I thought he loved me...lol

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Jeli]

Hello and welcome! What a start huh? Totally OK, we make mistakes, is more important to learn from them and not repeat.

Have you been testing ammonia in either of your tanks? Even the api test kits will work for ammonia, but for the rest of your parameters you should look into salifert or Hanna testing kits.

And look into the phone clip on filters, I use them on my phone, also using the s21.

Phone filter

Hi! Thank you very much for the welcome and the advice!
Yes, I do test often w the API kit and take my water in to my LFS weekly. I was definitely having ammonia spikes. It's been relatively stable since Jan. Which Hanna testers do you recommend as a must have?
For the phone filter, what specifically do I look for? Blue filtering?

 

[Jeli]

I thought you were cycling a 20 and were planning to use the 10 for QT. Maybe I'm loosing it. Time to take a break from the ol'fishy-forum...

I have definitely thought about using the 10 as just a QT, but I really kinda like the tiny ecosystem and the challenge to make it thrive!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Welcome to R2R
Sounds like your fish had ICH. You need to not add fish for 76 or 79 days or the other new fish will just get it too

 

[Sharkbait19]

Hi! Thank you very much for the welcome and the advice!
Yes, I do test often w the API kit and take my water in to my LFS weekly. I was definitely having ammonia spikes. It's been relatively stable since Jan. Which Hanna testers do you recommend as a must have?
For the phone filter, what specifically do I look for? Blue filtering?

They sell filters for the camera, really any orange-transparent cover will do the trick. There are apps that will correct too.
It’s also easier to take pics on whites.

 

[ying yang]

Hi and thank you!
In regards to the title, I was talking about the friend that gave me the tank.
The spots, yes, it was definitely ich. It was mid-January. I told myself that I wouldn't add any more fish until mid-April just to be safe. We are almost there! What do you think--a pair of clowns or a damsel tank?

Well most say 76 days fallow ,which means run your tank without fishes for the full duration so if your last fishes to die was mid January, you are probably just around the 76 day mark now.maybe little longer depending which date in January.
Reason for running tank fallow after having a fish with a diesese in tank is the fish parasites need a host ( fish) to feed from so take away the fish and the parasites go through all their various life cycles and die off,( some say once ich in the tank then its always in the tank,like the cysts lay dormant in the sand waiting for right moment to re -affect the tank )
I'm no diesese expert/ biologist so don't know the answer whether true or false, but the overwhelming majority say this is false and if run tank fallow at 82 degrees for 45 days or run rank at normal temperature for 76 days then the ich dies off 100%
Just fyi information if you planning on medicated qt all new fishes or buy pre-quarantied fish from a vendor, ich cysts apparently can cone in on snail /hermit crab shells and some other cuc members but not all,like urchins are safe, so if running a tank fallow bare in mind if want to do a true fallow then can't add cuc mvers like snails / hermits and some qt their fish,qt their corals and cuc members in a seperate qt tank to their fish qt tank as the medication that gets used for fishes may kill the corals/ cuc members.
So qt/fallow is highly debated subject on how far you want to go with it or not .
As for 2 clowns or a damsel tank,I have no experience with damsels but do read most species are very aggressive and if have a few of them,they get picked off one by one and a smaller tank = less territory for each fish and aggression can be heightened due to small living quarters for the fishies.
As for 2 clowns ,I'm not sure recommended size tank for 2 clowns is,but would guess 10 gallons is to small,but clowns do t really swim around tank like other fishes so if kept up with water changes and kept your export methods upto par then could make It work.but I would advise you to research what minimum tank size is needed for a pair of clowns and go from there.

But anyway good luck and hope you and your family get great enjoyment from your tank.
Hopefully in these 2 and a half months since lost 2nd lot of clowns you have learnt the basics on water changes and testing and trying to keep tank stable. ^_^

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[Ricox]

Welcome!

 

[Jeli]

Note 20 user here...

Use pro mode, adjust the shutter speed faster, and adjust the white balance so yourt pic's arent so blue. Also helps to turn the flash off.

Welcome to R2R btw!

Thank you!

 

[Jeli]

Welcome to R2R!

These Orphek lenses will clip right over your phone camera and let you take awesome pictures.

Thank you!

 

[Jeli]

Well most say 76 days fallow ,which means run your tank without fishes for the full duration so if your last fishes to die was mid January, you are probably just around the 76 day mark now.maybe little longer depending which date in January.
Reason for running tank fallow after having a fish with a diesese in tank is the fish parasites need a host ( fish) to feed from so take away the fish and the parasites go through all their various life cycles and die off,( some say once ich in the tank then its always in the tank,like the cysts lay dormant in the sand waiting for right moment to re -affect the tank )
I'm no diesese expert/ biologist so don't know the answer whether true or false, but the overwhelming majority say this is false and if run tank fallow at 82 degrees for 45 days or run rank at normal temperature for 76 days then the ich dies off 100%
Just fyi information if you planning on medicated qt all new fishes or buy pre-quarantied fish from a vendor, ich cysts apparently can cone in on snail /hermit crab shells and some other cuc members but not all,like urchins are safe, so if running a tank fallow bare in mind if want to do a true fallow then can't add cuc mvers like snails / hermits and some qt their fish,qt their corals and cuc members in a seperate qt tank to their fish qt tank as the medication that gets used for fishes may kill the corals/ cuc members.
So qt/fallow is highly debated subject on how far you want to go with it or not .
As for 2 clowns or a damsel tank,I have no experience with damsels but do read most species are very aggressive and if have a few of them,they get picked off one by one and a smaller tank = less territory for each fish and aggression can be heightened due to small living quarters for the fishies.
As for 2 clowns ,I'm not sure recommended size tank for 2 clowns is,but would guess 10 gallons is to small,but clowns do t really swim around tank like other fishes so if kept up with water changes and kept your export methods upto par then could make It work.but I would advise you to research what minimum tank size is needed for a pair of clowns and go from there.

But anyway good luck and hope you and your family get great enjoyment from your tank.
Hopefully in these 2 and a half months since lost 2nd lot of clowns you have learnt the basics on water changes and testing and trying to keep tank stable. ^_^

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Jedi1199]

Welcome to the Dark Side...

You live pretty close to my brother and his family (McKinney, TX) I lived out there for a summer about 12 years ago, and couldn't get back to Cali fast enough... lol

I'm not going to advise you on fish, it is your tank so do what makes you happy.

Now, for tank photography...

First, watch the video posted here:

Very cool. Get a orange filter. Or turn the whites up. What a cool gift! I can't really tell from the blue pic but

I disagree with this. In order to get the cleanest, most realistic photos , it is by far easier to work with your camera settings than to buy extra eqipment.

You will still need to do a little post processing with a good editing program, but the results will be far better than trying to fix issue that arise with "Point and shoot" photography.

Note 20 user here...

Use pro mode, adjust the shutter speed faster, and adjust the white balance so yourt pic's arent so blue. Also helps to turn the flash off.

Welcome to R2R btw!

There are a few other adjustments to make, that are explained in the video I linked to above.

Practice makes perfect. Have fun and snap away!!!

 

[ying yang]

Welcome to the Dark Side...

You live pretty close to my brother and his family (McKinney, TX) I lived out there for a summer about 12 years ago, and couldn't get back to Cali fast enough... lol

I'm not going to advise you on fish, it is your tank so do what makes you happy.

Now, for tank photography...

First, watch the video posted here:


I disagree with this. In order to get the cleanest, most realistic photos , it is by far easier to work with your camera settings than to buy extra eqipment.

You will still need to do a little post processing with a good editing program, but the results will be far better than trying to fix issue that arise with "Point and shoot" photography.



There are a few other adjustments to make, that are explained in the video I linked to above.

Practice makes perfect. Have fun and snap away!!!

Thanks for sharing this video.
Helped lots ^_^

 

[Jedi1199]

Thanks for sharing this video.
Helped lots ^_^

You are welcome.

I can't take credit for the video itself, but the information there is fantastic!! I have learned so much about using my phone for tank shots since first watching that video.

 

[otzhorse]

 

[Schraufabagel]

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to R2R and the obsession

 

[jwill4400]

Hi! My name is Cheli (pronounced "Shelly") and I live in North Texas--north of Dallas. Here is how my adventure into saltwater/reefing began:
A friend surprised me with a 10 gallon tank, coral light, filter, live sand, live rock (I think about 8lbs), wave maker that is way too powerful for my tank and not adjustable, a heater, saltwater in a 5g jug, RODI water also in a 5g jug, and 5 gallons of saltwater out of an established tank. I had always admired saltwater tanks, but really didn't think I'd have one. I was so stinking excited! We set it all up and headed out to look at fish. His LFS had assured him that putting fish in a new tank would be fine especially since we used live sand, rock, and established water. I promptly lied to the people at what is now my LFS. Told them my tank had been up for about 3 weeks (hadn't even been 3 hours!) I bought two of THE cutest tiny baby percula clownfish. First one lived one whole day. Second, made it a week. I was really kinda sad, so then, 2 weeks later when I was at Petco and they had oscellaris that just had to come home with me, I bought and named them. (Dont judge--they were irresistible! ) Those sweet little white polka dots that they developed weren't so cute. This pair lasted about two weeks. I finally learned my lesson...with fish. Instead, I bought GSP which I have almost killed. But, I'm nothing if not tenacious! Next, xenia and a couple of Kenya trees. Love the xenia, not a fan of the Kenya trees which, of course, are flourishing! Started dosing my tank and now I am also the proud keeper of Frogspawn, several zoas, rainbow cloves, and a flower anemone. Oh, I almost forget about the giant bristle worm and its hundreds of babies that are super happy in my tank and the arrow crab I just got to eat them, but evidently he is anorexic because I still have A LOT of tiny worms. I almost forgot about the 5 snails (down to 2 or 3) and 5 hermits (counted 8 the other day) that I bought that don't seem to really have a taste for the algae in my tank.
I'm having so much fun, I am now almost through cycling a 20 gallon and trying to decide if my 10g wants another pair of clowns or to be a damsel only tank.
One more thing, I can't figure out how to take a good picture with my phone, but I attached one for you. Btw, phone is a Samsung S21 Ultra. If anyone has tips for taking pics of my tank other than, "Get an iPhone", I'd really appreciate them!

Mine takes great shots of everything but the tank. It picks up the blue...really well. Might try a night shot or cut the blue out when you take a shot. You sound like you are having a great time. Enjoy and welcome!

 

[deepseabc]

Glad to hear the fish are making it longer than two weeks now that the tank is cycled. Totally up to you but I'd use cautioon with damsel fish. I used to use them to help cycle a tank, but over the years I've found they usually get aggressive and territorial and end up picking on new fish when you introduce them. Nothing worse than having a $9 damsel tear up a $100 tang