From: putzolu@cs.ucdavis.edu (David Matthew Putzolu)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: [M] Questions from a novice
Date: 27 Jan 93 05:19:35 GMT
Organization: The University of California at Davis
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X-XXMessage-ID: <A78B5B52CC01FD28@lestat.ucdavis.edu>
X-XXDate: Tue, 26 Jan 93 21:19:14 GMT

In article <74277@cup.portal.com> John R Hoffman, jrh@cup.portal.com
writes:
>I'm a novice to aquariums and I've got a few questions for the
>veterans here.

Hmm. I never was a soldier, but I'll try my best ;)

>Two weeks ago I started a 30 gallon salt-water tank.  I've got an
>UGF with 2 Perfecto 200-gph power heads, a Whisper 2 filter, and
>a 150-watt heater.

Don't worry, you will soon buy even more fancy equipment for your
fish. Then you will want a reef tank. Then you will want three different
tanks. Then you will be bankrupt - but I digress ;)

>I started with 6 damselfish: 2 yellow-tailed blues, 2 dominos
>(3 spot), and 2 four-stripes (black tailed).  All are small sized.
>The dealer recommended feeding them frozen brine-shrimp, about a
>1/2 inch square, once a day.
>
>My intention is to just have fish until I become more experienced
>with this.  I'd like to add a tang (yellow or blue), a clown, and
>maybe more once the cycle has completed.  So far everything seems
>to be going okay.  The water is clear and the fish are eating.

Good!

> - Is that enough food for the fish?  Is that once a day feeding
>   enough?  They seem to be very hungry at feeding time.

Fish will always act voracious until they are about to explode. Some
don't even stop then. If your fish do not appear to be wasting away,
and appear active and healthy, then you are doing ok. Do you mean a
1/2" cube? That would certainly seem enough to me, especially when
cycling a tank - you want to keep nutrient additions to a minimum
to make the cycle go quickly (worked for me!)

> - Should I be feeding them any other kinds of food?

Variety is the spice of life - and your fishes lives too. Although they
could probably survive for years on just brine shrimp, they would
be much happier (and healthier!) with some variety. Good quality flakes,
the occasional ground/chopped fresh seafood, and (rarely!) other stuff,
like tubiflex, beef, etc., will give your beasties a more balanced diet.
Keep the non-marine foods to a minimum.

> - If I have to leave for the weekend, what should I do about feeding
them?

Nothing. Your fish can _easily_ survive two days without food. Don't
overfeed beforehand, nor afterwards (well, I admit I give them a little
extra - they looked so skinny after I was gone for five days!).

> - The dealer recommended 1.020; is that okay or should it be higher?

1.020 is OK, I'd use 1.021. Low salinity (within limits) makes your
fish have to expend less energy remaining hydrated.

> - I've got the temperature set to between 76-78; is that okay?

As long as it doesn't vary too much, that sounds great.

> - With a tang and a clown, would that be too many fish for 30 gallons
>   or could I even have more?

Hmm. Sounds like a bit much. I'd keep it to at most six fish in a
thirty gallon tank, but I have always been stingy.

> - One of the yellow-tailed blues seems very aggressive.  Is there
>   anything I can do about this?  Should I get rid of him?

Damsel is a synonym for aggressive, did you know that?
There is a fair chance that if you get rid of him, another damsel
will become the meanest (pecking order will assert itself).
If you hate aggression, lose the damsels. However, if the tang
is a fair bit bigger than the damsels, and the clown is well, they
should be able to hold their own.

> - The dealer will do free water tests.  Should I really invest in my
>   own testing kit?

Will the dealer do this for you forever? Is it convenient? If so, save
the $! There is no inherent benefit to doing them yourself, unless you
require very accurate tests (like LaMotte) for a reef or something.

Good luck!!

>John Hoffman
>jrh@cup.portal.com

"I knew I should have gotten"                ______-==-______
"the new version of Rival..."    ____-------=----------------=-------____
           ________________  _ _-    --------________________--------
          (______________(_||_) _______ /
             /_____/_____            _-
Ex-Capt David Putzolu    \__________-
U.S.S. Yamato
Senior, CS & Psych, U.C.Davis - putzolu@cs.ucdavis.edu - my opinion