lets discuss it

Ok as i am sure most know by now, I am new to the hobby. I am going to order my LR on friday but in the prosess i would like to know what i should start off with for live stock (corals, inverts, fish, ect...) any ideas i would be very much appreciative for any suggestions. Thank you for your help. Oh and i will have my mh lights before i put livestock in my tank.

 

I would get a cleaner crew first. Second I would than sit down and make a list of what you would like to put in the tank as far as corals & fish. After making your list look them up on the net or books and see what you can house together so your fish aren't eating your corals nor your clean up crew,and go from there.

It's almost like a old guy told me when I was working: Measure twice and cut once and it will save you from getting an headaches.

In saltwater taking your (TIME) and moving (SLOW) is a BIG thing!!! Do your homework and make sure what you buy is compatable with what you already have and ask (LOTS) of questions and you should be alright.
Hopefully this helps you out.. Good luck.

 

yes that helps some... but i was looking for some good beginner fish coral ect....

 

I have a quick question. For the cycle, are you planning on going the chemical route where you purchase a product like cycle, or are you planning on using some damsels or chromis. I am not really sure how the chemical products work. I used damsels and almost all of them survived and are living in a a friends display tank.

 

ok i am kinda confused... (remember i am extremly new to this.) I dont really know what you mean buy anything you just said..

 

What size tank? How much rock?
Do not "start out" with any inverts or corals. If you use the average of 1 lb. rock per gallon, and it's cured, maybe put in a couple of damsel fish, and a couple of snails.....but ONLY after you: Put on a good skimmer from day one, get the temp stabilized at 76 to 80F, make sure PH is 8.0 to 8.4, and have the salinity around 1.024. Also, make sure you can keep the water temp low enough with the MH lights, so get them up and running before any livestock, and add fans or increase water circulation as needed. Water surface agitation is extremely important to keep the oxygen level up, so a couple of power heads near the top will help oxygenate the water as well as aid in evaporation to keep it cool.
Then do your water tests and wait. After ammonia and nitrites are gone, do a 1/2 water change, then check it for another week or so before adding anything else.
That's just the very basics, but I hope it helps a little.

 

Hmm, well as far as fish go:
You could go with clowns, chromis, gobies, tangs -- if yellow add last. Damsels are cheap, fast,& colorful but, if you dont wont them as long term tank mates I wouldn't add them due to size and speed.You will have to take almost all of your rock work out to get them out of the tank and they can be aggressive toward other fish.

Corals:
mushrooms, zoo's, polp's, xenia, leathers,and could try colts.

 

I've actually had good luck catching damsels. I put a pinch of flake food in a net, lower it in the water, and scoop 'em out as fast as they come near the net for the food. Laugh, but it works!

 

Ok, First of all, you DO NOT need to use live fish for your tank cycling!!! You can go the route of using just UNCURED rock...Nothing else...or use a frozen shrimp! If you want to go the other route and use a Damsel, that is fine as well!
I wouldn't use/or add inverts until your tank cycles COMPLETELY! or coral and fish for that matter!
Now, once your tank cycles completely, you can go with any number of beginner corals not limited to:
Mushrooms
Zoo and Palythoa Polyps
pretty much any Octocoral(leather...soft corals-ahermatypic in nature!)
many large polyped stonies ie., Brains, Echynophyllia, Fungiids, Euphylia sp., and Bubbles
Some small polyped stonies like Pavona, Montipora Digitata, Pocillipora and Porites are a good choice with a proven track record for long term survival!
Now as far as fish are concerned, Many Blennies, Gobies, Yellow Tang, Scopas or Sailfin-Royal Gramma or Pseudochromis', Blue and/or green Chromis' and Clowns!
Hope this helps! Just remember to acclimate them slowly, watch for the proper placement of corals with water movement, neighboring corals, and lighting demands!
Beginner Fish: Tropical Fish for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums
Aquarium Reef Corals Care Information, Profiles & Pictures
Try reading these articles to help you out more as pictures are worth a thousand words...IMO hahaha
Good luck!