anemone question

I have a 55 gallon reef tank, pretty new, and i have questions if anyone can help:

1. I have seen on forums if an anemone dies it can "nuke" your tank? what does this mean
2. Can you have too strong on a current on your anemone? I have a bubble tip and I want to make sure i don't kill it, this is my first.
3. What websites are good to order things from, such as snails and anemones.
4. I have 1 fire shrimp 2 peppermint, 5 turbo snails, 5 ast snails and 5 hermit crabs. What else can I get to help keep my tank clean, I thought maybe a water plant to help fight nitrate? I'm getting some astraea's I think with some more hermit crabs. (the small red hermit crabs)
5. Can someone suggest me a good 200$ or less filter, as I only have one.
6. If my ammonia levels/ nitrate levels get high what do i do to bring them down? Everything is perfect or at 0, but just in case.

any other advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

1A. If it dies it will release nutrients and possibly start a new cycle.

 

It would be good to post more info on your system,what are you using for filtration now?Do you have a sump? As for snails or macroalgae(marine plants)reefcleaners.org is really good.

 

Almost forgot question 1!!! If a nem does die in your tank it can release toxins that could kill your tanks other inhabitants.I too have a bubble tip and it seems to like moderate to medium flow.They also prefer strong lighting and above all,stable water parameters,which is why most people advise against housing them in new systems.

 

Your nem will move around until it finds a spot where it's comfortable with flow and lighting. You won't kill it with too much of either one.

Your live rock is the bulk of your filtration. A protein skimmer will help reduce the bioload on the LR, but is not absolutely necessary. My opinion on mechanical filtration is this: everything that gets trapped in the filter is food for something in my tank, and being trapped, it will still break down into DOCs, creating nitrates in the system.

For ordering livestock online, I prefer LiveAquaria. I've had nothing but excellent results, so far.

Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

 

Yeah, John over at reefcleaners can hook you up. I have ordered from them several times and I'm never disappointed. The customer service is top notch. You can even look over the cleanup crews they have pre-made up for about any tank size you can imagine.

You could probably even just email John through the site and tell him what you have and he might have suggestions to add to help you with your crew as well.

so in short I think most of your questions if not all were answered so lets recap:

1. I have seen on forums if an anemone dies it can "nuke" your tank? what does this mean

Could cause everything to die. You will know if it is happening if you watch your tank as often as most of us. If you are new you might even watch it more.

2. Can you have too strong on a current on your anemone? I have a bubble tip and I want to make sure i don't kill it, this is my first.

As Bill said, it will move around till it finds a place it is happy with. Best bet is just let it do its thing and don't muck with it.

3. What websites are good to order things from, such as snails and anemones.

Snails and things like that, reefcleaners.org and as for anemones, that could vary and maybe someone could point you the right direction for those but maybe your best bet is to look around for a LFS to check out and see if they can get you one. Shipping for live creatures is VERY costly.

4. I have 1 fire shrimp 2 peppermint, 5 turbo snails, 5 ast snails and 5 hermit crabs. What else can I get to help keep my tank clean, I thought maybe a water plant to help fight nitrate? I'm getting some astraea's I think with some more hermit crabs. (the small red hermit crabs)

Some people use HOB refugiums if you don't have the capability to set up an actual fuge system. Keeping macro algae such as chaeto can really help keep your nitrates down as they like to consume them. (As well as other nutrients and things) I would look at the "Quick Crews" on reefcleaners if you want more cleaners though because even adding a whole crew on top of what you have probably wouldn't hurt.

5. Can someone suggest me a good 200$ or less filter, as I only have one.

Hmm, As for a filter it has been discussed heavily to try to avoid canister filters. Other than that maybe someone can suggest a certain filter but I would check some places like amazon.com for some deals. I picked up a protein skimmer that would probably work on your tank on there for about 45 bucks. Just make sure you clean it really well before you add it to your tank or the "break in" process will take even longer.

6. If my ammonia levels/ nitrate levels get high what do i do to bring them down? Everything is perfect or at 0, but just in case.

Water changes are your friend. Also, water changes help replinish nutrients in your water from your salt mix that may be depleated over time that you may not ever test for such as iodine and calcium (most of us test calcium but most starters don't know to usually) Try to use ro/di water or distilled water if you are in a jam (I make sure it is reverse osmosis filtered, I use the Wal-Mart brand with the purple caps). Just search around on the forum for any of the huge discussions on those subjects. And don't be afraid to ask questions!

 

thanks a lot. Yeah I ordered a pack of 12 zebra snails, 15 more dwarf red leg reef hermits, a pom pom crab, 2 saltwater fern plants and some mixed gracillaria. If anyone has any other tips for me let me know