My first tank

[verde1933]

So my tank has been up and running for about three months now. I've had a few problems along the way, but overall I can say that I'm addicted.

60 gallon tank
Hang on protein skimmer
8 bulb t5
50 pounds of rock
Two mocha clown
CUC
Mushroom coral
Toadstool leather
Zoa
Green star polyp
Duncan's
Green polyp pink cap

I change 15 gallons every week. Is that over kill. I have my local fish store check my water every week and they tell me every week it's perfect. My only concern is lasts weekend I had two fish die. Yellow tang and koleys tang. Their answer was some fish die. Is this true? Also my toadstool leather has been in a few days and polyps aren't opening. Is this normal? How long will it take to open ? Thanks for the help

 

[verde1933]

 

[verde1933]

And my tro is snails are having babies

 

[verde1933]

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome to R2R, really nice tank! I love the rocks scape , nice and open. I am new to saltwater also, started last June so I don't give much advice , just some of the expierence I've gone through, I have a toad stool leather as well and it does the same thing, it will close up for a day or 2 and then be fine, I do check my lighting , I have 2 kessil's and sometimes I think that's it or one of my clowns has been trying to host it. There lots of people with so much expierence and are more than happy to help.

 

[verde1933]

Thanks for the advice. How long did it take for your toadstool to open?

 

[Chrisfish]

It was pretty much closed yesterday and here it is today

 

[Chrisfish]

Slowly opening up

 

[Mike in CT]

How long had you had your fish before they died? While it's not unheard for a fish to die out the blue, anytime 2 or more die, there is usually something going on that needs investigation. Did the fish show any symptoms before they died?

 

[verde1933]

They showed no signs. They were very active and we're eating well. I got my water checked the same day and everything was fine. Was bummed

 

[melypr1985]

Welcome to R2R! Yes, some fish die..... but there is usually a reason behind it. They could have been sick, or acclimated improperly... several reasons behind it.

 

[TUSI]

Welcome to reef to reef. The right place to be for any advise and help with your new tank. The tank looks awsome

 

[DeniseAndy]

First, welcome to r2r and to saltwater.

I like the tank. Corals and such look healthy and nice coralline growth on the rocks. The toadstool is fine. They will fold up when bothered and sometimes just because. They will also shed at times, so this is when they look unhappy too. Completely normal. Love mochas. I have one paired with a snowflake. I love T5s!

As far as the two fish that passed, I am sorry. Those two fish are a bit much for that size tank, but that would not be the reason for the death. Without necropsy or signs of disease, it will be hard to tell. I would stay away from tangs of any sort in a 60g. That is my opinion though. There are so many cool smaller fish that would work great, to limit your stocking and the fishes normal habitat is not worth it.

Keep us up to date and keep up the good work. That water change is fine by the way. Good maintenance will save a lot of heartache. Also, you may want to invest in tests if you are bringing them in each week to pet store. Just a thought. Alk, Ca, Nitrate, Mg is what most will need.

 

[Diesel]

 

[Salty1962]

Welcome to R2R! The best site on the net for your aquarium questions!

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Beautiful reef!

 

[verde1933]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Silly question but I'm new at this. I only have two fish now. I feed frozen food and cut it into four pieces. How often should I be feeding them? I'm noticing I'm getting a lot of algae on the glass. I feed everyday. Is that too much? Should I got to every other?

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Probably going to have to be a judgment call on your part. Try different time periods and see what is good for the tank. I feed one of my tanks once a day and another once a week. Just see what works for you and the tank.

 

[NanoDJS]

Welcome to saltwater and R2R I am new here also , but have been reefing for a min. My basic reef advice would be , less is more , go with your instincts , add love and passion and bam ! But to really answer your question with some answers , those two species of fish require very demanding habitat based feeding requirements that I know a fresh system setup will not have yet, especially skimmed and with that water change schedule. Is best to wait about 1 year for a system to be running ,and or the main live rock and sand and bioload balanced before its suggested you purchase those types of fish ,or take the risk of them basically starving , also that size tank is a bit on the very small side for even juvi tangs imho , as for feeding , try and shut pumps ect then mix up some small (copepod size) and mysis in a cup of your tank water and maybe a thumbnail sized chunk at first of each, mix it up then turkey baster it into the direction of your corals mouths , the fish will get excess and the snails and all will eat the rest , if they eat it all within 3 to 4 mins your doing it right (add or decrease with new population or growth ect..) then turn your pumps back on and skim away. I would go every other day at first and see how that makes things look . Hope this is of some help . Keep it fragtastic and happy reefing !