Q # 1 : How long to cycle...

[hbh]

a 20 gallon long using live rock and sand from another tank, filters from an established tank, " clean recycled" SW, chaeto, and 1/2 new sand? I'm thinking a week as it already has sat more than a week but then I did tear it down to wash the sand while saving 90% of the water and keeping the live rock wet, the filters wet, et al.

 

Q.2 : Can a pair of ocellaris clowns get along with a tomato clown?

Q.3 : Can a black velvet damsel get along with a turbo damsel?

 

Here 's the deal: I'm thinking of going with a less aggressive tank (55) and a more territorial tank (20 gal.) but don't neccessarily want throw off the balance that I curremntly have. BUT my formerly timid turbo damsels are picking on my baby tomato clown and my formerly nonaggressive blue velvet is becoming slightly more bossy towards my PJ fish. So I was thinking of putting them together. My other thought would be flip the situation and put the tomato clown, the pajama cardinals, the blue chromis, and possibly a mandarin goby in the 20 and just put the turbos in the 55 where there is more territory so to speak.

 

Any thoughts?

Edited April 23, 2008 by hbh

[Brian Ward]

a 20 gallon long using live rock and sand from another tank, filters from an established tank, " clean recycled" SW, chaeto, and 1/2 new sand? I'm thinking a week as it already has sat more than a week but then I did tear it down to wash the sand while saving 90% of the water and keeping the live rock wet, the filters wet, et al.

 

Q.2 : Can a pair of ocellaris clowns get along with a tomato clown?

Q.3 : Can a black velvet damsel get along with a turbo damsel?

 

Here 's the deal: I'm thinking of going with a less aggressive tank (55) and a more territorial tank (20 gal.) but don't neccessarily want throw off the balnce the I curremntly have. BUT my formerly timid turbo damsels are picking on my baby tomato clown and my formerly nonaggressive blue velvet is becoming bossy towards my PJ fish. So I was thinking of putting them together. My other thought would be flip the situation and put the tomato clown, the pajama cardinals, the blue chromis, and possibly a mandarin goby in the 20 and just put the turbos in the 55 where there is more territory so to speak.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

Cycle at least a week. Once there is no ammonia or nitrite then your cycle has finished and you can add fish. Do not add anything if there is any ammonia. If the live rock and sand came from an established system and you kept it wet (in saltwater, not fresh) then your bacteria colonies should be able to process the ammonia your fish will produce. If you're not sure, then add a piece of uncooked shrimp for a couple days. This will introduce some ammonia and test until the ammonia and nitrite are gone.

 

The pair of ocellaris can get along with a tomato if your tank is 300+ gallons. Any smaller and someone will die.

 

Damsels all tend to be mean so I can't help you with the 3rd question.

 

The damsels will probably tend to pick on the cardinals, they will probably tend to pick on each other, esp in a confined space. The tomato should definitely be able to hold his own against the damsels, but not until he's bigger. As a baby you probably need to keep him with more peaceful tankmates.

 

Your proposition for the 20 is WAY too heavily loaded. Not to mention your mandarin will never survive - not enough pods in that small a tank to support him.

[wreck]

1. the 20 may not cycle or it might just quickly cycle. Do tests to watch it cycle, like you would a new tank. ammonia climbs then falls, nitrite climbs and falls to zero.

2. I would not mix the clownfish in a 55.

3. I don't know, no personal experience with damsels.

I think the madarin goby should go in your biggest most established tank, so he has enough pods and such to feed on, unless your goby eats other foods.

Wreck

 

a 20 gallon long using live rock and sand from another tank, filters from an established tank, " clean recycled" SW, chaeto, and 1/2 new sand? I'm thinking a week as it already has sat more than a week but then I did tear it down to wash the sand while saving 90% of the water and keeping the live rock wet, the filters wet, et al.

 

Q.2 : Can a pair of ocellaris clowns get along with a tomato clown?

Q.3 : Can a black velvet damsel get along with a turbo damsel?

 

Here 's the deal: I'm thinking of going with a less aggressive tank (55) and a more territorial tank (20 gal.) but don't neccessarily want throw off the balnce the I curremntly have. BUT my formerly timid turbo damsels are picking on my baby tomato clown and my formerly nonaggressive blue velvet is becoming bossy towards my PJ fish. So I was thinking of putting them together. My other thought would be flip the situation and put the tomato clown, the pajama cardinals, the blue chromis, and possibly a mandarin goby in the 20 and just put the turbos in the 55 where there is more territory so to speak.

 

Any thoughts?

[treesprite]

TIme to keep the baby separate from the damsels until he gets bigger. Mature tomatos usually do ok with moderately aggressive damsels. At one point I had 4 or 5 damsels in a 45 and ended up with one very scrappy damsel...

[hbh]

Thanks for your thoughts. The tomatoe is separate for now- he hides in the mass of chaeto and has a long, large hiding tube to swim in.

So 2 medium blue/green chromis, 2 PJ's and 1 baby tomato and a mandarin are to many fish for the 20? If I leave the damsel in will it pick on the goby? My last firefish didn't survive. Should I temporarily take out the damsel ( OHH I caught it! Oh rats, it was just a dream.) and put it in the other tank? more thoughts and questions. Better to ask now than to find out later....

Edited April 28, 2008 by hbh