1st fishy addition

[Tooch]

So I went to the lfs and had my nano water checked last night. Calcium was a little low, but I have calcium drops to fix that. I went ahead and made the first Fish addition to my tank!

Now, it already has 6 snails, 6 hermits, an Emerald crab and a Sally Lightfoot crab.

I got a 6-line Wrasse. I drip acclimated it for awhile, and then placed it in the tank. It immediatly went and hid in the rocks, and that's the last I saw of it. As soon as I put it in the tank, I shut the lights off and left it alone.

I think I'm going to go with a paired Maroon Clowns alittle later one. They are really cool lookin for sure, and it's different than the typical clowns you see.

Now here's a question. I mixed up about 4gallons of SW last night to replace what I dripped out. Needless to say, with a 12g nano, I didn't come close to using it all. If I got a lid to my bucked, how long could I just keep that water, and then heat it up as needed? Does it have a "shelf life"?

[jbeining75]

Nice addition to the tank. When he comes out grab a pic. For the saltwater we used to keep ours bucketed for a week or more. I just used to stir the salt every once in awhile. It will have no foreign matter so won't need anything to keep it "alive" per say. It is not live either so you could probably leave it there awhile. Of course check the salinity before you put it back into the tank. Some my evaporate and cause freshwater condensation on the bucket lid and lower the salinity. I would imagine it would not be substantial however. Good luck Civic....

[Halelorf]

For my salt water mix I have it in a 5 gallon bucket with a old power head and a old heater in there. With the lid on it lasts fairly long, I just open the lid every now and then and tap the lid to drop the condensated water back into the bucket. Congrats on the fish!

[Tooch]

Hey guys, thanks for the info!

[cocoa_pleco]

congrats!

just make sure he isnt eating inverts, wrasse naturally do that. my lunar wrasse (6") wont harm any inverts, while i was told he would eat them all. the only thing he does is grab a few hermit crabs when i add them to the tank, but if i shut the lights off for 20 minutes all is good

[NickFish]

Congrats on the new addition!

Saltwater can store for a week or two, a day or so before you use it make sure it's all mixed up. I mix my water with an old AC 30 and a maxi-jet 900, but any old powerhead will work as long as their is sufficient water movement.

[spudbuds]

Congrats on the new addition! I've been considering getting one of those. I love how they swim around like torpedos.

- Bill

[Tooch]

Just a quick update! Like I said yesterday, once I put him in the tank the night before, he swam right for the a little nich in the rocks. I saw him chillin there, but he didn't come out again that night (while I was watching). When I got up yesterday for work, I went down to check on him. He was still in the same exact place! Well, I was kinda worried that he died down there, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. I thought maybe he just found a spot he's comfy in .

Well, I checked on him when I got home for work, and he was A-OK! I was really happy! My first SW acclimation worked!

Cara and I sat down on the couch in our tank room and watched the little creatures in there for about 45 minutes. It's amazing how you just loose track of time! All the crabs were out, the snails, and the wrasse. It was so relaxing to watch!

[Tigerbarb]

Glad to hear that your fish is doing well! You must have felt good, knowing that you didn't lose a fish overnight like what has happened to some hobbyists.
I am guessing the most rewarding thing about your tank is getting to relax and enjoy it? I would think so too. thumbs2:

[Ellen4God]

Congrats on your new addition!! I'm sure you'll spend a lot of time watching the tank. Planned what you're going to put in next yet?

[Drumachine09]

I wouldn't do the wrasse and a pair of clowns. Thats a lot for such a small tank.

[Tooch]

I wouldn't do the wrasse and a pair of clowns. Thats a lot for such a small tank.


I thought so too. I'll definatly keep this in mind, thanks for the tip!

But yes, watching it is awesome!

[cocoa_pleco]

the wrasse only gets about 3.5", so youre slightly pushing the stock, as long as theres no aggression you should be okay for a while