Begginer marine tank set up

[music4everman]

Amy, that was some discussion you started with ur RED/ORANGE stuff. I couldn't really determine if hermit crabs are good or bad. There cute as hell but l don't want a potential assassin in my tank lol. Are there any crabs that are friendly to the fish, snails etc.? I like crabs but if they're gonna be a problem l'll pass on them. It also seems that i should be careful of fish that sift the sand. that's a bummer too cause the goby was 1 of the other fish i was leaning towards. They're fun 2 watch.
I guess I'm getting snails
Can anyone recommend how many snails and which type for my 56gal tank?
How about shrimp, can i mix them without a problem? I like them all pretty much. as always i appreciate ur help.

[pinkorchid]

now im no expert, correct me pls, but darn it cant rememer your name...pink orchid...sorry...u say u use tap water..would that have anything to do with any kinds of algae blooms tho i know the diatoms show up in the beginning..guys??

No worries  ;) It's Amy...

[pinkorchid]

I have 2 hermits and 12 snails in my 55gal. I think the snails are stocked on the low side but wanted to make sure there was enough for them to eat. I haven't had any problems yet. I think an important thing is to have a few extra shells laying around for the crabs. I love the hermits, they are fun to watch  :D BUT I have heard it's a risk. Carole hasn't had good luck with them  :(

Okay so maybe it's time to switch over to ro/di. So is that pretty much purified bottled water?? The stuff people buy for drinking water? I've never seen any for sale at the LFS  ???
My husband works for the water department here in the city....I bet he knows what ours tests at. I'm curious now.

[Bergy]

yea, bottled water should read at very low tds...

ask the hubby to get a water report for your area, and ask him about TDS, total dissolved solids...

and for the record anyone can contact thier local water department and get water information... it should be published annually

[music4everman]

hey Amy,
are ur snails bigger than the hermits or vise verser, or are they pretty much the same size? Can that make a difference? what type of snails do u have? have they helped w/ur diatom problem?
kh test? no idea what that is. I have a friend that works for the water company so l'll ask him about the results of our area, now l'm  curious too. talk to you soon. hope everyones having a good day. ;)

[psykokid]

kh= carbonate hardness short for dkh which translates to Degree Karbonate Hardness..

[Bergy]

also known as ALKALINITY test...

I actually use that test as my main 'indicator' test.. or in other words, if it tests ok, within range, then chances are excellent that all the other test results will be inline as well..

if the kH is off, then I break out the other test kits...

[pinkorchid]

^^Bill about that...you might remember a while back I purchased an akalinity test....
I need to add 17drops for it to turn to the right color....I had a hard time understanding the results. Is 17 mega high??

Hey!
I have 12 in total - 2 Zebra Turbos, 2 XL Nass & 8 ceriths. The ceriths are smaller than the hermits, the rest are larger. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes as far as size goes. I'm guessing it helps out a bit  8) They are all working away at the diatom. It never did get very bad...just a dusting on the rocks and sand. Enough to irritate me though...LOL.
Good luck!!

[psykokid]

iirc 17 is a bit high, 8-14 being "normal" for a reef tank but thats more along the lines if you have corals.. right now you are FO so having that high of a dkh shouldnt really affect things too much..

[Bergy]

as jake said, fo tanks dont care about alk and calc...

and yes, 17 is uber high... it should bbe dropping if you arent adding or dosing stuff...

[cruzincaril]

i missed quite a bit here ..got lost in my emails.. of all the snails ive had the only ones ive actually seen on the sand as well as rocks and glass are the ceriths..they are pretty hardy..dont have to worry about getting upended... the diatoms will go away after awhile..and yes if u want to buy jugs like i do make sure it says purified..not distilled cuz purified is a step more i was told..its a pain to go out and buy and i did try a distiller but the hose never fit the faucet rite and im no plumber to put it under the sink..as i said i bring all the empty jugs to be recycled and put the money in my fish stash...lol

[music4everman]

thanks Jake'
for clarifying the kh test for me. How does the Alkalinity affect the tank? How often should one test it?
Amy, do all of ur snails attack the diatom?
Carol I'll be sure to look for the purified water, thanks for the tip.

[cruzincaril]

if the snails go on the rocks and glass they shud but ....it may not be the flavor they like..i dont think its the same as regular algae..is it bill and the others?????

[pinkorchid]

The ceriths and zebra's are doing a great job....The nass aren't as interested but spend alot of time on/under the sand which seems to be helpling too. I'm happy with them  8)

Yeah...I figured 17 was high. Glad it's not a huge deal in FO. Thanks!

[Just_Greg]

actually, if your water has CHLORINE, it will dissipate over night or with aeration.  however, most municipalities now use CHLORAMINE, which will not "blow off", and must be removed by the carbon filter of your RO/DI unit or by chemical neutralization.