calcium reactor

[ibjmg]

well lost the anemone did everything I could ... flipping it over every day
my frogspawn does not look so good ,but my star polyp looks fine.
there is on thing that I know I need "calcium reactor" big time ,Right?
seen and read about them (dyi) But everything needs to be right the first time,take it slow ! Can some one tell me some good kinds and tell me more about them? also is there anything else that would help me out in the long run?Are anemones hard to keep?

thanks agian

Jerrod

hers some pics dont really have much in the tank yet .
20 snails
20 crabs
cleaner shrimp
nemo
sand sifting goby
blue damsel
yellow tail damsel
star polyp
frogspawn


the stand and conpy Ibuilt my self about $500 in wood solid oak.(I work in a wood shop)

[ibjmg]

anybody out there?

[Ninong]

well lost the anemone did everything I could ... flipping it over every day

It would have been better to wait at least four to six months after starting up the tank before adding an anemone.

there is on thing that I know I need "calcium reactor" big time ,Right?

A calcium reactor would be nice. I would like one myself but I don't really have room for one in my present setup, so I get by with dripping limewater every night. You could hold off on the calcium reactor until your tank's calcium demand builds up. That may take a year or more. However, if you feel like adding one now, go right ahead.

This is a nice one that should do just fine for your 180-gal tank: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...Product=KL1502

Here is the same unit with the regulator, media & CO2 tank: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch..._Code=creactor

There are other nice calcium reactors available. Check around.

Are anemones hard to keep?

In general, yes, anemones are hard to keep for a variety of reasons. Some are more difficult than others. If you are determined to get an anemone, I would suggest a captive-cloned Entacmaea quadricolor (bubble tip anemone).

the stand and conpy Ibuilt my self about $500 in wood solid oak.(I work in a wood shop)

Nice job!

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Regarding a calcium reactor, unless you have a large amount of stony corals they are not really required. Dosing calcium chloride and buffer are a simple way to grow corals.

There are many species of anemones; some take no special care while others are very difficult. Most clownfish hosting anemones are photosynthetic and require strong lighting (not halides but VHO's or PC). Placement and feeding also varies widely depending on the species.

HTH,
Kevin

[ibjmg]

Thanks alot you guys, Ive been alot of your post and learned alot already!

I have lots of question,That I would rather ask a experinced hobbiest,then"lfs"
I'm just introducing plankton to my tank Iwas told to 1/2cap of DT every week and a half.Does this sound right?I only have a star polyp and frogspawn,(frog spawn "not looking good" star polyp looks good but not as full as it was in the lfs.Now for my fish I've been feeding them Formula 2 pellets.Is there something better for them?frozen food?


I will tell everybody hobbiest that I know about this site,thanks agianfor all your help!
Jerrod

[Ninong]

I'm just introducing plankton to my tank Iwas told to 1/2cap of DT every week and a half.Does this sound right?

It all depends.

For starters, it comes in various sizes with progressively larger caps. The cap on the 32 oz. bottle is larger than the cap on the 8 oz. bottle.

It depends on what you have in your tank and the maturity of your tank. Dennis Tagrin has some good information on his website: http://www.dtplankton.com/frameset1.htm

For someone with juvenile Tridacna clams in their tank (clams less than 3.5"), I would recommend feeding DT's at least twice a week or possibly every other day. If all of your clams are larger than that, then you might want to feed it only once a week.

How often you feed and how much you feed is entirely dependent on what you are keeping in your tank and how "loaded" your tank is. I might feed one Tbsp. twice a week in my 120-gal tank whereas someone with a 500-gal tank might feed three or four tablespoons twice a week.

Remember to keep it refrigerated and to shake it gently AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK to keep it from settling on the bottom of the bottle. If that happens, it will crash (die). Always mix the DT's into a pint or two of tankwater first and then pour that into your tank.

In your particular situation right now, you might want to feed about one teaspoon every week. You can increase that later on when appropriate.

I've been feeding them Formula 2 pellets.Is there something better for them?frozen food?

Ocean Nutrition's Formula 2 is designed for herbivores. What you choose to feed your tank depends on what you have in your tank. I have herbivores and carnivores, so I feed a wide variety of different foods. To give you an idea, here is what I have and here is what I feed them:

1 Siganus vulpinus (Foxface Rabbitfish) -- herbivore
1 Pseudochromis fridmani (Orchid Dottyback) -- carnivore
1 Cirrhilabrus scottorum (Scott's Fairy Wrasse) -- zooplanktivore
1 Cirrhilabrus lineatus (Lineatus Fairy Wrasse) -- zooplanktivore
1 Centropyge bispinosa (Coral Beauty Angelfish) -- zooplanktivore plus benthic algae
5 Tridacna spp. clams (2 crocea & 3 maxima), all less than 4" -- they require phytoplankton to supplement their photosynthetic nutrition source.

Zillions of amphipods, copepods and polychaetes plus quite a few snails: Nassarius vibex (carrion eaters), Turbo fluctuosus, Nerites, Ceriths, Trochus, etc.

I feed:

Ocean Nutrition's: Forumla One flake, Formula Two flake, Formula One pellets, Forumla Two frozen, Angelfish Formula frozen.

Also: Omega One flakes, Cyclop-Eeze freeze dried, DT's, frozen mysid shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, frozen squid, nori on a clip, homemade concoction that I freeze in little zip-lock baggies made from finely chopped shrimp, squid, saltwater fish, garlic, Zelcon vitamins, etc.

I add finely chopped garlic to my food on a regular basis. I add a few drops of Zelcon to my food at least twice a week.

I feed my tank at least twice a day, usually three or four times a day. If I know that I will be feeding three or four times, I cut back on the quantity at each feeding.

There are about as many different opinions on how much and how often you should feed as there are people on the boards. In general, most hobbyists underfeed. I make an effort to avoid that. Your approach has to be adapted to what your have in your tank and when you are available to feed the tank.



P.S. -- Your fish may eventually start eating things that they don't eat in the wild. My Orchid Dottyback wouldn't eat any flake food for the first few months but now he eats almost everything, including even Formula Two flake. He much prefers things like frozen mysids, frozen brine, frozen squid, Cyclop-Eeze, etc. My Foxface Rabbitfish eats absolutely everything but it is important that I make sure he gets algae every day. The point is that even if your fish are all eating whatever you are feeding, you still have to pay attention to their natural diet and make sure you provide some of those food items because they are necessary to long term health.

[ibjmg]

great info thanks agian

ibjmg