ScottT1980
Well-Known Member
I would also say that you will need more light on your tank to support corals. I would say at least 50W on a 10 gallon although others can correct me here...
How will bta attach to LR
- Thread starter dcbckup
- Start date
LuckyInk
Reef Painter
I am glad I could help you ID it!
All jokes aside, Scott is giving the best advice you are going to find.
I would also find another LFS. Any store that will not take livestock back may have other shady practices!!! SUCH AS TELLING YOU THAT YOU ARE BUYING A SIX HEADED BTA!!!!
All jokes aside, Scott is giving the best advice you are going to find.
Pro_builder
Well-Known Member
What do you mean by dirty? Was the water cloudy?
addict
Well-Known Member
If the water's a bit cloudy, it's probably a bacterial bloom. You'll have several different blooms of different algaes and bacteria as you tank cycles. When I started my 55g reef, it took almost a month before the water was crystal clear... it's a natural occurrance.
If by dirty you mean 'brown', then you're also hitting the stage in the cycle where diatoms start to bloom. They're a planktonic species, and the brown you are seeing is their skeleton. It cleans off the glass pretty easily, and you can add snails in a couple more weeks to take care of it on the rocks.
It's hard to imagine something that starts out looking so bad turns into a beautiful reef, but eventually it does (kinda like the ugly duckling story).
Hope you get this all figured out.
If you absolutely can't remove the coral from the tank and return it to the LFS, you'll have to do judicious water changes for the next 4-6 weeks as the tank parameters swing back and forth... which may prolong the cycle. The idea is to keep the levels of ammonia and nitrite down enough so that the cycle still initiates yet the concnetration of those two compounds do not reach lethal levels for the coral.
HTH
If by dirty you mean 'brown', then you're also hitting the stage in the cycle where diatoms start to bloom. They're a planktonic species, and the brown you are seeing is their skeleton. It cleans off the glass pretty easily, and you can add snails in a couple more weeks to take care of it on the rocks.
It's hard to imagine something that starts out looking so bad turns into a beautiful reef, but eventually it does (kinda like the ugly duckling story).
Hope you get this all figured out.
If you absolutely can't remove the coral from the tank and return it to the LFS, you'll have to do judicious water changes for the next 4-6 weeks as the tank parameters swing back and forth... which may prolong the cycle. The idea is to keep the levels of ammonia and nitrite down enough so that the cycle still initiates yet the concnetration of those two compounds do not reach lethal levels for the coral.
HTH
StoneyReef
No Longer a Member
Secret Shopper!????????
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
Nope, no SS!
:smirk:
:smirk: 
SaltyQueen
Member
WOW- I cannot believe that a LFS would sell a coral as an anemone- My advice is to NEVER patronize this store again- the fact that they blatantly lied to you about what you were buying tells me that they are only out to make money, and have no regard for the well-being of the creatures they are selling. You cannot provide adequate care for something when you don't know what it is, but it seems that their main concern was telling you, the customer, whatever they needed to for you to purchase this "anemone". Sorry about yout unfortunate experience- I hope the coral makes it, so at least you'll have something in your tank, if not an actual anemone.
wooddood
the wood dude
i would'nt say never patronize the store again.some lfs are'nt very knowledgeable in coral id.when they get their shipment they go by what the invoice says it is.they just dont know any better.i've had it happen to me too at one of my lfs.ive helped mine id corals many times in the past, but i still buy from them because at least they admit their mistakes.i also agree with scott that your tank is still very new and you should wait a while to add anything else to your tank.hang around here read as much as you can and reshearch all the corals and fish before you buy you will save money and headaces in the long run.be patient with your tank and keep asking questions we'll help you along.as said before,only bad things happen fast in this hobby.
Dingo
Member
To be blunt, your coral is going to die. You have no clue as to it's needs. Your tank is not cycled if it has only been running for 10 days. You have completely inadequate lighting. You don't know what it is or what it eats.
Stop. Read. Figure out the basic needs for maintaining a coral. Buy a book on reefkeeping. Go to a beginners forum and get a /*enter dubbed voice as mod smacks baseball bat to palm*/ ...idea of good reefkeeping practices.
You need at least a month before adding corals. Before you add the corals, you need to add a cleaning crew.
You need 10-15 lbs of live rock.
You need adequate circulation.
You need to spend $100 and buy yourself a 96W Power compact fixture
You need an oversized heater to keep your small tank stable
You need ca/alk tests to keep stony corals because they need to be maintained at very specific levels.
You need to use RO, DI or a combination of the two so that your tank does not get turned into a red slime machine.
Stop. Read. Figure out the basic needs for maintaining a coral. Buy a book on reefkeeping. Go to a beginners forum and get a /*enter dubbed voice as mod smacks baseball bat to palm*/ ...idea of good reefkeeping practices.
You need at least a month before adding corals. Before you add the corals, you need to add a cleaning crew.
You need 10-15 lbs of live rock.
You need adequate circulation.
You need to spend $100 and buy yourself a 96W Power compact fixture
You need an oversized heater to keep your small tank stable
You need ca/alk tests to keep stony corals because they need to be maintained at very specific levels.
You need to use RO, DI or a combination of the two so that your tank does not get turned into a red slime machine.
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Whoa Dingo - blunt yes, but the good info you offer may get lost in the delivery. Our new friend here is off to a rocky start and it seems he may have been partially led down this stoney path by a less-than-helpful lfs salesperson.
dcbckup - I agree it is time to stop and take stock on where you are at. There is SO much to learn when starting up in this hobby. Some folks read, research and participate in forums like this for months and months (or even more than a year!) before their first purchace. It can be a very good strategy that saves on frustration, heartache and LOTS of money.
Take heart, you have found a site where folks will be very helpful, joining in your enthusiasm and effort to get it right. Do take advantage of the knowlege here and KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS.
If you have not already, visit the areas of this site that help lay out how to get started. And do get a good book, like the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. There are others out there as well.
Hang in there. You have definitely been thrown into the deep end of the pool! Good luck!
dcbckup - I agree it is time to stop and take stock on where you are at. There is SO much to learn when starting up in this hobby. Some folks read, research and participate in forums like this for months and months (or even more than a year!) before their first purchace. It can be a very good strategy that saves on frustration, heartache and LOTS of money.
Take heart, you have found a site where folks will be very helpful, joining in your enthusiasm and effort to get it right. Do take advantage of the knowlege here and KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS.
If you have not already, visit the areas of this site that help lay out how to get started. And do get a good book, like the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. There are others out there as well.
Hang in there. You have definitely been thrown into the deep end of the pool! Good luck!
ScottT1980
Well-Known Member
DC, I just wanted to assure you that we are here to help (in fact, we want to help) so don't be dissuaded. With that being said, it must be understood that a SW tank, especially a reef tank, is much different from its freshwater counterparts.
The real issue is that many of the corals you find at your local fish store (or most corals) are wild caught. That means that they are hand-picked by divers in one of the most fragile ecosystems on this earth. As reefers, we have a responsibility to these different species to provide them the absolute best environment possible.
Anyway, that might explain some of the disbelief. Hopefully we can right this situation and you will have a fantastic nano tank in the near future. But first off, I beg of you to try to find a new home for that frogspawn. If you continue to do water changes, I fear that your tank will never get fully cycled or it could just prolong the frustration.
Take er easy
Scott T.
The real issue is that many of the corals you find at your local fish store (or most corals) are wild caught. That means that they are hand-picked by divers in one of the most fragile ecosystems on this earth. As reefers, we have a responsibility to these different species to provide them the absolute best environment possible.
Anyway, that might explain some of the disbelief. Hopefully we can right this situation and you will have a fantastic nano tank in the near future. But first off, I beg of you to try to find a new home for that frogspawn. If you continue to do water changes, I fear that your tank will never get fully cycled or it could just prolong the frustration.
Take er easy
Scott T.
Crakeur
Member
in dingo's defense, the biggest problem that the seasoned nano keepers find is that people jump in without any real planning, learning or thought. It gets frustrating as hell to continually see this.
I agree that Dingo's advice was a bit cold and blunt but it is dead on.
Aside from the obvious things mentioned, a 6 head frogspawn is pretty big for a 10 gallon tank. The area around the frog will need to be constantly watched for stinging action (assuming other corals are in the tank at some point).
I agree that the frog is likely to die given the circumstances.
I never believe in abandoning a fish store because they don't know their stuff. It can be a windfall if you go in and they have a coral mispriced due to a wrong id. Just make sure you know more than they do and you can determine if the animal is good for your tank, if it is healthy and if it is compatible with the other livestock in the tank.
I agree that Dingo's advice was a bit cold and blunt but it is dead on.
Aside from the obvious things mentioned, a 6 head frogspawn is pretty big for a 10 gallon tank. The area around the frog will need to be constantly watched for stinging action (assuming other corals are in the tank at some point).
I agree that the frog is likely to die given the circumstances.
I never believe in abandoning a fish store because they don't know their stuff. It can be a windfall if you go in and they have a coral mispriced due to a wrong id. Just make sure you know more than they do and you can determine if the animal is good for your tank, if it is healthy and if it is compatible with the other livestock in the tank.
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
OK,
Now here this. The policy of this forum prohibits any flaming. There is absolutely no defense for bluntness! If you can't say something nice then don't say it at all. The rule here is to be kind, and it is not hard at all.
:smirk:
Now here this. The policy of this forum prohibits any flaming. There is absolutely no defense for bluntness! If you can't say something nice then don't say it at all. The rule here is to be kind, and it is not hard at all.
:smirk:
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
DC,
Please listen to Scott in the above post and forgive the callousness of Dingo's post. I'm sure Dingo is just concerned for the well being of the animals and your pocket book. Ignorance, not knowing what to do - I've been there trust me, can be very expensive. Ignorance is due mainly to a lack of planning and that is the point.
We are here to help and we certainly hope you didn't take any offense to the tone of the message. The information is very good.
:smirk:
Please listen to Scott in the above post and forgive the callousness of Dingo's post. I'm sure Dingo is just concerned for the well being of the animals and your pocket book. Ignorance, not knowing what to do - I've been there trust me, can be very expensive. Ignorance is due mainly to a lack of planning and that is the point.
We are here to help and we certainly hope you didn't take any offense to the tone of the message. The information is very good.
:smirk:
Craig Manoukian
Well-Known Member
You hit the nail on the head LuckyInk. It takes just one awe shucks to wipe out ten atta boys!
:smirk:
:smirk:
birdman204
Member
I agree with Ink and crak. Dingo was not flaming. Is he getting told not to speak the cold , hard truth? I hought the point of boards was to help people and spread GOOD info.... This gentleman or lady would be far better off picking up a reefkeeping book and spending 2 days reading it. With that said.
a 10w 50/50 aint gonna cut it...... The size of that creature will make it hard for anything else to thrive in a 10G.
I know lucky pointed out the one "bad" part, but when he does figure it out, he / she will realize that what they are doing right now is completley wrong.
a 10w 50/50 aint gonna cut it...... The size of that creature will make it hard for anything else to thrive in a 10G.
I know lucky pointed out the one "bad" part, but when he does figure it out, he / she will realize that what they are doing right now is completley wrong.
mick77
Member
True enough. However, remember the saying, it's easier to catch bees with honey rather than vinegar? I think everybody here has at one time made the mistake of not researching enough. You don't have to be flaming to be negative. Don't get me wrong, I hate seeing wild caught marine organisms spiraling downward to their own demise, but sometimes all it takes are words of encouragement backed by facts to point somebody in the right direction. I'm not trying to stir the pot, but if I would have had advice like that in the begining I probably wouldn't still be in the hobby. It's been the kind words of encouragement and advice that I have received here and other places that have taken me to where I am today. Just my $.02: