Just Starting out and Looking to Learn

Hi, My name is Steve and live in Arizona.
I am a former Freshwater aquarium keeper and progressed from the normal Tetra's etc to Piranha's when I lived in the UK going back 20 years.
I am finally getting my dream of owning a Saltwater tank and starting at the end of April.
I am looking to learn as much as I can before then so I not only have a great set up but also provide the inhabitants the safest and enjoyable environment they can get.
I should have a 6 foot tank in my office that I know will take a few months to establish before starting with my first fish to which I want to build around a Nemo. I know very common I am sure but I have kids and grandkids and they all would love to see Nemo swimming around Papi's home.
So looking to learn the best setup I can have.
Looking for where in Phoenix is best for supplies and fish. Anyone believe in liveaquaria.com as a useful source?
Looking also what are the best cohabitants with Clown Fish.
This is more of a lifestyle than a hobby I know and looking forward to build over the many years to come.
I will also have a Quarantine tank set up and have questions like, do I need to clean it out between every fish/invert/live rock I get or once the quarantine is over can I keep it running ready for the next inhabitant?
So please help out a newbie and look forward to making friends along the way.

 

Welcome to 3reef.

This is my favorite newbie thread on here (and arguably the best): http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/whats-important-successful-tank-108699.html

As for the local scene here, while there are many stores in town, there's only 3 which I will shop at: Aquatouch, Reef Culture (my favorite), or the Aquarius (a small hole-in-the-wall, but a great place to shop for corals).

I'd also encourage you to look at the local club here in the valley; there's a great group of support here if you go looking for it: Arizona - Fish & Reef Aquarium Group (FRAG) - Reef Central Online Community

There's some local activity on AZReefs.com as well, but not nearly as much as the RC board linked above.

Best of luck.

 

Welcome to 3reef.

Liveaquaria is an excellent resource.

Congrats on your upcoming build.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Its great that you are asking these questions now rather than after setup and adding fish

I will try and help a little. With a 6' long tank, you have tons of awesome options for fish! Do you know the exact size or gallons? I ask as you can have a 100 gal 6' long tank, or a 220 gal 6' long tank!

Anyways, "common" clowns (either True Perculas or Occellaris) are fine with almost and other fish (besides with predators that would eat them of course). They are actually on the more aggressive side of the scale though, and so should be added after any peaceful fish, and before more aggressive fish. With a bigger tank, this becomes less of a concern as there are more hiding places for timid fish to go. Once you give us the tank size or dimensions, we can better assist with fish selection

For the QT, I keep every new fish in the QT (by itself) for 4 weeks minimum. If the fish does not show any signs of disease or parasite, is eating prepared foods well, and is behaving normal, I add them to the display tank and then purchase another fish to put in the QT. If during that time the fish was infected, then it would need to be treated accordingly. You would want to wait 4 weeks after a fish was treated before adding them to the DT. If the fish did not make it, then if it is a bare bottom QT, I would drain it completely and wash it out. This would mean the tank would need to recycle before another fish was added though. The other option is to leave it up and running, but do not add anything at all (besides water change or top off water) for 8 weeks. After the 8 weeks, you could add the next fish as the parasite (such as Ich) would have perished due to lack of a host.

I hope this helps you and did not confuse you in any way!

 

Welcome to 3reef.

 

Welcome to 3reef!

 

Welcome to 3reef and this is a great place to learn. Ask away!

 

The most important thing I have learned so far is patience.

 

Welcome to 3reef.

 

Welcome to 3reef one of my fav...o...rite forums Alot of good hobbiest here along with being nice and respectful to others.
Take your time and learn this will help keep your hobby fun!