More saltwater fish questons:?

Question

My questions, continued:

11. How do I introduce Live rock to my fish tank, like I buy the rock, and then what?

12. How many fish for my 10 gallon can I have? Was hoping for 2 Ocel. Clownfish, 1 Fire shrimp, and maybe one other small fish. Ok?

13. Do I need a certain item so that I can rinse my sand of debris and dust?

14. Can small hermit crabs and other invertibraes bother/live in the tank with my Ocel. Clownfish?

15. How big will my clownfish get?

16. Dabombdotcom mentioned that invertibraes need a certain salinity with live rock. What is that salinity range and may my clownfish live with that?

Thanks, maybe even more questions to come.

Answer 1

11) You buy rocks from the shop.

12) you can have much fish as you want.

13) maybe a filter.

14) yes they can.

15)  pretty big

16) anemone

Answer 2

11. Buy uncured liverock and just drop it in. It wil initally produce amonia that will help cycle your tank (search nitrogen cycle)

12. 2 clows might get territorial in a 10 gallon tank and fight.

If they are already mated you might have better luck with that(2 would still strain the filters though) I vote you only get one clown and anouther small fish allong with the shrimp

13. before adding sand to the aquarium rinse it out. put it in a bucket then poor in water untill the bucket is almost full. poor out the excess water and repeat untill water is clear

note: It will never get compleatly clear and it will still made the aquarium watter a little cloudy untill it settles. give it afew days.

14 small himit crabs are good for tank as they halp clean up messes. they shouldnt bother any of your fish.

15 Ocel. Clownfish usually get to be about 2.5 inches (a relitively big fish for a 10 gallon tank)

16 the SG ,specific gravity (measure of relitive salinity), should be around 1.020 - 1.025 use a hydrometer to measure. This supports most saltwater aquarium spicies.

Answer 3

11. Buy the rock, they will pack it in newspaper or something similar to keep it damp on the way home. As soon as you get home put the rock in your tank. There really is no point in trying to acclimate live rock, it's not as if it will float.

12.  I wouldnt keep more then 3 or 4 fish in a 10 gal. This also includes shrimp and/or crabs. You can start with those listed, but they will eventually outgrow a 10 gallon.... well the fire shirmp wont. For your other "small fish" I would recommend a royal gramma, or fire gobie. You will probably need to get a couple of snails also to help curb algae. Also if your just starting your tank, start with damsels. They are much cheaper and more hardy. They are your starter fish to get you through your cycle. When your tank is cycled take the damsels back and get your other fish.

13. Yes you do need to rinse your substrate. If your using sand you will have to use a large bowl and wash it, drain it without pouring out the sand. This will probably have to be repeated a few times before your water will be clear in the bowl. If your using crushed coral, just go buy a cheap plastic pasta strainer.

14. Yes you can have crabs, snails, and shrimp. Hermit crabs would be fine. Avoid horseshoe crabs though, they need more room to move around and get to large to fast.

15. Your clowfish will grow to be anywhere from 3 to 5 inches long.

16. If your not planning on keeping a reef tank (corals) then your salinity can be anywhere from 19 to about 23. If your going reef then you need it to be at 25. Anywhere between 19 and 25 is what is required for saltwater. But if your not going to have corals, then try to keep it about 20.

Hope this helped.

*answers to your edits.

You want to buy live rock at the same time or shortly after you buy your starter fish. Live rock contains small organisims that help filter your water. So it's a big help to your cycle.But these organisims also make their own waste.  If you put the live rock in before your fish, your tank will start to cycle right then making it harder for your starter fish to acclimate to gradual changes of the water as the cycle progresses. So get your live rock as soon as possible, just not before your fish.

Also if you buy your live rock from a decent fish store very rarely does it ever contain parasites, or anything else that will harm your tank. All live rock will evenutally get brissel worms. You cant avoid it, but they wont hurt your fish. Just watch for them, they have small brissels (sort of like tiny hairs) that they throw off their bodies and they will make your fingers and hands itch when you touch them. But I wouldnt worry about this right off the bat because in a 10 gallon your not going to be buying large rocks. More then likely rubble peices. Most rubble peices, arent large enough to harbor any bristle worms large enough to hurt you.

Answer 4

Ok Cameron, I'm here I was busy taking care of my tank. Anyways, heres the answers that I am going to give you for your questions.

11. You should have your tank set up and the specific salinity should be a 1.020-1.025 for both the live rocks and the invertebrates, they should do fine, but you must acclimate the invertebrates when introducing it to your tank. Make sure that you cycle your tank with the rocks in before adding any invertebrates or fish.

12. I got to say, most people will not recommend a 10 gallon tank for saltwater aquarium, however, due to my experience in this hobby, you can make it work by using the right chemistry. No you cannot add as much fish as you want, you got to remember, saltwater fish is more fragile than freshwater fish and they need the proper care, proper nutrition, and proper environment meaning hiding spaces, and so forth.

13) you can use a net that the sand won't seep through it, by putting the sand in the net over a bucket you can rinse the sand off pretty well, however, you should also shake the sand around and all the debris should fall into the bucket. However, if it is sand that you bought that has the live bacteria inside, you shouldn't do that. But if it's not, then you may consider doing these steps.

14 yes, you can have small hermit crabs and other invertebrates with your clownfish, they'll usually get along, it has to depend on how aggressive the fish may act.

15. These clownfishes can grow up to 3 1/2 inches in length

16. I don't need to answer this question because live rocks and invertebrates needs a salinity level of between 1.020 - 1.025

EDIT: Cameron, Don't be afraid, just email me at anytime, I'll try to get back to when I can. As for the rest of the people, I'm willing to share my knowledge and input, this is not about challenging who has the most knowledge or who is the best, this is about helping people, and that I like doing, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email or ask through IM. Thanks and have a good weekend...............