Greetings from MetroWest Noobie...Oceanic 8

[Spitman]

Hi All,

This is my first post, glad to be here...and I'm sure I will need lots of help to keep my Oceanic 8 up and running right. We also have a small freshwater tank as well. Got the saltwater Oceanic 8 tank from Tropic Isle in Framingham brought it home, set it up with my 3 kids Abby 7, Morgan 5 and Jack 2. Filled it up, Added the salt and sand, put in a couple of live rocks(one tree like branchy and one cone shaped with shells embedded), turned it on and let it sit there for a few days. Went back few days later, got 3 small hermit crabs and another rock, tested the salt and ph, 1.023 salinity and about 8.2-8.4 ph. Went to Petco and bought one more live rock, arch shaped so now I have one rock for each of my kids (they know which one is theirs, except for Jack...he's not quite 18mo. ) Then we got the first 3 hermit crabs, Jack likes them , and now it's almost a full week and he have added 2 snails and 2 peppermint shrimp. Today I added the BioSpira Marine Nitrifying Bacteria. Any suggestions on what to get for the first (and probably only) fish that we might add? Nemo? Firefish? Sand sifter? Goby?
I really dont know many of the names, but will learn in due time. Also, our tank looks pretty sparse, so if anyone would like to contribute any small pieces of coral/anenomes please let me know your suggestions, everything must be small and stay fairly small. I appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Thanks, and All the Best!

- Dale

p.s pictures to follow...

 

[Moe_K]

Hi Dale,
Where are you from? I'm over in Hudson. Lots of use MetroWesters around.

First advice, don't add any fish until we know your ammonia spike, your nitrite spike, and finally your nitrate spike are all over and done. This will take a couple of months. Just be patient. You don't need any fish to get the nitrogen cycle going. The live rock will handle the job.
Skip that nitrifying bacteria junk. You don't need it.

Most anemones require strong lighting. Before you purchase an anemone, look into the lighting requirements. Don't want to waste your money and kill off an anemone. Mushroom corals and button polyps don't require much light, and are very purdy. Go with those. They also happen to be very hardy. Again, just wait a month or two.
For fish recommendations, check out Marine Fishes by Scott Michael. Nearly every fish in the hobby is described in there, and he gives good recommendations for minimum tank size. In an 8 gal, a firefish and a really small goby would work, I think. Lots of color in those two.

 

[glbtrottr]

I remember once I had an *awesome* 10G when I first started. Lit by Power Compacts. A first store employee recommeded an anemone...so I got one. It turned out to be a Heteractis Magnifica that was tightly wound, so when she finally spread, she nearly overflowed the aquarium! Not knowing better (I was in my teens), I filled the tank with regular water to clean it up, not quite checking my sailinity...

...can you imagine a liquid milkshake of muddy death? It makes a room stench up in a heart beat

I'd recommend that once you get your parameters set, you look into zoanthids...very colorful, practically easy to take care of, don't require feeding, and come in many varieties. That at mushrooms - all are terribly forgiving.

Cheers from another Metrowester! (in Upton)...finishing basement today to put water in a 180 in the next week or two!

 

[Spitman]

Hi Moe, Thanks for the tips, I will take a look at the book you recommended and have been researching the different types of gobys. Will probably get a firefish and a small goby or nemo after I have added some coral/polyps. Looking for a small zoanthid(s), and a mushroom. Then I can add the fish in about a month. Take care, - Dale

 

[Spitman]

That's wicked funny, I'll do my best to avoid that. I am learning about corals, zoanthids, polyps and anenomes. Still have a ways to go to know all the classes and types. Best of luck this weekend getting your tank up, be sure to take a break, eat some wings and watch some football, k?

 

[Scott]

Hey, welcome from another MW reefer.

Don't get too attached to that little tank. you'll be upgrading in no time.

 

[Firefish]

 

[Spitman]

Thanks for the Welcome...Go Pats!!!

how long do I need to wait for the "cycle" to be done so I can add a couple of small fishies?

 

[MikeG]

how long do I need to wait for the "cycle" to be done so I can add a couple of small fishies?

Keep an eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Once you see a spike and then the reading drop back to 1 for ammonia and nitrite, then the nitrogen cycle has stopped. At this point it is safe to slowly start adding fish to the tank.

Timing is really impossible to say. Coulc be anywhere from a couple months to immediately. If the rock wasn't all that well cured at the store it could take a while to cure in your tank. If the rock was from a well established tank and transfered quickly with little to no die off of organisms then you may see no cycle at all. You really need to rely on the measurements and if you have any tyoe of cycle or not. In any case I would wait a week or two after your ammonia and nitrate have both returned to 0.

Also welcome to the club!

 

[stevenp]

how long do I need to wait for the "cycle" to be done so I can add a couple of small fishies?

I have a few soft coral freebies for you once your tank is established, if you're willing to make the trek to Worcester.

 

[Miller]

Welcome to the site. That is a cool idea having a family tank with each child having a rock.

 

[qazplm25]

Welcome! I'm right next door in Sudbury!

 

[Reefried]

Hey Spitman, welcome to our frat. So I have a question, you mentioned that you purchased another "live rock" from Petco, I know that Petco doesn't use live rock in their systems, and I dont think that they sell it either, did you buy one of those red or white rocks from the shelf? If so then that is NOT a live rock, and will not become one in time, it WILL likely turn Green, and Nasty. But maybe I'm mistaken. Just trying to help.

 

[6stang9]

Hey Spitman, welcome to our frat. So I have a question, you mentioned that you purchased another "live rock" from Petco, I know that Petco doesn't use live rock in their systems, and I dont think that they sell it either, did you buy one of those red or white rocks from the shelf? If so then that is NOT a live rock, and will not become one in time, it WILL likely turn Green, and Nasty. But maybe I'm mistaken. Just trying to help.

Petco in Leominster MA sells softball size pieces of live rock for $25 each.

 

[Spitman]

Reefried Live Rock

Hey there Reefried...
The piece I bot was arch shaped in a tank and labeled as being sold as Live Rock. It is reddish and white and my two peppermint shrimpies love hiding under it, guarding their territory. It had the plastic tie on it with the bar code price tag on it. No that you mention it, it did seem kinda weird to buy a piece of rock with a tag on it. it actually does not seem very alive. I am watching it to see what happens with it, as it seems more like the inverts like to find stuff in the nooks and crannies, not sure how to tell if it is live or not though.

 

[Dixon81]

Yea some Petco's do sell live rock. Did the rock come out of a tank with Saltwater in it?

 

[Spitman]

Petco live rock

yes, the "live rock" did come out of a tank with H2O in it,
but the jury is still out as to if it really is live or not.I guess once its
in my tank for a while and gets coraline on it...it will be.
I'm kinda ticked that they are selling LR as such....

 

[JayM]

you should still tell us what your lighting is Dale.....

After your haul yesterday, you should let the tank stabilize too

watch your parameters, and be patient.

 

[Kristy]

Welcome!

Yes, Leominster Petco sells "live rock" and just started selling some corals, mushrooms, anenomes and featherdusters. I think I would rather go to a LFS for that stuff.

 

[Spitman]

O8 Lighting

I have two compact built in lights in my Oceanic 8 Biocube.
both Actinic and one 10000k and one 18W