was actually swimming better and I was actually able to feed him with the medication. Although they all still had white spots,  I continued to feed the medication every other day with Garlic Extreme from Kent Marine to open their appetite. The following day when I got home I noticed that the white spots on the Niger Trigger were gone! The other fish still had some white spots so I continued to feed the medication with the food. After a couple of weeks I started to notice that they had less spots as time passed. With a lot of patience and persistence, the Ich was completely gone from all of my fish and the tank. I truly believe if I had not treated them with this medication, none of my fish would have survived. It is a year now since this incident and all my fish are doing great!! Even my Yellow Tang!!  I only wish I had known sooner. I wish you the best with your fish and I really hope my experience can help. If following these methods helped save your fish,  your feedback will be greatly appreciated. 
 Have a look at my 55 Gallon Aquarium video. Enjoy!