From: putzolu@cs.ucdavis.edu (David Matthew Putzolu)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Beginner questions on Marine Tank
Date: 27 Jan 93 05:28:49 GMT
Organization: The University of California at Davis
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X-XXDate: Tue, 26 Jan 93 21:28:25 GMT

In article <1993Jan24.180403.1234@cc.gatech.edu> Peggy Simpson,
peggy@cc.gatech.edu writes:
>Hi, folks!

Hi Peggy!

>My goal is a 75 -125 gal tank with the following occupants:
>
>	1 cowfish
>	1 tang (yellow or blue)
>	1 anemone 
>	1 clownfish
>
>	and maybe in the future a banded coral shrimp or a
>	snowflake moray.
>
>My questions are as follows:
>
>	What would the best order be for adding the fish?  I know
>that the anemone is probably the least tolerant, so I imagine
>it should go last. 

Start with something *cheap* to cycle the tank - and don't grow
too attached, it may die. For a 75, 6 - 8 damsels would do the trick.
Return them to a pet shop for credit once cycled. Once cycled, I'd
first add the tank, then the cowfish. Wait awhile & watch the nitrates,
if they stay low (< 10ppm) add the anemone & the clown together
(the clown will be happier & more entertaining this way). If the
nitrates are > 10, forget the anemone. Period.

>	Will these fish get along?  I know that several of you
>have cowfish (steve's story broke my heart!), but I haven't
>found a lot of info in my books on them.  Any info on keeping
>cowfish would be appreciated.  What other fish would be compatible?

Sounds like a faily non-aggressive tank. Stay away from damsels
(apart from cycling). Can't tell you much about cowfish, don't have
one myself, but I think they look real cute! The occupants you listed
sound ok. Get a small clownfish, smaller than the other inhabitants,
this will (hopefully) head off aggression from it towards others.
Although clownfish vary alot in aggressive tendencies, all have it
to some extent and being the smallest fish in the tank often
reduces the risk of these tendencies becoming a problem.

>	Finally,  I'm trying to choose between the glass and the
>acrylic tanks.  I haven't found any advantages to the acrylic,
>they're way more expensive and I understand that they scratch very
>easily.  I do like a 75 gal semi-circular one at the local fish
>store, however, as it would fit into many good locations in my
>home.  (But I'm still leaning to the all glass rectangular for
>price.)  How do the fish feel about non-rectangular shapes -- 
>semi-circles or hexagonal tanks?  Are they're any real advantages 
>to acrylic -- I imagine it doesn't break as easily.  Is it worth
>the money?

I didn't know fish had an aesthetic preference for rectangular tanks!
But really, the only problem with all the non-standart shapes is lack
of surface area. The less surface area, the less oxygen <-> CO2
exchange, and the harder to get into & clean the tank. 
The spherical tanks are particularly bad in this respect - you basically
have to get an external filtration system that aerates the water well
to support a population of any size.
The biggest advantage of acrylic is it's lesser (or is it greater?
Physicists?)
refraction index. This means that you can look into your tank at angles
and still see into it well, which often doesn't hold true with glass
tanks.
I can get quite a headache trying to see into my tank at an angle, and
my next tank will be an acrylic one.

>   ___(_)              |\    /|  ----  ----  |                ._.___   
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