Additives For a New Aquarium

[A320]

Hi everyone, newbie to the hobby and sgreef here. Have a relatively new aquarium filled with live rocks and soft corals with clowns, damsels and an angel. Been 3 months and haven't added any additives nor have i tested for anything. Can anyone help with what to add and what to test for (water-wise)?

Is there any good cleaning apparatus for cleaning up the aquarium floor? Preferably involve minimal effort and mess.

Been trying to keep firefish(fire goby) but haven't any luck. Lost 7 already so far.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[clownman]

For corals, I add:

Strontium

Calcium

Iodine

Trace elements

Liquid coral food

At least test water for:

Ammonia

Nitrite

Nitrate

pH

Not good idea to mess up the sand too much.

Better get a cleaning crew to help.

Like cleaner shrimp, snails, sea cucumber.

[lightningstrike]

read all the pinned up threads in new to the marine aquaria forum. will do u lots of good.....

happy reefing.....

[A320]

Thanks. Will look through it. Any kits you all recommend for testing nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and ph? Are they all separate kits or all in one? how regularly do you have to test for the above???

[clownman]

Salifert - separate kits.

Check these out:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...egin-tests.html

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/aqsetupte...tkitchartfo.htm

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/waterqual...itchartreef.htm

[FuEl]

Basic test kits you need are pH, kH, Ca, Nitrate test kits. Don't really need ammonia and nitrite test kits as long as you are patient with your cycling.

Basic additives you need are anti-chlorine, calcium, and reef builder (to increase kH).

[A320]

thanks FUEL. are all those additives important as i only have live rocks, soft corals and fish? No plans for hard corals.

[RAV-65]

thanks FUEL. are all those additives important as i only have live rocks, soft corals and fish? No plans for hard corals.

Bro,

with the stuff u keep, actually u dun really need to add anything, juz do regular water changes like once a week would be sufficient... If you have lots of soft corals, den u may wanna to drip a little iodine...

Btw, i met someone who tinks hammer corals are soft corals becoz the tentacles are soft soft one... hope u dun make the same mistake...

Vincent Ho

[FuEl]

If you want coralline algae you need to have calcium and kH levels at optimum. If you are fine with a corallineless tank then by all means dump the calcium test kit and the calcium additive. But you will still need to monitor kH to prevent it from dropping below 6 (will cause pH to fluctuate more, stressing your fish and corals.)

[A320]

Great stuff guys...........thanks. will bear all that in mind. anything else you all recommend doing besides those?